Howard Owen Books in Order
Howard Owen has written 23 books, published between 1992 and 2024. The first book is Littlejohn (1992) and the newest is Laburnum (2024). Publication order is the reading order below. 13 of the 23 books listed here are in the Willie Black series, which has its own page: Willie Black books in order.
- Books
- 23
- Published
- 1992–2024
- Pages on record
- 3,523 in 15 of 23 books
- Reading time
- 59–88 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,523 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 15 of 23 titles with a page count on record.
Howard Owen, born March 1, 1949, is an American writer of literary fiction, mysteries and thrillers. Owen won the Hammett Prize from the International Association of Crime Writers in 2012. Willie Black is the recurring character, and reporting and murder investigation are among the subjects. The 23 catalogued books begin with Littlejohn (1992), include Oregon Hill (2012) and end with Laburnum (2024).
How many Howard Owen books are there?
Howard Owen has 23 books, released between 1992 and 2024. They include 2 series and 8 titles listed outside any series.
Howard Owen Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 23 Howard Owen books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 119922302/4
- 2Fat Lightning1994 · 181 pages · confirmed 2/419941812/4
- 3Answers to Lucky1996 · confirmed 2/41996–2/4
- 4The Measured Man1997 · 259 pages · confirmed 2/419972592/4
- 5Harry and Ruth2000 · 262 pages · confirmed 2/420002622/4
- 6The Rail2002 · 239 pages · confirmed 2/420022392/4
- 7Turn Signal2004 · 224 pages · confirmed 2/420042242/4
- 820072382/4
- 9Reckoning2010 · confirmed 2/42010–2/4
- 102012–2/4
- 1120132232/4
- 1220142242/4
- 1320152082/4
- 1420162452/4
- 1520172402/4
- 16Annie's Bones2018 · 264 pages · confirmed 2/420182642/4
- 172019–2/4
- 1820192542/4
- 192020–2/4
- 202021–2/4
- 2120212322/4
- 222023–2/4
- 232024–2/4
Howard Owen series in order
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Willie Black books in order 13 books
Howard Owen books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Littlejohn in order
2 books- 1. Littlejohn
- 2. Rock of Ages
Standalone books
8 books8 Howard Owen titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Howard Owen books in order?
You only need to read Howard Owen books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Howard Owen
Start with Oregon Hill (2012), the first Willie Black book. The earliest catalogued title overall is Littlejohn (1992).
What is the newest Howard Owen book?
Laburnum (2024) is the newest Howard Owen book released so far.
Is there a new Howard Owen book coming?
No next Howard Owen book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Howard Owen at a glance
- Still publishing
- Howard Owen published a book as recently as 2024.
- Release pace
- Howard Owen books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 3,523 pages across the 15 of 23 books with a recorded length, a median of 238 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Howard Owen books, 10 of 23, were published in the 2010s.
What the Howard Owen books are about
18 of the 23 Howard Owen books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: investigation is tagged on 6 of 18. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Investigation 6 of 18 books
- Murder 5 of 18 books
- Reporters and reporting 3 of 18 books
- American literature 2 of 18 books
- Baseball players 2 of 18 books
- Fathers and sons 2 of 18 books
- North Carolina 2 of 18 books