Order of Book Series
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Derek Strange Books in Order

George P. Pelecanos has written 6 books featuring Derek Strange, published between 2001 and 2026. The first book is Right as Rain (2001) and the newest is The Blue Flame (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
6
Published
2001–2026
Confirmed
6 of 6 titles
Pages on record
1,095 in 3 of 6 books
Reading time
18–27 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,095 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 3 of 6 titles with a page count on record.

See all 6 books in order Printable Derek Strange checklist

Derek Strange is the private investigator George P. Pelecanos writes about, an African American detective working cases against police corruption, racism and the drug trade. Right as Rain (2001) opens the sequence, followed by Hell to Pay (2002), Soul Circus (2003) and Hard Revolution (2004). What It Was arrived in 2012 and The Blue Flame in 2026, giving 6 catalogued books. Terry Quinn shares the series billing with Strange.

How many Derek Strange books are there?

Derek Strange appears in 6 books, released between 2001 and 2026.

Derek Strange Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 6 Derek Strange books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Right as Rain by George P. Pelecanos, book 1 of the Derek Strange & Terry Quinn series (2001)
  2. Cover of Hell to Pay by George P. Pelecanos, book 2 of the Derek Strange & Terry Quinn series (2002)
  3. Cover of Soul Circus by George P. Pelecanos, book 3 of the Derek Strange & Terry Quinn series (2003)
  4. Cover of Hard Revolution by George P. Pelecanos, book 4 of the Derek Strange & Terry Quinn series (2004)
  1. 1
    Right as RainDerek Strange & Terry Quinn #12001 · confirmed 3/4
    2001–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Hell to PayDerek Strange & Terry Quinn #22002 · confirmed 3/4
    2002–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Soul CircusDerek Strange & Terry Quinn #32003 · 402 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2003402
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Hard RevolutionDerek Strange & Terry Quinn #42004 · 447 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2004447
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    What It WasDerek Strange & Terry Quinn #52012 · 246 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2012246
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Blue FlameDerek Strange & Terry Quinn #62026 · confirmed 3/4
    2026–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Do you have to read Derek Strange books in order?

You should read the Derek Strange books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Derek Strange book also stands alone.

Where to start with Derek Strange

Start with Right as Rain (2001), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Derek Strange book?

The Blue Flame (2026) is the newest Derek Strange book released so far.

Is there a new Derek Strange book coming?

No next Derek Strange book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Derek Strange at a glance

Still running
Derek Strange is still running, with a title published as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Derek Strange books have appeared about one every 5 years on average.
Length
1,095 pages across the 3 of 6 books with a recorded length, a median of 402 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Derek Strange books, 4 of 6, were published in the 2000s.

What the Derek Strange books are about

5 of the 6 Derek Strange books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: private investigators is tagged on 5 of 5. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by George P. Pelecanos

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.