Columbo Books in Order
Columbo by William Harrington contains 6 books, published between 1993 and 1998. The first book is The Grassy Knoll (1993) and the newest is The Hoover Files (1998). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 6
- Published
- 1993–1998
- Total pages
- 1,497 across 6 books
- Reading time
- 25–37 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,497 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute.
Columbo is a six-book mystery series by William Harrington, built around Lieutenant Columbo of the Los Angeles police. The Grassy Knoll (1993) opens the run, followed by The Helter Skelter Murders (1994), The Hoffa Connection (1995), The Game Show Killer (1996), The Glitter Murders (1997) and The Hoover Files (1998). Assassination, labour unions and political crime are the recurring subjects, and nothing has been added since 1998.
How many Columbo books are there?
Columbo has 6 books, released between 1993 and 1998.
Columbo Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 6 Columbo 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.
- 1The Grassy Knoll1993 · 320 pages · confirmed 2/419933202/4
- 2The Helter Skelter Murders1994 · 295 pages · confirmed 2/419942952/4
- 3The Hoffa Connection1995 · 245 pages · confirmed 2/419952452/4
- 4The Game Show Killer1996 · 221 pages · confirmed 2/419962212/4
- 5The Glitter Murders1997 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/419971922/4
- 6The Hoover Files1998 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/419982242/4
Is there a chronological order for Columbo?
No separate chronological order is on record for Columbo, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Columbo books in order?
You should read the Columbo books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Columbo book also stands alone.
Where to start with Columbo
Start with The Grassy Knoll (1993), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Columbo book?
The Hoover Files (1998) is the newest Columbo book released so far.
Is there a new Columbo book coming?
No next Columbo book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Columbo at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Columbo title on record dates from 1998, 28 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Columbo books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 1,497 pages across all 6 books with a recorded length, a median of 234 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Columbo books, 6 of 6, were published in the 1990s.
What the Columbo books are about
All 6 Columbo books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: california is tagged on 6 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- California 6 of 6 books
- Assassination 5 of 6 books
- Labor unions 5 of 6 books
- Officials and employees 5 of 6 books
- Police 5 of 6 books
- Political crimes and offenses 5 of 6 books
More books by William Harrington
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- William Harrington books in order 25 books