Michael Connelly Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

Michael Connelly’s novels mostly share one Los Angeles–centered universe, where Harry Bosch, Mickey Haller, Renée Ballard, and others cross paths. You can read by “main hero,” but the safest way to avoid character-arc spoilers is to follow publication order inside each series (and use the official crossover notes when a book “counts” for more than one line).

Michael Connelly Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

The fastest way to pick your first book

Choose what you want to spend time with:

Affiliate Disclosure

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

  • Classic detective, long career arc: The Black Echo (Bosch #1)
  • Courtroom strategy with a street-level edge: The Lincoln Lawyer (Haller #1)
  • Modern LAPD night shift + cold cases: The Late Show (Ballard #1)
  • Journalist-driven thriller: The Poet (McEvoy #1)
  • Standalone heist energy: Void Moon

A clean “ruleset” for reading Connelly without confusion

  1. If you’re reading Bosch, go in Bosch publication order (below).
  2. If you’re reading Haller, go in Haller publication order (below).
  3. When a book appears in more than one list, it’s the same book, don’t read it twice; just keep moving forward.
  4. Standalones can be read anytime, but publication order gives you the smoothest evolution of the shared world.

The Harry Bosch line (publication order)

This is the spine of the shared universe. Later entries assume you know Bosch’s history.

  1. The Black Echo (1992): Bosch’s first case sets his moral code and his lifelong friction with the system.
  2. The Black Ice (1993): A tightly wound investigation that hardens the series’ tone and Bosch’s isolation.
  3. The Concrete Blonde (1994): A past shooting returns to haunt Bosch as a new case mirrors old decisions.
  4. The Last Coyote (1995): A personal collapse forces Bosch into answers he can’t avoid.
  5. Trunk Music (1997): A Vegas-adjacent thread pulls Bosch into money, loyalty, and hidden leverage.
  6. Angels Flight (1999): City politics and public pressure shape a case where procedure matters as much as instinct.
  7. A Darkness More Than Night (2001): Bosch crosses into a case tied to another investigator’s world, widening the universe.
  8. City of Bones (2002): An old body creates a long-view investigation that fits Bosch’s patience and obsession.
  9. Lost Light (2003): A “why this case?” mystery that shows how Bosch chooses his battles.
  10. The Narrows (2004): Bosch steps into the aftermath of The Poet, and the universe starts knitting tighter.
  11. The Closers (2005): A return to an old unit and old enemies, with institutional memory as the real antagonist.
  12. Echo Park (2006): A case threatens to close too neatly, and Bosch refuses the easy ending.
  13. The Overlook (2007): A fast-moving threat pushes Bosch into a race where small clues carry huge stakes.
  14. Nine Dragons (2009): Bosch’s personal life becomes the pressure point, and a later crossover character matters here.
  15. The Drop (2011): Bosch juggles a reopened case and a new murder with late-career precision.
  16. The Black Box (2012): A riot-era thread becomes a defining “legacy case.”
  17. The Burning Room (2014): A long-burn investigation highlights Bosch’s patience and his growing network.
  18. The Crossing (2015): Bosch crosses into the courtroom lane, and the shared universe becomes explicit.
  19. The Wrong Side of Goodbye (2016): Bosch balances private work and public justice, with continuity-heavy personal beats.
  20. Two Kinds of Truth (2017): Bosch fights on two fronts, one legal, one violent, while consequences stack.
  21. Dark Sacred Night (2018): A major handoff point as Bosch teams with Ballard in a shared lead role.
  22. The Night Fire (2019): Bosch and Ballard chase a long-simmering case that rewards knowing both lanes.
  23. The Dark Hours (2021): Ballard’s casework takes point, with Bosch’s presence tied to series-long history.
  24. Desert Star (2022): A targeted hunt closes in, and late-series relationships do real work.
  25. The Waiting (2024): Bosch and Ballard share the stage again, with the accumulated past in the background.
  26. The Hollow (coming November 3, 2026): Next Bosch-era entry; best read after The Waiting to keep the arc intact.

The Lincoln Lawyer line (Mickey Haller) – publication order

These books track Haller’s career and personal life; the courtroom tactics are self-contained, but the life-story isn’t.

  1. The Lincoln Lawyer (2005): Haller’s operating system is established, cases, deals, and the cost of winning.
  2. The Brass Verdict (2008): A major reset of Haller’s practice, with a key Bosch connection.
  3. The Reversal (2010): Haller steps into a different legal role, and crossover context helps.
  4. The Fifth Witness (2011): A high-risk defense built around pressure points and strategy.
  5. The Gods of Guilt (2013): A case that forces Haller to confront the limits of his own methods.
  6. The Law of Innocence (2020): Haller’s most personal legal crisis; reading earlier books makes the stakes land.
  7. Resurrection Walk (2023): Haller and Bosch collide again on a wrongful-conviction fight.
  8. The Proving Ground (2025): Haller’s next major case, with a meaningful Jack McEvoy connection.

The Renée Ballard line – publication order

Ballard’s books lean procedural, but they’re tightly woven into late-era Bosch continuity.

  1. The Late Show (2017): Ballard’s night shift and uncompromising approach set the series’ engine.
  2. Dark Sacred Night (2018): Ballard and Bosch team up, and the shared universe becomes central.
  3. The Night Fire (2019): A cold case drives the plot, with both Ballard and Bosch in play.
  4. The Dark Hours (2021): Ballard’s investigations widen, with Bosch’s influence still present.
  5. Desert Star (2022): A long-running threat tightens, and continuity matters more than usual.
  6. The Waiting (2024): Ballard’s current cases sit alongside Bosch’s late-career threads.
  7. Ironwood (May 19, 2026): A Ballard-linked entry that also belongs to the Catalina lane below.

The Catalina lane (Detective Sergeant Stilwell) – publication order

This is a newer setting with a distinct vibe, but it’s not isolated from the larger universe.

  1. Nightshade (2025): Stilwell’s Catalina posting turns deadly, establishing the lane’s tone and scope.
  2. Ironwood (May 19, 2026): Continues Stilwell’s world while tying into Ballard’s orbit.

Jack McEvoy (journalist) – publication order

If you like investigations driven by reporting rather than a badge, start here.

  1. The Poet (1996): McEvoy’s debut, built around a killer who understands systems and attention.
  2. The Scarecrow (2009): A direct McEvoy continuation that assumes you know how he thinks.
  3. Fair Warning (2020): A later McEvoy thriller that fits best after the first two.
  4. The Proving Ground (2025) (appearance): McEvoy crosses into Haller’s lane in a way that’s easiest after the McEvoy trio.

Other key standalones and mini-lanes (read anytime)

These don’t require Bosch/Haller/Ballard context.

  • Blood Work (1998): Introduces Terry McCaleb in a self-contained story that later echoes into the wider universe.
  • Void Moon (2000): A lean, high-stakes standalone centered on Cassie Black and a dangerous score.
  • Chasing the Dime (2002): A tech-era standalone that stays separate from the main universe arcs.

A single master list (Connelly fiction in publication order)

If you want the “read everything as it arrived” experience, use this straight-through list:

  1. The Black Echo (1992)
  2. The Black Ice (1993)
  3. The Concrete Blonde (1994)
  4. The Last Coyote (1995)
  5. The Poet (1996)
  6. Trunk Music (1997)
  7. Blood Work (1998)
  8. Angels Flight (1999)
  9. Void Moon (2000)
  10. A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
  11. City of Bones (2002)
  12. Chasing the Dime (2002)
  13. Lost Light (2003)
  14. The Narrows (2004)
  15. The Closers (2005)
  16. The Lincoln Lawyer (2005)
  17. Echo Park (2006)
  18. The Brass Verdict (2008)
  19. The Scarecrow (2009)
  20. Nine Dragons (2009)
  21. The Reversal (2010)
  22. The Fifth Witness (2011)
  23. The Drop (2011)
  24. The Black Box (2012)
  25. The Gods of Guilt (2013)
  26. The Burning Room (2014)
  27. The Crossing (2015)
  28. The Wrong Side of Goodbye (2016)
  29. The Late Show (2017)
  30. Two Kinds of Truth (2017)
  31. Dark Sacred Night (2018)
  32. The Night Fire (2019)
  33. Fair Warning (2020)
  34. The Law of Innocence (2020)
  35. The Dark Hours (2021)
  36. Desert Star (2022)
  37. Resurrection Walk (2023)
  38. The Waiting (2024)
  39. Nightshade (2025)
  40. The Proving Ground (2025)
  41. Ironwood (May 2026)

FAQs

Do I need to read Bosch before Ballard?

You can start with The Late Show, but Ballard’s run quickly becomes Bosch-adjacent. If you plan to read deep, Bosch-first is smoother.

Are the Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer books “one series”?

They’re two series in the same universe. You can read each line in order and still be fine; publication order is the best way to catch every crossover cleanly.

What’s the next Bosch book after The Waiting?

The Hollow is listed as the next Bosch-series release, dated for November 3, 2026.

Conclusion

If you want one decisive plan: read Bosch in order and use the master publication list whenever you’re unsure where a crossover fits. If you prefer courtroom-first, read Mickey Haller in order, then backfill Bosch for the shared-history payoff.

+ posts

Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.