Peter James Reading Order

121 books (2002–2025)

The Akashic Noir series is an ongoing collection of 121 noir fiction anthologies launched in 2002 and still being published through 2025. Each book focuses on a different city or region, featuring short stories that explore the darker side of that location through the noir genre. Readers should start with San Francisco Noir and follow the publication order to experience how this ambitious geographic and literary project has evolved over more than two decades. These standalone anthologies can also be read individually based on reader interest in specific cities or regions.

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 (1996–2021)

Peter James edited ten anthologies between 1996 and 2021, spanning mystery, thriller, and crime fiction. These standalone collections should be read in publication order beginning with Giant Book of Fantasy Tales and concluding with Afraid of the Shadows. The series is likely complete, with each volume featuring works from various acclaimed authors in the genres.

Start with Giant Book of Fantasy Tales, the first of 10 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Giant Book of Fantasy Tales 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 7 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Sounds Of Crime 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	No Rest for the Dead 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Killer Cookbook 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	FaceOff 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	OxCrimes: 27 Killer Stories from the Cream of Crimewriters 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	MatchUp 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Ten Year Stretch 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Afraid of the Shadows 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

38 books (2010–2025)

The Big Ideas Simply Explained series comprises 37 books published between 2010 and 2024, with the collection ongoing. Each volume explores a major subject—from history and psychology to economics, religions, business, science, philosophy, and the arts—through accessible visual explanations and simplified overviews. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with The History Book. While individual entries can stand alone, following the publication sequence provides a comprehensive journey through humanity's most significant fields of knowledge.

Start with The History Book(By: R.G. Grant), the first of 37 books in the Big Ideas Simply Explained series.

#	Title
1	The History Book(By: R.G. Grant) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Psychology Book(By: Marcus Weeks,Catherine Collin,Joannah Ginsburg,Nigel C. Benson,Voula Grand,Merrin Lazyan) 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Economics Book(By: Niall Kishtainy) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Religions Book(By: Neil Philip,Michael D. Coogan,Paul Freedman,Shulamit Ambalu,Eve Levavi Feinstein,Andrew Stob) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Business Book(By: Sam Atkinson) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Science Book(By: Dan Green,David John,Rob Scott Colson,Camilla Hallinan) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Philosophy Book(By: Will Buckingham) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Politics Book(By: Kate Johnsen,Sam Atkinson) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Shakespeare Book(By: Stanley Wells) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Sociology Book(By: Marcus Weeks,Megan Todd,Mitchell Hobbs,Sam Atkinson,Sarah Tomley,Christopher Thorpe,Chris Yuill) 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Literature Book(By: Sam Atkinson) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Art Book(By: Caroline Bugler) 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Crime Book 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Bible Book(By: DK Publishing) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Classical Music Book(By: Katie Derham) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Mythology Book(By: Shulamit Ambalu) 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Crime Book(By: Shanna Hogan) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Ecology Book(By: DK Publishing) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	The Marvel Book(By: DK Publishing) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Maths Book(By: DK Publishing) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Sherlock Holmes Book(By: David Stuart Davies,Barry Forshaw) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	The Islam Book(By: DK Publishing) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	The Law Book(By: DK Publishing) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	The Movie Book(By: Danny Leigh) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	The Physics Book(By: Jim Al-Khalili,Ben Still) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	The Star Wars Book(By: Pablo Hidalgo,Cole Horton,Dan Zehr) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	The Biology Book(By: DK Publishing) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	The DC Book(By: Grant Morrison,Stephen Wiacek) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	The Medicine Book(By: DK Publishing) 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	The Chemistry Book(By: DK Publishing) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	The World War II Book(By: DK Publishing) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	El libro de la historia LGBTQ+(By: DK Publishing) 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	The LGBTQ+ History Book(By: DK Publishing) 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	The Poetry Book(By: DK Publishing) 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	The Design Book(By: DK Publishing) 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained(By: DK Publishing) 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	The World War I Book(By: DK Publishing) 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	The Anthropology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained(By: DK Publishing) 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2015–2019)

Peter James's Cold Hill series comprises two mysteries published between 2015 and 2019, with the story concluding after the second installment. Begin with The House on Cold Hill before moving to The Secret of Cold Hill to experience the narrative as intended. The series blends the author's signature thriller style with atmospheric mystery elements across its two-book arc.

Start with The House on Cold Hill and read in order.

#	Title
1	The House on Cold Hill 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Secret of Cold Hill 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1981–1983)

Peter James's Max Flynn series consists of two espionage thrillers published in the early 1980s. Dead Letter Drop and Atom Bomb Angel should be read in publication order to follow the complete story arc. The series is finished and contains all published entries.

