Book Series Guide

Author guide

Raymond Chandler Books in Order

Raymond Thornton Chandler (1888–1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter whose work helped define hard-boiled detective fiction and film noir. He wrote seven completed Philip Marlowe novels, numerous pulp stories, essays on mystery fiction, and screenplays including Double Indemnity and The Blue Dahlia. His unfinished Marlowe novel Poodle Springs was completed after his death by Robert B. Parker.

crime fictionhardboiled detective fictionnoirscreenwritingliterary criticism

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep

The first Philip Marlowe novel and the natural entry point to Chandler's signature series.

Cover of The Simple Art of Murder

The Simple Art of Murder

A major standalone collection of Chandler's short fiction accompanied by his defining essay on mystery writing.

Read in order

Books by series

character-based novel series · concluded

Philip Marlowe

Raymond Chandler's detective fiction series featuring private investigator Philip Marlowe, including the posthumous completion of Chandler's unfinished final novel by Robert B. Parker.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of The Big Sleep
    The Big Sleep

    Book 1 · novel · 1939

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Farewell, My Lovely
    Farewell, My Lovely

    Book 2 · novel · 1940

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of The High Window
    The High Window

    Book 3 · novel · 1942

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    The Lady in the Lake

    Book 4 · novel · 1943

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5 Cover of The Little Sister
    The Little Sister

    Book 5 · novel · 1949

    Amazon ↗
  6. 6 Cover of The Long Goodbye
    The Long Goodbye

    Book 6 · novel · 1953

    Amazon ↗
  7. 7 Cover of Playback
    Playback

    Book 7 · novel · 1958

    Amazon ↗
  8. 8 Cover of Poodle Springs
    Poodle Springs

    Book 8 · novel · 1989 Optional

    Amazon ↗

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (1)
  1. The Notebooks of Raymond Chandler and English Summer: A Gothic Romance

    notebooks-and-fiction-collection · 1976

    Amazon ↗
Short fiction (12)
  1. Five Murderers

    short-story-collection · 1944

    Amazon ↗
  2. Five Sinister Characters

    short-story-collection · 1945

    Amazon ↗
  3. Cover of Red Wind
    Red Wind

    short-story-collection · 1946

    Amazon ↗
  4. Cover of Spanish Blood
    Spanish Blood

    short-story-collection · 1946

    Amazon ↗
  5. Cover of The Simple Art of Murder
    The Simple Art of Murder

    essay-and-short-story-collection · 1950

    Amazon ↗
  6. Cover of Trouble Is My Business
    Trouble Is My Business

    short-story-collection · 1950

    Amazon ↗
  7. Cover of Pick-Up on Noon Street
    Pick-Up on Noon Street

    short-story-collection · 1952

    Amazon ↗
  8. Cover of Smart-Aleck Kill
    Smart-Aleck Kill

    short-story-collection · 1953

    Amazon ↗
  9. Pearls Are a Nuisance

    short-story-collection · 1958

    Amazon ↗
  10. Cover of Killer in the Rain
    Killer in the Rain

    short-story-collection · 1964

    Amazon ↗
  11. Cover of The Smell of Fear
    The Smell of Fear

    short-story-collection · 1965

    Amazon ↗
Essays and speeches (1)
  1. Cover of Raymond Chandler Speaking
    Raymond Chandler Speaking

    letters-and-essays-collection · 1962

    Amazon ↗
Poetry (1)
  1. Cover of Chandler before Marlowe: Raymond Chandler's Early Prose and Poetry, 1908–1912
    Chandler before Marlowe: Raymond Chandler's Early Prose and Poetry, 1908–1912

    prose-and-poetry-collection · 1973

    Amazon ↗
Plays (1)
  1. Raymond Chandler's Unknown Thriller: The Screenplay of Playback

    screenplay · 1985

    Amazon ↗
Other (2)
  1. Raymond Chandler and James M. Fox: Letters

    letters · 1979

    Amazon ↗
  2. Backfire: Story for the Screen

    film-treatment · 1984

    Amazon ↗