Pot Thief Books in Order
J. Michael Orenduff has written 10 Pot Thief books, published between 2009 and 2025. The first book is The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras (2009) and the newest is The Pot Thief Who Studied Calvin (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 10
- Published
- 2009–2025
- Pages on record
- 1,612 in 6 of 10 books
- Reading time
- 27–40 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,612 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 6 of 10 titles with a page count on record.
The Pot Thief is the figure at the centre of J. Michael Orenduff's New Mexico murder mysteries. Every title follows one construction: The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy (2009), Pythagoras (2009), Einstein (2010), Escoffier (2011), Billy the Kid (2012), D. H. Lawrence (2012), Georgia O'Keeffe (2016), Edward Abbey (2018), the Woman at Otowi Crossing (2021) and Calvin (2025). Ten books at a median of 269 pages, and Orenduff continues the series.
How many Pot Thief books are there?
Pot Thief has 10 books, released between 2009 and 2025.
Pot Thief Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 10 Pot Thief 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.
- 12009–2/4
- 220092902/4
- 320102482/4
- 420112262/4
- 5The Pot Thief Who Studied D. H. LawrenceA Pot Thief Murder Mystery #52012 · 248 pages · confirmed 2/420122482/4
- 62012–2/4
- 7The Pot Thief Who Studied Georgia O'KeeffeA Pot Thief Murder Mystery #72016 · 300 pages · confirmed 2/420163002/4
- 820183002/4
- 9The Pot Thief Who Studied the Woman at Otowi CrossingA Pot Thief Murder Mystery #92021 · confirmed 2/42021–2/4
- 102025–2/4
Do you have to read Pot Thief books in order?
You should read the Pot Thief books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Pot Thief book also stands alone.
Where to start with Pot Thief
Start with The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras (2009), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Pot Thief book?
The Pot Thief Who Studied Calvin (2025) is the newest Pot Thief book released so far.
Is there a new Pot Thief book coming?
No next Pot Thief book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Pot Thief at a glance
- Still running
- Pot Thief is still running, with a title published as recently as 2025.
- Release pace
- Pot Thief books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 1,612 pages across the 6 of 10 books with a recorded length, a median of 269 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Pot Thief books, 6 of 10, were published in the 2010s.
What the Pot Thief books are about
5 of the 10 Pot Thief books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 5 of 5. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Mystery & detective 5 of 5 books
- Crime 4 of 5 books
- New Mexico 3 of 5 books
More books by J. Michael Orenduff
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- J. Michael Orenduff books in order 10 books
Series that include Pot Thief books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.