Reading order · 17 books · 1976 to 2011 · Set in New York
Matthew Scudder Books in Order
Matthew Scudder is a former New York police detective who left the force after a tragedy and works as an unlicensed private investigator, doing favours for friends. The books follow his long fight with alcohol and the changing face of New York over more than thirty years.
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Series facts
- Books
- 17
- Published
- 1976 to 2011
- First book
- The Sins of the Fathers
- Latest
- A Drop of the Hard Stuff (2011)
- Setting
- Set in New York
The reading order
Every Matthew Scudder book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
17 books · Set in New York
- 1The Sins of the Fathers1976With Matthew ScudderA young woman is murdered in Greenwich Village, and her roommate is arrested and then hangs himself in his cell.Buy on Amazon
- 2In the Midst of Death1976With Matthew ScudderA New York policeman is accused of murdering a call girl, and asks Matthew Scudder to clear his name.Buy on Amazon
- 3Time to Murder and Create1977With Matthew ScudderA small-time blackmailer who told Scudder he feared for his life is found dead in the East River, and Scudder takes over his list of victims to find the killer.Buy on Amazon
- 4A Stab in the Dark1981With Matthew ScudderAn icepick killer was arrested nine years after his killing spree, but he says he did not kill one of the victims.Buy on Amazon
- 5Eight Million Ways to Die1982With Matthew ScudderA call girl asks Scudder to help her leave her pimp.Buy on Amazon
- 6When the Sacred Ginmill Closes1986With Matthew ScudderIn 1975, still drinking heavily, Scudder takes on several cases at once among the bars and drinkers of Hell’s Kitchen.Buy on Amazon
- 7Out on the Cutting Edge1989With Matthew ScudderNewly sober, Scudder looks for a young actress who has disappeared in Hell’s Kitchen, and meets Mick Ballou, a dangerous Irish gangster.Buy on Amazon
- 8A Ticket to the Boneyard1990With Matthew ScudderA killer Scudder helped send to prison twelve years ago is released, and he is coming after the women in Scudder’s life.Buy on Amazon
- 9A Dance at the Slaughterhouse1991With Matthew ScudderScudder sees something in a home video that convinces him a respected businessman killed his wife, and sets out to prove it.Buy on Amazon
- 10A Walk Among the Tombstones1992With Matthew ScudderA drug trafficker hires Scudder to find the men who kidnapped and murdered his wife, and Scudder learns they have done it before.Buy on Amazon
- 11The Devil Knows You’re Dead1993With Matthew ScudderA man is shot dead at a telephone box in Hell’s Kitchen, and the police arrest a homeless veteran.Buy on Amazon
- 12A Long Line of Dead Men1994With Matthew ScudderAn exclusive club of men who meet once a year has been losing members at an alarming rate, and the survivors hire Scudder to find out why.Buy on Amazon
- 13Even the Wicked1997With Matthew ScudderA vigilante killer is writing to a New York newspaper to announce his next victims, and Scudder is drawn into the case.Buy on Amazon
- 14Everybody Dies1998With Matthew ScudderMick Ballou’s criminal business is under attack, and Scudder is caught up in the war that follows.Buy on Amazon
- 15Hope to Die2001With Matthew ScudderA wealthy couple are murdered in a home invasion, and the killers seem to have been caught, but Scudder senses the case is not closed.Buy on Amazon
- 16All the Flowers Are Dying2005With Matthew ScudderA man on death row insists he is innocent, while Matthew Scudder looks into a friend’s new online romance, and the danger moves closer to home.Buy on Amazon
- 17A Drop of the Hard Stuff2011With Matthew ScudderScudder looks back on his early days of sobriety, when a childhood friend who was making amends to the people he had wronged was shot dead.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read the Scudder books in order, starting with The Sins of the Fathers. His drinking, his recovery and his relationships with Elaine and Mick Ballou develop across the series.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Matthew Scudder | Elaine Mardell | Mick Ballou | Jim Faber | TJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Sins of the Fathers | LLead | ||||
| 2 In the Midst of Death | LLead | ||||
| 3 Time to Murder and Create | LLead | ||||
| 4 A Stab in the Dark | LLead | ·Minor | |||
| 5 Eight Million Ways to Die | LLead | ·Minor | |||
| 6 When the Sacred Ginmill Closes | LLead | ||||
| 7 Out on the Cutting Edge | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | ||
| 8 A Ticket to the Boneyard | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 9 A Dance at the Slaughterhouse | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 10 A Walk Among the Tombstones | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 11 The Devil Knows You’re Dead | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 12 A Long Line of Dead Men | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 13 Even the Wicked | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor |
| 14 Everybody Dies | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 15 Hope to Die | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 16 All the Flowers Are Dying | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |
| 17 A Drop of the Hard Stuff | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Matthew Scudder books
5 characters from Lawrence Block’s chart, with the number of Matthew Scudder books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew ScudderFormer NYPD detective and recovering alcoholic, an unlicensed investigator | 17 | The Sins of the Fathers 1976 |
| Elaine MardellFormer call girl, Scudder’s partner and later wife | 11 | A Stab in the Dark 1981 |
| Mick BallouIrish gangster and Scudder’s unlikely friend | 11 | Out on the Cutting Edge 1989 |
| Jim FaberScudder’s AA sponsor | 8 | Out on the Cutting Edge 1989 |
| TJStreet kid who becomes Scudder’s assistant | 8 | A Dance at the Slaughterhouse 1991 |