Megan Abbott Reading Order

5 books (2005–2020)

The Akashic Drug Chronicles is a five-book anthology series published between 2005 and 2020, featuring short stories by various authors centered on different drugs and their cultural impact. Each book in the series focuses on a specific substance: cocaine, speed, heroin, marijuana, and nicotine, with contributions from notable writers across mystery, thriller, and literary fiction. 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

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an ongoing anthology collection that has published 121 volumes since 2002, edited by Megan Abbott and featuring mystery and thriller stories set in specific cities and regions around the world. Each book focuses on a different location, from San Francisco and Brooklyn to Dublin, London, and beyond, presenting noir fiction tied to those particular places. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with San Francisco Noir and continuing through the most recent releases. This expansive collection offers readers a global tour of noir storytelling across diverse urban 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

7 books (2006–2026)

Megan Abbott edited five anthology collections between 2006 and 2014, featuring curated mystery and thriller stories from various authors. These collections should be read in publication order beginning with Damn Near Dead, followed by A Hell of a Woman, L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories, The Picador Book of 40, and The Best American Mystery Stories 2014. The series is now complete and each volume stands alone as an independent collection of short fiction.

Start with Damn Near Dead, the first of 5 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Damn Near Dead 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Hell of a Woman 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Picador Book of 40 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Best American Mystery Stories 2014 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2026 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

40 books (2012–2022)

Bibliomysteries is an anthology mystery series comprising 40 books published between 2012 and 2022, featuring original short stories by acclaimed mystery and thriller authors including Jeffery Deaver, Laura Lippman, Nelson DeMille, Reed Farrel Coleman, and many others. The series appears to be complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with An Acceptable Sacrifice by Jeffery Deaver. Each entry is a standalone story centered around books, libraries, or literary themes within the mystery genre.

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

#	Title
1	An Acceptable Sacrifice(By: Jeffery Deaver) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Death Leaves a Bookmark(By: William Link) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Pronghorns of the Third Reich(By: C.J. Box) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Book Case(By: Nelson DeMille) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Book Thing(By: Laura Lippman) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Book of Virtue(By: Ken Bruen) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Rides a Stranger(By: David Bell) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Book of Ghosts(By: Reed Farrel Coleman) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Final Testament(By: Peter Blauner) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Long Sonata of the Dead(By: Andrew Taylor) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Book Club(By: Loren D. Estleman) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	It's in the Book(By: Max Allan Collins,Mickey Spillane) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Remaindered(By: Peter Lovesey) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Compendium of Srem(By: F. Paul Wilson) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Gospel of Sheba(By: Lyndsay Faye) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Nature of My Inheritance(By: Bradford Morrow) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Scroll(By: Anne Perry) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Sequel(By: R.L. Stine) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	What's in a Name?(By: Thomas H. Cook) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Condor in the Stacks(By: James Grady) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Every Seven Years(By: Denise Mina) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	From the Queen(By: Carolyn Hart) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Mystery, Inc.(By: Joyce Carol Oates) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	The Book of the Lion(By: Thomas Perry) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	The Little Men 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Citadel(By: Stephen Hunter) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Dead Dames Don't Sing(By: John Harvey) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Reconciliation Day(By: Christopher Fowler) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	The Haze(By: James W. Hall) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	The Travelling Companion(By: Ian Rankin) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Hoodoo Harry(By: Joe R. Lansdale) 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Seven Years(By: Peter Robinson) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository(By: John Connolly) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	The Hemingway Valise(By: Robert Olen Butler) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	The Last Honest Horse Thief(By: Michael Koryta) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	The Pretty Little Box(By: Charles Todd) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	The Girl Who Did Say No(By: David Handler) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	The Dark Door(By: Lisa Unger) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	The Honeymoon Trap(By: Peter Swanson) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	The Traitor(By: Martin Edwards) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2018–2018)

#	Title
1	Normandy Gold(With: Alison Gaylin) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2010–2011)

This complete two-book mystery series by Megan Abbott spans 2010 to 2011 and should be read in publication order. The collection features noir-inspired crime stories set in Los Angeles, blending Abbott's expertise in mystery and thriller writing with the darker elements of the genre.

Start with L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories and read in order.

#	Title
1	L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Black DahliaWhite Rose(By: Joyce Carol Oates) 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2002–2002)

#	Title
1	The Street Was Mine 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2006–2016)

Megan Abbott's complete collection of three standalone short works spans a decade from 2006 to 2016 and should be read in publication order beginning with Policy, followed by The Little Men and Oxford Girl. These mystery and thriller novellas showcase Abbott's signature style within condensed narrative formats across the ten-year span of their release.

Start with Policy and read in order.

#	Title
1	Policy 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Little Men 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Oxford Girl 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

13 books (2005–2027)

Megan Abbott has written twelve standalone novels spanning from 2005 to 2025, each featuring independent stories and characters rather than continuing narratives. Her mystery and thriller works should be read in publication order, beginning with Die a Little and continuing through the most recent entry, The Dear Ones. The series remains ongoing, with Abbott continuing to add to her collection of psychologically complex crime narratives. Readers can start anywhere but will gain the fullest appreciation of her evolving style by following the chronological sequence of release.

Start with Die a Little, the first of 12 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Die a Little 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Queenpin 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Song Is You 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Bury Me Deep 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The End of Everything 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Dare Me 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Fever 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	You Will Know Me 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Give Me Your Hand 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Turnout 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Beware the Woman 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	El Dorado Drive 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Dear Ones 2027Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible