Reading order · 3 books · 2008 to 2015 · Set in Boston
Coughlin Books in Order
The Coughlin trilogy follows a Boston family from the police strike of 1919 through Prohibition and the Second World War.
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Series facts
- Books
- 3
- Published
- 2008 to 2015
- First book
- The Given Day
- Latest
- World Gone By (2015)
- Setting
- Set in Boston
The reading order
Every Coughlin book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
3 books · Set in Boston
- 1The Given Day2008With Danny CoughlinIn Boston in 1918 and 1919, Danny Coughlin, a police officer from an Irish police family, and Luther Laurence, a Black man on the run, live through the flu epidemic, riots and the Boston police strike.Buy on Amazon
- 2Live by Night2012With Joe CoughlinJoe Coughlin, the son of a Boston police captain, becomes a gangster during Prohibition and builds a rum-running empire in Florida.Buy on Amazon
- 3World Gone By2015With Joe CoughlinIn 1943, Joe Coughlin, now a respected businessman with mob ties in Tampa, hears that someone has put a contract on his life.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read The Given Day, Live by Night and World Gone By in order.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Joe Coughlin | Danny Coughlin |
|---|---|---|
| 1 The Given Day | ·Minor | LLead |
| 2 Live by Night | LLead | |
| 3 World Gone By | LLead |
Characters in the Coughlin books
2 characters from Dennis Lehane’s chart, with the number of Coughlin books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Joe CoughlinDanny’s younger brother, who becomes a gangster | 3 | The Given Day 2008 |
| Danny CoughlinBoston police officer | 1 | The Given Day 2008 |