Chris Jordan Books in Order
Explore Chris Jordan books in order, with quick summaries, pseudonym series guides, and simple advice on where to start reading Rodman Philbrick's work.
Last updated: July 9, 2026
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Publication Order
51 books
Shadow Kills
by Chris Jordan
1985
Wheelchair-bound writer J.D. Hawkins finds himself stalked and taunted by a serial killer. It is a sharp, dangerous opener that drops him straight into fear and pursuit.
Ice for the Eskimo
by Chris Jordan
1986
A kidnapping, a dead private investigator, and ugly secrets in the Boston police and the Catholic Church drive this J.D. Hawkins case. Hawkins and Megan have to solve it if they want to survive.
The Neon Flamingo
by Chris Jordan
1987
T.D. Stash stumbles into a Key West mess involving kidnapping, drugs, a fading country star, and a killer loose in the mangroves. Laid-back scenery gives way to real menace fast.
The Crystal Blue Persuasion
by Chris Jordan
1988
A con man, an underwater treasure hunt, and a hurricane are more than enough trouble for T.D. Stash. This Key West mystery mixes greed, weather, and bad decisions at a lively clip.
Paint It Black
by Chris Jordan
1989
J.D. Hawkins lands in the middle of murder and mayhem on a movie set. Behind the lights and performance, someone is playing a much darker game.
Pulse
by Chris Jordan
1989
In remote Maine, pathologist Susan Cullen investigates bizarre illnesses, power surges, and corpses that do not stay properly dead. The answer points to a secret experiment spiraling out of control.
Tough Enough
by Chris Jordan
1989
T.D. Stash gets pulled into a lethal mess involving developers, killers, alligators, and a little girl determined to face her mother's murder. Key West and the Everglades add plenty of heat and danger.
The Big Chip
by Chris Jordan
1990
A graphic-novel caper about a plot to steal microchips, this story keeps the action quick and visual. It plays like a compact tech thriller built around sabotage and pursuit.
The Seventh Sleeper
by Chris Jordan
1991
A nightmare vision of death and rebirth turns into a dark survival thriller about transformation and lost identity. The dread comes from a terrifying new order that feels closer to the grave than life.
Walk on the Water
by Chris Jordan
1991
J.D. Hawkins investigates the suspicious death of crime writer Howard Holton and the secrets surrounding novelist Fiona Darling. What starts as a drowning case opens into greed, betrayal, and danger.
Hunger
by Chris Jordan
1992
The Florida Keys become hunting water for genetically altered mako sharks that are smarter and deadlier than they should be. This is Philbrick in full creature-thriller mode.
Brothers and Sinners
by Chris Jordan
1993
Two brothers running a Boston detective agency are bound by ambition, family loyalty, and their attraction to the same woman. Passion, betrayal, and murder do the rest.
Freak the Mighty
by Chris Jordan
1993
Max and Kevin are both outsiders, but together they become Freak the Mighty. Their friendship turns pain, bullying, and fear into something brave and unforgettable.
Nine Levels Down
by Chris Jordan
1995
Notorious killer John Chester Marlon volunteers for a brain implant meant to shut down his violence. Instead, the experiment opens the door to a chilling high-tech nightmare.
The Final Nightmare
by Chris Jordan
1995
Jason goes searching for the truth about Bobby's death, hoping it will finally break the power of the house on Cherry Street. To end the haunting, he and Sally have to go back inside.
The Haunting
by Chris Jordan
1995
Jason and his little sister Sally arrive at a perfect seaside summer house, but Jason knows at once something is wrong. A dead boy's ghost and the house's dark past make the vacation terrifying.
The Horror
by Chris Jordan
1995
Jason and Sally survive the house once, only to face something worse when their parents leave them with a babysitter. Bobby the ghost grows closer to Sally, and the danger becomes much more direct.
Children of the Wolf
by Chris Jordan
1996
Rescued from the werewolves who want him, Gruff tries to live with a human family in Fox Hollow. But the next full moon is coming, and so is the change he fears most.
Night Creature
by Chris Jordan
1996
Gruff was born human but raised by wolves, and now something monstrous is waking inside him. As he edges closer to the human world, he realizes he may not belong anywhere.
The Fire Pony
by Chris Jordan
1996
Two brothers on the run cross dangerous country with an extraordinary pony and a secret that keeps closing in behind them. It is a fast, high-stakes adventure with family at its center.
The Wereing
by Chris Jordan
1996
Gruff wants to protect the family that took him in, but the wereing inside him keeps growing stronger. When werewolves target Fox Hollow, the fight becomes personal and urgent.
Strange Invaders
by Chris Jordan
1997
After a glowing night storm, twins Nick and Jessie realize the adults in town are acting like strangers. With their friend Frasier, they may be the only ones who can stop an alien takeover.
Things
by Chris Jordan
1997
Jessie has been taken, the adults are still under alien control, and Nick and Frasier are running out of time. To save her, they may have to enter the invaders' hidden nest themselves.
Visitors
by Chris Jordan
1997
This edition of the opening Visitors story throws Nick, Jessie, and Frasier into an alien invasion after a strange storm. With adults acting wrong and danger spreading fast, the kids have to fight back alone.
Abduction
by Chris Jordan
1998
Luke and Mandy start losing hours and sharing terrifying hallucinations they cannot explain. As a creepy classmate circles closer, alien abduction stops sounding impossible.
Max the Mighty
by Chris Jordan
1998
Maxwell Kane is still carrying the loss of Kevin when he helps Rachel flee her abusive stepfather. Their escape turns into a tense road story about courage, loyalty, and finding your own strength.
Dark Matter
by Chris Jordan
2000
A famous astrophysicist's death may not be an accident at all. As the mystery deepens, the search for a scientific breakthrough turns into a dangerous hunt for truth.
Rem World
by Chris Jordan
2000
Arthur Woodbury finds himself trapped in REM World, where nothing is as it first appears. To get out, he may have to save the place he barely understands.
The Last Book in the Universe
by Chris Jordan
2000
On a shattered future Earth, epileptic street kid Spaz teams up with an old man called Ryter to save his sister. Their journey through a broken world asks what still makes life worth living.
The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds
by Chris Jordan
2001
Fifteen-year-old orphan Douglas Allen Deeds joins the Donner Party dreaming of a new life in California. His journal records hope, hardship, and the slow slide into one of the most infamous survival disasters in American history.
Coffins
by Chris Jordan
2002
A small Maine seaport on the eve of the Civil War hides an old darkness that refuses to stay buried. This gothic horror story builds dread through superstition, secrecy, and violence.
The Young Man And The Sea
by Chris Jordan
2004
After his mother's death, twelve-year-old Skiff Beaman refuses to let his family sink with the boat tied to their livelihood. His answer is bold and dangerous: go after a giant tuna alone.
Taken
by Chris Jordan
2006
Kate Bickford's young son disappears after a ball game, and the nightmare gets worse when the kidnapper confronts her at home. A ransom, a murder frame-up, and Randall Shane's help drive this hard-charging opener.
Lost
by Chris Jordan
2007
In this edition of the Randall Shane thriller, single mother Jane Hartley refuses to believe her missing daughter is a runaway. The search exposes hidden risks, buried family shame, and a very real threat.
Trapped
by Chris Jordan
2007
Jane Hartley's teenage daughter vanishes after a frightening phone call, and the police think she ran away. Jane hires Randall Shane, who uncovers online secrets and a predator waiting in the shadows.
Lobster Boy
by Chris Jordan
2008
In this edition of Philbrick's sea adventure, twelve-year-old Skiff Beaman tries to save his family's fishing boat after his mother's death and his father's collapse. His desperate plan, hunting a giant tuna alone, could change everything.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Chris Jordan
2009
Homer P. Figg sets off to rescue his older brother after he is illegally sold into the Union Army. His wild Civil War journey is funny, fast, and full of near disasters.
Torn
by Chris Jordan
2009
After a school gym explodes and her son is presumed dead, Haley Corbin refuses to believe the story is over. Randall Shane's search pulls him toward a dangerous cult and a brutal power struggle.
Listening To Kids In America
by Chris Jordan
2011
Part memoir and part reflection, this book gathers Rodman Philbrick's experiences with letters from young readers. It is a warm, often funny look at how those voices changed the writer's life.
Measure of Darkness
by Chris Jordan
2011
When a physicist's son goes missing and Randall Shane is tied to a murder, Boston investigator Naomi Nantz and her team step in. The search leads toward secret science, abduction, and people with plenty to hide.
Slow Dancer
by Chris Jordan
2012
Former pro golfer Connie Kale comes home to coastal New England and gets pulled into the murder of a childhood friend. Old money, local politics, and buried resentment make the case deeply personal.
Brain Stealers
by Chris Jordan
2014
Nick, Jessie, and Frasier have escaped alien invaders once, but now their own parents are keeping them prisoner. If they cannot break free, the whole town may lose its mind for good.
