C.T. Ferguson Books in Order
Part ofTom Fowler Books in OrderSee the C.T. Ferguson books in order by Tom Fowler, with quick summaries, series background, and advice on where to start this Baltimore PI series.
Last updated: July 2, 2026
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C.T. Ferguson books in publication order
21 books
The Reluctant Detective
by Tom Fowler
2017
Former gray-hat hacker C.T. Ferguson takes his first Baltimore PI case, expecting a routine cheating-spouse job. Instead he uncovers darker trouble, and his first client may get him killed.
Already Guilty
by Tom Fowler
2018
When a police officer is murdered and the cops move fast on a suspect, C.T. wants no part of it. Then violence drags him in, and he starts questioning the official story.
The Unknown Devil
by Tom Fowler
2018
A missing programmer and a crime boss eager to modernize pull C.T. into dangerous territory. As he tracks digital clues through Baltimore, he finds the underworld closer than he thought.
The Workers of Iniquity
by Tom Fowler
2018
A missing husband and a drained bank account send C.T. after loan sharks and worse. What begins as a family problem opens into a brutal trafficking case with ugly stakes.
A March from Innocence
by Tom Fowler
2019
A troubled girl disappears into Baltimore's grimmest corners, and C.T. goes looking for her. The trail leads through pimps, predators, and neighborhoods where one wrong move can be fatal.
Daughters and Sons
by Tom Fowler
2019
C.T. is already deep in a case when shocking personal news throws him off balance. Pushing past the hit to his private life, he keeps chasing justice for both the living and the dead.
Inside Cut
by Tom Fowler
2019
College star Calvin Murray seems to be buckling under pressure, and his mother wants answers. C.T.'s investigation into possible point-shaving opens onto something much dirtier than a sports scandal.
In The Blood
by Tom Fowler
2020
C.T. takes a case that reaches into old loyalties, buried histories, and violence that feels almost hereditary. The farther he pushes, the more personal and dangerous the truth becomes.
The Next Girl
by Tom Fowler
2020
Pretty blonde girls are vanishing across Maryland, and Ashleigh's desperate parents turn to C.T. for help. Soon he is racing a killer who keeps choosing the next victim before the police can catch up.
A Handful of Dust
by Tom Fowler
2021
Still recovering from a brutal shooting, C.T. investigates the murder of a young woman. The case leads toward dirty cops, hard choices, and a city that suddenly feels less safe than ever.
Dead Cat Bounce
by Tom Fowler
2021
A rambling witness talks about a dead man at a tech company, and C.T. nearly dismisses him. Then a widow hires him to investigate her husband's murder, and the strange story turns deadly.
Right as Rain
by Tom Fowler
2021
Still healing from earlier violence, C.T. takes on the murder of a young woman and finds himself staring at police corruption. To solve it, he has to trust instincts that are not fully back yet.
Don't Say Her Name
by Tom Fowler
2022
A young woman wants answers about the father who vanished twelve years earlier, and C.T. takes the long-cold case. Digging into the past stirs up secrets that were meant to stay buried.
Night Comes Down
by Tom Fowler
2022
A winter blackout drops Baltimore into darkness, and C.T. recognizes the signs of a ransomware attack. To stop the chaos, he goes undercover with the hackers behind it.
Concrete Angels
by Tom Fowler
2023
A beloved priest is murdered, and C.T. is asked to find out why. As he and T.J. dig into the man's past, they uncover dangerous secrets reaching through the city.
Conduct Unbecoming
by Tom Fowler
2023
A councilman and a respected teacher are found murdered together in a hotel room, though they seem to have no reason to be there. C.T. and T.J. dig through a carefully staged lie.
Bleeding into Winter
by Tom Fowler
2024
As snow buries Baltimore, a killer keeps targeting local women and leaving C.T. few usable clues. The case grows even riskier when T.J. considers putting herself in the line of fire.
Unreasonable Doubt
by Tom Fowler
2024
A string of bombings targets criminals who walked free on technicalities, and plenty of people quietly approve. C.T. has to stop the bomber before public anger turns deadly common sense into martyrdom.
Digging in the Dark
by Tom Fowler
2025
A true crime podcaster asks C.T. to revisit an old murder case, and the job gets personal fast. If he is right, an innocent man went to prison and the real killer is still loose.
A Killer View
by Tom Fowler
2026
C.T. and Gloria head to a private island for a destination wedding that should be a break from work. Then a guest turns up murdered, and the celebration becomes a trap.
