James Crumley books

James Crumley was an American crime fiction writer known for his hardboiled detective novels featuring Milo Milodragovitch and C.W. Sughrue, set in the American West.

Akashic Noir Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Brooklyn Noir 2004 Buy
Trinidad Noir: The Classics 2017 Buy
Chicago Noir 2005 Buy
San Francisco Noir 2002 Buy
Hasidic Noir 2004 Buy
D.C. Noir 2006 Buy
Brooklyn Noir 2 2005 Buy
Dublin Noir 2005 Buy
Manhattan Noir 2006 Buy
Baltimore Noir 2006 Buy
London Noir 2006 Buy
Miami Noir 2006 Buy
New Orleans Noir 2007 Buy
Los Angeles Noir 2007 Buy
Twin Cities Noir 2006 Buy
Wall Street Noir 2007 Buy
Bronx Noir 2003 Buy
Havana Noir 2007 Buy
Detroit Noir 2007 Buy
Queens Noir 2008 Buy
Las Vegas Noir 2008 Buy
Toronto Noir 2008 Buy
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth 2008 Buy
Trinidad Noir 2008 Buy
Chicago Noir: The Classics 2015 Buy
Miami Noir: The Classics 2020 Buy
Istanbul Noir 2008 Buy
D.C. Noir 2 2008 Buy
Paris Noir 2008 Buy
Manhattan Noir 2 2008 Buy
Rome Noir 2009 Buy
San Francisco Noir 2: The Classics 2009 N/A
Portland Noir 2009 Buy
Seattle Noir 2003 Buy
Delhi Noir 2009 Buy
Boston Noir 2009 Buy
San Francisco Noir 2 2009 Buy
Phoenix Noir 2009 Buy
Mexico City Noir 2010 Buy
Richmond Noir 2010 Buy
Los Angeles Noir 2 2010 Buy
New Orleans Noir: The Classics 2016 Buy
Orange County Noir 2010 Buy
Indian Country Noir 2010 Buy
Moscow Noir 2010 Buy
Lone Star Noir 2010 Buy
Philadelphia Noir 2010 Buy
Haiti Noir 2010 Buy
Copenhagen Noir 2010 Buy
Pittsburgh Noir 2011 Buy
San Diego Noir 2011 Buy
Barcelona Noir 2011 Buy
Cape Cod Noir 2011 Buy
New Jersey Noir 2011 Buy
Staten Island Noir 2012 Buy
Mumbai Noir 2012 Buy
Long Island Noir 2012 Buy
Venice Noir 2012 Buy
Kingston Noir 2012 Buy
St. Petersburg Noir 2012 Buy
Kansas City Noir 2012 Buy
Boston Noir 2 2012 Buy
USA Noir 2013 Buy
Manila Noir 2013 Buy
Buffalo Noir 2013 Buy
Dallas Noir 2013 Buy
Haiti Noir 2 2013 Buy
Singapore Noir 2014 Buy
Prison Noir 2014 Buy
Tel Aviv Noir 2014 Buy
Tehran Noir 2014 Buy
Belfast Noir 2014 Buy
Helsinki Noir 2014 Buy
Rio Noir 2014 Buy
Providence Noir 2015 Buy
Memphis Noir 2015 Buy
Zagreb Noir 2015 Buy
Marseille Noir 2015 Buy
Beirut Noir 2015 Buy
Stockholm Noir 2016 Buy
Brussels Noir 2016 Buy
Mississippi Noir 2016 Buy
St. Louis Noir 2016 Buy
Prague Noir 2016 Buy
San Juan Noir 2016 Buy
Oakland Noir 2017 Buy
Atlanta Noir 2017 Buy
New Haven Noir 2017 Buy
Montana Noir 2017 Buy
Buenos Aires Noir 2017 Buy
Montreal Noir 2017 Buy
Berlin Noir 2018 Buy
São Paulo Noir 2018 Buy
Santa Cruz Noir 2018 Buy
Lagos Noir 2018 Buy
Marrakech Noir 2018 Buy
Baghdad Noir 2018 Buy
Vancouver Noir 2018 Buy
Sydney Noir 2018 Buy
Hong Kong Noir 2018 Buy
Amsterdam Noir 2019 Buy
Milwaukee Noir 2019 Buy
Houston Noir 2019 Buy
Nairobi Noir 2020 Buy
Columbus Noir 2020 Buy
Santa Fe Noir 2020 Buy
Alabama Noir 2020 Buy
Berkeley Noir 2020 Buy
Addis Ababa Noir 2020 Buy
Tampa Bay Noir 2020 Buy
Accra Noir 2020 Buy
Belgrade Noir 2020 Buy
Palm Springs Noir 2021 Buy
Paris Noir: The Suburbs 2022 Buy
Denver Noir 2022 Buy
South Central Noir 2022 Buy
Cleveland Noir 2023 Buy
East Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
West Jerusalem Noir 2023 Buy
Honolulu Noir 2024 Buy
Sacramento Noir 2025 Buy
Hamburg Noir 2025 Buy

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Murder For Love 1996 Buy
The Best American Mystery Stories 1997 1997 Buy
The Putt at the End of the World 2000 Buy
The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology: Celebrating 25 Years 2001 Buy
Measures of Poison 2002 Buy
The Best American Mystery Stories 2003 2003 Buy
Contrappasso Magazine, Issue 1 2012 Buy
Books to Die For 2012 Buy

C.W. Sughrue Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Last Good Kiss 1978 Buy
The Mexican Tree Duck 1993 Buy
Bordersnakes 1996 Buy
The Right Madness 2005 Buy
Una vera follia 2005 N/A

Milo Milodragovitch Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Wrong Case 1975 Buy
Dancing Bear 1983 Buy
Bordersnakes 1996 N/A
The Final Country 2001 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
One to Count Cadence 1969 Buy
Whores 1988 Buy
Muddy Fork & Other Things 1991 Buy

James Crumley was a crime fiction writer who set his hardboiled detective stories in Montana and the American West rather than the usual big-city locations. His two series protagonists are Milo Milodragovitch and C.W. Sughrue, both private investigators working out of the mountain West. The Last Good Kiss (1978), a Sughrue novel, is widely regarded as one of the best private eye novels ever written, with its opening line about following a bartender’s bulldog becoming one of the most quoted passages in crime fiction.

Crumley’s first novel, One to Count Cadence (1969), was a Vietnam War story rather than a mystery. He turned to crime fiction with The Wrong Case (1975), the first Milo book, and alternated between his two detective series for the rest of his career. Bordersnakes (1996) brought both characters together. His prose is muscular and poetic, influenced by his literary education and his years living in Montana.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has James Crumley written?

James Crumley has written 142 books across five series.

What was James Crumley's first book?

James Crumley’s first book is One to Count Cadence, published in 1969.

What is James Crumley known for?

James Crumley is known for his hardboiled detective novels set in Montana and the American West. His two main series follow private investigators Milo Milodragovitch and C.W. Sughrue, and his novel The Last Good Kiss (1978) is considered a classic of the genre.

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