George P. Pelecanos Reading Order

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an extensive anthology collection edited by George P. Pelecanos that has been publishing since 2002 and remains ongoing, with 121 books currently available. Each volume focuses on noir fiction set in a specific city or region, from San Francisco and Brooklyn to London and Dublin, featuring original stories by mystery and thriller authors. Readers should follow the publication order beginning with San Francisco Noir to experience the series as it was released over more than two decades of consistent expansion.

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

7 books (2002–2023)

George P. Pelecanos has edited six mystery and thriller anthologies spanning from 2002 to 2023, with the series appearing to be complete. These collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Measures of Poison. The anthologies feature short stories from various contributors within the mystery and thriller genres and include notable editions such as D.C. Noir and The Best American Mystery Stories 2008.

Start with Measures of Poison, the first of 6 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Measures of Poison 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	D.C. Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Best American Mystery Stories 2008 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Highway Kind 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Brutal & Strange 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Ink and Daggers 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1996–2000)

George P. Pelecanos's D.C. Quartet comprises four mystery and thriller novels published between 1996 and 2000. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with The Big Blowdown, followed by King Suckerman, The Sweet Forever, and Shame the Devil. These interconnected crime novels are set in Washington, D.C. and feature different protagonists across the series' timeline.

Start with The Big Blowdown, the first of 4 books in the D.C. Quartet series.

#	Title
1	The Big Blowdown 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	King Suckerman 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Sweet Forever 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Shame the Devil 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (2001–2026)

George P. Pelecanos's Derek Strange & Terry Quinn series spans six books published between 2001 and 2026, with the sequence still ongoing. These mystery thrillers should be read in publication order, beginning with Right as Rain and continuing through Hell to Pay, Soul Circus, Hard Revolution, What It Was, and The Blue Flame. The series follows the investigations and lives of its titular detectives as they navigate crime and corruption in Washington, D.C.

Start with Right as Rain, the first of 6 books in the Derek Strange & Terry Quinn series.

#	Title
1	Right as Rain 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Hell to Pay 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Soul Circus 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Hard Revolution 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	What It Was 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Blue Flame 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2018–2018)

3 books (1992–1995)

George P. Pelecanos's Nick Stefanos series consists of three complete crime novels published between 1992 and 1995, featuring a private investigator navigating the streets of Washington, D.C. The trilogy should be read in publication order, beginning with A Firing Offense, followed by Nick's Trip and Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go. This series established Pelecanos as a major voice in American crime fiction and showcases his gritty depiction of the urban landscape and morally complex characters.

Start with A Firing Offense and read in order.

#	Title
1	A Firing Offense 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Nick's Trip 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2014–2024)

George P. Pelecanos has released two short story and novella collections, beginning with The Dead Their Eyes Implore Us in 2014 and followed by Buster: A Dog in 2024. This ongoing series should be read in publication order. The works showcase Pelecanos's expertise in the mystery and thriller genre through shorter narrative formats.

Start with The Dead Their Eyes Implore Us and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Dead Their Eyes Implore Us 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Buster: A Dog 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2015–2024)

George P. Pelecanos has published three collections of short fiction between 2015 and 2024, with the series still ongoing. These mystery and thriller stories should be read in publication order, beginning with The Martini Shot, followed by The Martini Shot and Other Stories, and then Owning Up. Each collection builds on Pelecanos's signature style within the short story format.

Start with The Martini Shot and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Martini Shot 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Martini Shot and Other Stories 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Owning Up 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2011–2013)

George P. Pelecanos' Spero Lucas series consists of two crime thrillers published between 2011 and 2013. Both books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Cut followed by The Double. The complete two-book series is now finished, making it ideal for readers seeking a contained narrative arc in the mystery and thriller genre.

Start with The Cut and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Cut 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Double 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1994–2018)

George P. Pelecanos wrote six standalone mystery and thriller novels between 1994 and 2018, collected in the Standalone Novels series. Though each book features different characters and settings, they should be read in publication order beginning with Shoedog, followed by Drama City, The Night Gardener, The Turnaround, The Way Home, and concluding with The Man Who Came Uptown. The series is now complete.

Start with Shoedog, the first of 6 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Shoedog 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Drama City 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Night Gardener 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Turnaround 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Way Home 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Man Who Came Uptown 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible