Garrett P.I.
#2654.05 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 14 books Status Ongoing 1987–present Reading commitment High Glen Cook Last reviewed 2026-08-30
Overview
Garrett P.I. follows a private investigator working the streets of TunFaire, a sprawling, magic-soaked port city, in a series that blends hardboiled detective fiction with epic fantasy worldbuilding. Glen Cook, already in this canon for The Black Company, began the sequence in 1987 and continued it, one novel at a time, through 2013.
Sword & sorcery, Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (14 works) counts toward ranking
Garrett P.I. Glen Cook
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sweet Silver Blues | 1987 | 1 | core | 3.88 (6,324 ratings) |
 | Bitter Gold Hearts | 1988 | 2 | core | 4.07 (3,975 ratings) |
 | Cold Copper Tears | 1988 | 3 | core | 4.11 (3,744 ratings) |
 | Old Tin Sorrows | 1989 | 4 | core | 4.15 (3,030 ratings) |
 | Dread Brass Shadows | 1990 | 5 | core | 4.09 (2,899 ratings) |
 | Red Iron Nights | 1991 | 6 | core | 4.13 (2,554 ratings) |
 | Deadly Quicksilver Lies | 1994 | 7 | core | 4.06 (2,436 ratings) |
 | Petty Pewter Gods | 1995 | 8 | core | 3.94 (2,421 ratings) |
 | Faded Steel Heat | 1999 | 9 | core | 4.08 (2,220 ratings) |
 | Angry Lead Skies | 2002 | 10 | core | 4.00 (2,150 ratings) |
 | Whispering Nickel Idols | 2005 | 11 | core | 4.08 (2,091 ratings) |
 | Cruel Zinc Melodies | 2008 | 12 | core | 4.12 (1,932 ratings) |
 | Gilded Latten Bones | 2010 | 13 | core | 4.15 (1,787 ratings) |
 | Wicked Bronze Ambition | 2013 | 14 | core | 4.12 (1,397 ratings) |
Core Canon = the 14-novel main sequence. Fourteen books were originally published one at a time from 1987 to 2013; omnibus reissues of groups of three exist but add no new content and are not catalogued separately.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Garrett P.I.? Garrett P.I.'s Core Canon is 14 books.
- What is the reading order for Garrett P.I.? Publication order, starting with Sweet Silver Blues. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Garrett P.I. finished? Ongoing (1987–present).
- How much reading does Garrett P.I. take? High reading commitment (estimated from 14 Core Canon books · ~4,692 pages).
- How is Garrett P.I. ranked? #265 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 38,960 reader ratings across 14 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #265?
Ranked #265 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.05 across 14 core books.
- A smaller readership (38,960 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #264, Lyonesse (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 14 books · Ongoing · 39k ratings · Ranks #265 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running sword-and-sorcery universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (14 Core Canon books)
- Sweet Silver Blues (1987)
- Bitter Gold Hearts (1988)
- Cold Copper Tears (1988)
- Old Tin Sorrows (1989)
- Dread Brass Shadows (1990)
- Red Iron Nights (1991)
- Deadly Quicksilver Lies (1994)
- Petty Pewter Gods (1995)
- Faded Steel Heat (1999)
- Angry Lead Skies (2002)
- Whispering Nickel Idols (2005)
- Cruel Zinc Melodies (2008)
- Gilded Latten Bones (2010)
- Wicked Bronze Ambition (2013)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No verified awards found for this series.
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Suggestions computed from what Garrett P.I. and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- October Daye Urban fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.20
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- The Green Man Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.16
- Nightrunner Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · High commitment · 4.14
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.05 across 38,960 ratings on 14 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit Garrett P.I. (Glen Cook), The Corean Chronicles (L.E. Modesitt Jr.), Lives of the Mayfair Witches (Anne Rice) accepted 2026-08-30
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Garrett P.I. Tier 2
- OrderOfBooks.com: Garrett P.I. Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-08-31
Rule: Core Canon = the complete 14-novel main sequence (1987-2013), a single continuous narrative. No Expanded tier: no companion short fiction or reference material exists in this setting.