Gail Bowen Reading Order
8 series · 156 books · Born 1942
Gail Bowen is a prolific Canadian mystery writer and playwright, renowned for her engaging storytelling and complex characters. Active from 1987 to 2025, she has authored 156 books across eight series, including the acclaimed Joanne Kilbourn Mystery series and the Charlie D series, as well as standalone novels and plays. Her work showcases her talent for crafting intricate plots that captivate readers and keep them guessing.
Akashic Noir Series
Ongoing121 books (2002–2025)
Start with San Francisco Noir, the first of 121 books in the Akashic Noir series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco Noir 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | Bronx Noir 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Seattle Noir 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | Brooklyn Noir 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Hasidic Noir 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Brooklyn Noir 2 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | Chicago Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  Dublin Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | Baltimore Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 | D.C. Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | London Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  Manhattan Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | Miami Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  Twin Cities Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  Detroit Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 | Havana Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 |  Los Angeles Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 |  New Orleans Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 | Wall Street Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 20 |  Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 21 | D.C. Noir 2 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 22 | Istanbul Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 23 | Las Vegas Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 24 | Manhattan Noir 2 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 25 | Paris Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 26 | Queens Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 27 | Toronto Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 28 | Trinidad Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 29 |  Boston Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 30 | Delhi Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 31 |  Phoenix Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 32 | Portland Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 33 | Rome Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 34 | San Francisco Noir 2 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 35 | Copenhagen Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 36 | Haiti Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 37 | Indian Country Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 38 |  Lone Star Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 39 | Los Angeles Noir 2 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 40 | Mexico City Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 41 | Moscow Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 42 |  Orange County Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 43 | Philadelphia Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 44 | Richmond Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 45 | Barcelona Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 46 |  Cape Cod Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 47 | New Jersey Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 48 | Pittsburgh Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 49 | San Diego Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 50 |  Boston Noir 2 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 51 | Kansas City Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 52 | Kingston Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 53 | Long Island Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 54 | Mumbai Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 55 | St. Petersburg Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 56 |  Staten Island Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 57 |  Venice Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 58 | Buffalo Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 59 |  Dallas Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 60 | Haiti Noir 2 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 61 | Manila Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 62 |  USA Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 63 | Belfast Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 64 | Helsinki Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 65 |  Prison Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 66 | Rio Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 67 | Singapore Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 68 | Tehran Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 69 | Tel Aviv Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 70 | Beirut Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 71 | Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 72 | Marseille Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 73 | Memphis Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 74 | Providence Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 75 | Zagreb Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 76 | Brussels Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 77 |  Mississippi Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 78 | New Orleans Noir: The Classics 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 79 | Prague Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 80 | San Juan Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 81 | St. Louis Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 82 |  Stockholm Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 83 |  Atlanta Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 84 | Buenos Aires Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 85 | Montana Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 86 | Montreal Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 87 | New Haven Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 88 | Oakland Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 89 | Trinidad Noir: The Classics 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 90 | Baghdad Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 91 | Berlin Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 92 | Hong Kong Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 93 | Lagos Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 94 | Marrakech Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 95 | Santa Cruz Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 96 | Sydney Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 97 | São Paulo Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 98 | Vancouver Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 99 | Amsterdam Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 100 | Houston Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 101 | Milwaukee Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 102 | Accra Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 103 | Addis Ababa Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 104 | Alabama Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 105 | Belgrade Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 106 | Berkeley Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 107 | Columbus Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 108 | Miami Noir: The Classics 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 109 | Nairobi Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 110 | Santa Fe Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 111 | Tampa Bay Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 112 | Palm Springs Noir 2021Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 113 | Denver Noir 2022Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 114 | Paris Noir: The Suburbs 2022Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 115 |  South Central Noir 2022Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 116 | Cleveland Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 117 | East Jerusalem Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 118 | West Jerusalem Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 119 | Honolulu Noir 2024Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 120 |  Hamburg Noir 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 121 | Sacramento Noir 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
Anthologies Series
Complete1 book (2018–2018)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Dame Was Trouble 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
Charlie D Series
Complete4 books (2010–2013)
Start with Love You to Death, the first of 4 books in the Charlie D series.
Gail Bowen Omnibus Series
Complete4 books (2004–2014)
Start with The Early Investigations of Joanne Kilbourn, the first of 4 books in the Gail Bowen Omnibus series.
Joanne Kilbourn Mystery Series
Ongoing23 books (1990–2025)
Start with Deadly Appearances, the first of 23 books in the Joanne Kilbourn Mystery series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Deadly Appearances 1990Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Murder at the Mendel / Love and Murder 1991Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  The Wandering Soul Murders 1992Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | A Colder Kind of Death 1994Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  A Killing Spring 1996Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Verdict in Blood 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  Burying Ariel 2000Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  The Glass Coffin 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  The Last Good Day 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  The Endless Knot 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  The Brutal Heart 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  The Nesting Dolls 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 |  Kaleidoscope 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  The Gifted 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  12 Rose Street 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 |  What's Left Behind 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 | The Winners' Circle 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 |  A Darkness of the Heart 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 |  The Unlocking Season 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 20 |  An Image in the Lake 2021Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 21 |  What’s Past Is Prologue 2022Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 22 | The Legacy 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 23 |  The Solitary Friend 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
Non-Fiction Series
Complete1 book (2018–2018)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Sleuth 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
Plays Series
Complete1 book (2002–2002)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dancing in Poppies 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
Standalone Novels Series
Complete1 book (1987–1987)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  1919, The Love Letters Of George & Adelaide 1987Buy 🇺🇸 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Gail Bowen written?
- Gail Bowen has written 156 books across 8 series. Their published works span from 1987 to 2025.
- What is the first book in each Gail Bowen series?
- Here are the first books in Gail Bowen's series: Akashic Noir: San Francisco Noir; Charlie D: Love You to Death; Gail Bowen Omnibus: The Early Investigations of Joanne Kilbourn; Joanne Kilbourn Mystery: Deadly Appearances.
- What order should I read Gail Bowen's books?
- We recommend reading Gail Bowen's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Gail Bowen still writing new books?
- Yes, Gail Bowen has 2 ongoing series: Akashic Noir, Joanne Kilbourn Mystery.