George V. Higgins Reading Order

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an expansive mystery anthology collection that has grown to 121 volumes since its 2002 debut and remains actively published. Beginning with San Francisco Noir and expanding across American cities and international locations, each book features original noir fiction set in a specific geographic region. The series should be read in publication order, starting with San Francisco Noir, though individual volumes can be approached as standalone collections. This ongoing series combines mystery and thriller storytelling with place-based narratives that explore the darker sides of diverse urban and cultural landscapes.

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

4 books (1981–1996)

George V. Higgins's Jerry Kennedy series comprises four mystery and thriller novels following the criminal defense attorney across two decades, from 1981 to 1996. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Kennedy for the Defense and continuing through Penance for Jerry Kennedy, Defending Billy Ryan, and concluding with Sandra Nichols Found Dead. Each book stands as a self-contained mystery while developing the character across the sequence.

Start with Kennedy for the Defense, the first of 4 books in the Jerry Kennedy series.

#	Title
1	Kennedy for the Defense 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Penance for Jerry Kennedy 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Defending Billy Ryan 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Sandra Nichols Found Dead 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1976–1990)

George V. Higgins' five-book non-fiction series spans from 1976 to 1990 and should be read in publication order. The complete series includes The Friends of Richard Nixon, Style Versus Substance, The Wonderful Years, Wonderful Years, The Progress Of The Seasons, and On Writing. These works showcase Higgins' perspectives on writing, politics, and culture across more than a decade of his career.

Start with Friends of Richard Nixon, The, the first of 5 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#	Title
1	Friends of Richard Nixon, The 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Style Versus Substance 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Wonderful Years, Wonderful Years 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Progress Of The Seasons 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	On Writing 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (1984–1984)

#	Title
1	Old Earl Died Pulling Traps 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2004–2004)

#	Title
1	The Easiest Thing In the World 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

22 books (1970–2012)

George V. Higgins wrote 22 standalone mystery and thriller novels between 1970 and 2012, completing a substantial body of work in the crime fiction genre. While each novel stands alone and can be read independently, readers should follow publication order starting with The Friends of Eddie Coyle to experience Higgins' evolution as a writer. The series spans four decades and includes titles such as Cogan's Trade, The Patriot Game, and Choice of Enemies, showcasing the author's expertise in both fiction and nonfiction crime narratives. This complete collection represents the full scope of Higgins' fictional works across his prolific career.

Start with The Friends of Eddie Coyle, the first of 22 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Friends of Eddie Coyle 1970Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Digger's Game 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Cogan's Trade / Killing Them Softly 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	A City on a Hill 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Dreamland 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Judgment of Deke Hunter 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	A Year or So with Edgar 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Rat on Fire 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Patriot Game 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Choice of Enemies 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Impostors 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Outlaws 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Sins of the Fathers 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Trust 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Victories 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Mandeville Talent 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Bomber's Law 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Swan Boats at Four 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	A Change of Gravity 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Agent 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	At End of Day 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Killing Them Softly 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible