Charles Ray Books in Order

Charles Ray connects practical leadership and management to the country wisdom he learned from his grandmother. This guide presents a direct approach to leading people, using familiar life lessons as a basis for working with others effectively.

Drawing on military and civilian government service, Charles Ray examines leadership through practical principles and real situations. He connects professional experience with the everyday philosophy of his rural Texas upbringing to consider what helps leaders get work done.

Pip grows up as an isolated foundling in Pandara, befriended only by the queen's councilor. Taken hostage by an emperor seeking to force the kingdom's surrender, he discovers a secret that could transform his country's future and his own.

Bullied and lonely Wallace Johnson meets a talking rat who helps him escape and introduces him to Underland. In a hidden realm beneath the city, an animal king sends him on a quest that challenges his understanding of himself.

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.

Charles Ray records his travels through Zimbabwe and the wider southern African region in a photographic journal. The collection presents places encountered along the journey through images, offering a visual account of his experiences in the region.

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.

Charles Ray considers the role of taking risks in pursuing success and personal fulfillment. Building on his earlier leadership writing, this nonfiction book examines the value of reaching for opportunities rather than allowing uncertainty to determine every choice.

Ninth Cavalry sergeant Ben Carter returns to East Texas to visit his father. Racism and guilt over leaving home complicate the reunion, while his adopted brother Toby and his father’s former owner challenge his assumptions about family.

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.

Sergeant Ben Carter and his Buffalo Soldiers are sent to protect Cactus Junction from cattle rustlers. Carrying out their mission in the West Texas town also means confronting local prejudice against the men charged with keeping its residents safe.

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.

Pip commands Pandara's army while Queen Daphne orders him to find a wife. As the Barbarian leader Tenkuk prepares an invasion, the gifted foundling must balance the kingdom's defense with a royal demand he finds equally daunting.

Lacey and Brittany plan a summer visit to their father with their friend Rachel. When Rachel cancels, the sisters decide to travel alone, setting off on a trip that exposes them to unexpected danger.

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.

Ben Carter joins the 9th Cavalry after the Civil War but struggles with settlers’ racism. Given one last chance to save his career, he leads a detachment protecting those settlers from Comanche attacks.

Wallace returns to the extraordinary world beneath the city in another adventure in Underland. The young boy’s discovery of this hidden realm leads him into a new story centered on the kingdom and its ruler.

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.

Ben Carter expects a respite when his Buffalo Soldiers receive escort assignments near Fort Union. Payroll thieves, a dangerous cattle drive, and a shipment of gold turn supposedly light duties into missions that test his resourcefulness and his men's survival.

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.

Ben Carter and his Buffalo Soldier detachment are ordered to help local authorities maintain peace in a New Mexico town. Their assignment places the soldiers alongside civilian law enforcement, extending their frontier responsibilities beyond ordinary military duties.

Ben Carter must pursue a dangerous Apache band while leading soldiers who have yet to prove themselves. The mission tests his command as he tries to complete the hunt without losing men whose abilities remain uncertain.

In a devastated future America, the rulers of New Liberty periodically cull the poor. Chosen for elimination, Hiroshi Jackson resists and escapes, carrying a secret that could challenge the order built on environmental catastrophe and repression.

Bounty hunters Esau Brown and Jacob Hardin hope to collect their reward and return to the mountains. Instead, a struggle between ranchers and farmers near Briscoe, New Mexico, pulls them into a frontier rapidly changing around them.

Charles Ray draws on experience in leadership and management to explain effective planning in accessible terms. The book considers how to prepare for things going wrong and approach alternative plans without relying on specialist terminology or elaborate theory.

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.

Drawing on six years living in Africa and visits to more than ten countries, Ray presents photographs of its people, wildlife and landscapes. The collection challenges familiar media images through scenes gathered across a diverse continent.

Pursuing an Apache band in New Mexico Territory, Ben Carter and his men discover that other deadly threats await them. Their mission becomes a rescue when they encounter a white cavalry detachment trapped near Dead Man's Gulch.

Shaken by a soldier's death, Ben Carter encounters an Apache youth searching for his kidnapped brother. Defying orders to return to Fort Union, he undertakes a rescue that tests his confidence and risks consequences beyond the outlaws he pursues.

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.

American ambassador David Morgan arrives in Naganda as a coup, economic turmoil and foreign interference unsettle the West African country. Facing oil interests, embassy rivalries and resistance from Washington, he must navigate a diplomatic assignment crowded with dangers.

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.

In 1875, newly appointed deputy marshal Bass Reeves begins pursuing fugitives across Indian Territory. This fictional account follows his first two years enforcing the law, drawing on his tracking skills, marksmanship, and knowledge of tribal languages.

American diplomats recount the hazards of their profession in their own words. Edited by a retired ambassador with thirty years in the Foreign Service, these accounts examine experiences and dangers that rarely appear in popular portrayals of diplomacy.

Samantha and her friends are enjoying a day at the park when a bully interrupts their games. Rather than let him spoil everything, Samantha uses her judgment to respond, turning a playground problem into a lesson in handling intimidation.

Baby Yak and Baby Yeti set out to explore the world together. As they discover what makes each of them different, their shared adventures show that those differences need not prevent companionship, curiosity, or the chance to become friends.

Ben Carter escorts a survey party from New Mexico to Yosemite, where its work could influence the national parks system. An uncertain replacement soldier and dangers hidden beneath the valley's beauty turn a closely watched assignment into a difficult command.

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.

The isolation of writing can turn insecurity into a barrier that prevents work from getting done. Ray offers practical, commonsense approaches to those doubts, focusing on overcoming the feelings that can lead a writer toward creative paralysis.

On a remote planet settled by the descendants of escaped convicts, ship repairer Cullen Park and his assistant Bitsy Jacobs face an approaching war. Keeping the human Federation and the reptilian Grok apart will demand ingenuity and diplomacy.

Retirees Ed Lazenby and Ernesto Cardoza discover their friend Violet is missing and a half-million-dollar ransom is demanded. Unable to pay and warned against involving police, they must locate her before their dwindling options run out.

Catie has a companion she considers her best friend, Mister Hop-Hop. Everyone else sees only a stuffed toy, but she knows there is more to their relationship, inviting young readers into the world of a child's imaginative friendship.

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.

Pip's responsibilities as army commander and expectant father leave him yearning for battlefield adventure. When a southern princess requests help against demons, he accepts the challenge and discovers that the dangers facing her kingdom extend beyond its supernatural enemies.

Photographs gathered during more than fifty years of travel record the sights that made Ray stop and raise his camera. This collection presents moments from around the world through the observations of a writer who rarely travels without one.

Stopping in Trinity after escort duty, Ben Carter finds a sheriff threatened by a lynch mob and a fugitive loose in the mountains. As he helps restore order, troubling discoveries make him question whether he is serving justice.

Black mountain man Caleb Johnson saves a former Confederate officer from a lynching in Colorado. When the rescued man hires him as a guide to Oregon, their uneasy relationship forces two very different men into a complicated journey together.

Cattlemen and sheep ranchers clash over grazing land near Coultrie, drawing Ben Carter and his soldiers between hostile factions. With hired gunfighters escalating the violence, he must prevent a range dispute from becoming a war that engulfs innocent townspeople.

A pony and a butterfly form an unlikely friendship that lasts through their adventures. As Boogs and Sweets meet new companions and expand their circle, they discover what it means to care for friends and build lasting connections.

Samantha cannot find Teddy, her favorite stuffed bear, and begins searching everywhere. Her hunt for the missing toy leads her toward an unexpected hiding place in a story about a child's attachment to a much-loved companion.

Ben Carter takes his Ninth Cavalry detachment into New Mexico's mountains to capture Grey Wolf, an Apache fighter known as the Ghost Warrior. A trail of violence and an elusive opponent make the mission harder than Carter anticipated.

Bored retiree Ed Lazenby reluctantly agrees to find a neighbor's missing grandson, despite tiring of his reputation as a hero. His friend Ernesto joins him, and an apparently simple favor pulls the pair into another unpredictable investigation.

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.

Grieving widower Bradley Matthews travels to the Chesapeake region and discovers the welcoming town of Copper Cove. Ignoring warnings about its lake, he becomes entangled in a community whose friendly surface conceals a deadly secret.

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.

An elderly retirement-community resident dies of an apparent heart attack, but her niece suspects murder and cannot find the will. Ed Lazenby and Ernie Cardoza investigate, drawing the amateur sleuths into another troubling case close to home.

Ben Carter and his Buffalo Soldiers expect a dull assignment retrieving their commander's piano after it is sent to the wrong fort. The journey to Fort Leavenworth instead becomes one of the unit's strangest and least predictable missions.

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.

Catie gets ready for her first day of nursery school and takes young readers through the day's experiences. This early reader combines a familiar childhood milestone with simple lessons about the habits that help children navigate a school day.

Louis Dumkowski keeps stumbling into trouble on Detroit's streets and pulling his best friend into the consequences. This collection follows his criminal entanglements and attempts to escape them, alongside other tales exploring unexpected turns in ordinary lives.

Diplomatic ethics become complicated when two lawful courses of action serve conflicting values. Drawing on decades of experience, Ray examines these dilemmas and the choices facing American diplomats who must work through moral uncertainty without a simple rulebook.

Two brothers dispute the division of their late father's ranch, threatening Oakton with a shooting war. Ben Carter arrives to help the sheriff, but hidden complications demand both his military judgment and his ability to negotiate peace.

Political cartoons respond to the Trump administration and the direction of the Republican Party in the twenty-first century. Ray combines his writing and illustration to present a satirical view of the political conduct that prompted his criticism.

Volunteering as a school tutor becomes dangerous when Ed Lazenby discovers the principal stabbed to death. Now a suspect himself, he must work out how the killer entered and escaped before determined detectives decide he is responsible.

A pharmaceutical company promotes a drug promising better memory, but Ed Lazenby worries about its side effects. When neighbors who take it begin dying, he must uncover what is happening and prevent further deaths in his community.

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.

Tommy introduces young readers to counting from one to ten in a picture book about early number skills. Alongside number words, children practice recognizing colors and familiar objects, connecting what they see with the numbers they are learning.

Pirate captain Elizabeth Parker rescues marooned naval officer Colin Worth, bringing together two people with a common enemy. Their growing attraction complicates a struggle for survival against the brutal captain of the USS Intrepid.

Successful rancher Ed Summerfield has no patience for Christmas. One holiday, three spirits visit him and lead him through a series of encounters that force him to reconsider his hardened attitudes and the life he has built.

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.

Women and people of color have often received limited attention in familiar accounts of American history. Ray introduces figures whose significant contributions deserve wider recognition, examining lives and achievements that school lessons and popular portrayals have frequently overlooked.

Photographs taken around the United States between 2012 and 2018 find subjects close to home and along ordinary routes. Ray explores how an attentive photographer can discover compelling scenes without traveling to distant or exotic locations.

Reluctantly joining an island camping tour off Maine, Ed Lazenby notices tension among the participants before one disappears. Suspecting murder, he helps a lone state policeman investigate a cunning opponent in an isolated setting where proof remains elusive.

After his partner’s death, homicide detective Greg Kildare leaves Washington for a quieter Chesapeake town. A series of murders draws him back into dangerous work alongside a carefree partner and former FBI profiler Alison Holloway.

During the War of 1812, Colin Worth joins Elizabeth Parker aboard the Vixen to disrupt British plans in the Caribbean. Outnumbered and threatened by an enemy agent, they must protect their family while confronting a formidable invasion force.

Nature photographs gathered between 2008 and 2018 bring together scenes from Africa and North America. Ray turns his camera toward birds, animals and flowers, presenting the variety of living subjects encountered across two continents over a decade.

Attacks on a railroad construction crew bring Ben Carter and his soldiers to the New Mexico border. With local Ute people blamed for the damage, he must protect the workers while preventing accusations from igniting a wider war.

Billie Holiday's career and defiance unfold against the early American war on drugs. This historical novel follows the singer as the government's campaign against her intersects with racism, public performance and her determination to make her voice heard.

Searching New Mexico's mountains for a missing geologist, Ben Carter encounters a boy raised in a secluded religious settlement. The child's fear of the soldiers points toward the lost expedition and forces Carter to confront prejudice on both sides.

Seeking peace after fighting British forces during the War of 1812, Colin Worth and pirate captain Elizabeth Parker sail into the Pacific. Their travels from Tahiti to China instead bring fresh treachery, conflict and the destructive opium trade.

When his friend Mazie Carter is kidnapped, Sheriff B.J. Kincaid sets out to rescue her. The abduction makes the case personal, placing someone he cares about at the center of his work as a Western lawman.

While delivering a fugitive in Eldorado, Jacob Blade witnesses a gang’s attack that leaves the sheriff badly wounded. Reluctantly accepting a deputy’s badge, he confronts a wealthy rancher and gunmen accustomed to controlling the town through violence.

An old man’s death near a forbidden canyon sends Sheriff B.J. Kincaid searching for a killer. Fear of ghosts grips Calabash Crossing, leaving her struggling to recruit a posse willing to venture into the place everyone dreads.

Can diplomats preserve their integrity while serving leaders who disregard truth and disrespect their work? Drawing on military and diplomatic experience, Ray examines the ethical tensions facing public servants under the Trump administration and the difficulty of remaining in their posts.

Bass Reeves encounters Katie Quantrill in a dangerous West still shadowed by the Civil War. Their meeting draws him into events shaped by laudanum, a drug whose lingering influence threatens lives long after the fighting has ended.