Order of Book Series
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Joseph Wambaugh Books in Order

Joseph Wambaugh has written 21 books, published between 1970 and 2012. The first book is The New Centurions (1970) and the newest is Harbor Nocturne (2012). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
21
Published
1970–2012
Confirmed
21 of 21 titles
Pages on record
7,358 in 19 of 21 books
Reading time
123–184 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 7,358 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 19 of 21 titles with a page count on record.

See all 21 books in order Printable Joseph Wambaugh checklist
Photo of Joseph Wambaugh, author of the Hollywood Station series

Los Angeles policing is Joseph Wambaugh's subject, written as police procedurals and as true-crime case studies. The New Centurions (1970) opens the catalogue, followed by The Blue Knight (1972), The Onion Field (1973), The Choirboys (1976) and The Black Marble (1977), with the Hollywood Station books later in the run. Twenty-one catalogued titles end at Harbor Nocturne in 2012.

Joseph Wambaugh is a former police officer, and his novels draw on his law-enforcement experience to depict both the emotional weight and the humor of police work.

How many Joseph Wambaugh books are there?

Joseph Wambaugh has 21 books, released between 1970 and 2012. 5 of them belong to the Hollywood Station series.

Joseph Wambaugh Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 21 Joseph Wambaugh books in the order they were released, 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 New Centurions by Joseph Wambaugh (1970)
  2. Cover of The Blue Knight by Joseph Wambaugh (1972)
  3. Cover of The Choirboys by Joseph Wambaugh (1976)
  4. Cover of The Black Marble by Joseph Wambaugh (1977)
  5. Cover of The Glitter Dome by Joseph Wambaugh (1981)
  6. Cover of The Delta Star by Joseph Wambaugh (1983)
  7. Cover of Lines and Shadows by Joseph Wambaugh (1984)
  8. Cover of Echoes in the Darkness by Joseph Wambaugh (1987)
  9. Cover of Blooding, The by Joseph Wambaugh (1989)
  10. Cover of The Golden Orange by Joseph Wambaugh (1990)
  11. Cover of Fugitive Nights by Joseph Wambaugh (1992)
  12. Cover of Finnegan's Week by Joseph Wambaugh (1993)
  13. Cover of Floaters by Joseph Wambaugh (1996)
  14. Cover of Fire Lover by Joseph Wambaugh (2002)
  15. Cover of Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaugh, book 1 of the Hollywood Station series (2006)
  16. Cover of Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh, book 2 of the Hollywood Station series (2008)
  17. Cover of Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh, book 3 of the Hollywood Station series (2009)
  18. Cover of Hollywood Hills by Joseph Wambaugh, book 4 of the Hollywood Station series (2010)
  19. Cover of Harbor Nocturne by Joseph Wambaugh, book 5 of the Hollywood Station series (2012)
  1. 1
    The New Centurions1970 · 528 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1970528
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Blue Knight1972 · 400 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1972400
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Onion Field1973 · 492 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1973492
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Choirboys1976 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1976416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Black Marble1977 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1977416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Glitter Dome1981 · 305 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1981305
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Delta Star1983 · 291 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1983291
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Lines and Shadows1984 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1984416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Secrets of Harry Bright1985 · confirmed 3/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Echoes in the Darkness1987 · 370 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1987370
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Blooding, The1989 · 428 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1989428
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Golden Orange1990 · 381 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1990381
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Fugitive Nights1992 · 349 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992349
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Finnegan's Week1993 · 335 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1993335
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Floaters1996 · 291 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1996291
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Fire Lover2002 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Hollywood StationHollywood Station #12006 · 417 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2006417
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Hollywood CrowsHollywood Station #22008 · 431 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2008431
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Hollywood MoonHollywood Station #32009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Hollywood HillsHollywood Station #42010 · 356 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2010356
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Harbor NocturneHollywood Station #52012 · 320 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2012320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Joseph Wambaugh 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.

Hollywood Station in order

5 books
  1. 1. Hollywood Station
  2. 2. Hollywood Crows
  3. 3. Hollywood Moon
  4. 4. Hollywood Hills
  5. 5. Harbor Nocturne

Standalone books

16 books

16 Joseph Wambaugh titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Joseph Wambaugh Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Joseph Wambaugh books run from The New Centurions (1970) to Harbor Nocturne (2012), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Joseph Wambaugh in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Joseph Wambaugh books in order?

You only need to read Joseph Wambaugh books in order within the Hollywood Station series, which holds 5 of the 21 Joseph Wambaugh books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Joseph Wambaugh

Start with The New Centurions (1970), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Joseph Wambaugh book?

Harbor Nocturne (2012) is the newest Joseph Wambaugh book released so far.

Is there a new Joseph Wambaugh book coming?

No next Joseph Wambaugh 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 Joseph Wambaugh has won

Wikidata records 1 award for Joseph Wambaugh. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Edgar Awards1974Won

Joseph Wambaugh at a glance

Died
Joseph Wambaugh died in 2025, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Joseph Wambaugh on record dates from 2012.
Release pace
Joseph Wambaugh books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
7,358 pages across the 19 of 21 books with a recorded length, a median of 400 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Joseph Wambaugh books, 6 of 21, were published in the 1980s.

What the Joseph Wambaugh books are about

All 21 Joseph Wambaugh books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 12 of 21. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.