Zane and the Hurricane
by Chris Jordan
2014
Twelve-year-old Zane Dupree and his dog are trapped in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. Helped by an old musician and a young girl, he has to find courage in the middle of chaos.
Shooting Star
by Chris Jordan
2015
Ronnie Garrick is a gifted singer from rural Texas who takes her talent on the road. As fame edges closer, she risks her heart, her voice, and her life.
The Big Dark
by Chris Jordan
2016
A cataclysmic solar event wipes out power in a remote New Hampshire town, and winter closes in fast. Charlie Cobb has to risk the dark, the cold, and desperate people to save his mother's life.
The Courtship of Lily Mullins
by Chris Jordan
2016
Set among apple orchards and islands off the Maine coast, this is a quieter story of love under pressure. Small-town loyalties and emotional risk matter as much as the romance itself.
Who Killed Darius Drake?
by Chris Jordan
2017
Genius orphan Darius Drake and school tough Arthur Bash join forces after a threat written in blood points to buried secrets. Their hunt for a lost diamond necklace may also expose a killer.
Wildfire
by Chris Jordan
2019
Twelve-year-old Sam Castine is cut off from camp when a wildfire explodes through the forest. With smoke closing in and only survival skills to lean on, he and another stranded kid have to keep moving.
Wild River
by Chris Jordan
2021
A whitewater rafting trip turns into a nightmare when a dam fails in the Montana wilderness. Daniel Redmayne and four classmates must survive floodwater, hunger, and each other until help arrives.
We Own the Sky
by Chris Jordan
2022
In 1924 Maine, orphaned siblings Davy and Jo Michaud are taken in by a stunt-flying relative just as the Ku Klux Klan rises around them. Air-show thrills give way to a much darker fight for survival.
Wild Wave
by Chris Jordan
2024
When a tsunami slams the coast, Nick Chase and Jess Hardy barely make it into the woods above the bay. Surviving the wave is only the start once they have to find help through the wreckage.
Where should I start?
If you want a classic friendship story: Freak the Mighty → Max the Mighty
If you like survival against nature: Wildfire → Wild River → Wild Wave
If you want historical adventure: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg → We Own the Sky → The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds
If you prefer dark adult suspense: Taken → Trapped → Torn → Measure of Darkness
If you want detective fiction first: Shadow Kills → Ice for the Eskimo → Paint It Black → Walk on the Water
Author bio
Chris Jordan is one of the pen names used by Rodman Philbrick, a novelist born in Boston in 1951 and raised in a small town on the New Hampshire coast. He started writing stories in sixth grade, finished a novel while still in high school, and kept at it long before publishers said yes.
The coast mattered. He grew up around boats, weather, hard work, and the rough edges of small-town life. Before writing full time, he worked as a longshoreman and a boat builder. Those jobs stayed with him, and you can feel them later in books like The Young Man and the Sea and the survival stories he would write for younger readers.
For the first part of his career, Philbrick wrote for adults. He published mysteries, suspense novels, and thrillers under his own name and under pen names that included W. R. Philbrick, William R. Dantz, and Chris Jordan. His detective novel Brothers & Sinners won the Shamus Award, and several other crime books were nominated, which tells you how seriously he took pace, plotting, and tension.
Then Freak the Mighty changed the course of his career.
Philbrick has said the spark for that book came from a real boy whose personality stayed with him. The novel pairs big-hearted Max with brilliant Kevin, better known as Freak, and turns their friendship into something funny, painful, and unforgettable. It went on to become a classroom favorite and later the film The Mighty.
He never really left suspense behind.
Books like The Last Book in the Universe, REM World, Zane and the Hurricane, Wildfire, Wild River, and We Own the Sky show how wide his range can be. Some readers come for the danger and the cliffhangers. Others stay for the kids who feel outmatched at first, then find nerve, loyalty, and a way through.
Historical fiction became another strong lane for him. The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds puts a young diarist inside the Donner Party disaster, while The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg follows a runaway boy through the Civil War with a voice full of swagger and worry. That latter book earned a Newbery Honor in 2010.
Philbrick also collaborated with his late wife, Lynn Harnett, on spooky middle grade series like House on Cherry Street, Visitors, and The Werewolf Chronicles. Those books have the quick pull of paperback horror, but they also show his knack for worried kids, strange places, and danger that moves fast.
Today he splits his time between Maine and Florida. After Harnett's death in 2012, he later found a new partner in retired teacher Jan Bamberger. Across all the names he has written under, the through line is pretty clear: he likes high stakes, memorable young voices, and stories where frightened people keep going anyway.
Edited by
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