Ed McBain Books in Order – Complete List
At a Glance
- 87th Precinct Series In Publication Order
- 87th Precinct Short Stories in Publication Order
- Matthew Hope Series In Publication Order
- Standalone Books in Publication Order as Ed McBain
- Standalone Books in Publication Order as Evan Hunter
- Standalone Books in Publication Order as Richard Marsten
- Standalone Books in Publication Order as Hunt Collins
- Standalone Books in Publication Order as Curt Cannon
- Standalone Books in Publication Order Under Other Aliases
- Books Edited by Ed McBain
- Ed McBain Biography – About the Author
- Film Adaptations
Ed McBain is the pseudonym of the American author Evan Hunter, who passed away in 2005. He is best known for his Matthew Hope series and the 87th Precinct series, where his main character, Detective Steve Carella, often featured. In addition, the author has written several standalone novels under various aliases between 1952 and 2005.
Here are the Ed McBain books in order for his novels and series during his lifetime.
87th Precinct Series In Publication Order
- Cop Hater, 1956
- The Mugger, 1956
- The Pusher, 1956
- The Con Man, 1957
- Killer’s Choice, 1957
- Killer’s Payoff, 1957
- Killer’s Wedge, 1959
- Lady Killer, 1958
- ‘Til Death, 1959
- King’s Ransom, 1959
- Give the Boys a Great Big Hand, 1960
- The Heckler, 1960
- See Them Die, 1960
- Lady, Lady, I Did It!, 1961
- Like Love, 1962
- Ten Plus One, 1963
- Ax/Axe, 1964
- He Who Hesitates, 1964
- Doll, 1965
- Eighty Million Eyes, 1966
- Fuzz, 1968
- Shotgun, 1969
- Jigsaw, 1970
- Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here, 1971
- Let’s Hear It for the Deaf Man, 1972
- Sadie When She Died, 1972
- Hail to the Chief, 1973
- Bread, 1974
- Blood Relatives, 1975
- So Long As You Both Shall Live, 1976
- Long Time No See, 1977
- Calypso, 1979
- Ghosts, 1980
- Heat, 1981
- Ice, 1983
- Lightning, 1984
- And All Through the House, 1984
- Eight Black Horses, 1985
- Poison, 1987
- Tricks, 1987
- Lullaby, 1989
- Vespers, 1990
- Widows, 1991
- Kiss, 1992
- Mischief, 1993
- Romance, 1995
- Nocturne, 1997
- The Big Bad City, 1999
- The Last Dance, 2000
- Money, Money, Money, 2001
- Fat Ollie’s Book, 2002
- The Frumious Bandersnatch, 2003
- Hark!, 2004
- Fiddlers, 2005
87th Precinct Short Stories in Publication Order
- The Empty Hours, 1962
- The McBain Brief, 1982
- McBain’s Ladies, 1988
- McBain’s Ladies, Too, 1992
Matthew Hope Series In Publication Order
- Goldilocks, 1977
- Rumpelstiltskin, 1981
- Beauty & The Beast, 1982
- Jack & The Beanstalk, 1984
- Snow White & Rose Red, 1985
- Cinderella, 1986
- Puss in Boots, 1987
- The House that Jack Built, 1988
- Three Blind Mice, 1990
- Mary, Mary, 1991
- There Was A Little Girl, 1994
- Gladly The Cross-Eyed Bear, 1996
- The Last Best Hope, 1998
Standalone Books in Publication Order as Ed McBain
- The Big Fix, 1952
- Death of a Nurse, 1955
- The Merry, Merry Christmas, 1957 (short stories)
- On the Sidewalk Bleeding, 1957 (short stories)
- The April Robin Murders (with Craig Rice), 1958 (Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kusak series)
- The Last Spin & Other Stories, 1960 (short stories)
- The Sentries, 1965
- Where There’s Smoke, 1975
- Guns, 1976
- Another Part Of The City, 1986
- Downtown, 1991
- Driving Lessons, 2000
- Learning to Kill, 2005
- Transgressions, 2005 (edited by Ed McBain)
- Women In Jeopardy, 2005
- Alice in Jeopardy, 2005
- Learning to Kill, 2006 (short stories published after the author’s death)
Standalone Books in Publication Order as Evan Hunter
- Find The Feathered Serpent, 1952
- The Evil Sheep!, 1952
- Don’t Crowd Me, 1953
- The Blackboard Jungle, 1954
- Second Ending, 1956
- The Jungle Kids, 1956 (short stories)
- Strangers When We Meet, 1958
- A Matter of Conviction, 1959
- The Remarkable Harry, 1959
- Mothers And Daughters, 1961
- The Wonderful Button, 1961
- Buddwing, 1964
- Me And Mr. Stenner, 1965
- Happy New Year, Herbie, 1965 (short stories)
- The Paper Dragon, 1966
- A Horse’s Head, 1967
- Last Summer, 1968
- Sons, 1969
- Nobody Knew They Were There, 1971
- Every Little Crook And Nanny, 1972
- Seven, 1972
- The Easter Man (a Play) And Six Stories, 1972
- Come Winter, 1973
- Streets Of Gold, 1974
