15 Best Michael Connelly Books In Reading Order

Michael Connelly Books

1. The Black Echo

Micheal Connelly’s writing career started with this book and it’s also the first book in the Harry Bosch series! It was published in the year 1992 and it made its mark by winning the Edgar Award for the best first novel.

We first meet the character of Harry Bosch in the series, who is an LAPD homicide detective. The story starts with a dead body that is found in the drainpipe but this isn’t the normal case for Bosch as the body belongs to his colleague in the veteran war and his name is Billy Meadows. The case is surely much more than it seems and it is connected with a robbery that brings the FBI in the picture. Bosch will have to make his choice about going after the killer and seek revenge or hand him over to the executives and seek justice legally. Clearly, the first case of Harry isn’t a piece of cake!

2. The Black Ice

The Black Ice features the case of a narcotics officer Calexico Moore who has been found dead in a Hollywood motel on Christmas Eve. Although the body is found with a suicide note, when Harry Bosch approached for this case, he is sure that it’s not as simple as it seems.

His conclusion may be based on the fact that the officer was looking into a drug-related killing. Harry Bosch makes further connections and connects dots which more or less put his life in jeopardy. But one thing is clear the case might have bigger roots than anyone can imagine.

3. The Poet

The Poet is another one of Michael Connelly’s best book and it from the Jack McEvoy series. It is also the first book by Connelly which didn’t feature Harry Bosch as it’s lead.

Jack McEvoy is a crime reporter in the City of Denver. He is very dedicated to his work and now has specialized in violent deaths. But this time he has to deal with his brother’s death. His brother was a homicide officer and he committed suicide leaving a note. Before he can cope up with this, Jack has to write an article about his brother’s death.

But it didn’t take much time for Jack to realize that it wasn’t a suicide after all and this is a doing of a serial killer. The killer has left a clue and now Jack is going to follow it until he finds out about the killer.

The book was a success and so is the whole series of Jack McEvoy. It has even won the Dilys award.

4. The Last Coyote

The Last Coyote is another best Michael Connelly book that you should read.

The fourth Bosch book in order starts on a bad note for Harry Bosch. He is single, without a home, and currently out of his job since he has been suspended from the force indefinitely! He is also refusing the psychiatrist evolution which is required for LAPD.

Although he does realizes that something is troubling him for a long time now and he must fix it before it’s too late. He opens up her mother’s case and sees what happened to her and how the case was mishandled. Now it would be interesting to see what happens to him and how he handles his past.

5. The Lincoln Lawyer

The Lincoln Lawyer is another top Micheal Connelly books that you might like. This book features the character of Mickey Haller as its lead and he is also the half brother of his iconic character Harry Bosch!

Mickey Haller is a Los Angeles based criminal defense attorney. Mickey Haller has given a new high profile case of a rich young man, who is accused of assaulting a woman at a bar. The case room takes a turn when Mickey realizes that the case is much more than it seems. And he must do the necessary to get everyone justice.

The series first started as the Spin-off of the Harry Bosch series and it turns out to be great in its own way without the influence of the Harry Bosch series.

6. Angels Flight

This book features an unusual case which no police officers want to take, why? Because the case involves the death of a high profile black lawyer, Howard Elias. He generally takes up cases of racism and police brutality. So no policeman wanted to take his case and that’s where the case falls into the laps of Harry Bosch!

He was killed right before his trial for suing LAPD, which makes everyone associated with LAPD a suspect. And now that Harry Bosch is on the other side you will soon discover new turns in his life and the surrounding people.

7. A Darkness More than a Night

Yet again Harry Bosch is in charge of a high profile case it revolves around a Hollywood actress. She has been shot by a director who is portraying the incident as a suicide. A star witness is finally found in the case which can make a lead. Here comes the entry of a former FBI agent Terry McCaleb who comes out of retirement to work on his second case. It doesn’t take long to understand that cases are related to each other and both the characters (Harry and Terry ) found each other at odds.

8. City of Bones

It’s the life of Harry Bosch and he can’t catch a break even on New Year’s Eve! Although he is kinda happy to work. He receives a phone call on New Year’s Day which says that a dog has found a bone that belongs to a human. When they investigate it, they found it’s the case of a murder which took place twenty years ago.

It’s obvious that it’s a cold case and harry finds himself struggling with his old memories. As the cases further take place, there comes the character of a rookie cop Julia Brasher.

9. Lost Light

It’s been a long time and Harry Bosch starting to feels that LAPD isn’t the place he thought it was and there is no place for justice. Even though he took retirement but he is not able to have civilian life. The good thing is when he left the service he took a case file with him.

Four years ago a robbery tool place and a production assistant was killed by the robbers. Everyone was more concerned about the money than providing justice to the victim. And now the matter is in the hands of Harry Bosch and he will do everything in his power to provide justice to the forgotten victim. The investigation is unofficial and puts Harry at the odds but he must solve the case!

10. The Narrows

The Narrows is also a sequel to The Poet, which was the first book of Connelly’s Jack McEvoy series. Here the FBI agent Rachel Walling was a part of the investigation where they were trying to hunt down a serial killer, The Poet. Meanwhile, Harry Bosch is taking up an investigation which is about one of his old friend’s murder.

He soon realizes that his friend’s death has something to do with the case of The Poet and that’s where he needs to make sure he works with Wallings and investigate the matter thoroughly to uncover the truth about his friend’s death and catch the serial killer.

11. The Concrete Blonde

The third book in the series features a more serious and chilling crime as the story revolves around a dollmaker who was a serial killer. He was shot and killed by Bosch himself and he thought he is done with the case! But is he? Death has been reported which features the same kinda killing pattern as the dollmaker serial killer. Now Bosch is fact g the biggest horror of his life as he is starting to doubt himself for killing the wrong guy. But regretting what he had done in the past isn’t an option because the killer is at his work and Bosch has to stop him before it’s too late.

12. Trunk Music

Harry Bosch who is currently suspended from LAPD, has taken up a new case and it’s from Hollywood! A body has been found in a trunk of a car and it happens to be of a Hollywood producer. The person has been shot twice in the head at a close range which looks like trunk music or a mafia hit!

As soon as he digs a little bit more in the case it gets more complex and he realizes there is something really wrong happening. Some clues indicate a trail of gambling debts in Las Vegas. He again somehow manages to put himself in danger and that’s where the story takes several twists and turns!

13. The Fifth Witness

The next book on our list of best Micheal Connelly books is The Fifth Witness from the Mickey Haller series.

Mickey Haller is having a tough time with the finances so he decided to take up any case that comes in his way. The next case involves Lisa Trammel who is the main suspect in the murder case of a bank employee. The case is anything but easy and it seems like it’s gonna change everything.

14. Fair Warning

Fair Warning is one of the latest books by Micheal Connelly and it was published in May 2020. The book is from the Jack McEvoy series and it was highly appreciated for its suspense and detective genre.

Jack McEvoy has seen more killers in his life than he can count but this time he is dealing with a cold-blooded serial killer. Jack McEvoy is already shaken up when he finds out that the woman he had a one-night stand with was brutally killed by a serial killer.

Jack is investigating this murder against the police warning. This case might gets you goosebumps with the ruthless serial killer and the suspense that keep you engaged till the last.

15. Blood Work

Blood Work is a stand-alone mystery thriller by Micheal Connelly, and this is the best choice for those people who don’t want to start a whole series.

The book introduces us to the character of Terry McCaleb. He is a retired FBI agent who is under heart transplant surgery. When he wakes up, he finds a woman. She is the sister of the person whose heart has been translated to Terry. The woman asked her a favor as she wants Terry to investigate her sister’s death.

Even though Terry is a retired officer, he stills does favor and helps this woman out. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that it’s not an ordinary case and he dealing with much more dangerous than a random killer!

But how will he solve the mystery without the help of the FBI or police department?

Conclusion

So these are the best Michael Connelly books that you must read if you want to get the best of crime fiction and detective genre. These books are highly praised and all of them are listed as the favorite Michael Connelly books by thousands of readers, so I think they will do justice with the title of Best Micheal Connelly books!

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