Akashic Noir books in order

Reading order

The Akashic Noir series is one of the longest-running anthology projects in crime fiction. Started in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir, the series pairs a city with a group of writers who know it well and asks them to write original noir and crime stories set in its neighborhoods. Each volume includes a map and editorial introduction that grounds the fiction in real geography.

The series has expanded far beyond its New York City origins. Early entries covered major American cities like Chicago, Miami, and Detroit, but the scope quickly grew to include international locations such as Dublin, Delhi, Havana, Lagos, and Baghdad. Some cities have earned follow-up volumes or “Classics” editions that reprint older noir fiction connected to the location. With over 120 volumes published between 2002 and 2025, the Akashic Noir series is a global survey of crime fiction written by hundreds of authors from dozens of countries.