Reading Order List โ€” Book Series Reading Order Guide

Ken Bruen Reading Order

11 series ยท 264 books

Ken Bruen is an acclaimed Irish author known for his gripping hardboiled and noir crime novels. With a prolific career spanning from 1992 to 2025, he has penned 264 works across 11 series, including the popular Inspector Brant and Jack Taylor series, as well as numerous standalone novels and short stories. Bruen's distinct style and compelling narratives have made him a standout voice in contemporary crime fiction.

Akashic Drug Chronicles Series

Complete

5 books (2005โ€“2020)

Start with The Cocaine Chronicles, the first of 5 books in the Akashic Drug Chronicles series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Cocaine Chronicles
The Cocaine Chronicles
2
The Speed Chronicles(By: Megan Abbott,Scott Phillips,Sherman Alexie,James Franco,William T. Vollmann,Jess Walter,Beth Lisick,Tao Lin,JamesGreer,Jerry Stahl,Natalie Dรญaz,Joseph Mattson,Kenji Jasper,Rose Bunch)
3
Cover of 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)
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)
4
Cover of The Marijuana Chronicles(By: Jonathan Santlofer)
The Marijuana Chronicles(By: Jonathan Santlofer)
5
Cover of The Nicotine Chronicles(By: Lee Child,Joyce Carol Oates,Hannah Tinti,Christopher Sorrentino,Cara Black,Lauren Sanders,Bernice L. McFadden,Jonathan Ames)
The Nicotine Chronicles(By: Lee Child,Joyce Carol Oates,Hannah Tinti,Christopher Sorrentino,Cara Black,Lauren Sanders,Bernice L. McFadden,Jonathan Ames)

Akashic Noir Series

Ongoing

121 books (2002โ€“2025)

Start with San Francisco Noir, the first of 121 books in the Akashic Noir series.

#Title
1
San Francisco Noir
2
3
Seattle Noir
4
Brooklyn Noir
5
Cover of Hasidic Noir
Hasidic Noir
6
Cover of Brooklyn Noir 2
Brooklyn Noir 2
7
Chicago Noir
8
9
Baltimore Noir
10
11
12
Cover of Manhattan Noir
Manhattan Noir
13
14
Cover of Twin Cities Noir
Twin Cities Noir
15
Cover of Detroit Noir
Detroit Noir
16
17
Cover of Los Angeles Noir
Los Angeles Noir
18
Cover of New Orleans Noir
New Orleans Noir
19
Wall Street Noir
20
Cover of Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
21
22
Istanbul Noir
23
Las Vegas Noir
24
Manhattan Noir 2
25
26
27
Toronto Noir
28
Trinidad Noir
29
30
31
Cover of Phoenix Noir
Phoenix Noir
32
Portland Noir
33
34
San Francisco Noir 2
35
Copenhagen Noir
36
37
Indian Country Noir
38
Cover of Lone Star Noir
Lone Star Noir
39
Los Angeles Noir 2
40
Mexico City Noir
41
42
Cover of Orange County Noir
Orange County Noir
43
Philadelphia Noir
44
Richmond Noir
45
Barcelona Noir
46
Cover of Cape Cod Noir
Cape Cod Noir
47
New Jersey Noir
48
Pittsburgh Noir
49
San Diego Noir
50
Cover of Boston Noir 2
Boston Noir 2
51
Kansas City Noir
52
Kingston Noir
53
Long Island Noir
54
55
St. Petersburg Noir
56
Cover of Staten Island Noir
Staten Island Noir
57
58
Buffalo Noir
59
60
Haiti Noir 2
61
62
63
Belfast Noir
64
Helsinki Noir
65
66
67
Singapore Noir
68
69
Tel Aviv Noir
70
71
Chicago Noir: The Classics
72
Marseille Noir
73
Memphis Noir
74
Providence Noir
75
76
Brussels Noir
77
Cover of Mississippi Noir
Mississippi Noir
78
New Orleans Noir: The Classics
79
80
San Juan Noir
81
St. Louis Noir
82
Cover of Stockholm Noir
Stockholm Noir
83
Cover of Atlanta Noir
Atlanta Noir
84
Buenos Aires Noir
85
Montana Noir
86
Montreal Noir
87
New Haven Noir
88
Oakland Noir
89
Trinidad Noir: The Classics
90
Baghdad Noir
91
92
Hong Kong Noir
93
94
Marrakech Noir
95
Santa Cruz Noir
96
97
Sรฃo Paulo Noir
98
Vancouver Noir
99
Amsterdam Noir
100
Houston Noir
101
Milwaukee Noir
102
103
Addis Ababa Noir
104
Alabama Noir
105
Belgrade Noir
106
Berkeley Noir
107
Columbus Noir
108
Miami Noir: The Classics
109
Nairobi Noir
110
Santa Fe Noir
111
Tampa Bay Noir
112
Palm Springs Noir
113
114
Paris Noir: The Suburbs
115
Cover of South Central Noir
South Central Noir
116
Cleveland Noir
117
East Jerusalem Noir
118
West Jerusalem Noir
119
Honolulu Noir
120
Cover of Hamburg Noir
Hamburg Noir
121
Sacramento Noir

Anthologies Series

Likely Complete

17 books (2004โ€“2023)

Start with Brooklyn Noir, the first of 17 books in the Anthologies series.

#Title
1
Cover of Brooklyn Noir
Brooklyn Noir
2
Cover of The Cocaine Chronicles
The Cocaine Chronicles
3
Cover of Damn Near Dead
Damn Near Dead
4
Cover of Killer Year: Stories to Die For...
Killer Year: Stories to Die For...
5
Cover of Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem and Suspense
Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem and Suspense
6
Cover of First Thrills
First Thrills
7
Requiems for the Departed
8
9
First Thrills: Volume 2
10
Protectors: Stories to Benefit PROTECT
11
Uncommon Assassins
12
Cover of Inherit the Dead
Inherit the Dead
13
14
Borderland Noir
15
Silent Night, Deadly Night
16
Cover of Invisible Blood
Invisible Blood
17
Ink and Daggers

Bibliomysteries Series

Likely Complete

40 books (2012โ€“2022)

Start with An Acceptable Sacrifice(By: Jeffery Deaver), the first of 40 books in the Bibliomysteries series.

#Title
1
Cover of An Acceptable Sacrifice(By: Jeffery Deaver)
An Acceptable Sacrifice(By: Jeffery Deaver)
2
Death Leaves a Bookmark(By: William Link)
3
Cover of Pronghorns of the Third Reich(By: C.J. Box)
Pronghorns of the Third Reich(By: C.J. Box)
4
The Book Case(By: Nelson DeMille)
5
Cover of The Book Thing(By: Laura Lippman)
The Book Thing(By: Laura Lippman)
6
Cover of The Book of Virtue
The Book of Virtue
7
Rides a Stranger(By: David Bell)
8
The Book of Ghosts(By: Reed Farrel Coleman)
9
The Final Testament(By: Peter Blauner)
10
The Long Sonata of the Dead(By: Andrew Taylor)
11
Book Club(By: Loren D. Estleman)
12
It's in the Book(By: Max Allan Collins,Mickey Spillane)
13
Remaindered(By: Peter Lovesey)
14
The Compendium of Srem(By: F. Paul Wilson)
15
The Gospel of Sheba(By: Lyndsay Faye)
16
The Nature of My Inheritance(By: Bradford Morrow)
17
Cover of The Scroll(By: Anne Perry)
The Scroll(By: Anne Perry)
18
The Sequel(By: R.L. Stine)
19
What's in a Name?(By: Thomas H. Cook)
20
Condor in the Stacks(By: James Grady)
21
Every Seven Years(By: Denise Mina)
22
From the Queen(By: Carolyn Hart)
23
Mystery, Inc.(By: Joyce Carol Oates)
24
The Book of the Lion(By: Thomas Perry)
25
The Little Men(By: Megan Abbott)
26
Citadel(By: Stephen Hunter)
27
Dead Dames Don't Sing(By: John Harvey)
28
Reconciliation Day(By: Christopher Fowler)
29
The Haze(By: James W. Hall)
30
Cover of The Travelling Companion(By: Ian Rankin)
The Travelling Companion(By: Ian Rankin)
31
Hoodoo Harry(By: Joe R. Lansdale)
32
Seven Years(By: Peter Robinson)
33
The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository(By: John Connolly)
34
The Hemingway Valise(By: Robert Olen Butler)
35
The Last Honest Horse Thief(By: Michael Koryta)
36
The Pretty Little Box(By: Charles Todd)
37
The Girl Who Did Say No(By: David Handler)
38
The Dark Door(By: Lisa Unger)
39
The Honeymoon Trap(By: Peter Swanson)
40
The Traitor(By: Martin Edwards)

Inspector Brant Series

Complete

7 books (1998โ€“2007)

Start with A White Arrest, the first of 7 books in the Inspector Brant series.

Jack Taylor Series

Ongoing

19 books (2001โ€“2025)

Start with The Guards, the first of 19 books in the Jack Taylor series.

