Order of Book Series
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John Lutz Books in Order

John Lutz has written 66 books, published between 1971 and 2022. The first book is The Truth of the Matter (1971) and the newest is Single White Female Seeks Same (2022). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
66
Published
1971–2022
Pages on record
13,610 in 39 of 66 books
Reading time
227–340 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 13,610 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 39 of 66 titles with a page count on record.

See all 66 books in order Printable John Lutz checklist
Photo of John Lutz, author

John Lutz (1939-2021) was an American writer in mystery, crime and suspense, with a career past fifty years, at least fifty books and roughly 250 short stories to it. Three private investigators carry the series work, Alo Nudger, Fred Carver and Frank Quinn, with St. Louis, Florida and New York among the settings. SWF Seeks Same, filmed in 1992 as Single White Female, is his best known title, and Lutz led both the Mystery Writers of America and the Private Eye Writers of America as president. The catalogue holds 66 books, from The Truth of the Matter (1971) to Single White Female Seeks Same (2022).

How many John Lutz books are there?

John Lutz has 66 books, released between 1971 and 2022. They include 5 series and 23 titles listed outside any series.

John Lutz Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 66 John Lutz 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 The Truth of the Matter by John Lutz (1971)
  2. Cover of Buyer Beware by John Lutz, book 1 of the Alo Nudger series (1976)
  3. Cover of Lazarus Man by John Lutz (1979)
  4. Cover of The Right to Sing the Blues by John Lutz, book 3 of the Alo Nudger series (1985)
  5. Cover of Scorcher by John Lutz, book 2 of the Fred Carver series (1987)
  6. Cover of Better Mousetraps by John Lutz (1988)
  7. Cover of Single White Female by John Lutz (1990)
  8. Cover of Diamond Eyes by John Lutz, book 7 of the Alo Nudger series (1990)
  9. Cover of Bloodfire by John Lutz, book 5 of the Fred Carver series (1991)
  10. Cover of Hot by John Lutz, book 6 of the Fred Carver series (1992)
  11. Cover of Dancing with the Dead by John Lutz (1992)
  12. Cover of Spark by John Lutz, book 7 of the Fred Carver series (1993)
  13. Cover of Torch by John Lutz, book 8 of the Fred Carver series (1994)
  14. Cover of Death By Jury by John Lutz, book 9 of the Alo Nudger series (1995)
  15. Cover of The Ex by John Lutz (1996)
  16. Cover of Until You Are Dead by John Lutz (1998)
  17. Cover of Oops! by John Lutz, book 10 of the Alo Nudger series (1998)
  18. Cover of The Night Caller by John Lutz, book 1 of the Night series (2001)
  19. Cover of The Nudger Dilemmas by John Lutz, book 1 of the Alo Nudger series (2001)
  20. Cover of The Night Watcher by John Lutz, book 2 of the Night series (2002)
  21. Cover of The Night Spider / Night Victims by John Lutz, book 3 of the Night series (2003)
  22. Cover of Endless Road, and Other Stories by John Lutz (2003)
  23. Cover of Darker Than Night by John Lutz, book 1 of the Frank Quinn series (2004)
  24. Cover of Chill of Night by John Lutz, book 5 of the Night series (2006)
  1. 1
    The Truth of the Matter1971 · 174 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1971174
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Buyer BewareAlo Nudger #11976 · 192 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1976192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Bonegrinder1977 · confirmed 2/4
    1977–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Lazarus Man1979 · 228 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1979228
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Jericho Man1980 · confirmed 2/4
    1980–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You1982 · confirmed 2/4
    1982–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Shadow Man1982 · confirmed 2/4
    1982–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Only One Way To Land1983 · confirmed 2/4
    1983–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The EyeOxman and Tobin Mysteries #11984 · 277 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984277
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    NightlinesAlo Nudger #21984 · 352 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Right to Sing the BluesAlo Nudger #31985 · 256 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1985256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Tropical HeatFred Carver #11986 · confirmed 2/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    ScorcherFred Carver #21987 · confirmed 2/4
    1987–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Ride the LightningAlo Nudger #41987 · confirmed 2/4
    1987–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Better Mousetraps1988 · 347 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988347
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    ShadowtownOxman and Tobin Mysteries #21988 · confirmed 2/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    KissFred Carver #31988 · 262 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988262
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Dancer's DebtAlo Nudger #51988 · confirmed 2/4
    1988–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    FlameFred Carver #41989 · 260 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989260
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Time ExposureAlo Nudger #61989 · confirmed 2/4
    1989–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Single White Female1990 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Diamond EyesAlo Nudger #71990 · 211 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990211
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    BloodfireFred Carver #51991 · confirmed 2/4
    1991–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    HotFred Carver #61992 · confirmed 2/4
    1992–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Dancing with the Dead1992 · 208 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    SparkFred Carver #71993 · 243 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993243
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Thicker Than BloodAlo Nudger #81993 · confirmed 2/4
    1993–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Shadows Everywhere1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    The Romantics1994 · confirmed 2/4
    1994–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    TorchFred Carver #81994 · 290 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994290
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

John Lutz 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.

Frank Quinn in order

13 books
  1. 1. Darker Than Night
  2. 2. In for the Kill
  3. 3. Night Kills
  4. 4. Other Than Murder
  5. 5. Urge To Kill
  6. 6. Mister X
  7. 7. Serial
  8. 8. Switch
  9. 9. Pulse
  10. 10. Twist
  11. 11. Frenzy
  12. 12. Carnage
  13. and 1 more in the table above

Alo Nudger in order

11 books
  1. 1. Buyer Beware
  2. 1. The Nudger Dilemmas
  3. 2. Nightlines
  4. 3. The Right to Sing the Blues
  5. 4. Ride the Lightning
  6. 5. Dancer's Debt
  7. 6. Time Exposure
  8. 7. Diamond Eyes
  9. 8. Thicker Than Blood
  10. 9. Death By Jury
  11. 10. Oops!

Fred Carver in order

10 books
  1. 1. Tropical Heat
  2. 2. Scorcher
  3. 3. Kiss
  4. 4. Flame
  5. 5. Bloodfire
  6. 6. Hot
  7. 7. Spark
  8. 8. Torch
  9. 9. Burn
  10. 10. Lightning

Night in order

5 books
  1. 1. The Night Caller
  2. 2. The Night Watcher
  3. 3. The Night Spider / Night Victims
  4. 4. Fear the Night
  5. 5. Chill of Night

Oxman and Tobin Mysteries in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Eye
  2. 2. Shadowtown

Thomas Laker in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Honorable Traitors
  2. 2. The Havana Game

Standalone books

23 books

23 John Lutz titles here are not listed as part of any series.

John Lutz Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the John Lutz books run from The Truth of the Matter (1971) to Single White Female Seeks Same (2022), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for John Lutz in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read John Lutz books in order?

You only need to read John Lutz books in order within each series: the books listed here span 5 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with John Lutz

Start with The Truth of the Matter (1971), the earliest published title.

What is the newest John Lutz book?

Single White Female Seeks Same (2022) is the newest John Lutz book released so far.

Is there a new John Lutz book coming?

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

Awards John Lutz has won

Wikidata records 2 awards for John Lutz. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Shamus Award1989Won
  • Edgar Awards1981Won

John Lutz at a glance

Paused
No new John Lutz title has appeared for 4 years. The last was published in 2022.
Release pace
John Lutz books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
13,610 pages across the 39 of 66 books with a recorded length, a median of 312 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John Lutz books, 19 of 66, were published in the 1990s.

What the John Lutz books are about

39 of the 66 John Lutz books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: private investigators is tagged on 21 of 39. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.