Ira Levin Books in Order (Updated February 18, 2026)

Ira Levin (1929–2007) wrote a small, unusually “clean” novel bibliography: seven tightly plotted suspense novels, plus several famous stage plays.

For reading order, the only continuity that truly matters is Rosemary’s Baby → Son of Rosemary. Everything else is designed to stand alone.

Quick decision guide

• Want the full “Levin-as-novelist” experience: read the seven novels in publication order.
• Want the one title that explains his cultural footprint: start with Rosemary’s Baby (1967).
• Want the most spoiler-sensitive path: keep the Rosemary books together, in order.

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The seven novels in publication order

1. A Kiss Before Dying (1953): A charming striver treats murder as a tool for social climbing, and keeps escalating when plans slip.
2. Rosemary’s Baby (1967): A young couple’s apartment dream curdles into a pregnancy nightmare where everyone seems in on the same secret.
3. This Perfect Day (1970): A “benevolent” future system promises harmony, then reveals what it has to erase to get it.
4. The Stepford Wives (1972): A move to an ideal suburb becomes an unnerving study in conformity, control, and what gets replaced.
5. The Boys from Brazil (1976): A global chase locks onto a conspiracy that turns historical evil into a modern plan.
6. Sliver (1991): A new building offers a fresh start, until surveillance becomes the real architecture of the story.
7. Son of Rosemary (1997): The story returns to Rosemary years later, and the past reasserts itself with new demands.

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The only “series” order you need to protect

1. Rosemary’s Baby (1967): Establishes the events and choices the sequel treats as settled history.
2. Son of Rosemary (1997): Reads like a late echo that assumes you already know what happened, and why it mattered.

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If you also want the major plays (optional, separate lane)

These aren’t “novels in order,” but many readers like Levin in script form after the fiction.

1. Veronica’s Room (1973): A seemingly polite invitation turns into a controlled, claustrophobic trap.
2. Deathtrap (1978): A theatre-world duel of ego and plotting where the jokes and the danger share the same timing.

(If you’re sticking strictly to novels, skip this section.)

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Recommended reading order (practical, not precious)

1. Rosemary’s Baby (1967): The cleanest single-book entry point into his style and precision.
2. A Kiss Before Dying (1953): Step back to the early, hard-edged crime voice.
3. The Stepford Wives (1972): A short, sharp social nightmare that lands fast.
4. This Perfect Day (1970): The big-idea dystopia, best read once you trust his control.
5. The Boys from Brazil (1976): The wide-scope thriller that still moves like a clock.
6. Sliver (1991): The modern paranoia book, with a different texture and setting.
7. Son of Rosemary (1997): Save for last, so its callbacks don’t flatten the original.

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Latest Releases

Latest Releases: The recent book released by the author is: Veronica’s Room and Other Dramas (February 4, 2025).

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FAQs

Do I need to read the seven novels in order?
No, except for the Rosemary pair. Publication order is mainly useful if you want to see his themes shift from crime to occult to dystopia to satire.

Is Son of Rosemary optional?
Yes. It’s best treated as a sequel-epilogue: worthwhile if you want “what happened next,” unnecessary if you prefer the original to stand alone.

What if I only want one Ira Levin book?
Choose Rosemary’s Baby (1967). If you prefer crime over occult, choose A Kiss Before Dying (1953) instead.