The Manual of Detection
#11503.56 adjusted 3.62 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2009 Reading commitment Low Jedediah Berry Last reviewed 2026-11-03
Overview
The Manual of Detection is a standalone novel by the American writer Jedediah Berry, published by Penguin Press in 2009. It is set in an unnamed, rain-soaked city dominated by a vast detective agency. Charles Unwin, a clerk who has spent years organising the cases of the celebrated detective Travis Sivart, is suddenly promoted to detective and sent to find Sivart. His search leads through unsolved cases, a magician who once stole a whole day, and a dream world where waking and sleeping blur. He relies on the agency's guidebook and a narcoleptic assistant, Emily Doppel. Berry has not published a sequel.
New Weird · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Manual of Detection Jedediah Berry
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Manual of Detection | 2009 | 1 | core | 3.56 (5,183 ratings) |
A standalone noir fantasy about a clerk promoted to detective in a dream-haunted city.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Manual of Detection? The Manual of Detection's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Manual of Detection finished? Complete (2009).
- How much reading does The Manual of Detection take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Manual of Detection ranked? #1150 in this site's official ranking, based on 5,183 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #1150?
Ranked #1150 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.56 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (5,183 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.06 behind #1149, Wilderwood.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 5k ratings · Ranks #1150 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment New Weird universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Hammett Prize, 2009: won: The Manual of Detection
- Crawford Award, 2010: won: The Manual of Detection
- Young Lions Fiction Award, 2010: finalist: The Manual of Detection
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Suggestions computed from what The Manual of Detection and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Endsong New Weird / Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.65
- Palimpsest Urban fantasy / New Weird · Complete · Low commitment · 3.65
- The Book of All Hours New Weird · Complete · Low commitment · 3.45
- Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti Dark fantasy / New Weird · Complete · Low commitment · 3.81
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.56 across 5,183 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 19 universes from the candidate register; 7 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-03
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Manual of Detection Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Jedediah Berry Tier 2
- Kirkus Reviews Tier 2
- Penguin Random House Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-03
Rule: Core Canon = The Manual of Detection (2009).