James Ellroy Reading Order

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an ongoing collection of mystery and thriller anthologies that began in 2002 and continues to expand, now comprising 121 books across locations worldwide. Each volume features original noir stories set in a specific city or region, from San Francisco and Brooklyn to Dublin, London, and beyond. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with San Francisco Noir, though individual volumes can also be enjoyed as standalone collections. With contributions from various authors writing in the noir tradition, this series offers readers a diverse exploration of crime fiction rooted in distinct geographic and cultural settings.

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

5 books (1996–2025)

James Ellroy compiled four mystery and crime anthologies between 1996 and 2012, now complete as a collection. These volumes showcase hardboiled fiction and crime writing selected by the acclaimed author, with titles including Pulp Frictions, Writing Los Angeles, The Best American Crime Writing 2005, and Books to Die For. Read them in publication order to follow Ellroy's evolving editorial vision across the series. Each anthology stands independently but together reflects the editor's perspective on the crime and mystery genre.

Start with Pulp Frictions: Hardboiled Stories, the first of 4 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Pulp Frictions: Hardboiled Stories 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Writing Los Angeles 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Best American Crime Writing 2005 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Books to Die For 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Greatest Mysteries of All Time, Volume 3 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2002–2010)

James Ellroy edited two mystery and noir anthology collections published between 2002 and 2010, now complete. These volumes should be read in publication order, beginning with The Best American Mystery Stories 3 followed by The Best American Noir of the Century. Each anthology curates selections from the mystery and thriller genre, offering readers a diverse range of stories from various authors.

Start with The Best American Mystery Stories 3 and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Best American Mystery Stories 3 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Best American Noir of the Century 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1987–1992)

James Ellroy's L.A. Quartet comprises four crime novels published between 1987 and 1992, following the author's interconnected explorations of Los Angeles corruption and murder across the mid-twentieth century. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Black Dahlia and concluding with White Jazz. This complete series weaves together overlapping characters and cases across its four standalone yet thematically linked installments, offering an immersive portrait of the city's criminal underworld.

Start with The Black Dahlia, the first of 4 books in the L.A. Quartet series.

#	Title
1	The Black Dahlia 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Big Nowhere 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	L.A. Confidential 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	White Jazz 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1984–1986)

James Ellroy's Lloyd Hopkins trilogy consists of three crime novels published between 1984 and 1986, following a detective navigating the dark underbelly of Los Angeles. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Because the Night, followed by Blood on the Moon and Suicide Hill. This finished trilogy offers a contained narrative arc within Ellroy's broader crime fiction body of work.

Start with Because the Night and read in order.

#	Title
1	Because the Night 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Blood on the Moon 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Suicide Hill 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1996–2015)

James Ellroy's three-book non-fiction series spans from 1996 to 2015 and is now complete. These works should be read in publication order, beginning with My Dark Places, followed by The Hilliker Curse, and concluding with LAPD '53. The series combines Ellroy's expertise in crime narratives with personal reflection and historical investigation, offering readers a unique blend of mystery, memoir, and archival exploration.

Start with My Dark Places and read in order.

#	Title
1	My Dark Places 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Hilliker Curse 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	LAPD '53 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2014–2019)

James Ellroy's Second L.A. Quartet is a two-book mystery series published between 2014 and 2019. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Perfidia followed by This Storm. These noir thrillers are set in Los Angeles during the 1940s and explore the dark underbelly of the city's police and criminal underworld during a pivotal historical period.

Start with Perfidia and read in order.

#	Title
1	Perfidia 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	This Storm 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2012–2012)

4 books (1993–2003)

James Ellroy's Short Story Collections series comprises four books of crime fiction published between 1993 and 2003. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Dick Contino's Blues and Other Stories, followed by Hollywood Nocturnes, Crime Wave, and Destination. Each volume collects stories from the acclaimed mystery and thriller writer, offering concentrated doses of his noir sensibility and hard-boiled storytelling.

Start with Dick Contino's Blues and Other Stories, the first of 4 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Dick Contino's Blues and Other Stories 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Hollywood Nocturnes 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Crime Wave 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Destination 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1981–2026)

James Ellroy's collection of standalone crime and thriller novels spans from 1981 to 2023, comprising five books that should be read in publication order: Brown's Requiem, Clandestine, Killer on the Road (also titled Silent Terror), Widespread Panic, and The Enchanters, with Red Sheet as the most recent addition. Each novel stands alone as its own complete story, allowing readers to start anywhere, though following the publication sequence provides insight into the author's evolving style across four decades. The series appears to be complete as of 2023.

Start with Brown's Requiem, the first of 5 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Brown's Requiem 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Clandestine 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Killer on the Road / Silent Terror 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Widespread Panic 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Enchanters 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Red Sheet 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1995–2009)

James Ellroy's Underworld U.S.A. trilogy spans from 1995 to 2009 and should be read in publication order, beginning with American Tabloid, followed by The Cold Six Thousand, and concluding with Blood's A Rover. This complete three-book series blends mystery and thriller elements with historical detail, offering readers a dark exploration of American history from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Start with American Tabloid and read in order.

#	Title
1	American Tabloid 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Cold Six Thousand 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Blood's A Rover 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible