Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | On the Road to Perdition | 2003 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 2 | Road to Purgatory | 2004 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 3 | Road to Paradise | 2005 | Max Allan Collins | N/A |
| 4 | Road to Perdition | 1998 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
| 5 | Return to Perdition | 2011 | Max Allan Collins | Buy |
The Road to Perdition series is one of Max Allan Collins’ most well-known works. The original graphic novel, published in 1998, tells the story of Michael O’Sullivan, a hitman for the Irish mob in Depression-era America. When his family is murdered, O’Sullivan takes his surviving son on a journey of revenge across the Midwest. The story was adapted into the 2002 film directed by Sam Mendes and starring Tom Hanks.
Collins expanded the story beyond the original graphic novel with both prose and comics. Road to Purgatory and Road to Paradise are prose novel sequels that follow the next generation of the O’Sullivan family. On the Road to Perdition collects additional graphic novel stories set in the same world, and Return to Perdition brings the saga full circle.
The series blends historical fiction with crime noir, set against the backdrop of organized crime in 1930s and 1940s America. Collins draws on real history, including connections to the Capone-era Chicago underworld. The mix of graphic novels and prose fiction gives readers multiple ways to experience the story that remains Collins’ most commercially successful creation.