🎯 Where Should I Start?
Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Lew Griffin Books
Start with: The Long-Legged Fly (1992)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Turner Books
Start with: Cypress Grove (2003)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Drive Books
Start with: Drive (2005)
ⓘ About James Sallis
James Sallis is a critic, poet, and editor best known for writing the Lew Griffin novels. The author has made a name for himself as a novelist, essayist, and translator. +Biography James Sallis was born in 1944 in Helena, Arkansas. He spent a lot of time on the banks of the Mississipi River during his earliest days, enjoying his childhood alongside older brother John. It should be noted that John went on to publish as many books as James. James distinctly remembers the noises that would fill his nights, emanating from a drive-in near his bedroom window that played music all night. Considering his exposure, it isn’t surprising that James took to music with fervor, finding joy in listening to Sonny Boy Williamson on the King Biscuit Hour (KFFA Radio).
All Book Series by James Sallis
1
The Long-Legged Fly
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1992
Buy on Amazon1992
4
Eye of the Cricket
Book 4 of 6 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
6
Ghost of a Flea
Latest in the series · book 6 of 6 · published 2001
Buy on Amazon2001
1
Cypress Grove
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 2003
Buy on Amazon2003
3
Salt River
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
1
Drive
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
2
Driven
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
1
Renderings
Series opener · book 1 of 8 · published 1995
Buy on Amazon1995
2
Death Will Have Your Eyes
Book 2 of 8 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
3
The Killer Is Dying
Book 3 of 8 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
4
Others of My Kind
Book 4 of 8 · published 2013
Buy on Amazon2013
8
Backwater
Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2026
Buy on Amazon2026
1
More Light
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1998
Buy on Amazon1998
2
What You Were Fighting For
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
1
Sorrow's Kitchen Poems
Series opener · book 1 of 11 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
2
Time's Hammers: The Collected Short Fiction of James Sallis
Book 2 of 11 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
3
A City Equal to My Desire
Book 3 of 11 · published 2000
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4
Limits of the Sensible World
Book 4 of 11 · published 2003
Buy on Amazon2003
6
Rain's Eagerness
Book 6 of 11 · published 2013
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7
Black Night's Gonna Catch Me Here
Book 7 of 11 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
8
Night's Pardons
Book 8 of 11 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
9
Dayenu and Other Stories
Book 9 of 11 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
10
Bright Segments: The Complete Short Fiction
Book 10 of 11 · published 2024
Buy on Amazon2024
11
Ever New Earths: Columns from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Latest in the series · book 11 of 11 · published 2026
Buy on Amazon2026
1
The Guitar Players: One Instrument and Its Masters in American Music
Series opener · book 1 of 7 · published 1982
Buy on Amazon1982
2
The Guitar in Jazz: An Anthology
Book 2 of 7 · published 1996
Buy on Amazon1996
5
Gently into the Land of the Meateaters
Book 5 of 7 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
6
Chester Himes: A Life
Book 6 of 7 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
7
Difficult Lives Hitching Rides
Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2018
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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
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9
Manhattan Noir
Book 9 of 121 · published 2006
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12
Baltimore Noir
Book 12 of 121 · published 2006
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13
Twin Cities Noir
Book 13 of 121 · published 2006
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15
New Orleans Noir
Book 15 of 121 · published 2007
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16
Los Angeles Noir
Book 16 of 121 · published 2007
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17
Wall Street Noir
Book 17 of 121 · published 2007
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19
Detroit Noir
Book 19 of 121 · published 2007
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21
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
Book 21 of 121 · published 2008
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22
Toronto Noir
Book 22 of 121 · published 2008
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23
Las Vegas Noir
Book 23 of 121 · published 2008
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24
Trinidad Noir
Book 24 of 121 · published 2008
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26
Manhattan Noir 2
Book 26 of 121 · published 2008
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28
Istanbul Noir
Book 28 of 121 · published 2008
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31
San Francisco Noir 2
Book 31 of 121 · published 2009
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32
Portland Noir
Book 32 of 121 · published 2009
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34
Phoenix Noir
Book 34 of 121 · published 2009
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35
Los Angeles Noir 2
Book 35 of 121 · published 2010
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36
Mexico City Noir
Book 36 of 121 · published 2010
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37
Richmond Noir
Book 37 of 121 · published 2010
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38
Orange County Noir
Book 38 of 121 · published 2010
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39
Indian Country Noir
Book 39 of 121 · published 2010
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41
Lone Star Noir
Book 41 of 121 · published 2010
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42
Philadelphia Noir
Book 42 of 121 · published 2010
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44
Copenhagen Noir
Book 44 of 121 · published 2010
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45
Pittsburgh Noir
Book 45 of 121 · published 2011
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46
San Diego Noir
Book 46 of 121 · published 2011
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47
Barcelona Noir
Book 47 of 121 · published 2011
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48
Cape Cod Noir
Book 48 of 121 · published 2011
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49
New Jersey Noir
Book 49 of 121 · published 2011
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50
Staten Island Noir
Book 50 of 121 · published 2012
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52
Long Island Noir
Book 52 of 121 · published 2012
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54
Kingston Noir
Book 54 of 121 · published 2012
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55
St. Petersburg Noir
Book 55 of 121 · published 2012
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56
Kansas City Noir
Book 56 of 121 · published 2012
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57
Boston Noir 2
Book 57 of 121 · published 2012
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60
Buffalo Noir
Book 60 of 121 · published 2013
