A Shot in the Dark Books in Order

A Shot in the Dark is a historical romantic mystery line built around Josh Lanyon's affection for old-school crime fiction. The key title here is This Rough Magic, which gives the series its voice, stylish, suspicious, and full of tension between a wealthy client and the private investigator he hires.

Brett Sheridan is the kind of man who looks like he should belong in a glossy society column. Neil Patrick Rafferty is the kind of man better equipped to notice what other people are hiding. When Brett hires Rafferty to recover a stolen Shakespeare folio and keep scandal away from his eccentric family, the story steps into a world of old money, performance, deception, and danger.

The pleasure of this series is not speed for its own sake. It is mood. Lanyon writes it with a fondness for classic crime rhythms, clipped dialogue, sharp surfaces, and emotional undercurrents that never quite stay underground. There is glamour, but the glamour is unstable. There are clever lines, but there is also real peril.

Because this corner of her work is historical, the romance matters differently too. Attraction carries risk beyond embarrassment. Secrecy is not just a personality problem, it is part of the world the characters live in. That gives the series a slightly more bittersweet, noir-tinged feel than her cozier books.

If you like private eyes, literary treasure hunts, and a polished period atmosphere without losing the human messiness, A Shot in the Dark is well worth your time.