BookRank

Reading order

Underworld USA Trilogy reading order

James Ellroy

  1. American Tabloid1995
  2. The Cold Six Thousand2001
  3. Blood's a Rover2009
7.77.7 / 10
65 ratings
Score
3 volumes
Volumes
1995–2009
Published
about 35 h
Reading time
Completed
Status
Crime & mystery
Genre

Quick answer

American Tabloid
Start withAmerican Tabloid1995
Open the volume →Buy the first volumeListen to the audiobook

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Publication order

3 volumes1995–2009Completed

A plan for the whole series

3 volumes, 1,976 pages, about 35 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 weeks.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around December 24, 2026, 7 days later than in one go.

  1. Stage 111 h14 daysby November 12, 2026
  2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 16, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
  3. Stage 213 h17 daysby December 3, 2026
  4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 7, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
  5. Stage 313 h17 daysby December 24, 2026
  6. The end of the series
    December 24, 2026
In one goDecember 16, 2026about 7 weeks
In stages, with breaksDecember 24, 2026about 8 weeks · +4 h of other books

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

How this plan is calculated

The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →

Every volume in order

Read: 0 of 3
  1. American Tabloid
    American Tabloid1995 · 65 ratingsStart here
    7.77.7 / 10
  2. The Cold Six Thousand
    The Cold Six Thousand2001 · 20 ratings · Not ranked yet
    –Not ranked yet
  3. Blood's a Rover
    Blood's a Rover2009 · 12 ratings · Not ranked yet
    –Not ranked yet

Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Which Underworld USA Trilogy book is the longest?

“Blood's a Rover” is the longest at 696 pages; the shortest is “American Tabloid” with 592 pages.

What should I read after Underworld USA Trilogy?

Other series by James Ellroy: L.A. Quartet, Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy.

More series by James Ellroy

All books by James Ellroy in order →

L.A. Quartet
7.77.7 / 10
L.A. QuartetJames Ellroy237 ratings
Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy
Lloyd Hopkins TrilogyJames Ellroy