Ed McBain Reading Order

55 books (1956–2005)

The 87th Precinct series is a mystery and thriller saga set in a fictional New York police precinct, spanning 55 complete novels published from 1956 to 2005. Begin with Cop Hater and read the books in publication order to follow the detective stories and character development across the decades-long series. Written by Ed McBain, this classic collection represents one of the longest-running police procedural series in crime fiction literature.

Start with Cop Hater, the first of 55 books in the 87th Precinct series.

#	Title
1	Cop Hater 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Mugger 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Pusher 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Killer's Choice 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Con Man 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Killer's Payoff 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Killer's Wedge 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Lady Killer 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	'Til Death 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	King's Ransom 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Give the Boys a Great Big Hand 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	See Them Die 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Heckler 1960Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Lady, Lady, I Did It! 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Like Love 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Empty Hours 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Ax / Axe 1963Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Ten Plus One 1963Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Doll 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	He Who Hesitates 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Eighty Million Eyes 1966Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Fuzz 1968Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Shotgun 1968Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Jigsaw 1970Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here! 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Sadie When She Died 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Hail to the Chief 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Bread 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Blood Relatives 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	So Long as You Both Shall Live 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Long Time No See 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Calypso 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	Ghosts 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Heat 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	Ice 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	And All Through The House 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	Lightning 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	Eight Black Horses 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Poison 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	Lullaby 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	Tricks 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
43	Vespers 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
44	Widows 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
45	Kiss 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
46	Mischief 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
47	Romance 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
48	Nocturne 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
49	The Big Bad City 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
50	The Last Dance 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
51	Money, Money, Money 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
52	Fat Ollie's Book 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
53	The Frumious Bandersnatch 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
54	Hark! 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
55	Fiddlers 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1988–1989)

The 87th Precinct Collections is a two-book mystery series by Ed McBain, published in 1988 and 1989. These volumes should be read in publication order, beginning with McBain's Ladies and continuing to McBain's Ladies Too. The series is complete and closed.

Start with McBain's Ladies(As: Evan Hunter) and read in order.

#	Title
1	McBain's Ladies(As: Evan Hunter) 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	McBain's Ladies Too(As: Evan Hunter) 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

27 books (1981–2012)

This complete anthology series spans 27 books edited by Ed McBain from 1981 to 2012, featuring curated collections of mystery, thriller, and crime fiction stories from various authors. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Great Stories of Mystery and Suspense and continuing through diverse collections that showcase some of the finest short crime and mystery narratives of their respective eras. The anthologies include themed selections alongside annual compilations of award-winning and notable stories from the mystery and crime genres.

Start with Great Stories of Mystery and Suspense, the first of 27 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Great Stories of Mystery and Suspense 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Mammoth Book of Short Crime Novels 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Second Black Lizard Anthology of Crime Fiction 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	City Sleuths and Tough Guys 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Crimes of Passion 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1996 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Murder For Love 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Pulp Frictions: Hardboiled Stories 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Crime After Crime 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Best American Mystery Stories 1999 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 1 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 2 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology: Celebrating 25 Years 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Writers on Writing 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Dangerous Women 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Price of Desire 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Transgressions 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Transgressions, Vol. 2 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Transgressions, Vol. 3 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Transgressions, Vol. 4 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Masters of Noir, Volume One 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Masters of Noir, Volume Three 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Books to Die For 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1942–1958)

The Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kusak series consists of three mystery novels published between 1942 and 1958, now complete. Written by Ed McBain in collaboration with Craig Rice, these books should be read in publication order beginning with The Sunday Pigeon Murders. The series blends mystery and thriller elements with appeal to young adult readers, following the detective duo through their cases across the 1940s and 1950s.

Start with The Sunday Pigeon Murders(By: Craig Rice) and read in order.

4 books (1952–1976)

Ed McBain's Children's series comprises four complete mystery and thriller books published between 1952 and 1976. The first title, Find the Feathered Serpent, launches the series, followed by three additional adventures released under McBain's alternate pen name Evan Hunter. These books should be read in publication order to experience the full arc of the series, which concluded in 1976.

Start with Find the Feathered Serpent, the first of 4 books in the Children's series.

#	Title
1	Find the Feathered Serpent 1952Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Remarkable Harry(As: Evan Hunter) 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Wonderful Button(As: Evan Hunter) 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Me and Mr. Stenner(As: Evan Hunter) 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

13 books (1976–1998)

The Matthew Hope series comprises 13 mystery and thriller novels published between 1976 and 1998, with titles drawing from classic nursery rhymes and fairy tales. This complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Goldilocks and concluding with The Last Best Hope. Ed McBain's protagonist navigates cases across the span of these investigations, with each installment building on the foundation established by earlier books.

Start with Goldilocks, the first of 13 books in the Matthew Hope series.

