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Dirk Gently
The Dirk Gently series by Douglas Adams has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987).
- Books
- 3 known books (2 novels + 1 collection)
- Published
- 3
- First published
- 1987
- Status
- deceased
- Shelved under
- Science Fiction
- Last checked
Start here: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) introduces Douglas Adams's self-proclaimed holistic detective at 250 pages, reworking unused material Adams had originally written for Doctor Who.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Book 2:
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul followed in 1988 at 285 pages, sending Dirk after a suspiciously involved Norse mythology a year after the first novel.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - Book 3:
The Salmon of Doubt
The Salmon of Doubt (2002) is not a finished third novel but a 299-page posthumous collection of Adams's unfinished draft chapters, essays and other writings, assembled by his friends and editors after his death in 2001.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Salmon of Doubt
About the Dirk Gently series
Dirk Gently is a self-proclaimed 'holistic' private detective who believes in the fundamental interconnectedness of all things, which in practice means he investigates cases by following whatever coincidence catches his attention rather than conventional deduction -- a structure that let Douglas Adams fold time travel, ghosts, a reconstructed sofa stuck on a staircase, and (in the first novel) an alien warrior race's mistaken visit to prehistoric Earth into ostensibly straightforward English mystery plots. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) began as a reworking of unused material Adams had written for Doctor Who; The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988) sends Dirk after a suspiciously involved Norse mythology. Adams struggled for years afterward with a third Dirk Gently novel, tentatively called The Salmon of Doubt, without finishing it before his sudden death in 2001.
Frequently asked questions
How many Dirk Gently books are there?
Two completed novels -- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988) -- plus The Salmon of Doubt (2002), a posthumous collection containing Adams's unfinished draft of a third book alongside essays and other writing.
Is The Salmon of Doubt a real third Dirk Gently novel?
No. Douglas Adams died in 2001 before finishing it, and what survives is a partial draft published alongside essays, interviews and other pieces in a 2002 collection -- not a completed novel, and not written or finished by anyone else on his behalf.
What order should I read the Dirk Gently books in?
Publication order: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, then The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Both stand alone story-wise.
If you like the Dirk Gently series
Reading order last verified .