Michael Connelly Books in Order – Complete List

New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly is an amazing American author best known for his Harry Bosch book series, which was recently televised by Amazon, with Titus Welliver playing the main character.

Here are all the Michael Connelly books in order of reading and publication order for the Harry Bosch novels, followed by Connelly’s other series including The Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller, Terry McCaleb, Jack McEvoy, Renée Ballard, and the latest Detective Stillwell series.

Latest Michael Connelly Books

The Waiting
The Waiting (Renee Ballard series #6), 2024

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Harry Bosch Books in Publication Order

while other related characters appear in some of the books, this series is strictly about Harry Bosch

  1. The Black Echo, 1992
  2. The Black Ice, 1993
  3. The Concrete Blonde, 1994
  4. The Last Coyote, 1995
  5. Trunk Music, 1997
  6. Angels Flight, 1999
  7. A Darkness More Than Night, 2001
  8. City Of Bones, 2002
  9. Lost Light, 2003
  10. The Narrows, 2004
  11. The Closers, 2005
  12. Echo Park, 2006
  13. The Overlook, 2007
  14. Nine Dragons, 2009
  15. The Drop, 2011
  16. The Black Box, 2012
  17. The Burning Room, 2014
  18. The Crossing, 2015
  19. The Wrong Side of Goodbye, 2016
  20. Two Kinds of Truth, 2017
  21. Dark Sacred Night, 2018
  22. The Night Fire, 2019
  23. The Dark Hours, 2021
  24. Desert Star, 2022
  25. The Waiting, 2024

Harry Bosch Short Stories

  • Blue on Black (#14.5), 2010
  • Suicide Run (#14.6), 2011 (includes: Cielo Azul, Suicide Run, One Dollar Jackpot)
  • Angle Of Investigation (#15.5), 2011 (includes: Father’s Day, Christmas Eve, Angle of Investigation)
  • Switchblade (#16.5), 2014

Lincoln Lawyer Books in Publication Order

  1. The Lincoln Lawyer, 2004
  2. The Brass Verdict, 2008
  3. The Reversal, 2010
  4. The Fifth Witness, 2011
  5. The Gods Of Guilt, 2013
  6. The Crossing, 2015 (#5.5)
  7. The Law of Innocence, 2020
  8. Resurrection Walk, 2023

Other Lincoln Lawyer Books

Terry McCaleb Books in Publication Order

  1. Blood Work, 1998
  2. A Darkness More Than Night, 2000

Jack McEvoy Books in Publication Order

  1. The Poet, 1996
  2. The Scarecrow, 2009
  3. Fair Warning, 2020

Renée Ballard Books in Publication Order

  1. The Late Show, 2017
  2. Dark Sacred Night, 2018
  3. The Night Fire, 2019
  4. The Dark Hours, 2021
  5. Desert Star, 2022
  6. The Waiting, 2024

Detective Stillwell Books in Publication Order

  1. Nightshade, 2025

Standalone Novels in Order of Publication

Harry Bosch Universe Books in Reading Order

All the books featuring Harry Bosch in order of reading. Whenever Bosch or related other characters are in a book, they are included in the list.

Novellas and Short Stories in Publication Order

Anthologies and Short Story Collections in Publication Order

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Non-Fiction Books

Michael Connelly Biography

Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly was born in 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to  Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There he enrolled at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

The author’s introduction to the world of crime happened in an entirely random way. One evening he was going home from his job as a dishwasher at a hotel. He suddenly noticed someone throw something into the bushes. Curious as he was, he checked out those bushes and found a gun wrapped in a shirt.

He got even more curious, so he decided to follow that person, on a trek that took him to a nearby bar. He then went home to tell his dad about the guy in the bar. Together, they went to the police, and he led them to the hidden gun. By then, the suspect was gone from the bar.

However, he was thoroughly fascinated with the way the police handled that case, and he couldn’t get that event out of his mind.

He continued his studies and enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville with a major in building construction, as he wanted to follow his father’s job. His grades were, however, not up to par. After watching Robert Altman’s 1973 adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s book The Long Goodbye, he decided that he wanted to become a crime fiction book author. The movie was based on Raymond Chandler’s 1953 novel, so he began reading everything the author has written. It basically inspired Connelly even more to start his own author journey.

Thus, the author switched his major from construction to journalism. His minor was in creative writing, which helped him develop as a book writer. After he graduated from the university in 1980, he became a crime-beat writer at the  Daytona Beach News Journal. Next year, he moved to work for the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel again as an investigative reporter.

