Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Brass Cupcake | 1950 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 2 | Judge Me Not | 1951 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 3 | Weep For Me | 1951 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 4 | Wine of the Dreamers | 1951 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 5 | Murder for the Bride | 1951 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 6 | The Damned | 1952 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 7 | Ballroom of the Skies | 1952 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 8 | Planet of the Dreamers | 1953 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 9 | Cancel All Our Vows | 1953 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 10 | Neon Jungle | 1953 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 11 | Dead Low Tide | 1953 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 12 | Area of Suspicion | 1954 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 13 | All These Condemned | 1954 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 14 | Contrary Pleasure | 1954 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 15 | A Bullet for Cinderella | 1955 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 16 | On the Make | 1955 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 17 | Cry Hard, Cry Fast | 1955 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 18 | Border Town Girl / Five Star Fugitive / Linda | 1956 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 19 | Murder in the Wind / Hurricane | 1956 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 20 | April Evil | 1956 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 21 | A Man of Affairs | 1957 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 22 | Death Trap | 1957 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 23 | The Empty Trap | 1957 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 24 | The Deceivers | 1958 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 25 | Clemmie | 1958 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 26 | Soft Touch | 1958 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 27 | Cape Fear / The Executioners | 1958 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 28 | The Beach Girls | 1959 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 29 | You Live Once / Kill Me | 1959 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 30 | The Crossroads | 1959 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 31 | Please Write for Details | 1959 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 32 | The End of the Night | 1960 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 33 | The Only Girl in the Game | 1960 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 34 | Slam the Big Door | 1960 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 35 | Where is Janice Gantry? | 1961 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 36 | One Monday We Killed Them All | 1961 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 37 | A Key to the Suite | 1962 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 38 | On the Run | 1962 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 39 | A Flash of Green | 1962 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 40 | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything | 1962 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 41 | The Drowner | 1963 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 42 | I Could Go on Singing | 1964 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 43 | Deadly Welcome | 1965 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 44 | The Last One Left | 1967 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 45 | No Deadly Drug | 1968 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 46 | The Price of Murder | 1972 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 47 | Condominium | 1977 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 48 | Two | 1983 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 49 | One More Sunday | 1984 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 50 | Barrier Island | 1986 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
| 51 | Hurricane | 2014 | John D. MacDonald | Buy |
John D. MacDonald published more than 50 standalone novels between 1950 and 1986. His early work in the 1950s was mostly crime and noir fiction, with titles like The Brass Cupcake, Neon Jungle, and Dead Low Tide. He also wrote science fiction, including Wine of the Dreamers (1951) and Ballroom of the Skies (1952).
His best-known standalone is Cape Fear (published as The Executioners in 1958), which was adapted into films in 1962 and 1991. Condominium (1977) was a bestselling disaster novel about a Florida hurricane. Many of his standalones are set in Florida and explore the state’s rapid development, corruption, and underbelly.