#Title
1
2
Cover of The Killing of the Tinkers
The Killing of the Tinkers
3
Cover of The Magdalen Martyrs
The Magdalen Martyrs
4
Cover of The Dramatist
The Dramatist
5
Cover of The Dead Room
The Dead Room
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Cover of The Emerald Lie
The Emerald Lie
14
Cover of The Ghosts of Galway
The Ghosts of Galway
15
Cover of In the Galway Silence
In the Galway Silence
16
17
A Galway Epiphany
18
Galway Confidential
19
Galway's Edge

Max and Angela Series

Ongoing

5 books (2006โ€“2025)

Start with Bust, the first of 5 books in the Max and Angela series.

Mysterious Profiles Series

Ongoing

33 books (2022โ€“2025)

Start with Alex Delaware(By: Jonathan Kellerman), the first of 33 books in the Mysterious Profiles series.

#Title
1
Alex Delaware(By: Jonathan Kellerman)
2
Aloysius X. L. Pendergast(By: Douglas Preston)
3
Amos Walker(By: Loren D. Estleman)
4
Bob Lee Swagger(By: Stephen Hunter)
5
Charlie Parker(By: John Connolly)
6
Charlie Resnick(By: John Harvey)
7
Charlotte and Thomas Pitt(By: Anne Perry)
8
Dismas Hardy(By: John Lescroart)
9
Elvis Cole and Joe Pike(By: Robert Crais)
10
Hieronymus Bosch(By: Michael Connelly)
11
Ian Rutledge(By: Charles Todd)
12
Inspector Morse(By: Colin Dexter)
13
Jack Reacher(By: Lee Child)
14
15
Jane Whitefield(By: Thomas Perry)
16
John Rebus(By: Ian Rankin)
17
Lincoln Rhyme(By: Jeffery Deaver)
18
Lou Boldt(By: Ridley Pearson)
19
Maisie Dobbs(By: Jacqueline Winspear)
20
Mallory(By: Carol O'Connell)
21
Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus(By: Faye Kellerman)
22
Precious Ramotswe(By: Alexander McCall Smith)
23
Rambo(By: David Morrell)
24
Spenser(By: Robert B. Parker)
25
Tess Monaghan(By: Laura Lippman)
26
The Lincoln Lawyer(By: Michael Connelly)
27
Ben Kincaid(By: William Bernhardt)
28
Condor(By: James Grady)
29
Repairman Jack(By: F. Paul Wilson)
30
Joe Pickett(By: C.J. Box)
31
Nathan Heller(By: Max Allan Collins)
32
Peter Diamond(By: Peter Lovesey)
33
Orphan X(By: Gregg Hurwitz)

Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

3 books (2005โ€“2010)

Start with Murder by the Book and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Murder by the Book
Murder by the Book
2
Cover of Time of the Green
Time of the Green
3
Cover of Wednesdayโ€™s Child
Wednesdayโ€™s Child

Short Story Collections Series

Complete

4 books (1992โ€“2006)

Start with Funeral: Tales of Irish Morbidities, the first of 4 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#Title
1
Cover of Funeral: Tales of Irish Morbidities
Funeral: Tales of Irish Morbidities
2
Cover of Sherry and Other Stories
Sherry and Other Stories
3
Cover of Time of Serena-May and Upon the Third Cross
Time of Serena-May and Upon the Third Cross
4
Cover of A Fifth of Bruen: Early Fiction of Ken Bruen
A Fifth of Bruen: Early Fiction of Ken Bruen

Standalone Novels Series

Likely Complete

10 books (1993โ€“2021)

Start with Shades of Grace, the first of 10 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#Title
1
Cover of Shades of Grace
Shades of Grace
2
Cover of Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice
Her Last Call to Louis MacNeice
3
Cover of Rilke on Black
Rilke on Black
4
Cover of The Hackman Blues
The Hackman Blues
5
Cover of London Boulevard
London Boulevard
6
Cover of Dispatching Baudelaire
Dispatching Baudelaire
7
Cover of American Skin
American Skin
8
Cover of Once Were Cops
Once Were Cops
9
Cover of Tower(With: Reed Farrel Coleman)
Tower(With: Reed Farrel Coleman)
10

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Ken Bruen written?
Ken Bruen has written 264 books across 11 series. Their published works span from 1992 to 2025.
What is the first book in each Ken Bruen series?
Here are the first books in Ken Bruen's series: Akashic Drug Chronicles: The Cocaine Chronicles; Akashic Noir: San Francisco Noir; Anthologies: Brooklyn Noir; Bibliomysteries: An Acceptable Sacrifice(By: Jeffery Deaver); Inspector Brant: A White Arrest.
What order should I read Ken Bruen's books?
We recommend reading Ken Bruen's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Is Ken Bruen still writing new books?
Yes, Ken Bruen has 4 ongoing series: Akashic Noir, Jack Taylor, Max and Angela, Mysterious Profiles.

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