Ross Macdonald published 33 novels, 1 novella and 2 short story collections, beginning with The Drowning Pool (1950). 25 feature Lew Archer.
Updated September 2026
Books featuring Lew Archer (25)
The Moving Target (1949)
The Drowning Pool (1950)
The Way Some People Die (1951)
The Ivory Grin (1952)
Find a Victim (1954)
The Barbarous Coast (1956)
The Doomsters (1958)
The Galton Case (1959)
The Wycherly Woman (1961)
The Zebra-Striped Hearse (1962)
The Chill (1963)
The Far Side of the Dollar (1964)
Black Money (1996)
The Instant Enemy (1968)
The Goodbye Look (1969)
The Underground Man (1971)
Sleeping Beauty (1973)
The Blue Hammer (1976)
Blue City (1947)
Archer at Large (1970)
Archer in Jeopardy (1979)
Lew Archer Private Investigator (1988)
Strangers in Town (2001)
Archer, P.I (2009)
The Archer Files (2015)
Where to start with Ross Macdonald
Start here
The Drowning Pool
Ross Macdonald's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The Three Roads (1948)
Harper (1950)
Meet Me at the Morgue (1953)
The Ferguson Affair (1960)
Trouble Follows Me (1972)
Another Perfect Day (2005)
The Dark Tunnel (2013)
Time Flies (2022)
Novellas in order
Self-portrait, Ceaselessly into the Past (1981)
Short story collections in order
The Name Is Archer (1966)
On Crime Writing (1973)
Film and TV adaptations
- Blue City (1986)Film · from Blue City
- Harper (1966)Film · from The Moving Target
- The Drowning Pool (1975)Film · from The Drowning Pool
About Ross Macdonald
Kenneth Millar, known mainly by the pseudonym Ross Macdonald, was an American-Canadian writer of crime fiction. He is best known for his series of hardboiled novels set in Southern California and featuring private detective Lew Archer. Since the 1970s, Macdonald's works have received attention in academic circles for their psychological depth, sense of place, use of language, sophisticated imagery and integration of philosophy into genre fiction. Brought up in the province of Ontario, Canada, Macdonald eventually settled in the state of California, where he died in 1983.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ross Macdonald FAQ
- How many books has Ross Macdonald written?
- Ross Macdonald published 33 novels, 1 novella and 2 short story collections that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Ross Macdonald's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Drowning Pool.
- What is Ross Macdonald's last book?
- Self-portrait, Ceaselessly into the Past (1981).
- What is Ross Macdonald's most famous book?
- The Drowning Pool (1950) is Ross Macdonald's most widely read book.
- Which Ross Macdonald books have been adapted?
- 3 books have been adapted for film or TV, including Blue City (film, 1986), The Moving Target (as Harper, film, 1966) and The Drowning Pool (film, 1975).
Authors like Ross Macdonald
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.