Akashic Noir books in order

Reading order

The Akashic Noir series is one of the largest ongoing anthology projects in crime fiction. Published by Akashic Books, each volume collects original noir short stories set in a specific city or region, written by authors who know that place firsthand. The series launched with Brooklyn Noir in 2004 and has since expanded to over 120 volumes covering locations across every inhabited continent. Julie Smith is the founding series editor, and individual volumes are curated by guest editors with local expertise.

The books can be read in any order since each one is a self-contained collection. Some cities have multiple volumes or “Classics” editions that reprint older stories alongside new ones. The series has featured contributions from major literary names as well as local writers who might not be widely known outside their home countries. Whether the setting is Lagos, Helsinki, or Palm Springs, each volume uses crime fiction to explore the darker side of its chosen location.

The Akashic Noir books have been credited with bringing international perspectives to genre fiction and proving that noir is not limited to American cities. The series continues to add new volumes each year, with recent entries covering Sacramento and Hamburg.