Akashic Noir books in order

Reading order

The Akashic Noir series is published by Akashic Books, a Brooklyn-based independent press founded in 1997 by Johnny Temple. The series launched with Brooklyn Noir in 2004, which won multiple awards and became a bestseller. Each volume collects original noir short stories set in a specific city, with every story placed in a distinct neighborhood or location within that city. Different editors curate each volume, often selecting local writers who know their city’s streets, history, and dark corners.

The series has grown to over 120 volumes covering cities across the United States and around the world. American entries range from Manhattan and Los Angeles to smaller locations like Cape Cod and Palm Springs. International volumes span Dublin, Istanbul, Lagos, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, and dozens more. The result is one of the largest and most geographically diverse crime fiction projects ever assembled. Readers can pick up any volume on its own, since each anthology stands alone as a collection of original stories rooted in its particular city.