In 1985 he was one of the reporters to interview the survivors of the Delta Flight 191 plane crash. The story he wrote thereafter made him a candidate for the Pulitzer Prize. In 1987 he moved to Los Angeles, California with his family, where he began working for the Los Angeles Times as a crime reporter.

He had been working for the newspaper for three years when he wrote The Black Echo, his debut novel. The book was published in 1992 by Little, Brown. That book earned him the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The book is also the first in the Harry (Hieronymus) Bosch series.

While working for the Los Angeles Times, Connely wrote three books, The Black Ice, The Concrete Blonde, and The Last Coyote, all part of the Harry Bosch novel series. Soon after, he resigned and became a full-time author.

Michael Connelly continued his series until 1996 when he wrote The Poet. It was to become the first book in his Jack McEvoy series. The next year he wrote The Trunk Music, which went back to the popular Harry Bosch book series.

After that, he once again diverged from his main series when he wrote Blood Work, the first book in his Terry McCaleb FBI Agent series. This was in 1998. Four years later, in 1992, the movie made based on Blood Work starring Clint Eastwood was released, where Eastwood played Terry McCaleb and also directed the movie. Other notable actors were Jeff Daniels and Anjelica Houston.

For his numerous books, Michael Connelly received several awards, including the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Macavity Award, the Shamus Award, and the Barry Award, as well as several international awards from countries like Italy, France, and Japan.

Many of his books are written surrounding actual, real-life events, including the 9/11 attack. Most characters in the series appear in the same universe and often crossover from series to series. In the latest series, LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch work together in solving cases.

In 2004, a video documentary titled Blue Neon Night: Michael Connelly’s Los Angeles was released in the form of DVD. This was accompanying the author’s book The Narrows (which also features FBI agent Rachel Walling).

Besides his several mystery and thriller series, the author also wrote a nonfiction book called Crime Beat, which was published in 2006.

An interesting trivia note, one of his biggest fans is the ex-US president Bill Clinton, who was seen reading The Concrete Blonde. The two men met at an airport later on.

The Harry Bosch series order includes all the rest of the author’s books as well since they are all part of the Harry Bosch universe. In fact, even the standalone books are part of the same universe.

Michael Connelly has written so far two main series, the Harry Bosch and the Mickey Haller series, and a few smaller series including the Terry McCaleb, Jack McEvoy and the newer LAPD detective Renée Ballard series all in the same universe. Most of these series also intersect with the author’s main one, so I have added them to this page as well. Thus reading the Michael Connely books is advised reading in order, along with all the related stories in the same universe featuring other main characters.

Michael Connelly also wrote one non fiction book in 2006 called Crime Beat, which collected journalism from his work at the Los Angeles Times and the Sun-Sentinel.

Michael Connelly Book Adaptations

  • Blood Work was adapted in 2002 into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood. The movie starred Clint Eastwood (as Terry McCaleb), Wanda De Jesus, Jeff Daniels, Paul Rodriguez, and Tina Lifford as main characters.
  • Lincoln Lawyer was made into a 2011 movie with Matthew McConaughey (as Mickey Haller), Marisa Tomei, Josh Lucas, Ryan Phillippe, and John Leguizamo as main characters.
  • It was also adapted into a Netflix TV series in 2022 with the following main cast: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (as Mickey Haller), Becki Newton, Neve Campbell, Angus Sampson, and Jazz Raycole. The series had so far two seasons between 2022 and 2023, with a third season consisting of 10 episodes based on The Gods of Guilt airing either late 2024 or early 2025.
  • Bosch is a 2014 TV series adaptation of the book series with Titus Welliver (as Harry Bosch), Amy Aquino, Jamie Hector, Lance Reddick, and Sarah Clarke as other main protagonists. The series ran for 7 seasons, and it ended in 2021.
  • Bosch: Legacy is a spin-off series aired in 2022 with two seasons in 2022 and 2023, with a third season expected to air in March 2025.
  • A new Bosch spin-off series will be aired in late 2025, featuring Maggie Q as Renée Ballard.

Michael Connelly Awards and Nominations

Here are all the major awards Michael Connelly has received over the years for his bestseller books.

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  • City Of Bones was nominated for the Dagger Awards Best Novel in 2002 and for the Edgar Awards Best Novel in 2003 and for the Macavity Awards Best Novel in 2003
  • City Of Bones won the Anthony Awards Best Novel in 2003
  • The Lincoln Lawyer was nominated for the Anthony Awards Best Novel in 2006 and for the Edgar Awards Best Novel in 2006
  • The Lincoln Lawyer won the Macavity Awards Best Novel in 2006
  • The Lincoln Lawyer won the Shamus Awards Best Novel in 2006
  • The Lincoln Lawyer was nominated for the Richard and Judy Best Read of the Year Best Book in 2006
  • The Brass Verdict won the Anthony Awards Best Novel in 2009
  • The Drop was nominated for the Anthony Awards Best Novel in 2012
  • The Wrong Side of Goodbye was nominated for the Barry Awards Best Novel in 2017
  • The Late Show was nominated for the Anthony Awards Best Novel in 2018 and for the Barry Awards Best Novel in 2018
  • Dark Sacred Night was nominated for the Barry Awards Best Novel in 2019
  • The Black Echo was nominated for the Dilys Awards Best Book in 1993
  • The Concrete Blonde was nominated for the Dilys Awards Best Book in 1995
  • The Last Coyote won the Dilys Awards Best Book in 1996
  • The Poet won the Anthony Awards Best Novel in 1997
  • The Poet won the Dilys Awards Best Book in 1997
  • Trunk Music was nominated for the Macavity Awards Best Novel in 1998
  • Blood Work won the Anthony Awards Best Novel in 1999
  • Angels Flight was nominated for the Dagger Awards Best Book in 1999
  • Blood Work was nominated for the Edgar Awards Best Novel in 1999
  • Blood Work won the Macavity Awards Best Novel in 1999

Should We Read the Michael Connelly Books in Order?

I’ve read all the LAPD detective Harry Bosch stories in chronological order so far (including the related legal thriller Lincoln Lawyer series, the Renée Ballard books, and all the rest) and personally, I think reading them in order is best. Granted, each novel has one mystery that Harry solves, however, the character really grows from book to book.

You can see in each of the novels that the author gets more and more attached to Harry Bosch and really writes about him with a passion. It is a pity to miss out on that.

About LAPD Homicide Detective Harry Bosch

Harry Bosch is a Los Angeles Police Department detective who retired and became a private investigator for a couple of books, following which he returned to LAPD’s Open Unsolved Unit. His mother was a prostitute and his father a defense attorney.

In the first novel, Harry Bosch is accused of killing a Vietnam “tunnel rat” whom he happened to know many lifetimes ago. I remember the book was full of atmosphere and a fast read. It literally hooked me on the series and I have read everything he has written since then.

In Two Kinds of Truth, published in 2017, Harry Bosch is a volunteer cold case cop at SFPD and is asked to help with a case involving a pharmacy where a young employee was murdered.

At the same time, he gets involved in a case started by the newly created LAPD Conviction Integrity Unit, which tells him that signs are showing that he mishandled some old cases back when he was working for the police.

Since he left the police on relatively bad terms, his old colleagues are not overly eager to help him save his reputation. Now Harry has to work the murder case while trying to get to the bottom of who framed him and how he can clear his name and reputation as well.

In Desert Star, published in 2022, Detective Harry Bosch teams up once again with Renee Ballard.

Are Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller related?

Yes, indeed they are. TMickey Haller is Harry Bosch’s half-brother. Both have the same father, J. Michael Haller, however, they have different mothers.

Mickey Haller’s mother is a Mexican-born B-level actress about whom very little is known from the books or the TV series.

Harry Bosch’s mother is Marjorie Lowe, who was basically a prostitute in Hollywood who got pregnant after having sex with Harry’s father once. She died in 1961 (was murdered).

Harry Bosch was already an adult when he first met Mickey Haller and their father. At the time, Mickey was only five.

There are a few books in the Mickey Haller series that also have Harry in them but not as the main character. While some Haller books only mention Harry in passing, some feature the two of them working together, like in The Crossing.

Harry is the ultimate detective. Initially, all the cases seem hopeless and unsolvable, but Harry is the one who finds something small that belongs to the case.

Once he finds that short thread, he follows it until he uncovers more threads, and follows there too, just like a dog following a strong smell, right until he solves the case. I really like his reluctance to give up on a case because he knows it will unravel in front of his eyes if he only keeps at it a bit more.

Harry’s daughter, Maddie, who initially was mostly living with her mother, Eleanor, the ex-wife of Harry, also appeared. The two lived in Hong Kong and only meet Harry a couple of times a year until eventually Eleanor was killed while trying to save Maddie from Chinese gangsters. After the funeral, Maddie went to live with her father.

Where else has Harry Bosch appeared in books?

LAPD detective Harry Bosch has made several cameo appearances in books by Robert Crais, Joe Gores, and Paula Woods.

Authors Similar to Michael Connelly

62 Comments

  1. Love this series. Read some books out of order but now going back to the beginning. I haven’t watched Bosch the series yet but hope to this week

  2. Saw the movie The Lincoln Lawyer, read four f the Harry Bosch books already and saw Blood Work with Clint Eastwood. already. But it was 9 Dragons that got me started. Cannot wait to read the rest, and see the Bosch movies when I can. Love Titus Wellever already!

  3. Picked up Crossing & loved it. Didn’t realize how many novels there were. Wish I had started from the first novel….but enjoying collecting them all now. Even got several friends into them & exchange on a regular basis. I read3 a week…can’t stop. I’m addicted!!!

  4. I read all of Michael Connelly’s books one summer. (Yes, I really like to read, and yes I read pretty fast!) I think the ONLY way to read these books is in the order published whether they are a Bosch book, a Haller book, or one of the other characters who had reoccurring appearances in a book “series” of their own. It doesn’t hurt to take a break from one to read another, and to me the important thing is to have an accurate timeline. No backtracking or jumping ahead for me.
    I absolutely love series of books with the same characters (Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone, Patterson’s Alex Cross and Robb’s Eve and Rourke to name a couple others), but Connelly’s characters and their stories are some of my absolute favorites!

  5. Totally hooked on Bosch. Just finished 9 dragons and have read all from the beginning of the series in less than a year. Don’t know what I’ll do when I finally catch up to present day!

  6. Started the last coyote 6 years ago at pc beach Fla. 1 week, 10%
    Then 6 months ago I picked it up on my kindle. Finishing in 4 weeks. In 6 months I’ve read the 1st 6 Harry Bosch books. Can’t get enough. Downloaded the next 3. Can’t wait….

  7. I received the crossing as a Christmas gift. Should I read the ones prior to this for the story to make sense? TIA

  8. I’m not a book reader, but now that I’m retired, I have read most of the Michael Connelly books on the nook and have really enjoyed them.

  9. I an really enjoying the Bosch novels and am working through them in order after being introduced via the TV series which I thought was very good indeed. Titus is the ideal person as far as I am concerned. I think the novels are very well written with lots of depth. In the main I agree with your comments about the books except for one thing – I would never classify Bosch as “fun” character! Angst ridden with lots of baggage more like!

  10. I was looking for a little break from all the “literature” (with fake British accent) I read for the classes that I teach. I saw the Bosch series on Amazon, binge-watched the entire first season, then proceeded to read 18 of the 21 novels in the book series. Connelly can spin a tale; that is certain. If you like Bosch, read Ed Lin’s books, the NYC/Asian-American equivalent of the Bosch series.

    1. I think the Bosch novels could be classed as modern literature as I regard them as well crafted. Compare the prose style with some other modern writers and he is a literary genius! For example “Gone Girl” which I was given is in my view terribly written. Or Lee Child whom I thoroughly enjoy and have read extensively but good though he is at what he does is not as good as Connelly as a writer.

      1. Sorry, I just can’t agree with that. He’s a good writer…and I’m no highbrow. My main issue is to say he stands above so many others. Although I can agree to a point.

        Lee Child is pretty good, I don’t see a big difference. Vince Flynn, DeMille, Greg Iles, Ben Coes, Trevanian, Ludlum (some, but I guess that’s my argument for all), Don Winslow, Daniel Silva, North Patterson, Philip Margolin, Tom Clancy, Allan Folsom, Barry Eisler…..Connelly is right in line with these guys.

        The two I’d argue are far beneath the others…John Grisham and James Patterson. There’s a reason for their popularity…..and that’s because in journalism school you’re taught to write at an 8th grade level to reach the largest possible audience. Applies here….

        I’d never read any Steven King, but just did read 110-22-63. The book was great and wildly entertaining, but the prose was at that Grisham/Patterson level.

        As far as modern classics, I just don’t see a lot really qualifying. I think you can’t put any author in arbitrarily, but can include some individual books. The Last Man, and American Assassin by Flynn; Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree by Iles…along with his historical fiction release The Black Cross; Plum Island, Night Fall, The Lion by Nelson DeMille; The Cartel by Winslow; The Pillars of the Earth and The Day of the Jackal by Ken Follet; The Day After Tomorrow by Folsom….. those jump to mind.