#	Title
1	Goldilocks 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Rumpelstiltskin 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Beauty and the Beast 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Jack and the Beanstalk 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Snow White and Rose Red 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Cinderella 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Puss in Boots 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The House That Jack Built 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Three Blind Mice 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Mary, Mary 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	There Was A Little Girl 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Gladly the Cross-Eyed Bear 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Last Best Hope 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

17 books (1993–2012)

The Selected Shorts series comprises 17 complete books published between 1993 and 2012, each curated around a specific theme ranging from literary classics to contemporary topics like travel, food, and family dynamics. This anthology collection should be read in publication order beginning with For Better and for Worse, progressing through thematically organized volumes such as Falling in Love, Whodunit?, and American Classics. Ed McBain's selections span multiple genres and time periods, offering readers diverse short fiction experiences across the full run of the series.

Start with For Better and for Worse, the first of 17 books in the Selected Shorts series.

#	Title
1	For Better and for Worse 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Even More Laughs 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Timeless Classics 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Edith Wharton 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Falling in Love 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Family Matters 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Food Fictions 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Pets! 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Tales of Betrayal 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Travel Tales 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Are We There Yet? 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	A Touch of Magic 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The William Hurt Collection 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Whodunit? 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	American Classics 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	New American Stories 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Poe! 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1982–2006)

Ed McBain's Short Story Collections series comprises four mystery and thriller short story collections published between 1982 and 2006. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with The McBain Brief, followed by Running from Legs and Other Stories, Keller's Adjustment; Forever, and Learning to Kill. Each collection stands alone while contributing to the author's broader body of short fiction work.

Start with The McBain Brief, the first of 4 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	The McBain Brief 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Running from Legs and Other Stories 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Keller's Adjustment; Forever 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Learning to Kill 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

34 books (1952–2004)

Ed McBain wrote 33 standalone mystery and thriller novels between 1952 and 2004, completing the series with his final entry. Published under multiple pen names including Evan Hunter and Richard Marsten, these independent stories should be read in publication order beginning with Don't Crowd Me / Paradise Party. The collection spans five decades of crime fiction and is now complete.

Start with Don\'t Crowd Me / Paradise Party(As: Evan Hunter), the first of 33 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Don\'t Crowd Me / Paradise Party(As: Evan Hunter) 1952Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Rocket to Luna(By: Richard Marsten) 1952Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Big Fix 1952Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Cut Me In 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Runaway Black / Runaway(By: Richard Marsten) 1954Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Death of a Nurse 1955Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Murder in the Navy(By: Richard Marsten) 1955Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	So Nude, So Dead(By: Richard Marsten) 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Tomorrow's World / Tomorrow & Tomorrow(By: Hunt Collins) 1956Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Spiked Heel(By: Richard Marsten) 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Vanishing Ladies(By: Richard Marsten) 1957Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Even the Wicked(By: Richard Marsten) 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Strangers When We Meet(As: Evan Hunter) 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Gutter and the Grave 1958Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	A Matter of Conviction(As: Evan Hunter) 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Big Man(By: Richard Marsten) 1959Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Buddwing(As: Evan Hunter) 1961Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Sentries 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Nobody Knew They Were There(As: Evan Hunter) 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Seven 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Doors(By: Ezra Hannon) 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Where There's Smoke 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Guns 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Gangs! / Walk Proud 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Love, Dad(As: Evan Hunter) 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Far from the Sea(As: Evan Hunter) 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Lizzie(As: Evan Hunter) 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Another Part of the City 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Downtown 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Criminal Conversation(As: Evan Hunter) 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Privileged Conversation(As: Evan Hunter) 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Driving Lessons 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Candyland 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	Alice In Jeopardy 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (2005–2006)

The Transgressions series is a collection of four anthology volumes featuring mystery and thriller stories from acclaimed authors including Stephen King, Lawrence Block, Anne Perry, Jeffery Deaver, Sharyn McCrumb, Donald E. Westlake, Joyce Carol Oates, Walter Mosley, and John Farris. Published between 2005 and 2006, the series is now complete and should be read in publication order. Each volume brings together short fiction from various contributors, with earlier volumes featuring larger contributor lists and later volumes focusing on a smaller selection of authors.

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

#	Title
1	Transgressions(With: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Anne Perry,Jeffery Deaver,Sharyn McCrumb,Donald E Westlake,Bonnie Jeanne Perry,Joyce Carol Oates,Walter Mosley,John Farris) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Transgressions(With: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,Anne Perry,Jeffery Deaver,Sharyn McCrumb,Donald E. Westlake,Bonnie Jeanne Perry,Joyce Carol Oates,Walter Mosley,John Farris) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Transgressions, Vol. 2(With: Stephen King,Lawrence Block,John Farris) 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Transgressions, Vol. 3(With: Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Donald E Westlake,John Farris) 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Transgressions, Vol. 3(With: Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb,Donald E. Westlake,John Farris) 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Transgressions, Vol. 4(With: Anne Perry,Sharyn McCrumb) 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible