Book Series Guide

Author guide

Julie Smith Books in Order

Julie Smith is an American mystery writer and former reporter for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the San Francisco Chronicle. Her novels include San Francisco mysteries featuring Rebecca Schwartz and Paul MacDonald, and New Orleans mysteries featuring Skip Langdon and Talba Wallis. New Orleans Mourning won the 1991 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. Smith has also written young adult fiction, short fiction, a co-authored progressive novel, an anthology, and a nonfiction guide to writing novels.

mystery fictioncrime fictionyoung adult fictionnonfiction

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

New Orleans Mourning

The Edgar Award-winning first Skip Langdon novel and the strongest entry point to Smith's New Orleans mysteries.

Death Turns a Trick

The first Rebecca Schwartz novel.

True-Life Adventure

The first Paul MacDonald novel.

Louisiana Hotshot

The first Talba Wallis novel.

Cursebusters!

A standalone young adult paranormal adventure.

Writing Your Way: The Great American Novel Track

A standalone nonfiction guide to writing fiction.

Read in order

Books by series

novel-series · complete

Rebecca Schwartz

Mystery series featuring San Francisco attorney and sleuth Rebecca Schwartz.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Death Turns a Trick

    Book 1 · novel · 1982

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    The Sourdough Wars

    Book 2 · novel · 1984

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    Tourist Trap

    Book 3 · novel · 1986

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    Dead in the Water

    Book 4 · novel · 1991

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5
    Other People's Skeletons

    Book 5 · novel · 1993

    Amazon ↗

novel-series · complete

Paul MacDonald

Mystery series featuring struggling San Francisco mystery writer Paul MacDonald.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    True-Life Adventure

    Book 1 · novel · 1985

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    Huckleberry Fiend

    Book 2 · novel · 1987

    Amazon ↗

novel-series · complete

Skip Langdon

New Orleans mystery series featuring homicide detective Skip Langdon.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    New Orleans Mourning

    Book 1 · novel · 1990

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    The Axeman's Jazz

    Book 2 · novel · 1991

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    Jazz Funeral

    Book 3 · novel · 1993

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    New Orleans Beat

    Book 4 · novel · 1994

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5
    House of Blues

    Book 5 · novel · 1995

    Amazon ↗
  6. 6
    The Kindness of Strangers

    Book 6 · novel · 1996

    Amazon ↗
  7. 7
    Crescent City Kill

    Book 7 · novel · 1997

    Amazon ↗
  8. 8
    82 Desire

    Book 8 · novel · 1998

    Amazon ↗
  9. 9
    Mean Woman Blues

    Book 9 · novel · 2003

    Amazon ↗
  10. 10
    Murder on Magazine

    Book 10 · novel · 2018

    Amazon ↗
  11. 11
    The Big Crazy

    Book 11 · novel · 2019

    Amazon ↗

novel-series · complete

Talba Wallis

New Orleans mystery series featuring poet and private investigator Talba Wallis and her employer Eddie Valentino.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Louisiana Hotshot

    Book 1 · novel · 2001

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    Louisiana Bigshot

    Book 2 · novel · 2002

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    Louisiana Lament

    Book 3 · novel · 2004

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    P.I. on a Hot Tin Roof

    Book 4 · novel · 2005

    Amazon ↗

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (1)
  1. Cursebusters!

    young-adult-novel · 2011

    Amazon ↗
Nonfiction (1)
  1. Writing Your Way: The Great American Novel Track

    writing-guide · 2011

    Amazon ↗
Short fiction (2)
  1. Mean Rooms

    short-story-collection · 2000

    Amazon ↗
  2. Private Chick

    short-story · 2012

    Amazon ↗
Edited works (1)
  1. New Orleans Noir

    edited-anthology · 2007

    Amazon ↗
Collaborations (1)
  1. I'd Kill For That

    co-authored-novel · 2004

    Amazon ↗