Start with Dead Letter Drop and read in order.

#	Title
1	Dead Letter Drop 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Atom Bomb Angel 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2016–2020)

This complete two-book non-fiction series by Peter James and Graham Bartlett, published between 2016 and 2020, should be read in publication order. The books examine real criminal investigations and cases within the mystery and thriller genre from a factual perspective.

Start with Death Comes Knocking(With: Graham Bartlett) and read in order.

#	Title
1	Death Comes Knocking(With: Graham Bartlett) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Babes In The Wood(With: Graham Bartlett) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

22 books (2005–2025)

Peter James's Roy Grace series comprises 22 books published between 2005 and 2025, with the sequence still ongoing. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Dead Simple, as each entry builds on previous cases and character development. This mystery and thriller series follows Detective Superintendent Roy Grace as he investigates crimes in Brighton and the surrounding Sussex area.

Start with Dead Simple, the first of 22 books in the Roy Grace series.

#	Title
1	Dead Simple 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Looking Good Dead 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Not Dead Enough 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Dead Man's Footsteps 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Dead Tomorrow 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Dead Like You 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Dead Man's Grip 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Not Dead Yet 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Dead Man's Time 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Want You Dead 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	You Are Dead 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Love You Dead 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Need You Dead 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Dead If You Don't 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Dead at First Sight 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Find Them Dead 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Left You Dead 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Picture You Dead 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Stop Them Dead 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	One of Us Is Dead 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	They Thought I Was Dead: Sandy's Story 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	The Hawk is Dead 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2019–2021)

Peter James has written two mystery and thriller short works featuring Roy Grace, published between 2019 and 2021 in publication order. The series appears to be complete. Begin with Footloose, a collaborative novella with Val McDermid, followed by Wish You Were Dead.

Start with Footloose(With: Val McDermid) and read in order.

5 books (2010–2026)

This complete collection of short stories and novellas by Peter James spans from 2010 to 2019 and comprises four titles that should be read in publication order. The series includes collaborations with fellow crime writers Ian Rankin and Val McDermid, blending mystery and thriller elements throughout. Begin with The Perfect Murder and proceed through Christmas is for the Kids, In the Nick of Time, Footloose, and conclude with John Grebble Is Gone.

Start with The Perfect Murder, the first of 4 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	The Perfect Murder 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Christmas is for the Kids 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	In the Nick of Time(With: Ian Rankin) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Footloose(With: Val McDermid) 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	John Grebble Is Gone 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2013–2014)

Peter James's Short Shockers series comprises three complete collections of short fiction published between 2013 and 2014, presenting mystery and thriller tales in bite-sized form. The three volumes—Short Shockers: Collection One, Short Shockers: Collection Two, and A Twist of the Knife—should be read in publication order to experience the full scope of the author's shorter works. Each collection stands as a standalone entry, allowing readers to dip in and out, though reading them sequentially offers a comprehensive journey through James's dark and suspenseful storytelling.

Start with Short Shockers: Collection One and read in order.

18 books (1983–2020)

Peter James wrote 16 standalone novels between 1983 and 2020, with the series now complete. These mystery and thriller works should be read in publication order, beginning with Billionaire. Each novel stands alone, allowing readers to enter the series at any point, though following the chronological publication sequence provides the fullest picture of James's evolving style across nearly four decades.

Start with Billionaire, the first of 16 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Billionaire 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Biggles The Storybook 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Possession 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Dreamer 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Sweet Heart 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Twilight 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Prophecy 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Host 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Alchemist 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Getting Wired! 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Truth 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Denial 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Faith 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Meet Me at the Crematorium(With: Mark Billingham,Christopher Fowler) 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Meet Me at the Crematorium(With: Mark Billingham,Various,Christopher Fowler,Multiple Authors) 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Perfect People 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Absolute Proof 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	I Follow You 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (2017–2019)

The MatchUp Collection is a complete series of eleven collaborative thrillers published between 2017 and 2019, featuring pairings of bestselling mystery and thriller authors working together on original stories. Each book brings together two established writers to create standalone novellas that can be read in any order, though publication order is recommended for following the collection's release sequence. Begin with Deserves to Be Dead by John Sandford and Lisa Jackson and continue through the remaining ten entries, concluding with Taking the Veil by J.A. Jance and Eric Van Lustbader.

Start with Deserves to Be Dead(By: John Sandford,Lisa Jackson), the first of 11 books in the The MatchUp Collection series.