Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Web She Weaves |
1983 |
Buy |
| Child’s Ploy |
1984 |
Buy |
| Witches’ Brew |
1984 |
Buy |
| Chapter and Hearse |
1985 |
Buy |
| Dark Lessons |
1985 |
Buy |
| She Won the West |
1985 |
Buy |
| Deadly Arts |
1985 |
Buy |
| Wickedest Show on Earth |
1985 |
Buy |
| Lady on the Case |
1988 |
Buy |
| The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories |
1988 |
Buy |
| Kill or Cure |
1989 |
Buy |
| Sisters in Crime 2 |
1990 |
Buy |
| A Woman’s Eye |
1991 |
Buy |
| Dark Crimes 2 |
1993 |
Buy |
| Criminal Intent |
1993 |
Buy |
| Women of Mystery II |
1994 |
Buy |
| The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993 |
1994 |
Buy |
| The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1996 |
1995 |
Buy |
| Women on the Case |
1996 |
Buy |
| First Cases, Volume 1 |
1996 |
Buy |
| The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1995 |
1996 |
Buy |
| Guilty as Charged |
1996 |
Buy |
| A Century of Mystery |
1997 |
Buy |
| Detective Duos |
1997 |
Buy |
| 100 Sneaky Little Sleuth Stories |
1997 |
Buy |
| Mystery’s Most Wanted |
1997 |
Buy |
| The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1997 |
1998 |
Buy |
| Women of Mystery III |
1998 |
Buy |
| The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 1 |
2000 |
Buy |
| The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology: Celebrating 25 Years |
2001 |
Buy |
| The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 |
2002 |
Buy |
| Deadly Housewives |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Shamus Winners |
2010 |
Buy |
Cape Perdido Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Point Deception |
2001 |
Buy |
| Cyanide Wells |
2003 |
Buy |
| Cape Perdido |
2005 |
Buy |
Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Bughouse Affair |
2013 |
Buy |
| The Spook Lights Affair |
2013 |
Buy |
| The Body Snatchers Affair |
2015 |
Buy |
| The Plague of Thieves Affair |
2016 |
Buy |
| The Plague of Thieves Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery |
2016 |
N/A |
| The Dangerous Ladies Affair |
2017 |
Buy |
| The Flimflam Affair |
2019 |
Buy |
| The Bags of Tricks Affair |
2018 |
Buy |
| The Stolen Gold Affair |
2020 |
Buy |
| The Paradise Affair |
2021 |
Buy |
Elena Oliverez Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Tree of Death |
1983 |
Buy |
| The Legend of the Slain Soldiers |
1985 |
Buy |
Joanna Stark Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Cavalier in White |
1986 |
Buy |
| There Hangs the Knife |
1988 |
Buy |
| Dark Star |
1989 |
Buy |
John Quincannon Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Quincannon |
1985 |
Buy |
| The Bughouse Affair |
2013 |
N/A |
| Beyond the Grave |
1986 |
Buy |
| The Spook Lights Affair |
2013 |
N/A |
| Quincannon’s Game |
2005 |
Buy |
| The Plague of Thieves Affair: A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery |
2016 |
N/A |
| The Dangerous Ladies Affair |
2017 |
N/A |
Nameless Detective Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Snatch |
1971 |
Buy |
| The Vanished |
1973 |
Buy |
| Blowback |
1977 |
Buy |
| Hoodwink |
1981 |
Buy |
| Bindlestiff |
1983 |
Buy |
| Nightshades |
1984 |
Buy |
| Double |
1984 |
Buy |
| Bones |
1985 |
Buy |
| Shackles |
1989 |
Buy |
| Jackpot |
1990 |
Buy |
| Demons |
1993 |
Buy |
| Illusions |
1997 |
Buy |
| Crazybone |
2000 |
Buy |
| Spook |
2002 |
Buy |
| Nightcrawlers |
2005 |
Buy |
| Mourners |
2006 |
Buy |
| Savages |
2007 |
Buy |
| Schemers |
2009 |
Buy |
| Betrayers |
2010 |
Buy |
| Hellbox |
2012 |
Buy |
| Nemesis |
2013 |
Buy |
| Strangers |
2014 |
Buy |
| Zigzag |
2016 |
Buy |
| Scenarios |
2003 |
N/A |
| Endgame |
2017 |
Buy |
| Spadework: A Collection of “Nameless Detective” Stories |
1994 |
N/A |
| Kinsmen |
2012 |
N/A |
| Femme |
2012 |
N/A |
| Zigzag: A Nameless Detective Collection |
2016 |
N/A |
| Case File |
1983 |
N/A |
| Undercurrent |
1973 |
Buy |
| Twospot |
1978 |
Buy |
| Labyrinth |
1980 |
Buy |
| Dragonfire |
1982 |
Buy |
| Scattershot |
1982 |
Buy |
| Quicksilver |
1984 |
Buy |
| Deadfall |
1986 |
Buy |
| Breakdown |
1991 |
Buy |
| Quarry |
1991 |
Buy |
| Epitaphs |
1992 |
Buy |
| Hardcase |
1995 |
Buy |
| Sentinels |
1996 |
Buy |
| Boobytrap |
1998 |
Buy |
| Bleeders |
2001 |
Buy |
| Fever |
2008 |
Buy |
| Camouflage |
2011 |
Buy |
| Vixen |
2015 |
Buy |
Sharon McCone Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Edwin of the Iron Shoes |
1977 |
Buy |
| Ask the Cards a Question |
1982 |
Buy |
| The Cheshire Cat’s Eye |
1983 |
Buy |
| Games to Keep the Dark Away |
1984 |
Buy |
