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Ross Macdonald Books in Order

Find every Ross Macdonald book in order, including standalone titles and complete series reading orders with publication years.

Updated 2026-07-11 / 152 books / 7 series

American-Canadian author Ross Macdonald is best known for his Lew Archer detective series. His psychologically complex crime novels helped redefine the hardboiled genre, earning him a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. This page provides the Ross Macdonald books in order, including both chronological and series reading order.

All Ross Macdonald Books in Chronological Order

1944 The Dark Tunnel / I Die Slowly POoCGB / 1 Buy
1946 Trouble Follows Me POoCGB / 2 Buy
1947 Blue City(As: Kenneth Millar) POoSN / 1 Buy
1948 The Three Roads(As: Kenneth Millar) POoSN / 2 Buy
1949 The Moving Target / Harper POoLAB / 1 Buy
1950 The Drowning Pool POoLAB / 2 Buy
1951 The Way Some People Die POoLAB / 3 Buy
1952 The Guilty Ones POoSS / 1 Buy
1952 The Ivory Grin / Marked for Murder POoLAB / 4 Buy
1953 The Imaginary Blonde POoSS / 2 Buy
1954 Meet Me at the Morgue / Experience with Evil POoSN / 3 Buy
1954 Find a Victim POoLAB / 5 Buy
1955 The Name is Archer POoLAC / 1 Buy
1956 The Barbarous Coast POoLAB / 6 Buy
1958 The Doomsters POoLAB / 7 Buy
1959 The Galton Case POoLAB / 8 Buy
1961 The Wycherly Woman POoLAB / 9 Buy
1962 The Zebra-Striped Hearse POoLAB / 10 Buy
1963 The Chill POoLAB / 11 Buy
1965 The Far Side of the Dollar POoLAB / 12 Buy
1966 Black Money POoLAB / 13 Buy
1967 The Ferguson Affair POoSN / 4 Buy
1968 The Instant Enemy POoLAB / 14 Buy
1969 The Goodbye Look POoLAB / 15 Buy
1971 The Underground Man POoLAB / 16 Buy
1973 Sleeping Beauty POoLAB / 17 Buy
1976 The Blue Hammer POoLAB / 18 Buy
1977 Lew Archer, Private Investigator POoLAC / 2 Buy
2001 Strangers in Town(With: Tom Nolan) POoSSC / 1 Buy
2002 San Francisco Noir POoANB / 1 Buy
2003 Seattle Noir POoANB / 2 Buy
2003 Bronx Noir POoANB / 3 Buy
2004 Brooklyn Noir POoANB / 4 Buy
2004 Hasidic Noir POoANB / 5 Buy
2005 Brooklyn Noir 2 POoANB / 6 Buy
2005 Chicago Noir POoANB / 7 Buy
2005 Dublin Noir POoANB / 8 Buy
2006 Manhattan Noir POoANB / 9 Buy
2006 Miami Noir POoANB / 10 Buy
2006 D.C. Noir POoANB / 11 Buy
2006 Baltimore Noir POoANB / 12 Buy
2006 Twin Cities Noir POoANB / 13 Buy
2006 London Noir POoANB / 14 Buy
2007 The Archer Files POoLAC / 3 Buy
2007 New Orleans Noir POoANB / 15 Buy
2007 Los Angeles Noir POoANB / 16 Buy
2007 Wall Street Noir POoANB / 17 Buy
2007 Havana Noir POoANB / 18 Buy
2007 Detroit Noir POoANB / 19 Buy
2008 Queens Noir POoANB / 20 Buy
2008 Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth POoANB / 21 Buy
2008 Toronto Noir POoANB / 22 Buy
2008 Las Vegas Noir POoANB / 23 Buy
2008 Trinidad Noir POoANB / 24 Buy
2008 D.C. Noir 2 POoANB / 25 Buy
2008 Manhattan Noir 2 POoANB / 26 Buy
2008 Paris Noir POoANB / 27 Buy
2008 Istanbul Noir POoANB / 28 Buy
2009 Boston Noir POoANB / 29 Buy
2009 Rome Noir POoANB / 30 Buy
2009 San Francisco Noir 2 POoANB / 31 Buy
2009 Portland Noir POoANB / 32 Buy
2009 Delhi Noir POoANB / 33 Buy
2009 Phoenix Noir POoANB / 34 Buy
2010 Midnight Blue POoSS / 3 Buy
