Joe Coughlin Books in Order
Get the Joe Coughlin books by Dennis Lehane in order, with quick plot notes, a bit of historical context, and simple guidance on how to follow this crime saga.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
3 books
The Given Day
by Dennis Lehane
2008
Set in Boston and Tulsa at the end of World War I, this novel follows patrolman Danny Coughlin and Black laborer Luther Laurence through labor unrest, racism, and political crackdowns. Their lives intersect around the 1919 Boston police strike, where loyalty, survival, and justice collide.
Live by Night
by Dennis Lehane
2012
Joe Coughlin, the rebellious son of a respected Boston police captain, turns from petty theft to Prohibition-era bootlegging. Prison, gang alliances, and a posting to rum-soaked Tampa transform him into a powerful crime boss, even as love and conscience threaten to undo his hard-won empire.
World Gone By
by Dennis Lehane
2015
Ten years after building a bootlegging empire, Joe Coughlin now serves as trusted consigliere to a Tampa crime family and devoted father to his young son. Warned that someone close has ordered his murder, he has two weeks to untangle shifting loyalties before the past collects its debt.
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