Jess Walter Reading Order

5 books (2005–2020)

The Akashic Drug Chronicles is a five-book anthology series edited by Jess Walter, featuring short fiction from acclaimed authors exploring themes related to specific substances. Published between 2005 and 2020, the series includes The Cocaine Chronicles, The Speed Chronicles, The Heroin Chronicles, The Marijuana Chronicles, and The Nicotine Chronicles. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with The Cocaine Chronicles.

Start with The Cocaine Chronicles(By: Lee Child,Laura Lippman,Gary Phillips,Ken Bruen,Jervey Tervalon,Bill Moody), the first of 5 books in the Akashic Drug Chronicles series.

#	Title
1	The Cocaine Chronicles(By: Lee Child,Laura Lippman,Gary Phillips,Ken Bruen,Jervey Tervalon,Bill Moody) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Speed Chronicles 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Heroin Chronicles(By: Jervey Tervalon,Lydia Lunch,Erin Moon,Nathan Larson,Antonia Crane,Jerry Stahl,Eric Bogosian,Ava Stander,John Albert,Michael Albo,Sophia Langdon,Tony O'Neill,L.Z. Hansen) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Marijuana Chronicles(By: Jonathan Santlofer) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Nicotine Chronicles(By: Lee Child,Joyce Carol Oates,Hannah Tinti,Christopher Sorrentino,Cara Black,Lauren Sanders,Bernice L. McFadden,Jonathan Ames) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1997–2024)

Jess Walter has edited five anthologies spanning from 1997 to 2024, with the series remaining ongoing. These collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Our Mothers' Spirits: Great Writers on the Death of Mothers and the Grief of Men and continuing through ESPN Quick Pitches: A Star-Studded Lineup of Original Sports Fiction, The Best American Short Stories 2012, McSweeney's #49, and concluding with The Best Short Stories 2024. Each volume features curated selections of short fiction and nonfiction from various authors and contributors.

Start with Our Mothers' Spirits: Great Writers on the Death of Mothers and the Grief of Men, the first of 5 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Our Mothers' Spirits: Great Writers on the Death of Mothers and the Grief of Men 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	ESPN Quick Pitches: A Star-Studded Lineup of Original Sports Fiction 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Best American Short Stories 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	McSweeney's #49 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Best Short Stories 2024 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2005–2006)

Jess Walter's Camden series consists of two complete novels published between 2005 and 2006 that should be read in publication order. The series begins with Citizen Vince, followed by The Zero, offering readers a finished two-book sequence to experience consecutively.

Start with Citizen Vince and read in order.

#	Title
1	Citizen Vince 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Zero 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2001–2003)

Jess Walter's Caroline Mabry series consists of two complete novels published between 2001 and 2003. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Over Tumbled Graves followed by Land of the Blind. This two-book series concludes Walter's exploration of the character across both volumes.

Start with Over Tumbled Graves and read in order.

#	Title
1	Over Tumbled Graves 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Land of the Blind 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1995–1996)

Jess Walter's three-book non-fiction series spans from 1995 to 1996, examining significant criminal justice events through investigative narrative. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Every Knee Shall Bow, followed by Ruby Ridge, and concluding with In Contempt, co-authored with Christopher Darden. These works explore controversial incidents and legal proceedings that captured national attention during their respective time periods.

Start with Every Knee Shall Bow and read in order.

#	Title
1	Every Knee Shall Bow 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Ruby Ridge 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	In Contempt(With: Christopher Darden) 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2020–2022)

Jess Walter's collection of short stories and novellas consists of two volumes published between 2020 and 2022. These works should be read in publication order, beginning with Town and Country followed by The Angel of Rome. The series appears to be complete.

Start with Town and Country and read in order.

#	Title
1	Town and Country 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Angel of Rome 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2013–2022)

Jess Walter's short story collection series spans from 2013 to 2022 with two volumes that should be read in publication order. We Live in Water was published first, followed by The Angel of Rome: And Other Stories nearly a decade later. The series appears to be complete, offering readers a chance to explore Walter's shorter fiction across two distinct collections published years apart.

Start with We Live in Water and read in order.

#	Title
1	We Live in Water 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Angel of Rome: And Other Stories 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (2009–2025)

Jess Walter's standalone novels collection comprises four independent books published between 2009 and 2025, with the series remaining ongoing. These works should be read in publication order beginning with The Financial Lives of the Poets, followed by Beautiful Ruins, The Cold Millions, and So Far Gone. Each novel stands alone as a complete story, allowing readers to start anywhere, though experiencing them in the order they were released offers insight into Walter's evolving narrative style across nearly two decades of fiction writing.

Start with The Financial Lives of the Poets, the first of 4 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Financial Lives of the Poets 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Beautiful Ruins 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Cold Millions 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	So Far Gone 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (2019–2019)

The One is a seven-book complete series launched in 2019 featuring standalone essays and narratives by various authors, each exploring different perspectives on relationships, identity, and human connection. The series includes works by Shea Serrano, Jacqueline Woodson, Naima Coster, Dodai Stewart, Kristi Coulter, and others, with each entry functioning as an independent contribution. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with A Wedding Thing, though each title can also be approached individually depending on reader interest.

Start with A Wedding Thing(By: Shea Serrano), the first of 7 books in the The One series.

7 books (2018–2018)

The Warmer Collection is a seven-book series published in 2018 featuring contributions from multiple authors including Jess Walter, Sonya Larson, Lauren Groff, Jesse Kellerman, Skip Horack, Jane Smiley, and Edan Lepucki. This complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with At the Bottom of New Lake. The collection brings together works across various genres and perspectives, offering diverse narratives within a unified framework.

Start with At the Bottom of New Lake(By: Sonya Larson), the first of 7 books in the Warmer Collection series.