        The only modern author that I think you can list all books as modern classics, and he only wrote three….is Stieg Larsson. Those books were breathtaking, relevant to current events and satirical of political and government issues, and just plain unable to be put down. The prose was brilliant and everything about them told the reader “this author is smarter than probably anyone you know, and he’s been blessed by the Gods.”

        1. I’d also add Robert Harris to that list…The Ghost, Imperium, and An Officer and a Spy are brilliant books.

      2. I just started reading Bosch and didn’t know there was an order, at first. I enjoy them. Lee Childs Jack Reacher is different. Jack gets put in situations where Bosch seeks them out. I don’t like that Tom Cruise played Reacher in the film. He comes nowhere close to the physical description of Reacher. Jim Caveizal would be better.

        1. Definitely agree with you on the Tom Cruise thing! After watching Ray Donovan I now also think, in addition to Jim C. Being a better choice, Liev Schriber would be, too! Any one but Cruise. Or Vern Troyer. Lol

  11. I have read every Bosh book more than twice over the the years including the spin off charectors. I was a cop for 25 years and really enjoy the series. Wish I could have gotten away with one tenth of what he does. Harry is getting old. What are your plans for him? Pre-queals? His daughter joining up with Harry as the mentor?

    1. Yes! “The Poet” is a major piece to be read, I think before “The Narrows,” which seems like a sequel work.

      1. I haven’t forgotten him, he is added in the Jack McEvoy series as first book. If you read the books, you will see that it is not really a Harry Bosch book, the main character is Jack.

  12. just finished watching the bosch series and loved it … didn’t think i would like titus welliver in the lead … i have seen him in a lot of roles and it seems he always played a guy you didn’t like … as harry bosch he is perfect …

  13. I have read all the Harry Bosch books and love them. I have just finished The Burning Room and wonder when the next in the series will be available.

    Thank you.

  14. I would put the book “The Narrows” into the Terry McCaleb series because his presense is felt throughout the book. Also Bosch finishs what Terry & Rachel began so many years before. The final McCaleb chapter is closed in this book. Also Buddy pesters Bosch in the same way he dogged Terry.

  15. Hi

    Where does Blood Work fit in? Terry McCaleb starts I guess. Just starting it today.

    Ciao

    John

    1. Blood Work is the first in the Terry McCaleb series (which is listed at the bottom of this page, right after the Mickey Haller series). It contains only 2 books, and the second one, A Darkness More Than Night is also Harry Bosch #7.

  16. Jusst finished The Reversal. I mentions Harry’s daughter’s mother as having been killed and Mattie is now woth Harry. In which book was her death featured?

    1. In Nine Dragons (Harry Bosch #15) in Hong Kong where she was living after separating from Bosch.

  17. I’ve read the first 13 books in order (Harry Bosch). It seems from reading the first few pages that the “Brass Berdict is more Haller than Bosch book. I know they will team up eventually in the book but should I save the Brass Verdict as a Haller series book and move on to 9 Dragons? I just finished the overlook.

    Thanks,

    Steve

    1. In the Brass Verdict Mickey is the main character, but Harry Bosch is there to help and only appears now and then – at crucial moments, mind you.

      If you’re also reading the Mickey Haller books later on, then yes, I think it’s better if you pick this one up as the second Mickey Haller book, as it’s more about him than Harry Bosch.

    2. Nine dragons is more Bosch than Haller. Overlook is Bosch. Read nine dragons with the Bosch series.

    1. Yes, as Harry Bosch doesn’t really appear in the book, which is all about his half-brother, Mickey Haller. I initially intended to create a second page about Mickey Haller, however on second thought I added the books in the series on the same page, below Harry Bosch, so now The Lincoln Lawyer is also featured.

  18. I’m not sure I agree with you of who should portray Bosch on film.
    looks like I’m not going to like the actor you guys choosed.

    Will see, guess!

    1. I agree with you in a way I guess. I tried to turn my son on to Connelly a long time ago! We are a family of readers!! But my son prefers reading Azimov and I, not so much! But I had an idea of Bosch in my head after following the series. The the character in my head evolved when I started listening to the series on CD read by Len Cariou. And out of nowhere my son turns me on to “Bosch” on Amazon! Not exactly my idea of Bosch( in my head) but Titus does a pretty good job after I watched a couple of episodes. I like the show and it gives my son and I something more to talk about!

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