Order of Book Series
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Ray Elkins Books in Order

Aaron Stander has written 12 books featuring Ray Elkins, published between 2000 and 2024. The first book is Summer People (2000) and the newest is Smoke and Mirrors (2024). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
12
Published
2000–2024
Pages on record
1,794 in 7 of 12 books
Reading time
30–45 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,794 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 7 of 12 titles with a page count on record.

See all 12 books in order Printable Ray Elkins checklist

Ray Elkins is the investigator at the centre of Aaron Stander's mystery series, working murder cases in Michigan. Summer People (2000) opens the run and Smoke and Mirrors (2024) is the most recent of 12 catalogued books. Color Tour (2006), Deer Season (2009), Shelf Ice (2010), Cruelest Month (2012) and Gales of November (2017) sit between them, and many titles name a season or a turn in the weather. The series is ongoing.

How many Ray Elkins books are there?

Ray Elkins appears in 12 books, released between 2000 and 2024.

Ray Elkins Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 12 Ray Elkins 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 Color Tour by Aaron Stander, book 2 of the Ray Elkins Mystery series (2006)
  2. Cover of Medieval Murders by Aaron Stander, book 5 of the Ray Elkins Mystery series (2011)
  3. Cover of Gales of November by Aaron Stander, book 9 of the Ray Elkins Mystery series (2017)
  4. Cover of The Center Cannot Hold by Aaron Stander, book 10 of the Ray Elkins Mystery series (2018)
  1. 1
    Summer PeopleRay Elkins Mystery #12000 · 260 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000260
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Color TourRay Elkins Mystery #22006 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2006320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Deer SeasonRay Elkins Mystery #32009 · 238 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2009238
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Shelf IceRay Elkins Mystery #42010 · confirmed 2/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Medieval MurdersRay Elkins Mystery #52011 · 216 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2011216
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Cruelest MonthRay Elkins Mystery #62012 · 260 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2012260
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Death in a Summer ColonyRay Elkins Mystery #72013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Murder in the MerlotRay Elkins Mystery #82016 · confirmed 2/4
    2016–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Gales of NovemberRay Elkins Mystery #92017 · 250 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2017250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Center Cannot HoldRay Elkins Mystery #102018 · 250 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2018250
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Destination WeddingRay Elkins Mystery #112020 · confirmed 2/4
    2020–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Smoke and MirrorsRay Elkins Mystery #122024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Do you have to read Ray Elkins books in order?

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

Where to start with Ray Elkins

Start with Summer People (2000), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Ray Elkins book?

Smoke and Mirrors (2024) is the newest Ray Elkins book released so far.

Is there a new Ray Elkins book coming?

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

Ray Elkins at a glance

Still running
Ray Elkins is still running, with a title published as recently as 2024.
Release pace
Ray Elkins books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
1,794 pages across the 7 of 12 books with a recorded length, a median of 250 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Ray Elkins books, 7 of 12, were published in the 2010s.

What the Ray Elkins books are about

3 of the 12 Ray Elkins 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 2 of 3. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Aaron Stander

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