- The Chisholms: A Novel Of The Journey West, 1976
- Walk Proud, 1979
- Love, Dad, 1981
- Far From The Sea, 1983
- Lizzie, 1984
- Criminal Conversation, 1994
- Privileged Conversation, 1996
- Candyland, 2000
- Barking at Butterflies & Other Stories, 2000
- Running from Legs, 2000 (short stories)
- The Moment She Was Gone, 2002
Standalone Books in Publication Order as Richard Marsten
- Rocket To Luna, 1953
- Danger: Dinosaurs!, 1953
- Rocket to Luna, 1953
- Runaway Black, 1954
- Murder In The Navy, 1955 (republished as Death of a Nurse by Ed McBain)
- Vanishing Ladies, 1957
- The Spiked Heel, 1957
- Even The Wicked, 1958
- Big Man, 1959
Standalone Books in Publication Order as Hunt Collins
- Cut Me In, 1954
- Tomorrow And Tomorrow, 1956
Standalone Books in Publication Order as Curt Cannon
- Tomorrow’s Word, 1956 (republished as Sphere by Ed McBain
- I Like ‘Em Tough (short stories), 1958
- I’m Cannon – For Hire, 1958 (republished as The Gutter and the Grave by Ed McBain
Standalone Books in Publication Order Under Other Aliases
- Doors, 1975 (as Ezra Hannon)
- Scimitar, 1992 (as John Abbott)
Books Edited by Ed McBain
- The Best American Mystery Stories, 2000 (as Evan Hunter)
- Transgressions, 2005
Ed McBain Biography – About the Author
Ed McBain was the pen name of American author Evan Hunter, born Salvatore Albert Lombino on October 15, 1926, in New York City. He grew up in the Bronx and attended Hunter College, where he earned a degree in English and psychology. After serving in World War II, he worked as a teacher, a copywriter, and a literary agent before turning to full-time writing.
Hunter adopted the pseudonym Ed McBain in 1956 when he began writing the Detective Steve Carella series of police procedurals set in the fictional 87th Precinct of Isola, a city based on New York. The first novel in the series, Cop Hater, was published in 1956 and was followed by over 50 additional novels in the series, which were praised for their realistic portrayal of police work and the urban environment.
In addition to the 87th Precinct series, McBain wrote several other popular mystery and suspense series, including the Matthew Hope series, the Evan Tanner series, and the Blackboard Jungle series, which was based on his own experiences as a high school teacher in the 1950s. He also wrote numerous standalone novels and short stories, as well as screenplays and teleplays, including the script for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
McBain’s work earned him many accolades over the course of his career. He received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1986 for his novel Fiddlers, as well as a Grand Master Award in 1986. He was also awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association in 1998 for his lifetime achievement in the genre. In addition, his novel Money, Money, Money was nominated for the Edgar Award Best Novel in 2002.
McBain was known for his skillful plotting, his ability to create complex characters, and his ability to capture the essence of the city in his writing. His influence on the crime fiction genre is widely recognized, and many contemporary mystery writers cite him as an inspiration.
McBain continued to write prolifically up until his death on July 6, 2005, at the age of 78. His legacy lives on through his extensive body of work and the many writers he inspired.
Film Adaptations
The following are the film adaptations of the Ed McBain books.
- Blackboard Jungle in 1955 from Blackboard Jungle
- High and Low in 1963 from King’s Ransom
- Mister Buddwing in 1966 from Buddwing
- Last Summer in 1969 from Last Summer
- Sans mobile apparent in 1971 from Ten Plus One
- Every Little Crook and Nanny in 1972 from Every Little Crook and Nanny
- Blood Relatives in 1978 from Blood Relatives
- Lonely Heart in 1981 from Lady, Lady, I Did It
Great page but why dosent THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE show up in his standalone novels.
Roy
Oh my gosh, I was wondering the same thing! Why isn’t the Gutter and and The Grave listed.
It is listed by its original publication title, I’m Cannon—For Hire by the alias Curt Cannon. I have also included the republished title next to it.