2010 Los Angeles Noir 2 POoANB / 35 Buy
2010 Mexico City Noir POoANB / 36 Buy
2010 Richmond Noir POoANB / 37 Buy
2010 Orange County Noir POoANB / 38 Buy
2010 Indian Country Noir POoANB / 39 Buy
2010 Moscow Noir POoANB / 40 Buy
2010 Lone Star Noir POoANB / 41 Buy
2010 Philadelphia Noir POoANB / 42 Buy
2010 Haiti Noir POoANB / 43 Buy
2010 Copenhagen Noir POoANB / 44 Buy
2011 Pittsburgh Noir POoANB / 45 Buy
2011 San Diego Noir POoANB / 46 Buy
2011 Barcelona Noir POoANB / 47 Buy
2011 Cape Cod Noir POoANB / 48 Buy
2011 New Jersey Noir POoANB / 49 Buy
2012 Staten Island Noir POoANB / 50 Buy
2012 Mumbai Noir POoANB / 51 Buy
2012 Long Island Noir POoANB / 52 Buy
2012 Venice Noir POoANB / 53 Buy
2012 Kingston Noir POoANB / 54 Buy
2012 St. Petersburg Noir POoANB / 55 Buy
2012 Kansas City Noir POoANB / 56 Buy
2012 Boston Noir 2 POoANB / 57 Buy
2013 USA Noir POoANB / 58 Buy
2013 Manila Noir POoANB / 59 Buy
2013 Buffalo Noir POoANB / 60 Buy
2013 Dallas Noir POoANB / 61 Buy
2013 Haiti Noir 2 POoANB / 62 Buy
2014 Singapore Noir POoANB / 63 Buy
2014 Prison Noir POoANB / 64 Buy
2014 Tel Aviv Noir POoANB / 65 Buy
2014 Tehran Noir POoANB / 66 Buy
2014 Belfast Noir POoANB / 67 Buy
2014 Helsinki Noir POoANB / 68 Buy
2014 Rio Noir POoANB / 69 Buy
2015 Providence Noir POoANB / 70 Buy
2015 Chicago Noir: The Classics POoANB / 71 Buy
2015 Memphis Noir POoANB / 72 Buy
2015 Zagreb Noir POoANB / 73 Buy
2015 Marseille Noir POoANB / 74 Buy
2015 Beirut Noir POoANB / 75 Buy
2016 New Orleans Noir: The Classics POoANB / 76 Buy
2016 Stockholm Noir POoANB / 77 Buy
2016 Brussels Noir POoANB / 78 Buy
2016 Mississippi Noir POoANB / 79 Buy
2016 St. Louis Noir POoANB / 80 Buy
2016 Prague Noir POoANB / 81 Buy
2016 San Juan Noir POoANB / 82 Buy
2017 Oakland Noir POoANB / 83 Buy
2017 Trinidad Noir: The Classics POoANB / 84 Buy
2017 Atlanta Noir POoANB / 85 Buy
2017 New Haven Noir POoANB / 86 Buy
2017 Montana Noir POoANB / 87 Buy
2017 Buenos Aires Noir POoANB / 88 Buy
2017 Montreal Noir POoANB / 89 Buy
2018 Berlin Noir POoANB / 90 Buy
2018 S’o Paulo Noir POoANB / 91 Buy
2018 Santa Cruz Noir POoANB / 92 Buy
2018 Lagos Noir POoANB / 93 Buy
2018 Marrakech Noir POoANB / 94 Buy
2018 Baghdad Noir POoANB / 95 Buy
2018 Vancouver Noir POoANB / 96 Buy
2018 Sydney Noir POoANB / 97 Buy
2018 Hong Kong Noir POoANB / 98 Buy
2019 Amsterdam Noir POoANB / 99 Buy
2019 Milwaukee Noir POoANB / 100 Buy
2019 Houston Noir POoANB / 101 Buy
2020 Nairobi Noir POoANB / 102 Buy
2020 Columbus Noir POoANB / 103 Buy
2020 Santa Fe Noir POoANB / 104 Buy
2020 Alabama Noir POoANB / 105 Buy
2020 Berkeley Noir POoANB / 106 Buy
2020 Addis Ababa Noir POoANB / 107 Buy
2020 Tampa Bay Noir POoANB / 108 Buy
2020 Miami Noir: The Classics POoANB / 109 Buy
2020 Accra Noir POoANB / 110 Buy
2020 Belgrade Noir POoANB / 111 Buy
2021 Palm Springs Noir POoANB / 112 Buy
2022 Paris Noir: The Suburbs POoANB / 113 Buy
2022 Denver Noir POoANB / 114 Buy
2022 South Central Noir POoANB / 115 Buy
2023 Cleveland Noir POoANB / 116 Buy
2023 East Jerusalem Noir POoANB / 117 Buy
2023 West Jerusalem Noir POoANB / 118 Buy
2024 Honolulu Noir POoANB / 119 Buy
2025 Sacramento Noir POoANB / 120 Buy
2025 Hamburg Noir POoANB / 121 Buy

