Reading Order List โ€” Book Series Reading Order Guide

Sara Paretsky Reading Order

9 series ยท 198 books

Sara Paretsky is a renowned American writer celebrated for her contributions to detective fiction, particularly her series featuring the fierce female private investigator, V.I. Warshawski. With a remarkable portfolio of 198 works spanning nine seriesโ€”including short stories, novellas, and standalone novelsโ€”she has captivated readers since 1982. Paretsky's impactful storytelling continues to resonate, with her latest work expected in 2025.

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

44 books (1984โ€“2022)

Start with The Eyes Have It, the first of 44 books in the Anthologies series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Eyes Have It
The Eyes Have It
2
Cover of Mean Streets
Mean Streets
3
Cover of Beastly Tales
Beastly Tales
4
Cover of City Sleuths and Tough Guys
City Sleuths and Tough Guys
5
Sisters in Crime 3
6
Cover of A Woman's Eye
A Woman's Eye
7
8
Cover of Deadly Allies
Deadly Allies
9
Cover of Sisters In Crime 5
Sisters In Crime 5
10
Cover of The Yearโ€™s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1991
The Yearโ€™s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1991
11
Cover of Women of Mystery
Women of Mystery
12
Cover of Female Sleuths
Female Sleuths
13
Cover of Great Mystery Series: Top Female Sleuths
Great Mystery Series: Top Female Sleuths
14
Cover of The New Mystery
The New Mystery
15
Cover of The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1992
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1992
16
17
Cover of Seventh Annual Collection
Seventh Annual Collection
18
Cover of The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993
19
Cover of Bad Behavior
Bad Behavior
20
Cover of First Cases, Volume 1
First Cases, Volume 1
21
Cover of Murder For Love
Murder For Love
22
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1995
23
Win, Lose or Die
24
Cover of Women on the Case
Women on the Case
25
Cover of Mystery's Most Wanted
Mystery's Most Wanted
26
Cover of Women of Mystery III
Women of Mystery III
27
Cover of Crime After Crime
Crime After Crime
28
Cover of Crime Story Collection
Crime Story Collection
29
Cover of The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century
The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century
30
Cover of The Oxford Book of Detective Stories
The Oxford Book of Detective Stories
31
Cover of A Century of Great Suspense Stories
A Century of Great Suspense Stories
32
Cover of Writers on Writing
Writers on Writing
33
Cover of The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction
The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction
34
Deadly Housewives
35
Cover of Sisters on the Case
Sisters on the Case
36
Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe
37
Suspense Magazine December 2013
38
Cover of Chicago Blues
Chicago Blues
39
Cover of Mystery Writers of America Presents Ice Cold
Mystery Writers of America Presents Ice Cold
40
Cover of The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For
The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For
41
Cover of Gary Phillips' Hollis for Hire
Gary Phillips' Hollis for Hire
42
Bullets and Other Hurting Things: A Tribute to Bill Crider
43
Cover of Crime Hits Home
Crime Hits Home
44
The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022

Non-Fiction Series

Complete

2 books (2007โ€“2016)

Start with Writing In An Age Of Silence and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Writing In An Age Of Silence
Writing In An Age Of Silence
2
Words, Works, and Ways of Knowing

Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

1 book (2017โ€“2017)

#Title
1
Taste of Life

Short Story Collections Series

Complete

2 books (1995โ€“2020)

Start with A Taste of Life and Other Stories and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of A Taste of Life and Other Stories
A Taste of Life and Other Stories
2
Cover of Love & Other Crimes: Stories
Love & Other Crimes: Stories

Standalone Novels Series

Complete

2 books (1988โ€“2007)

Start with Ghost Country and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Ghost Country
Ghost Country
2
Cover of Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas

V.I. Warshawski Series

Ongoing

22 books (1982โ€“2024)

Start with Indemnity Only, the first of 22 books in the V.I. Warshawski series.

#Title
1
Cover of Indemnity Only
Indemnity Only
2
3
Cover of Killing Orders
Killing Orders
4
Cover of Bitter Medicine
Bitter Medicine
5
Cover of Blood Shot / Toxic Shock
Blood Shot / Toxic Shock
6
7
Cover of Guardian Angel
Guardian Angel
8
Cover of Tunnel Vision
Tunnel Vision
9
10
Cover of Total Recall
Total Recall
11
12
13
14
15
16
Cover of Critical Mass
Critical Mass
17
18
19
20
21
22

V.I. Warshawski Collections Series

Complete

1 book (1995โ€“1995)

#Title
1
Windy City Blues

V.I. Warshawski Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

3 books (2011โ€“2018)

Start with Photo Finish and read in order.

#Title
1
Photo Finish
2
3
Death on the Edge

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Sara Paretsky written?
Sara Paretsky has written 198 books across 9 series. Their published works span from 1982 to 2025.
What is the first book in each Sara Paretsky series?
Here are the first books in Sara Paretsky's series: Akashic Noir: San Francisco Noir; Anthologies: The Eyes Have It; Non-Fiction: Writing In An Age Of Silence; Short Story Collections: A Taste of Life and Other Stories; V.I. Warshawski: Indemnity Only.
What order should I read Sara Paretsky's books?
We recommend reading Sara Paretsky's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Is Sara Paretsky still writing new books?
Yes, Sara Paretsky has 2 ongoing series: Akashic Noir, V.I. Warshawski.

You might also like