| Leave a Message for Willie |
1984 |
Buy |
| There’s Nothing to Be Afraid Of |
1985 |
Buy |
| Eye of the Storm |
1988 |
Buy |
| There’s Something in a Sunday |
1990 |
Buy |
| The Shape of Dread |
1989 |
Buy |
| Trophies and Dead Things |
1990 |
Buy |
| Where Echoes Live |
1991 |
Buy |
| Pennies On a Dead Woman’s Eyes |
1992 |
Buy |
| Wolf in the Shadows |
1993 |
Buy |
| Teurastajan koukussa |
1994 |
N/A |
| Till the Butchers Cut Him Down |
1994 |
Buy |
| A Wild and Lonely Place |
1995 |
Buy |
| The Broken Promise Land |
1996 |
Buy |
| Both Ends of the Night |
1997 |
Buy |
| While Other People Sleep |
1998 |
Buy |
| A Walk Through the Fire |
1999 |
Buy |
| Sessizliği Dinle |
2000 |
N/A |
| Listen to the Silence |
2000 |
Buy |
| Dead Midnight |
2002 |
Buy |
| The Dangerous Hour |
2004 |
Buy |
| Vanishing Point |
2006 |
Buy |
| The Ever-Running Man |
2007 |
Buy |
| Burn Out |
2008 |
Buy |
| Locked In |
2009 |
Buy |
| Coming Back |
2010 |
Buy |
| City of Whispers |
2011 |
Buy |
| Looking for Yesterday |
2012 |
Buy |
| The Night Searchers |
2014 |
Buy |
| Skeleton in the Closet |
2012 |
Buy |
| Someone Always Knows |
2016 |
Buy |
| Merrill-Go-Round |
2014 |
Buy |
| Tell Me Who I Am |
2016 |
Buy |
| Ice and Stone |
2021 |
Buy |
| Circle in the Water |
2024 |
Buy |
| The Color of Fear |
2017 |
Buy |
| The Breakers |
2018 |
Buy |
| Double |
1984 |
Buy |
Sharon McCone Collections Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Edwin of the Iron Shoes |
1977 |
N/A |
| The McCone Files |
1995 |
Buy |
| Ask the Cards a Question |
1982 |
N/A |
| McCone and Friends |
1999 |
Buy |
| The Cheshire Cat’s Eye |
1983 |
N/A |
| Games to Keep the Dark Away |
1984 |
N/A |
| Leave a Message for Willie |
1984 |
N/A |
| Double |
1984 |
N/A |
| There’s Nothing to Be Afraid Of |
1985 |
N/A |
| Eye of the Storm |
1988 |
N/A |
| There’s Something in a Sunday |
1990 |
N/A |
| The Shape of Dread |
1989 |
N/A |
| Trophies and Dead Things |
1990 |
N/A |
| Where Echoes Live |
1991 |
N/A |
| Pennies on a Dead Woman’s Eyes |
1992 |
N/A |
| Wolf In The Shadows |
1993 |
N/A |
| Teurastajan koukussa |
1994 |
N/A |
| Both Ends of the Night |
1997 |
N/A |
| While Other People Sleep |
1998 |
N/A |
| Sessizliği Dinle |
2000 |
N/A |
| Dead Midnight |
2002 |
N/A |
| The Dangerous Hour |
2004 |
N/A |
| Burn Out |
2008 |
N/A |
| The Night Searchers |
2014 |
N/A |
| Someone Always Knows |
2016 |
N/A |
| Ice and Stone |
2021 |
N/A |
| Circle in the Water |
2024 |
N/A |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Deadly Fantasies |
1989 |
N/A |
| Final Resting Place |
1991 |
N/A |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Deceptions |
1991 |
Buy |
| Duo |
1998 |
Buy |
| Time of the Wolves |
2003 |
Buy |
| Somewhere in the City |
2007 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Lighthouse |
1986 |
Buy |
| Crucifixion River |
2007 |
Buy |
| The Lighthouse of Terror |
2011 |
Buy |
| Kindling Point |
2014 |
Buy |
Marcia Muller has been writing mystery fiction since the early 1970s, and her creation of private investigator Sharon McCone in 1977 helped open the door for female protagonists in a genre long dominated by male detectives. The McCone series now spans over 40 novels set in San Francisco, following its protagonist from a legal cooperative investigator to the owner of her own agency. Muller’s other series include the Elena Oliverez mysteries, the Joanna Stark art security books, and the Carpenter and Quincannon historical mysteries co-written with her husband Bill Pronzini.
Muller and Pronzini also collaborated extensively on the Nameless Detective series, which Pronzini started in 1971. Additionally, Muller co-created the John Quincannon character, who later became half of the Carpenter and Quincannon duo. Her standalone novels and short story collections round out a career that has produced over 180 published works. She received the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award, placing her among the most honored writers in the genre.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Marcia Muller written?
Marcia Muller has written 183 books across twelve series.
What was Marcia Muller's first book?
Marcia Muller’s first book is The Snatch, published in 1971.
Why is Marcia Muller considered important to the mystery genre?
Marcia Muller is widely credited with creating the modern female private eye novel. Her character Sharon McCone, introduced in Edwin of the Iron Shoes (1977), predated Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski and Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone by several years.