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62
Haiti Noir 2
Book 62 of 121 · published 2013
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63
Singapore Noir
Book 63 of 121 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
65
Tel Aviv Noir
Book 65 of 121 · published 2014
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67
Belfast Noir
Book 67 of 121 · published 2014
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68
Helsinki Noir
Book 68 of 121 · published 2014
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70
Providence Noir
Book 70 of 121 · published 2015
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71
Chicago Noir: The Classics
Book 71 of 121 · published 2015
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72
Memphis Noir
Book 72 of 121 · published 2015
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74
Marseille Noir
Book 74 of 121 · published 2015
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76
New Orleans Noir: The Classics
Book 76 of 121 · published 2016
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77
Stockholm Noir
Book 77 of 121 · published 2016
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78
Brussels Noir
Book 78 of 121 · published 2016
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79
Mississippi Noir
Book 79 of 121 · published 2016
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80
St. Louis Noir
Book 80 of 121 · published 2016
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82
San Juan Noir
Book 82 of 121 · published 2016
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83
Oakland Noir
Book 83 of 121 · published 2017
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84
Trinidad Noir: The Classics
Book 84 of 121 · published 2017
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85
Atlanta Noir
Book 85 of 121 · published 2017
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86
New Haven Noir
Book 86 of 121 · published 2017
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87
Montana Noir
Book 87 of 121 · published 2017
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88
Buenos Aires Noir
Book 88 of 121 · published 2017
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89
Montreal Noir
Book 89 of 121 · published 2017
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91
São Paulo Noir
Book 91 of 121 · published 2018
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92
Santa Cruz Noir
Book 92 of 121 · published 2018
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94
Marrakech Noir
Book 94 of 121 · published 2018
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95
Baghdad Noir
Book 95 of 121 · published 2018
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96
Vancouver Noir
Book 96 of 121 · published 2018
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98
Hong Kong Noir
Book 98 of 121 · published 2018
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99
Amsterdam Noir
Book 99 of 121 · published 2019
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100
Milwaukee Noir
Book 100 of 121 · published 2019
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101
Houston Noir
Book 101 of 121 · published 2019
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102
Nairobi Noir
Book 102 of 121 · published 2020
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103
Columbus Noir
Book 103 of 121 · published 2020
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104
Santa Fe Noir
Book 104 of 121 · published 2020
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105
Alabama Noir
Book 105 of 121 · published 2020
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106
Berkeley Noir
Book 106 of 121 · published 2020
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107
Addis Ababa Noir
Book 107 of 121 · published 2020
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108
Tampa Bay Noir
Book 108 of 121 · published 2020
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109
Miami Noir: The Classics
Book 109 of 121 · published 2020
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110
Accra Noir
Book 110 of 121 · published 2020
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111
Belgrade Noir
Book 111 of 121 · published 2020
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112
Palm Springs Noir
Book 112 of 121 · published 2021
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113
Paris Noir: The Suburbs
Book 113 of 121 · published 2022
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114
Denver Noir
Book 114 of 121 · published 2022
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115
South Central Noir
Book 115 of 121 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
116
Cleveland Noir
Book 116 of 121 · published 2023
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117
East Jerusalem Noir
Book 117 of 121 · published 2023
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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
Orbit 3
Series opener · book 1 of 16 · published 1967
Buy on Amazon1967
5
Lone Star Universe
Book 5 of 16 · published 1976
Buy on Amazon1976
7
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction Volume 104 Number 2, February 2003
Book 7 of 16 · published 2003
Buy on Amazon2003
8
Breaking Windows
Book 8 of 16 · published 2003
Buy on Amazon2003
9
The Best of Talebones
Book 9 of 16 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
10
Books to Die For
Book 10 of 16 · published 2012
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11
Borderland Noir
Book 11 of 16 · published 2015
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12
The Highway Kind
Book 12 of 16 · published 2016
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13
Bound by Mystery
Book 13 of 16 · published 2017
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14
Ten Year Stretch
Book 14 of 16 · published 2018
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15
Bullets and Other Hurting Things: A Tribute to Bill Crider
Book 15 of 16 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
16
Ink and Daggers
Latest in the series · book 16 of 16 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is James Sallis?
James Sallis is a critic, poet, and editor best known for writing the Lew Griffin novels. The author has made a name for himself as a novelist, essayist, and translator. +Biography James Sallis was born in 1944 in Helena, Arkansas. He spent a lot of time on the banks of the Mississipi River during his earliest days, enjoying his childhood alongside older brother John.
Which James Sallis series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Lew Griffin series, the earliest of James Sallis's multi-book series: it opens with The Long-Legged Fly (1992) and runs to 6 books across 1992–2001, ending with Ghost of a Flea (2001). James Sallis's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has James Sallis written?
James Sallis has 176 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1967 and 2026. 132 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Lew Griffin series with 6 books — and 44 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should James Sallis's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. James Sallis's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Lew Griffin (1992–2001, 6 books), Turner (2003–2007, 3 books) and Drive (2005–2012, 2 books).
How are James Sallis's books organised into series?
This guide splits James Sallis's 176 books into 4 named series and 44 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Lew Griffin (6 books, 1992–2001); Turner (3 books, 2003–2007); Drive (2 books, 2005–2012); Akashic Noir (121 books, 2002–2025).
