Ross Macdonald Reading Order
8 series · 161 books · Born 13 December1915
Ross Macdonald, the pen name of Kenneth Millar, was a prominent author of crime fiction known for his intricate narratives and richly developed characters. His most celebrated work features the hardboiled detective Lew Archer, whose cases delve deep into the human psyche and the complexities of the California landscape. Throughout his prolific career from 1944 to 2025, Macdonald wrote 161 books across eight series, including standalone novels and collections.
Akashic Noir Series
Ongoing121 books (2002–2025)
Start with San Francisco Noir, the first of 121 books in the Akashic Noir series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco Noir 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | Bronx Noir 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Seattle Noir 2003Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | Brooklyn Noir 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Hasidic Noir 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Brooklyn Noir 2 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | Chicago Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  Dublin Noir 2005Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | Baltimore Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 | D.C. Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | London Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  Manhattan Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | Miami Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  Twin Cities Noir 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  Detroit Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 | Havana Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 |  Los Angeles Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 |  New Orleans Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 | Wall Street Noir 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 20 |  Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 21 | D.C. Noir 2 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 22 | Istanbul Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 23 | Las Vegas Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 24 | Manhattan Noir 2 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 25 | Paris Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 26 | Queens Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 27 | Toronto Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 28 | Trinidad Noir 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 29 |  Boston Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 30 | Delhi Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 31 |  Phoenix Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 32 | Portland Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 33 | Rome Noir 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 34 | San Francisco Noir 2 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 35 | Copenhagen Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 36 | Haiti Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 37 | Indian Country Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 38 |  Lone Star Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 39 | Los Angeles Noir 2 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 40 | Mexico City Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 41 | Moscow Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 42 |  Orange County Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 43 | Philadelphia Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 44 | Richmond Noir 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 45 | Barcelona Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 46 |  Cape Cod Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 47 | New Jersey Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 48 | Pittsburgh Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 49 | San Diego Noir 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 50 |  Boston Noir 2 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 51 | Kansas City Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 52 | Kingston Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 53 | Long Island Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 54 | Mumbai Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 55 | St. Petersburg Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 56 |  Staten Island Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 57 |  Venice Noir 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 58 | Buffalo Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 59 |  Dallas Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 60 | Haiti Noir 2 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 61 | Manila Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 62 |  USA Noir 2013Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 63 | Belfast Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 64 | Helsinki Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 65 |  Prison Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 66 | Rio Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 67 | Singapore Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 68 | Tehran Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 69 | Tel Aviv Noir 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 70 | Beirut Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 71 | Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 72 | Marseille Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 73 | Memphis Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 74 | Providence Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 75 | Zagreb Noir 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 76 | Brussels Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 77 |  Mississippi Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 78 | New Orleans Noir: The Classics 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 79 | Prague Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 80 | San Juan Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 81 | St. Louis Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 82 |  Stockholm Noir 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 83 |  Atlanta Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 84 | Buenos Aires Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 85 | Montana Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 86 | Montreal Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 87 | New Haven Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 88 | Oakland Noir 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 89 | Trinidad Noir: The Classics 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 90 | Baghdad Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 91 | Berlin Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 92 | Hong Kong Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 93 | Lagos Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 94 | Marrakech Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 95 | Santa Cruz Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 96 | Sydney Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 97 | São Paulo Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 98 | Vancouver Noir 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 99 | Amsterdam Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 100 | Houston Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 101 | Milwaukee Noir 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 102 | Accra Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 103 | Addis Ababa Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 104 | Alabama Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 105 | Belgrade Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 106 | Berkeley Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 107 | Columbus Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 108 | Miami Noir: The Classics 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 109 | Nairobi Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 110 | Santa Fe Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 111 | Tampa Bay Noir 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 112 | Palm Springs Noir 2021Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 113 | Denver Noir 2022Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 114 | Paris Noir: The Suburbs 2022Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 115 |  South Central Noir 2022Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 116 | Cleveland Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 117 | East Jerusalem Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 118 | West Jerusalem Noir 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 119 | Honolulu Noir 2024Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 120 |  Hamburg Noir 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 121 | Sacramento Noir 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
Anthologies Series
Complete9 books (1972–2012)
Start with Dear Dead Days: 1972 Mystery Writers of America Anthology, the first of 9 books in the Anthologies series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Dear Dead Days: 1972 Mystery Writers of America Anthology 1972Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Space Suits & Gumshoes 1972Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Mammoth Book of Short Crime Novels 1986Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories 1988Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  City Sleuths and Tough Guys 1989Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | Pulp Frictions: Hardboiled Stories 1996Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories 1996Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  Writing Los Angeles 2002Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | Books to Die For 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
Chet Gordon Series
Complete2 books (1944–1946)
Start with The Dark Tunnel / I Die Slowly and read in order.
Lew Archer Series
Complete18 books (1949–1976)
Start with The Moving Target / Harper, the first of 18 books in the Lew Archer series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Moving Target / Harper 1949Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  The Drowning Pool 1950Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  The Way Some People Die 1951Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  The Ivory Grin / Marked for Murder 1952Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Find a Victim 1954Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  The Barbarous Coast 1956Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  The Doomsters 1958Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  The Galton Case 1959Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  The Wycherly Woman 1961Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  The Zebra-Striped Hearse 1962Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  The Chill 1963Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  The Far Side of the Dollar 1965Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 |  Black Money 1966Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 |  The Instant Enemy 1968Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  The Goodbye Look 1969Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 |  The Underground Man 1971Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 |  Sleeping Beauty 1973Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 |  The Blue Hammer 1976Buy 🇺🇸 |
Lew Archer Collections Series
Complete3 books (1955–2007)
Start with The Name is Archer and read in order.
Short Stories/Novellas Series
Complete3 books (1952–2010)
Start with The Guilty Ones and read in order.
Short Story Collections Series
Complete1 book (2001–2001)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Strangers in Town(With: Tom Nolan) 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
Standalone Novels Series
Complete4 books (1947–1967)
Start with Blue City(As: Kenneth Millar), the first of 4 books in the Standalone Novels series.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Ross Macdonald written?
- Ross Macdonald has written 161 books across 8 series. Their published works span from 1944 to 2025.
- What is the first book in each Ross Macdonald series?
- Here are the first books in Ross Macdonald's series: Akashic Noir: San Francisco Noir; Anthologies: Dear Dead Days: 1972 Mystery Writers of America Anthology; Chet Gordon: The Dark Tunnel / I Die Slowly; Lew Archer: The Moving Target / Harper; Lew Archer Collections: The Name is Archer.
- What order should I read Ross Macdonald's books?
- We recommend reading Ross Macdonald's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Ross Macdonald still writing new books?
- Yes, Ross Macdonald has 1 ongoing series: Akashic Noir.