Order of Book Series
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J. Carson Black Books in Order

J. Carson Black has written 20 books, published between 1990 and 2018. The first book is Darkscope (1990) and the newest is Vicious Cycle (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
20
Published
1990–2018
Confirmed
1 of 20 titles
Pages on record
2,391 in 8 of 20 books
See all 20 books in order Printable J. Carson Black checklist

J. Carson Black is a crime and mystery novelist with 20 books catalogued from Darkscope (1990) to Vicious Cycle (2018). Laura Cardinal appears among the characters, and the J. Carson Black series are Cyril Landry and Maggie O'Neil. Policewomen, assassins, horse racing and celebrities feature in the subjects, with Arizona and Colorado as settings. The Desert Waits, The Tombstone Rose and The Shop are other titles.

How many J. Carson Black books are there?

J. Carson Black has 20 books, released between 1990 and 2018. They include 2 series and 10 titles listed outside any series.

J. Carson Black Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 20 J. Carson Black 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.

  1. Cover of Dark Horse by J. Carson Black (1995)
  2. Cover of Darkness on the Edge of Town by J. Carson Black, book 1 of the Laura Cardinal series (2005)
  3. Cover of Dark Side of the Moon by J. Carson Black, book 2 of the Laura Cardinal series (2006)
  4. Cover of The Shop by J. Carson Black, book 1 of the Cyril Landry series (2011)
  5. Cover of Icon by J. Carson Black (2012)
  6. Cover of The Survivors Club by J. Carson Black (2013)
  7. Cover of Hard Return by J. Carson Black, book 2 of the Cyril Landry series (2014)
  1. 1
    Darkscope1990 · 1 pages · confirmed 2/4
    19901
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Dark Horse1995 · 381 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1995381
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Desert Waits1996 · confirmed 2/4
    1996–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Tombstone Rose2000 · confirmed 2/4
    2000–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Darkness on the Edge of TownLaura Cardinal #12005 · 258 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2005258
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Dark Side of the MoonLaura Cardinal #22006 · 384 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2006384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Devil's HourLaura Cardinal #32007 · confirmed 2/4
    2007–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Pony Rides2011 · confirmed 2/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The BlueLight Special2011 · confirmed 2/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The ShopCyril Landry #12011 · 363 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2011363
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Icon2012 · 330 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2012330
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Superstitions2012 · confirmed 2/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Roadside AttractionMaggie O'Neil #12013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Cry WolfLaura Cardinal #42013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Survivors Club2013 · 353 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2013353
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Flight 12Flight 12 Begins #22014 · confirmed 3/4
    2014–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Hard ReturnCyril Landry #22014 · 321 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2014321
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Spectre BlackCyril Landry #32015 · confirmed 2/4
    2015–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Bad Mojo2017 · confirmed 2/4
    2017–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Vicious CycleMaggie O'Neil #22018 · confirmed 2/4
    2018–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

J. Carson Black 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.

Laura Cardinal in order

4 books
  1. 1. Darkness on the Edge of Town
  2. 2. Dark Side of the Moon
  3. 3. The Devil's Hour
  4. 4. Cry Wolf

Cyril Landry in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Shop
  2. 2. Hard Return
  3. 3. Spectre Black

Maggie O'Neil in order

2 books
  1. 1. Roadside Attraction
  2. 2. Vicious Cycle

Flight 12 Begins in order

1 book
  1. 2. Flight 12

Standalone books

10 books

10 J. Carson Black titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read J. Carson Black books in order?

You only need to read J. Carson Black 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 J. Carson Black

Start with Darkscope (1990), the earliest published title.

What is the newest J. Carson Black book?

Vicious Cycle (2018) is the newest J. Carson Black book released so far.

Is there a new J. Carson Black book coming?

No next J. Carson Black book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

J. Carson Black at a glance

No recent titles
The newest J. Carson Black title on record dates from 2018, 8 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
J. Carson Black books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
2,391 pages across the 8 of 20 books with a recorded length, a median of 342 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most J. Carson Black books, 13 of 20, were published in the 2010s.

What the J. Carson Black books are about

9 of the 20 J. Carson Black books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: crime is tagged on 3 of 9. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.