🎯 Where Should I Start?
Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
Start with: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (2012)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Short Story Collections
Start with: Brief Encounters with Che Guevara (2006)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
Start with: Beautiful Country Burn Again (2018)
ⓘ About Ben Fountain
Ben Fountain is a renowned and bestselling American Fiction writer. Born in 1958 in Chapel Hill North Carolina, he now resides in Dallas, Texas. He spent his childhood years in Elizabeth City and later moved to Cary located near Raleigh when he was 13. In 1980, he graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Art in English from the University of North Carolina and in 1983 with a law degree from Duke University School of Law. He practiced shortly practiced real estate law Akin Gump in Dallas but later quit his career and became a full-time fiction writer. In 1985 Ben Fountain married the love of his life Sharon Monahan whom they had met when undertaking his law studies. They are blessed with two children.
All Book Series by Ben Fountain
1
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
2
Devil Makes Three
Book 2 of 3 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
3
Rasputin Swims the Potomac
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2026
Buy on Amazon2026
1
Brief Encounters with Che Guevara
Single-title series · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
1
Beautiful Country Burn Again
Single-title series · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
1
San Francisco Noir
Series opener · book 1 of 121 · published 2002
Buy on Amazon2002
6
Brooklyn Noir 2
Book 6 of 121 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
9
Manhattan Noir
Book 9 of 121 · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
12
Baltimore Noir
Book 12 of 121 · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
13
Twin Cities Noir
Book 13 of 121 · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
15
New Orleans Noir
Book 15 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
16
Los Angeles Noir
Book 16 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
17
Wall Street Noir
Book 17 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
19
Detroit Noir
Book 19 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
21
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
Book 21 of 121 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
22
Toronto Noir
Book 22 of 121 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
23
Las Vegas Noir
Book 23 of 121 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
24
Trinidad Noir
Book 24 of 121 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
26
Manhattan Noir 2
Book 26 of 121 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
28
Istanbul Noir
Book 28 of 121 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
31
San Francisco Noir 2
Book 31 of 121 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
32
Portland Noir
Book 32 of 121 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
34
Phoenix Noir
Book 34 of 121 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
35
Los Angeles Noir 2
Book 35 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
36
Mexico City Noir
Book 36 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
37
Richmond Noir
Book 37 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
38
Orange County Noir
Book 38 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
39
Indian Country Noir
Book 39 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
41
Lone Star Noir
Book 41 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
42
Philadelphia Noir
Book 42 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
44
Copenhagen Noir
Book 44 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
45
Pittsburgh Noir
Book 45 of 121 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
46
San Diego Noir
Book 46 of 121 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
47
Barcelona Noir
Book 47 of 121 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
48
Cape Cod Noir
Book 48 of 121 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
49
New Jersey Noir
Book 49 of 121 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
50
Staten Island Noir
Book 50 of 121 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
52
Long Island Noir
Book 52 of 121 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
54
Kingston Noir
Book 54 of 121 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
55
St. Petersburg Noir
Book 55 of 121 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
56
Kansas City Noir
Book 56 of 121 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
57
Boston Noir 2
Book 57 of 121 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
60
Buffalo Noir
Book 60 of 121 · published 2013
Buy on Amazon2013
62
Haiti Noir 2
Book 62 of 121 · published 2013
Buy on Amazon2013
63
Singapore Noir
Book 63 of 121 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
65
Tel Aviv Noir
Book 65 of 121 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
67
Belfast Noir
Book 67 of 121 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
68
Helsinki Noir
Book 68 of 121 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
70
Providence Noir
Book 70 of 121 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
71
Chicago Noir: The Classics
Book 71 of 121 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
72
Memphis Noir
Book 72 of 121 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
74
Marseille Noir
Book 74 of 121 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
76
New Orleans Noir: The Classics
Book 76 of 121 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
77
Stockholm Noir
Book 77 of 121 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
78
Brussels Noir
Book 78 of 121 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
79
Mississippi Noir
Book 79 of 121 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
80
St. Louis Noir
Book 80 of 121 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
82
San Juan Noir
Book 82 of 121 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
83
Oakland Noir
Book 83 of 121 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
84
Trinidad Noir: The Classics
Book 84 of 121 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
85
Atlanta Noir
Book 85 of 121 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
86
New Haven Noir
Book 86 of 121 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
87
Montana Noir
Book 87 of 121 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
88
Buenos Aires Noir
Book 88 of 121 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
89
Montreal Noir
Book 89 of 121 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
91
São Paulo Noir
Book 91 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
92
Santa Cruz Noir
Book 92 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
94
Marrakech Noir
Book 94 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
95
Baghdad Noir
Book 95 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
96
Vancouver Noir
Book 96 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
98
Hong Kong Noir
Book 98 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
99
Amsterdam Noir
Book 99 of 121 · published 2019
Buy on Amazon2019
100
Milwaukee Noir
Book 100 of 121 · published 2019
Buy on Amazon2019
101
Houston Noir
Book 101 of 121 · published 2019
Buy on Amazon2019
102
Nairobi Noir
Book 102 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
103
Columbus Noir
Book 103 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
104
Santa Fe Noir
Book 104 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
105
Alabama Noir
Book 105 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
106
Berkeley Noir
Book 106 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
107
Addis Ababa Noir
Book 107 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
108
Tampa Bay Noir
Book 108 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
109
Miami Noir: The Classics
Book 109 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
110
Accra Noir
Book 110 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
111
Belgrade Noir
Book 111 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
112
Palm Springs Noir
Book 112 of 121 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
113
Paris Noir: The Suburbs
Book 113 of 121 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
114
Denver Noir
Book 114 of 121 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
115
South Central Noir
Book 115 of 121 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
116
Cleveland Noir
Book 116 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
117
East Jerusalem Noir
Book 117 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
118
West Jerusalem Noir
Book 118 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
119
Honolulu Noir
Book 119 of 121 · published 2024
Buy on Amazon2024
120
Sacramento Noir
Book 120 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
121
Hamburg Noir
Latest in the series · book 121 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
1
TwentiethAnnual Collection
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
2
Astoria to Zion
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2013
Buy on Amazon2013
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ben Fountain?
Ben Fountain is a renowned and bestselling American Fiction writer. Born in 1958 in Chapel Hill North Carolina, he now resides in Dallas, Texas. He spent his childhood years in Elizabeth City and later moved to Cary located near Raleigh when he was 13.
Which Ben Fountain series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Akashic Noir series, the earliest of Ben Fountain's multi-book series: it opens with San Francisco Noir (2002) and runs to 121 books across 2002–2025, ending with Hamburg Noir (2025).
How many books has Ben Fountain written?
Ben Fountain has 128 books catalogued in this guide, published between 2002 and 2026. 121 of them belong to 1 named series — the largest being the Akashic Noir series with 121 books — and 7 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Ben Fountain's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Ben Fountain's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Akashic Noir (2002–2025, 121 books).
How are Ben Fountain's books organised into series?
This guide splits Ben Fountain's 128 books into 1 named series and 7 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Akashic Noir (121 books, 2002–2025).
