# Is "Fair Warning" by Michael Connelly a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fair Warning by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, 2020) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line descending to 1; issued in a priced dust jacket that on first-state copies retains its printed price unclipped. US Little, Brown and Company is the true first (published May 26, 2020); the third Jack McEvoy novel, after The Poet and The Scarecrow.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line descending to 1; issued in a priced dust jacket that on first-state copies retains its printed price unclipped
- First US printing carries ISBN 9780316539425
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Connelly |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Year | 2020 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line descending to 1; issued in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line descending to 1; issued in a priced dust jacket that on first-state copies retains its printed price unclipped. First US printing carries ISBN 9780316539425.

## Is this the true first?
US Little, Brown and Company is the true first (published May 26, 2020); the third Jack McEvoy novel, after The Poet and The Scarecrow. UK Orion editions are separate. Note that a separate Easton Press signed leather-bound edition also exists and is not the trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None significant.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fair Warning* by Michael Connelly a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fair-warning
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.