The Deep Freeze
by Tom Fowler
2026
Captain Sharpe pulls C.T. into a fifteen-year-old murder that refuses to stay cold. As links to other killings appear, the case hardens into a hunt for a serial killer.
C.T. Ferguson books in chronological order

The Reluctant Detective
by Tom Fowler
2017C.T. Ferguson, Book 1
The Unknown Devil
by Tom Fowler
2018C.T. Ferguson, Book 2
The Workers of Iniquity
by Tom Fowler
2018C.T. Ferguson, Book 3
Already Guilty
by Tom Fowler
2018C.T. Ferguson, Book 4
Daughters and Sons
by Tom Fowler
2019C.T. Ferguson, Book 5
A March from Innocence
by Tom Fowler
2019C.T. Ferguson, Book 6
Inside Cut
by Tom Fowler
2019C.T. Ferguson, Book 7
The Next Girl
by Tom Fowler
2020C.T. Ferguson, Book 8
In The Blood
by Tom Fowler
2020C.T. Ferguson, Book 9
A Handful of Dust
by Tom Fowler
2021C.T. Ferguson, Book 10
Right as Rain
by Tom Fowler
2021C.T. Ferguson, Book 11
Dead Cat Bounce
by Tom Fowler
2021C.T. Ferguson, Book 12
Don't Say Her Name
by Tom Fowler
2022C.T. Ferguson, Book 13
Night Comes Down
by Tom Fowler
2022C.T. Ferguson, Book 14
Concrete Angels
by Tom Fowler
2023C.T. Ferguson, Book 15
Conduct Unbecoming
by Tom Fowler
2023C.T. Ferguson, Book 16
Bleeding into Winter
by Tom Fowler
2024C.T. Ferguson, Book 17
Unreasonable Doubt
by Tom Fowler
2024C.T. Ferguson, Book 18
Digging in the Dark
by Tom Fowler
2025C.T. Ferguson, Book 19
The Deep Freeze
by Tom Fowler
2026C.T. Ferguson, Book 20
A Killer View
by Tom Fowler
2026C.T. Ferguson, Book 21
Series background & context
C.T. Ferguson is a Baltimore private investigator, but he is not the trench coat, empty-wallet kind. He comes into the series with money, brains, and a past as a hacker, which gives the books a fun angle right away. At the start, he is pushed into doing something useful with his life, and detective work becomes the strange compromise that sticks. That setup gives the series room to be witty, skeptical, and surprisingly warm.
He also has a habit of finding the worst possible version of a case.
The books stay rooted in Baltimore. That matters. Rowhouses, bars, churches, restaurants, college gyms, police offices, and rougher stretches of the city all feel like part of the machinery of the stories. Some cases start small, a missing husband, a frightened parent, a dead-end lead, and then widen into something much uglier. Across the series, C.T. deals with gangsters, loan sharks, traffickers, corrupt officials, serial predators, and even a citywide cyberattack.
What makes C.T. different from a lot of private eyes is the mix of old-school stubbornness and modern technical skill. He can talk to people, read a room, and throw a punch when he has to, but he can also follow a digital trail, crack open a hidden connection, or use his gray-hat background to get at the truth from another angle. The books never forget that he pays for his risks, though. He gets hurt. He gets cornered. He guesses wrong sometimes.
That balance is a big part of the appeal. So is the supporting cast. His cousin Rich works in homicide, which means family dinners and criminal investigations can collide in awkward ways. Gloria becomes one of the emotional anchors of the series. Later books also make more room for T.J., whose growth from secretary to real investigative partner changes the feel of the stories in a good way. The more these relationships deepen, the more the series feels like a lived-in world rather than a stack of isolated mysteries.
The tone is brisk and sharp. C.T. is funny, but not because the danger is fake. He cracks wise because it is how he handles pressure, guilt, vanity, and fear. The cases can get dark, but the books do not wallow. They move. There is action, there is sleuthing, and there is usually a moment where C.T. realizes the problem is bigger than the client first admitted.
If you want the cleanest starting point, begin with The Reluctant Detective. It introduces the setup, the city, and C.T.'s voice. From there the series expands naturally through books like Inside Cut, The Next Girl, Night Comes Down, and Digging in the Dark. Each one stands on its own, but reading in order lets you watch C.T. grow up a little, get bruised a lot, and slowly build a life around the job he never expected to keep.*
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.















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