Ross Macdonald Book Series Reading Orders / browse all ->

Akashic Noir Books in Reading Order 121 books / 2002-2025
01 San Francisco Noir 2002 Buy
02 Seattle Noir 2003 Buy
03 Bronx Noir 2003 Buy
04 Brooklyn Noir 2004 Buy
05 Hasidic Noir 2004 Buy
06 Brooklyn Noir 2 2005 Buy
07 Chicago Noir 2005 Buy
08 Dublin Noir 2005 Buy
09 Manhattan Noir 2006 Buy
10 Miami Noir 2006 Buy
11 D.C. Noir 2006 Buy
12 Baltimore Noir 2006 Buy
13 Twin Cities Noir 2006 Buy
14 London Noir 2006 Buy
15 New Orleans Noir 2007 Buy
16 Los Angeles Noir 2007 Buy
17 Wall Street Noir 2007 Buy
18 Havana Noir 2007 Buy
19 Detroit Noir 2007 Buy
20 Queens Noir 2008 Buy
21 Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008 Buy
22 Toronto Noir 2008 Buy
23 Las Vegas Noir 2008 Buy
24 Trinidad Noir 2008 Buy
25 D.C. Noir 2 2008 Buy
26 Manhattan Noir 2 2008 Buy
27 Paris Noir 2008 Buy
28 Istanbul Noir 2008 Buy
29 Boston Noir 2009 Buy
30 Rome Noir 2009 Buy
31 San Francisco Noir 2 2009 Buy
32 Portland Noir 2009 Buy
33 Delhi Noir 2009 Buy
34 Phoenix Noir 2009 Buy
35 Los Angeles Noir 2 2010 Buy
36 Mexico City Noir 2010 Buy
37 Richmond Noir 2010 Buy
38 Orange County Noir 2010 Buy
39 Indian Country Noir 2010 Buy
40 Moscow Noir 2010 Buy
41 Lone Star Noir 2010 Buy
42 Philadelphia Noir 2010 Buy
43 Haiti Noir 2010 Buy
44 Copenhagen Noir 2010 Buy
45 Pittsburgh Noir 2011 Buy
46 San Diego Noir 2011 Buy
47 Barcelona Noir 2011 Buy
48 Cape Cod Noir 2011 Buy
49 New Jersey Noir 2011 Buy
50 Staten Island Noir 2012 Buy
51 Mumbai Noir 2012 Buy
52 Long Island Noir 2012 Buy
53 Venice Noir 2012 Buy
54 Kingston Noir 2012 Buy
55 St. Petersburg Noir 2012 Buy
56 Kansas City Noir 2012 Buy
57 Boston Noir 2 2012 Buy
58 USA Noir 2013 Buy
59 Manila Noir 2013 Buy
60 Buffalo Noir 2013 Buy
61 Dallas Noir 2013 Buy
62 Haiti Noir 2 2013 Buy
63 Singapore Noir 2014 Buy
64 Prison Noir 2014 Buy
65 Tel Aviv Noir 2014 Buy
66 Tehran Noir 2014 Buy
67 Belfast Noir 2014 Buy
68 Helsinki Noir 2014 Buy
69 Rio Noir 2014 Buy
70 Providence Noir 2015 Buy
71 Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015 Buy
72 Memphis Noir 2015 Buy
73 Zagreb Noir 2015 Buy
74 Marseille Noir 2015 Buy
75 Beirut Noir 2015 Buy
76 New Orleans Noir: The Classics 2016 Buy
77 Stockholm Noir 2016 Buy
78 Brussels Noir 2016 Buy
79 Mississippi Noir 2016 Buy
80 St. Louis Noir 2016 Buy
81 Prague Noir 2016 Buy
82 San Juan Noir 2016 Buy
83 Oakland Noir 2017 Buy
84 Trinidad Noir: The Classics 2017 Buy
85 Atlanta Noir 2017 Buy
86 New Haven Noir 2017 Buy
87 Montana Noir 2017 Buy
88 Buenos Aires Noir 2017 Buy
89 Montreal Noir 2017 Buy
90 Berlin Noir 2018 Buy
91 S’o Paulo Noir 2018 Buy
92 Santa Cruz Noir 2018 Buy
