Paul Levine Reading Order

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an ongoing collection of mystery and thriller anthologies, with 121 books published between 2002 and 2025. Each book focuses on a different city or region, beginning with San Francisco Noir and expanding across North America and internationally to locations like Dublin, London, and beyond. The series should be read in publication order, starting with San Francisco Noir, as each volume stands alone while contributing to the larger anthology project that captures noir fiction through diverse geographic perspectives.

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

4 books (1997–2012)

This complete anthology series edited by Paul Levine contains four mystery and thriller collections published between 1997 and 2012. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Naked Came the Manatee and continuing through Mystery: Crime & Punishment: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Intrigue, and Writing Crime Fiction. These collaborative volumes gather crime fiction and mystery stories from multiple contributors.

Start with Naked Came the Manatee, the first of 4 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Naked Came the Manatee 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Mystery: Crime & Punishment: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Intrigue 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Writing Crime Fiction 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2025–2026)

16 books (1990–2027)

The Jake Lassiter series comprises 15 mystery and thriller novels published between 1990 and 2023, following a sprawling arc that appears to be complete. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with To Speak for the Dead and continuing through Early Grave. Paul Levine's series delivers over three decades of crime fiction centered on the titular protagonist navigating legal and personal challenges across diverse cases.

Start with To Speak for the Dead, the first of 15 books in the Jake Lassiter series.

#	Title
1	To Speak for the Dead 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Night Vision 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	False Dawn 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Mortal Sin 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Riptide / Slashback 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Fool Me Twice 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Flesh and Bones 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Lassiter 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Last Chance Lassiter 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	State vs. Lassiter 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Bum Rap 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Bum Luck 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Bum Deal 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Cheater's Game 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Early Grave 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Lassiter's Ghost 2027Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2011–2011)

6 books (2005–2012)

The Solomon vs. Lord series comprises five mystery and thriller novels published between 2005 and 2012, following the complete story arc in publication order. This standalone series features the dynamic partnership between a streetwise personal injury lawyer and a refined law professor as they navigate complex cases together. Readers should begin with Solomon vs. Lord and continue through the subsequent entries to experience the full arc of the characters' evolving relationship and investigations. The series concluded in 2012, offering a finished narrative for readers seeking a complete mystery experience.

Start with Solomon vs. Lord, the first of 5 books in the Solomon vs. Lord series.

#	Title
1	Solomon vs. Lord 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Kill All the Lawyers 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Deep Blue Alibi 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Trial & Error / Habeas Porpoise 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Solomon & Lord Sink or Swim 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Solomon & Lord Sink or Swim / Drop Anchor 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (1998–2014)

Paul Levine's five standalone mystery and thriller novels span from 1998 to 2014 and should be read in publication order: 9 Scorpions, Illegal, Ballistic, Paydirt, and Impact/Reversal. Though each book functions independently with its own complete story, reading them chronologically from their release dates provides the best experience with Levine's evolving narrative style. This complete series offers readers distinct mysteries and thrillers that stand alone yet collectively showcase the author's range within the genre.

Start with 9 Scorpions, the first of 5 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	9 Scorpions 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Illegal 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Ballistic 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Paydirt 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Impact / Reversal 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible