John Lutz Reading Order

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an extensive anthology collection featuring noir and crime fiction from locations around the world. Launched in 2002 with San Francisco Noir, the series has grown to 121 books as of 2025 and remains ongoing, with each entry focusing on a different city or region such as Brooklyn, Chicago, London, Miami, and Dublin. Read the books in publication order to follow the series' development from its American urban origins to its global expansion. Each volume collects original stories by various authors set in noir traditions specific to its featured location.

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

10 books (1976–1998)

The Alo Nudger series comprises ten mystery novels by John Lutz, published between 1976 and 1998. This complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Buyer Beware and concluding with Oops! The books follow a consistent protagonist through evolving cases across more than two decades of crime fiction writing.

Start with Buyer Beware, the first of 10 books in the Alo Nudger series.

#	Title
1	Buyer Beware 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Nightlines 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Right to Sing the Blues 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Ride the Lightning 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Dancer's Debt 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Time Exposure 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Diamond Eyes 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Thicker Than Blood 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Death By Jury 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Oops! 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2001–2001)

#	Title
1	The Nudger Dilemmas 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

30 books (1981–2019)

John Lutz edited 27 anthology collections between 1981 and 2016, featuring short mystery and thriller stories by various authors. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with 100 Malicious Little Mysteries. Notable entries include Alfred Hitchcock's A Choice of Evils, Canine Crimes, Vampire Detectives, and Murder on Route 66, each with its own thematic focus drawn from the mystery and literary fiction genres.

Start with 100 Malicious Little Mysteries, the first of 27 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	100 Malicious Little Mysteries 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Alfred Hitchcock's A Choice of Evils 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Mean Streets 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Tales of Terror 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	An Eye for Justice 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Deadly Allies 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Canine Crimes 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Danger in D.C. 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Dark Crimes 2 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Deadly Allies II 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Feline and Famous 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Vampire Detectives 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	First Cases, Volume 1 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Guilty as Charged 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Murder to Music 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Murder on Route 66 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Once Upon a Crime 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 2 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Unholy Orders 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 4 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Show Business is Murder 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 5 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	At the Scene of the Crime 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Florida Heat Wave 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The Shamus Winners 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	First Thrills: Volume 4 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Silent Night, Deadly Night 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	The Adventures of the Bronze Buckaroo 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Pussy Tales 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1989–1999)

The Catfantastic Anthologies series consists of six collections published between 1989 and 1999, featuring stories centered around cats across various genres. Edited primarily by Martin H. Greenberg and Andre Norton, the series includes contributions from multiple acclaimed authors and should be read in publication order, beginning with the original Catfantastic and concluding with Catfantastic V. The series is complete and offers standalone stories within each volume, making individual entries accessible to readers interested in cat-themed fiction.

Start with Catfantastic(By: Andre Norton), the first of 6 books in the Catfantastic Anthologies series.

13 books (2004–2015)

The Frank Quinn series consists of 13 mystery and thriller novels featuring detective Frank Quinn, published between 2004 and 2015. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Darker Than Night and concluding with Slaughter. John Lutz crafted this finished sequence as a interconnected crime fiction saga spanning over a decade of releases.

Start with Darker Than Night, the first of 13 books in the Frank Quinn series.

#	Title
1	Darker Than Night 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	In for the Kill 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Night Kills 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Other Than Murder 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Urge To Kill 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Mister X 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Serial 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Pulse 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Switch 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Twist 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Carnage 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Frenzy 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Slaughter 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

10 books (1986–1996)

Fred Carver is a ten-book mystery series by John Lutz published between 1986 and 1996. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Tropical Heat and concluding with Lightning. This series combines mystery and thriller elements with literary fiction sensibilities across its decade-long run.

Start with Tropical Heat, the first of 10 books in the Fred Carver series.

#	Title
1	Tropical Heat 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Scorcher 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Kiss 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Flame 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Bloodfire 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Hot 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Spark 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Torch 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Burn 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Lightning 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2001–2006)

John Lutz's Night series consists of five complete mystery thrillers published between 2001 and 2006. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Night Caller and continuing through The Night Watcher, The Night Spider (also titled Night Victims), Fear the Night, and Chill of Night. This finished series combines elements of mystery and literary fiction across its span.

Start with The Night Caller, the first of 5 books in the Night series.

#	Title
1	The Night Caller 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Night Watcher 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Night Spider / Night Victims 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Fear the Night 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Chill of Night 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1984–1988)

John Lutz's Oxman and Tobin Mysteries is a two-book mystery series completed across four years in the 1980s. Both novels should be read in publication order, beginning with The Eye followed by Shadowtown. This compact series blends mystery and thriller elements with literary fiction sensibilities, offering readers a complete story arc across just two installments.

Start with The Eye and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Eye 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Shadowtown 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (1982–2018)

John Lutz's Short Stories/Novellas series spans seven collections published between 1982 and 2018, featuring mystery and thriller tales alongside literary fiction. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with What You Don't Know Can Hurt You and concluding with The Desert. Each entry collects shorter works that showcase Lutz's versatility across genres and narrative styles throughout his writing career.

Start with What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, the first of 7 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Only One Way To Land 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Romantics 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	High Stakes 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Nightcrawlers 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Second Story Sunlight 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Desert 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1988–2014)

John Lutz's Short Story Collections series spans six volumes of mystery and thriller fiction published between 1988 and 2014. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Better Mousetraps and concluding with Tough and Other Short Stories. Each collection features original short stories that showcase Lutz's work in the mystery and literary fiction genres.

Start with Better Mousetraps, the first of 6 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Better Mousetraps 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Shadows Everywhere 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Until You Are Dead 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Endless Road, and Other Stories 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The President's Cat Is Missing & Other Stories 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Tough and Other Short Stories: Tough, High Stakes, The Real Shape of the Coast 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

10 books (1971–2022)

John Lutz wrote ten standalone mystery and thriller novels published between 1971 and 2022, with the series likely complete. These independent stories should be read in publication order, beginning with The Truth of the Matter. The collection spans five decades of the author's work in mystery and literary fiction, with each novel offering its own distinct plot and characters rather than continuing a shared narrative.

Start with The Truth of the Matter, the first of 10 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Truth of the Matter 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Bonegrinder 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Lazarus Man 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Jericho Man 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Shadow Man 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Single White Female 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Dancing with the Dead 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Ex 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Final Seconds(With: David August) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Single White Female Seeks Same 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2018–2019)

John Lutz's Thomas Laker series consists of two mystery and thriller novels published between 2018 and 2019. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Honorable Traitors and followed by The Havana Game. Both books are now available, offering readers a finished narrative arc in this two-book collection that blends mystery with literary fiction elements.

Start with The Honorable Traitors and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Honorable Traitors 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Havana Game 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible