Thorn P.I. Books in Order
James W. Hall has written 17 Thorn P.I. books, published between 1987 and 2024. The first book is Under Cover of Daylight (1987) and the newest is Stare Down (2024). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 17
- Published
- 1987–2024
- Confirmed
- 6 of 17 titles
- Pages on record
- 4,177 in 12 of 17 books
- Reading time
- 70–104 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,177 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 12 of 17 titles with a page count on record.
Thorn, a fictitious character named in the subject tags, features in James W. Hall's 17 Thorn P.I. books, published from Under Cover of Daylight (1987) to Stare Down (2024). Florida, Key Largo and Miami appear in the subject tags, as do family secrets, fathers and sons, and mothers and sons. Tropical Freeze (1989), Mean High Tide (1994), Blackwater Sound (2002) and Hell's Bay (2008) are among the titles. Gaps between books average a little over two years.
How many Thorn P.I. books are there?
Thorn P.I. has 17 books, released between 1987 and 2024.
Thorn P.I. Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 17 Thorn P.I. 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.
- 11987–3/4
- 219894463/4
- 319944032/4
- 419954492/4
- 519963742/4
- 619973262/4
- 72002–2/4
- 820033372/4
- 920073212/4
- 1020083202/4
- 1120092762/4
- 1220113363/4
- 1320132943/4
- 1420142953/4
- 152020–2/4
- 162022–2/4
- 172024–3/4
Do you have to read Thorn P.I. books in order?
You should read the Thorn P.I. books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Thorn P.I. book also stands alone.
Where to start with Thorn P.I.
Start with Under Cover of Daylight (1987), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Thorn P.I. book?
Stare Down (2024) is the newest Thorn P.I. book released so far.
Is there a new Thorn P.I. book coming?
No next Thorn P.I. book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Thorn P.I. at a glance
- Still running
- Thorn P.I. is still running, with a title published as recently as 2024.
- Release pace
- Thorn P.I. books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 4,177 pages across the 12 of 17 books with a recorded length, a median of 331 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Thorn P.I. books, 5 of 17, were published in the 2000s.
What the Thorn P.I. books are about
14 of the 17 Thorn P.I. books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: thorn (fictitious character) is tagged on 11 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Thorn (Fictitious character) 11 of 14 books
- Florida 7 of 14 books
- Mystery & detective 6 of 14 books
- Key largo (fla.) 3 of 14 books
- Suspense 3 of 14 books
- Family secrets 2 of 14 books
- Fathers and sons 2 of 14 books
- Miami (Fla.) 2 of 14 books
- Thrillers 2 of 14 books
More books by James W. Hall
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- James W. Hall books in order 30 books
Series that include Thorn P.I. books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Thorn books in order 17 books