Al Pennyback Mystery Books in Order

When a Chinese gangster he helped send to prison escapes, private investigator Al Pennyback becomes the target of a revenge campaign in Washington, D.C. The danger reaches beyond Al to threaten his friends.

After leaving the army, Al Pennyback works as a private detective in Washington, D.C. His first case centers on a murdered young man, drawing him out of isolation and into danger as he questions the police account.

A Chesapeake Bay outing turns dangerous when a guest is murdered at Dead Man’s Cove. Washington private investigator Al Pennyback must untangle the tensions among his fellow travelers before the killer strikes again.

A woman asks Al Pennyback why her supposedly dead fiancé answered his telephone. His investigation revives a disastrous military operation from his own past, while evidence suggests the missing man may be a murderer.

When Buster Mayweather witnesses a murder, a militia kidnaps his wife and Al Pennyback’s girlfriend to silence him. Al and Buster must rescue the women while stopping the group’s planned attack before time runs out.

Private investigator Al Pennyback investigates a mystery centered on an old Washington, D.C., mansion. This installment follows the detective through another case in the city where he works.

An unexpected inheritance brings Al Pennyback to Houston, where resentful relatives complicate his good fortune. A woman’s request to investigate her sister’s murder draws him into another case while he navigates his unfamiliar family connections.

A fishing trip draws Al Pennyback and Buster Mayweather into a murder investigation threatening racial violence. While helping clear their sheriff friend’s acquaintance, Al also joins an undercover agent to stop a militia planning an attack.

Fashion designer Franklin Pierre Honeywell hires Al Pennyback after receiving threats. When a client is murdered with scissors and a rival becomes a suspect, Al must untangle the jealousies and competing interests surrounding the fashion business.

Police rule a popular preacher’s death in his bathtub an accident, but his daughter refuses to accept their conclusion. She hires Washington private investigator Al Pennyback to investigate and find the killer she believes is responsible.

After a Washington socialite is found shot dead at home, her husband turns to Al Pennyback to prove his innocence. The private investigator’s search exposes family secrets and brings danger as he examines the murder.

Private investigator Al Pennyback confronts the Chinese mob in Washington, D.C. In the second story in his mystery series, his work brings him into conflict with organized crime.

Hired to protect a rising singer receiving death threats, Al Pennyback accompanies her band to Colombia. After a lookalike is murdered, he must identify the killer before the singer becomes the next victim.

A delayed honeymoon in Jamaica ends with Allison Naismith’s murder, and her father hires Al Pennyback to investigate. The case leads from a dangerous island encounter to Washington’s music industry, with a large trust at stake.

Al Pennyback and Sandra travel to Hawaii for the wedding of Quincy Chang’s cousin. Their celebration becomes a deadly investigation when a sniper threatens to kill the couple before they can exchange their vows.

A suspicious death at a retirement community brings Al Pennyback another investigation. With the deceased already cremated, the private detective must pursue the case without the physical evidence that might reveal how the victim died.

Al Pennyback reluctantly accepts a case involving a wealthy family when their handyman is accused of murdering a fiancée. Investigating the household’s tangled affairs challenges his judgment as he confronts the realities of money and influence.

Al Pennyback agrees to help a gang member marked for death after learning his boss exploits underage girls. When the gangster kidnaps Al’s assistant, he recruits a retired CIA agent to take on the mob.

Asked to locate a pharmaceutical heiress for her father’s will reading, Al Pennyback finds her living in isolation. A killer’s pursuit forces him to protect her while uncovering who wants to prevent her return.

A missing con man’s girlfriend hires Al Pennyback to bring him home, unaware that a mobster threatens his family. Al’s search soon puts him in the gangster’s sights as he races to find the fugitive first.

A series of murdered Washington cab drivers brings Al Pennyback and detective Buster Mayweather together. Their investigation meets official indifference and community apathy while drawing them into the dangerous dealings of smugglers and con men.

Fashion designer Calvin Rigg’s growing success is threatened by an extortionist demanding money and revenge. When the threats escalate to murder, Al Pennyback must protect his friend’s business and staff while identifying the caller.

DNA evidence clears an executed prisoner, and the judge who condemned him receives a threatening note. Hired to identify the sender, Al Pennyback uncovers deeper problems with the case as people connected to it begin dying.

Jackson Meredith hires Al Pennyback to find his wife, although her father has identified her body after a car crash. The apparent contradiction draws Al into a missing-person case that soon becomes a murder investigation.

An army colleague seeks Al Pennyback’s help after his wife dies in a bombing aimed at a criminal. In Pennsylvania, Al discovers rival gangs and possible official involvement, prompting him to reunite his old special operations team.

A military contract monitor vanishes after uncovering fraudulent drone tests, and his commander turns to Al Pennyback. With defense profits at stake, Al must penetrate the contractor’s secrets and locate a kidnapper before the missing man dies.

A wealthy client offers Al Pennyback a large fee to collect a valuable painting. What appears to be an easy delivery turns into a fight for survival when rogue Russian gangsters decide the investigator must die.

A writer hires Al Pennyback after his wife disappears during a visit to a Northern Virginia vineyard. With local police unable to explain her disappearance, Al examines the people involved and discovers dangers unrelated to wine.

A restaurant opening in upstate New York turns grim when its head chef is found dead in the freezer. Al Pennyback and Buster Mayweather investigate whether an accident or a longstanding local feud explains the death.

After Gabriel Birdsong is murdered, his granddaughter disappears without a clue to her whereabouts. Hired by her aunt, Al Pennyback searches Washington for the girl while uncovering disturbing secrets that complicate his determination to find her.

A suspicious offer to buy his cousin’s land brings Al Pennyback back to East Texas, where he vowed never to return. His inquiries uncover buried secrets and people prepared to kill to keep them hidden.

A wealthy fraud victim seeks Al Pennyback’s help after becoming a suspect in her swindler’s murder. Despite his misgivings about the client, Al investigates the real-estate scheme while a calculating killer threatens his own life.

Al Pennyback’s honeymoon is interrupted when he discovers a strangled woman on the Chesapeake shore. Ignoring police warnings to stay away, he investigates her identity and murder, uncovering a threat larger than the crime itself.

A yacht cruise turns into a struggle for survival when Al Pennyback and his friends witness drug smugglers at work. Pursued by criminals determined to silence them, they flee toward a cove Al remembers with dread.