Charles Ardai Reading Order

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an expansive anthology collection of crime and mystery stories, with 121 volumes published between 2002 and 2025. Each book focuses on a different city or region, featuring original noir fiction from authors exploring the darker sides of their chosen locations. The series is ongoing and should be read in publication order, beginning with San Francisco Noir. Readers can experience these books as standalone collections or follow the series chronologically to discover how the noir anthology format has evolved across diverse urban and geographic settings.

Start with San Francisco Noir, the first of 121 books in the Akashic Noir series.

#	Title
1	San Francisco Noir 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Bronx Noir 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Seattle Noir 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Brooklyn Noir 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Hasidic Noir 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Brooklyn Noir 2 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Chicago Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Dublin Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Baltimore Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	D.C. Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	London Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Manhattan Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Miami Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Twin Cities Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Detroit Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Havana Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Los Angeles Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	New Orleans Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Wall Street Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	D.C. Noir 2 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Istanbul Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Las Vegas Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Manhattan Noir 2 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Paris Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Queens Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Toronto Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Trinidad Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Boston Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Delhi Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Phoenix Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Portland Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Rome Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	San Francisco Noir 2 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Copenhagen Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	Haiti Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	Indian Country Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	Lone Star Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	Los Angeles Noir 2 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Mexico City Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	Moscow Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	Orange County Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
43	Philadelphia Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
44	Richmond Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
45	Barcelona Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
46	Cape Cod Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
47	New Jersey Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
48	Pittsburgh Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
49	San Diego Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
50	Boston Noir 2 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
51	Kansas City Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
52	Kingston Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
53	Long Island Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
54	Mumbai Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
55	St. Petersburg Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
56	Staten Island Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
57	Venice Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
58	Buffalo Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
59	Dallas Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
60	Haiti Noir 2 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
61	Manila Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
62	USA Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
63	Belfast Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
64	Helsinki Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
65	Prison Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
66	Rio Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
67	Singapore Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
68	Tehran Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
69	Tel Aviv Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
70	Beirut Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
71	Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
72	Marseille Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
73	Memphis Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
74	Providence Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
75	Zagreb Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
76	Brussels Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
77	Mississippi Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
78	New Orleans Noir: The Classics 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
79	Prague Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
80	San Juan Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
81	St. Louis Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
82	Stockholm Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
83	Atlanta Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
84	Buenos Aires Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
85	Montana Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
86	Montreal Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
87	New Haven Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
88	Oakland Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
89	Trinidad Noir: The Classics 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
90	Baghdad Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
91	Berlin Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
92	Hong Kong Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
93	Lagos Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
94	Marrakech Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
95	Santa Cruz Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
96	Sydney Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
97	São Paulo Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
98	Vancouver Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
99	Amsterdam Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
100	Houston Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
101	Milwaukee Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
102	Accra Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
103	Addis Ababa Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
104	Alabama Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
105	Belgrade Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
106	Berkeley Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
107	Columbus Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
108	Miami Noir: The Classics 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
109	Nairobi Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
110	Santa Fe Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
111	Tampa Bay Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
112	Palm Springs Noir 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
113	Denver Noir 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
114	Paris Noir: The Suburbs 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
115	South Central Noir 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
116	Cleveland Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
117	East Jerusalem Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
118	West Jerusalem Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
119	Honolulu Noir 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
120	Hamburg Noir 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
121	Sacramento Noir 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

13 books (1990–2025)

Charles Ardai edited eleven mystery and thriller anthologies published between 1990 and 2023, likely comprising a complete series. These collections showcase diverse voices within the crime and suspense genres, spanning from macabre tales to pulp fiction to seasonal stories. Read the anthologies in publication order, beginning with Great Tales of Madness and Macabre and concluding with Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2025.

Start with Great Tales of Madness and Macabre, the first of 11 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Great Tales of Madness and Macabre 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Why I Left Harry's All Night Hamburgers 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Future Crime 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Kingpins 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	New England Crime Chowder 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Great Tales of Crime and Detection 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Show Business is Murder 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Crime Factory Issue 4 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Beat to a Pulp: Round 2 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Silent Night, Deadly Night 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Silver Waves of Summer 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Playing Games 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2025 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (2009–2010)

The Gabriel Hunt series consists of six action-adventure novels published between 2009 and 2010, following the exploits of the titular protagonist across exotic and dangerous locations. Written by Charles Ardai alongside collaborators Nicholas Kaufmann, James Reasoner, David J. Schow, Christa Faust, and Raymond Benson, the series is now complete and should be read in publication order beginning with Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear. Each book stands as its own adventure while contributing to the larger saga of Gabriel Hunt's globe-trotting escapades.

Start with Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear, the first of 6 books in the Gabriel Hunt series.

#	Title
1	Hunt Through the Cradle of Fear 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Hunt at World's End(By: Nicholas Kaufmann) 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Hunt at the Well of Eternity(By: James Reasoner) 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Hunt Among the Killers of Men(By: David J. Schow) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Hunt Beyond the Frozen Fire(By: Christa Faust) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Hunt Through Napoleon's Web(By: Raymond Benson) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2022–2025)

The Gun Honey series is an ongoing mystery and thriller collection by Charles Ardai comprising five books published between 2022 and 2025. Readers should follow the titles in publication order, beginning with Gun Honey and continuing through Blood for Blood, Heat Seeker, Collision Course, and Combustion. The series is currently ongoing, with stories that build on one another as the narrative progresses.

Start with Gun Honey, the first of 5 books in the Gun Honey series.

2 books (2004–2007)

Charles Ardai's John Blake series comprises two mystery thrillers published between 2004 and 2007. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Little Girl Lost, followed by Songs of Innocence. Both novels feature the same protagonist and are best enjoyed sequentially to appreciate the character's development across the standalone cases.

Start with Little Girl Lost(As:Richard Aleas) and read in order.

#	Title
1	Little Girl Lost(As:Richard Aleas) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Songs of Innocence 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (1993–1993)

4 books (2007–2024)

Charles Ardai's four mystery and thriller novels should be read in publication order, beginning with The Good Neighbor Policy in 2007 and continuing through Fifty-to-One, The Nice Guys, and Death Comes Too Late in 2024. While each book stands alone as a complete story, reading them sequentially allows you to follow the author's development across nearly two decades. The series remains ongoing, with the most recent installment released in 2024.

Start with The Good Neighbor Policy, the first of 4 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Good Neighbor Policy 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Fifty-to-One 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Nice Guys 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Death Comes Too Late 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible