Reading Order List โ€” Book Series Reading Order Guide
Donald E. Westlake

Donald E. Westlake Reading Order

15 series ยท 260 books ยท Born July 12, 1933

Donald E. Westlake was a prolific American author known for his witty crime fiction and comic caper novels. He penned an impressive collection of 260 works across 15 series, including notable characters like Phil Crawford, Parker, and Dortmunder. Recognized as a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, Westlake's engaging storytelling has captivated readers since 1959 and continued until his passing in 2025.

Akashic Noir Series

Ongoing

121 books (2002โ€“2025)

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

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

Alan Grofield Series

Complete

4 books (1967โ€“1971)

Start with The Damsel, the first of 4 books in the Alan Grofield series.

#Title
1
2
Cover of The Blackbird
The Blackbird
3
4
Cover of Lemons Never Lie
Lemons Never Lie

Anthologies Series

Complete

11 books (1970โ€“2006)

Start with Simply The Best Mysteries, Edgar Award Winners And Front Runners, the first of 11 books in the Anthologies series.

#Title
1
Cover of Simply The Best Mysteries, Edgar Award Winners And Front Runners
Simply The Best Mysteries, Edgar Award Winners And Front Runners
2
Cover of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow...
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow...
3
Cover of Tales to Send Chills Down Your Spine
Tales to Send Chills Down Your Spine
4
Cover of Alfred Hitchcock's A Choice of Evils
Alfred Hitchcock's A Choice of Evils
5
Fifty Best Mysteries
6
Cover of Murderous Schemes
Murderous Schemes
7
Cover of The Plot Thickens
The Plot Thickens
8
Cover of The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology: Celebrating 25 Years
The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology: Celebrating 25 Years
9
Price of Desire
10
Cover of Transgressions
Transgressions
11
Cover of Transgressions, Vol. 3
Transgressions, Vol. 3

Dortmunder Series

Complete

15 books (1970โ€“2009)

Start with The Hot Rock, the first of 15 books in the Dortmunder series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Hot Rock
The Hot Rock
2
3
Cover of Jimmy The Kid
Jimmy The Kid
4
Cover of Nobody's Perfect
Nobody's Perfect
5
6
Cover of Good Behavior
Good Behavior
7
Cover of Drowned Hopes
Drowned Hopes
8
9
Cover of What's The Worst That Could Happen?
What's The Worst That Could Happen?
10
11
The Road To Ruin
12
Cover of Thieves' Dozen
Thieves' Dozen
13
Cover of Watch Your Back!
Watch Your Back!
14
Cover of What's So Funny?
What's So Funny?
15

Mitch Tobin Series

Complete

5 books (1966โ€“1972)

Start with Kinds of Love, Kinds of Death, the first of 5 books in the Mitch Tobin series.

#Title
1
Kinds of Love, Kinds of Death
2
Cover of Murder Among Children
Murder Among Children
3
Cover of A Jade In Aries
A Jade In Aries
4
5
Cover of Don't Lie To Me
Don't Lie To Me

Non-Fiction Series

Complete

1 book (2014โ€“2014)

#Title
1
The Getaway Car

Parker Series

Complete

24 books (1962โ€“2008)

Start with Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter, the first of 24 books in the Parker series.

#Title
1
Cover of Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter
Payback / Point Blank / The Hunter
2
3
4
Cover of The Score / Killtown
The Score / Killtown
5
Cover of The Steel Hit / The Man With The Getaway Face
The Steel Hit / The Man With The Getaway Face
6
7
Cover of The Handle / Run Lethal
The Handle / Run Lethal
8
Cover of The Seventh / The Split
The Seventh / The Split
9
Cover of The Green Eagle Score
The Green Eagle Score
10
Cover of The Rare Coin Score
The Rare Coin Score
11
Cover of The Black Ice Score
The Black Ice Score
12
Cover of The Sour Lemon Score
The Sour Lemon Score
13
14
15
Cover of Plunder Squad
Plunder Squad
16
Cover of Butcher's Moon
Butcher's Moon
17
18
19
Cover of Flashfire / Parker
Flashfire / Parker
20
21
22
Cover of Nobody Runs Forever
Nobody Runs Forever
23
Ask The Parrot
24

Parker Graphic Novels Series

Complete

6 books (2009โ€“2013)

Start with The Hunter, the first of 6 books in the Parker Graphic Novels series.

#Title
1
2
The Man with the Getaway Face
3
4
Cover of Richard Starkโ€™s Parker: The Martini Edition
Richard Starkโ€™s Parker: The Martini Edition
5
6

Phil Crawford Series

Complete

2 books (1959โ€“1962)

Start with Backstage Love and read in order.

#Title
1
Backstage Love
2
What Girls Will Do

Sam Holt Series

Complete

4 books (1986โ€“1989)

Start with I Know A Trick Worth Two Of That, the first of 4 books in the Sam Holt series.

#Title
1
Cover of I Know A Trick Worth Two Of That
I Know A Trick Worth Two Of That
2
Cover of One Of Us Is Wrong
One Of Us Is Wrong
3
Cover of What I Tell You Three Times Is False
What I Tell You Three Times Is False
4
The Fourth Dimension Is Death

Sara & Jack Series

Complete

2 books (1988โ€“1994)

Start with Trust Me On This and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Trust Me On This
Trust Me On This
2
Cover of Baby, Would I Lie?
Baby, Would I Lie?

Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

1 book (1989โ€“1989)

#Title
1
Too Many Crooks

Short Story Collections Series

Complete

7 books (1968โ€“2020)

Start with Curious Facts Preceding My Execution, the first of 7 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#Title
1
Cover of Curious Facts Preceding My Execution
Curious Facts Preceding My Execution
2
3
Cover of Transylvania Station(With: Abby Westlake)
Transylvania Station(With: Abby Westlake)
4
Cover of Tomorrow's Crimes
Tomorrow's Crimes
5
Cover of A Good Story and Other Stories
A Good Story and Other Stories
6
Meteor Strike
7
Cover of Double Feature
Double Feature

Standalone Novels Series

Likely Complete

53 books (1959โ€“2022)

Start with All My Lovers, the first of 53 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#Title
1
All My Lovers
2
3
4
All about Annette
5
6
Cover of The Mercenaries / The Cutie
The Mercenaries / The Cutie
7
The Wife Next Door
8
Virgin's Summer
9
Brother and Sister
10
Call Me Sinner
11
12
Cover of Killing Time
Killing Time
13
Passion's Playthings
14
Cover of Young and Innocent
Young and Innocent
15
16
Strange affair.
17
Campus Lovers
18
19
Cover of Pity Him Afterwards
Pity Him Afterwards
20
Cover of The Fugitive Pigeon
The Fugitive Pigeon
21
Cover of Spy in the Ointment
Spy in the Ointment
22
The Busy Body
23
24
God Save the Mark
25
26
Who stole Sassi Manoon?
27
Cover of Somebody Owes Me Money
Somebody Owes Me Money
28
Cover of Up Your Banners
Up Your Banners
29
Cover of Adios Scheherazade
Adios Scheherazade
30
Cover of Comfort Station
Comfort Station
31
32
I Gave at the Office
33
Cover of Cops and Robbers
Cops and Robbers
34
Cover of Gangway!(With: Brian Garfield)
Gangway!(With: Brian Garfield)
35
Cover of Help, I Am Being Held Prisoner
Help, I Am Being Held Prisoner
36
Cover of Brothers Keepers
Brothers Keepers
37
38
Cover of Dancing Aztecs
Dancing Aztecs
39
Cover of Castle in the Air
Castle in the Air
40
41
Cover of A Likely Story
A Likely Story
42
Cover of High Adventure
High Adventure
43
44
45
46
47
Cover of The Scared Stiff
The Scared Stiff
48
Cover of Put a Lid on It
Put a Lid on It
49
Cover of Money for Nothing
Money for Nothing
50
Cover of Memory / The Actor
Memory / The Actor
51
Cover of The Comedy is Finished
The Comedy is Finished
52
Cover of Forever and a Death
Forever and a Death
53
Call Me a Cab

Transgressions Series

Complete

4 books (2005โ€“2006)

Start with Transgressions(With: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Anne Perry,Jeffery Deaver,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain,Bonnie Jeanne Perry,Joyce Carol Oates,Walter Mosley,John Farris), the first of 4 books in the Transgressions series.

#Title
1
Cover of Transgressions(With: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Anne Perry,Jeffery Deaver,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain,Bonnie Jeanne Perry,Joyce Carol Oates,Walter Mosley,John Farris)
Transgressions(With: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Anne Perry,Jeffery Deaver,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain,Bonnie Jeanne Perry,Joyce Carol Oates,Walter Mosley,John Farris)
2
Cover of Transgressions, Vol. 2(By: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Ed McBain,John Farris)
Transgressions, Vol. 2(By: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Ed McBain,John Farris)
3
Cover of Transgressions, Vol. 3(With: Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain,John Farris)
Transgressions, Vol. 3(With: Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain,John Farris)
4
Cover of Transgressions, Vol. 4(By: Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain)
Transgressions, Vol. 4(By: Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Ed McBain)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Donald E. Westlake written?
Donald E. Westlake has written 260 books across 15 series. Their published works span from 1959 to 2025.
What is the first book in each Donald E. Westlake series?
Here are the first books in Donald E. Westlake's series: Akashic Noir: San Francisco Noir; Alan Grofield: The Damsel; Anthologies: Simply The Best Mysteries, Edgar Award Winners And Front Runners; Dortmunder: The Hot Rock; Mitch Tobin: Kinds of Love, Kinds of Death.
What order should I read Donald E. Westlake's books?
We recommend reading Donald E. Westlake's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Is Donald E. Westlake still writing new books?
Yes, Donald E. Westlake has 1 ongoing series: Akashic Noir.

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