Rex Stout books in order
American writer
- Lived
- 1886–1975
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 87
- Series
- 2
Rex Stout published 75 novels, 1 novella, 4 short story collections, 1 children's book and 6 other books, beginning with Fer-de-Lance (1934). The 2 series include Nero Wolfe (63 books, starting with Fer-de-Lance) and Tecumseh Fox (3 books, starting with Double for Death).
Updated September 2026
Nero Wolfe books in order (63)Series page
Reading order: 1 Fer-de-Lance (1934) · 2 The League of Frightened Men (1935) · 3 The Rubber Band (1936) · 4 The Red Box (1937) · 5 Too Many Cooks (1938) · 6 Some Buried Caesar (1939) · 7 Over My Dead Body (1940) · 8 Where There's a Will (1940) · 9 Black Orchids (1942) · 10 Not Quite Dead Enough (1944) · … all 63 below
- 1.
Fer-de-Lance (1934)
- 2.
The League of Frightened Men (1935)
- 3.
The Rubber Band (1936)
- 4.
The Red Box (1937)
- 5.
Too Many Cooks (1938)
- 6.
Some Buried Caesar (1939)
- 7.
Over My Dead Body (1940)
- 8.
Where There's a Will (1940)
- 9.
Black Orchids (1942)
- 10.
Not Quite Dead Enough (1944)
- 11.
The Silent Speaker (1946)
- 12.
Too Many Women (1947)
- 13.
And Be a Villain (1948)
- 14.
Trouble in Triplicate (1949)
- 15.
The Second Confession (1949)
- 16.
Three Doors to Death (1950)
- 17.
In the Best Families (1950)
- 18.
Curtains for Three (1951)
- 19.
Murder by the Book (1951)
- 20.
Triple Jeopardy (1952)
- 21.
Prisoner's Base (Oct 1952)
- 22.
The Golden Spiders (Oct 1953)
- 23.
Three Men Out (1954)
- 24.
The Black Mountain (1954)
- 25.
Before Midnight (1955)
- 26.
Three Witnesses (1956)
- 27.
Might as Well Be Dead (1956)
- 28.
Three for the Chair (1957)
- 29.
If Death Ever Slept (1956)
- 30.
And Four to Go (1958)
- 31.
Champagne for One (Nov 1958)
- 32.
Plot It Yourself (1959)
- 33.
Three at Wolfe's Door (1960)
- 34.
Too Many Clients (1960)
- 35.
The Final Deduction (1961)
- 36.
Homicide Trinity (1962)
- 37.
Gambit (1962)
- 38.
The Mother Hunt (1963)
- 39.
Trio for Blunt Instruments (1964)
- 40.
A Right to Die (1964)
- 41.
The Doorbell Rang (1965)
- 42.
Death of a Doxy (Aug 1966)
- 43.
The Father Hunt (1968)
- 44.
Death of a Dude (1969)
- 45.
Please Pass the Guilt (1973)
- 46.
A Family Affair (1975)
The Hand in the Glove (1937)
All Aces (1958)
Five of a Kind (1961)
Three Aces (1961)
Red Threads (1965)
Royal Flush (1965)
Kings Full Of Aces (1969)
The Nero Wolfe Cookbook (1973)
Three Trumps (1973)
The Sound of Murder (1974)
Triple Zeck (1974)
More Deaths Than One (1975)
Under the Andes (1984)
Her Forbidden Knight (1997)
Nero Wolfe (1998)
A Prize for Princes (1999)
Target Practice (2012)
Tecumseh Fox books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Double for Death (1939) · 2 Bad for Business (1950) · 3 The Broken Vase (1973)
- 1.
Double for Death (1939)
- 2.
Bad for Business (1950)
- 3.
The Broken Vase (1973)
Where to start with Rex Stout
Start here
Fer-de-Lance
Rex Stout's most-read book and the first of the 63 Nero Wolfe books.
Standalone novels in order
How Like a God (1929)
Seed on the Wind (1930)
Forest Fire (1933)
The President Vanishes (Sep 1934)
Mr. Cinderella (1938)
Mountain Cat (Jul 1939)
Instead of Evidence (1946)
In the Best Families a Nero Wolfe Mystery (1950)
The Nero Wolfe Primer (And Be a Villain, Black Orchids, Champagne for One) (1952)
Even in the Best Families (1973)
The Great Legend (1997)
Short story collections in order
Justice Ends at Home, and Other Stories (1977)
Death Times Three (1991)
An Officer and a Lady, and Other Stories (2012)
The Last Drive (2013)
Other books in order
Not Quite Dead Enough and Booby Trap (1944)
Full House (1955)
Out Goes She (1955)
Crime and Again (1959)
Omit Flowers (1998)
Eeny Meeny Murder Mo (1999)
Film and TV adaptations
- Meet Nero Wolfe (1936)Film · from Fer-de-Lance
- The President Vanishes (1934)Film · from The President Vanishes
- The League of Frightened Men (1937)Film · from The League of Frightened Men
About Rex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. His best-known characters are the detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin, who were featured in 33 novels and 39 novellas or short stories between 1934 and 1975, starting with Fer-de-Lance (1934).
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Rex Stout FAQ
- How many books has Rex Stout written?
- Rex Stout published 75 novels, 1 novella, 4 short story collections, 1 children's book and 6 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Rex Stout's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Nero Wolfe with Fer-de-Lance and Tecumseh Fox with Double for Death. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Rex Stout's last book?
- Justice Ends at Home, and Other Stories (1977).
- What is Rex Stout's most famous book?
- Fer-de-Lance (1934) is Rex Stout's most widely read book.
- Are Rex Stout's books connected?
- 66 books belong to 2 series (Nero Wolfe and Tecumseh Fox); the other 21 books stand alone.
- Which Rex Stout books have been adapted?
- 3 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Fer-de-Lance (as Meet Nero Wolfe, film, 1936), The President Vanishes (film, 1934) and The League of Frightened Men (film, 1937).
- Can I read Rex Stout's books for free?
- Yes. 1 book by Rex Stout is in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like Rex Stout
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.