Inspector Erlendur Books in Order
Inspector Erlendur contains 14 books, published between 1997 and 2014. The first book is Synir duftsins (1997) and the newest is Into Oblivion / Kamp Knox (2014). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 14
- Published
- 1997–2014
- Confirmed
- 14 of 14 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,675 in 5 of 14 books
Inspector Erlendur is a police procedural series by Arnaldur Indridason set in Iceland, with Erlendur Sveinsson listed as the fictitious detective. The 14 books run from Synir duftsins (1997) to Into Oblivion / Kamp Knox (2014). Jar City (2000), Silence of the Grave (2001), Voices (2002), The Draining Lake (2004), Arctic Chill (2005) and Hypothermia (2007) fall between. Subjects include murder, missing persons, revenge and a serial rape investigation. The series is likely complete.
How many Inspector Erlendur books are there?
Inspector Erlendur has 14 books, released between 1997 and 2014.
Inspector Erlendur Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 14 Inspector Erlendur 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.
- 1Synir duftsins1997 · confirmed 3/41997–3/4
- 2Dauðarósir1998 · confirmed 3/41998–3/4
- 3Jar City / Tainted Blood / Mýrin2000 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/420003523/4
- 4Silence of the Grave / Grafarþögn2001 · confirmed 3/42001–3/4
- 5Voices / Röddin2002 · confirmed 3/42002–3/4
- 6The Draining Lake / Kleifarvatn2004 · confirmed 3/42004–3/4
- 7Arctic Chill / Vetrarborgin2005 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/420053523/4
- 8Hypothermia / Harðskafi2007 · confirmed 3/42007–3/4
- 9Outrage / Myrká2008 · confirmed 3/42008–3/4
- 10Black Skies / Svörtuloft2009 · 330 pages · confirmed 3/420093303/4
- 11Strange Shores / Furðustrandir2010 · 296 pages · confirmed 3/420102963/4
- 12Einvígið2011 · confirmed 3/42011–3/4
- 13Reykjavík Nights / Reykjavíkurnætur2012 · confirmed 3/42012–3/4
- 14Into Oblivion / Kamp Knox2014 · 345 pages · confirmed 3/420143453/4
Inspector Erlendur Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Einvígið comes first and Strange Shores / Furðustrandir comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 14 books below run in that in-universe sequence.
- 12Einvígið2011 · confirmed 3/42011–3/4
- 13Reykjavík Nights / Reykjavíkurnætur2012 · confirmed 3/42012–3/4
- 14Into Oblivion / Kamp Knox2014 · 345 pages · confirmed 3/420143453/4
- 1Synir duftsins1997 · confirmed 3/41997–3/4
- 2Dauðarósir1998 · confirmed 3/41998–3/4
- 3Jar City / Tainted Blood / Mýrin2000 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/420003523/4
- 4Silence of the Grave / Grafarþögn2001 · confirmed 3/42001–3/4
- 5Voices / Röddin2002 · confirmed 3/42002–3/4
- 6The Draining Lake / Kleifarvatn2004 · confirmed 3/42004–3/4
- 7Arctic Chill / Vetrarborgin2005 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/420053523/4
- 8Hypothermia / Harðskafi2007 · confirmed 3/42007–3/4
- 9Outrage / Myrká2008 · confirmed 3/42008–3/4
- 10Black Skies / Svörtuloft2009 · 330 pages · confirmed 3/420093303/4
- 11Strange Shores / Furðustrandir2010 · 296 pages · confirmed 3/420102963/4
Do you have to read Inspector Erlendur books in order?
You should read the Inspector Erlendur books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Inspector Erlendur book also stands alone.
Where to start with Inspector Erlendur
Start with Synir duftsins (1997), the earliest published title. In the chronological order, Einvígið comes first.
What is the newest Inspector Erlendur book?
Into Oblivion / Kamp Knox (2014) is the newest Inspector Erlendur book released so far.
Is there a new Inspector Erlendur book coming?
No next Inspector Erlendur book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Inspector Erlendur at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Inspector Erlendur title on record dates from 2014, 12 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Inspector Erlendur books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 1,675 pages across the 5 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 345 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Inspector Erlendur books, 8 of 14, were published in the 2000s.
- Attribution
- Of the 14 titles, 10 are credited to Arnaldur Indridason and 4 to Arnaldur Indriðason.
What the Inspector Erlendur books are about
7 of the 14 Inspector Erlendur books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: iceland is tagged on 6 of 7. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Iceland 6 of 7 books
- Mystery & detective, police procedural 5 of 7 books
- Crime 4 of 7 books
- Erlendur Sveinsson (Fictitious character) 4 of 7 books
- Police 3 of 7 books
Other series by Arnaldur Indridason
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Detective Konrad books in order 5 books