93 Lagos Noir 2018 Buy
94 Marrakech Noir 2018 Buy
95 Baghdad Noir 2018 Buy
96 Vancouver Noir 2018 Buy
97 Sydney Noir 2018 Buy
98 Hong Kong Noir 2018 Buy
99 Amsterdam Noir 2019 Buy
100 Milwaukee Noir 2019 Buy
101 Houston Noir 2019 Buy
102 Nairobi Noir 2020 Buy
103 Columbus Noir 2020 Buy
104 Santa Fe Noir 2020 Buy
105 Alabama Noir 2020 Buy
106 Berkeley Noir 2020 Buy
107 Addis Ababa Noir 2020 Buy
108 Tampa Bay Noir 2020 Buy
109 Miami Noir: The Classics 2020 Buy
110 Accra Noir 2020 Buy
111 Belgrade Noir 2020 Buy
112 Palm Springs Noir 2021 Buy
113 Paris Noir: The Suburbs 2022 Buy
114 Denver Noir 2022 Buy
115 South Central Noir 2022 Buy
116 Cleveland Noir 2023 Buy
117 East Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
118 West Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
119 Honolulu Noir 2024 Buy
120 Sacramento Noir 2025 Buy
121 Hamburg Noir 2025 Buy
Lew Archer Books in Reading Order 18 books / 1949-1976
01 The Moving Target / Harper 1949 Buy
02 The Drowning Pool 1950 Buy
03 The Way Some People Die 1951 Buy
04 The Ivory Grin / Marked for Murder 1952 Buy
05 Find a Victim 1954 Buy
06 The Barbarous Coast 1956 Buy
07 The Doomsters 1958 Buy
08 The Galton Case 1959 Buy
09 The Wycherly Woman 1961 Buy
10 The Zebra-Striped Hearse 1962 Buy
11 The Chill 1963 Buy
12 The Far Side of the Dollar 1965 Buy
13 Black Money 1966 Buy
14 The Instant Enemy 1968 Buy
15 The Goodbye Look 1969 Buy
16 The Underground Man 1971 Buy
17 Sleeping Beauty 1973 Buy
18 The Blue Hammer 1976 Buy
01 Strangers in Town(With: Tom Nolan) 2001 Buy
01 The Guilty Ones 1952 Buy
02 The Imaginary Blonde 1953 Buy
03 Midnight Blue 2010 Buy
Standalone Books in Reading Order 4 books / 1947-1967
01 Blue City(As: Kenneth Millar) 1947 Buy
02 The Three Roads(As: Kenneth Millar) 1948 Buy
03 Meet Me at the Morgue / Experience with Evil 1954 Buy
04 The Ferguson Affair 1967 Buy
01 The Name is Archer 1955 Buy
02 Lew Archer, Private Investigator 1977 Buy
03 The Archer Files 2007 Buy
01 The Dark Tunnel / I Die Slowly 1944 Buy
02 Trouble Follows Me 1946 Buy

Where to start with Ross Macdonald

What is the best order to read Ross Macdonald books?

Publication order is usually the safest place to start. If a book belongs to a series, follow the numbered series reading order shown on this page.

Are standalone books and series both included?

Yes. Standalone titles appear in the full chronological bibliography, and series are broken out separately with reading-order links when catalog data is available.

More authors

Patrick Taylor -> John Birmingham -> Emilie Richards -> Douglas Kennedy ->

Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.