Frank Burly Books in Order
Part ofJohn Swartzwelder Books in OrderBrowse Frank Burly by John Swartzwelder in reading order, with short summaries for each book and a clear title list to help you find a starting point.
Last updated: 14 new books added
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Frank Burly books in publication order
14 books
The Time Machine Did It
by John Swartzwelder
2004
Detective Frank Burly’s efforts to help a new client lead him into criminal schemes involving time travel. His investigation takes an increasingly strange turn as the case becomes entangled with a time machine.
How I Conquered Your Planet
by John Swartzwelder
2006
Detective Frank Burly is kidnapped and brainwashed by Martians, becoming involved in their invasion of Earth. His mishaps carry him between the invaders and the human resistance in a comic struggle over the planet’s future.
The Exploding Detective
by John Swartzwelder
2007
Seeking a gimmick to attract clients, Frank Burly buys a refurbished jetpack and becomes the Flying Detective. His explosive crashes make him an unlikely superhero just as a robot crime wave strikes Central City.
Dead Men Scare Me Stupid
by John Swartzwelder
2008
Frank Burly starts seeing ghosts everywhere and seeks psychiatric help to make them disappear. The troublesome visitors turn out to be former clients whose unfortunate deaths have given them reasons to haunt their hapless detective.
Earth vs. Everybody
by John Swartzwelder
2009
After a disappointing vacation, Frank Burly joins a criminal organization, hoping to enjoy its employee benefits. His uneven progress through the ranks leads toward alien employers and intergalactic pursuits, taking ordinary corruption into outer space.
The Last Detective Alive
by John Swartzwelder
2010
While pursuing a counterfeiter, Frank Burly becomes entangled in identity theft and a series of mysterious disappearances. As the trouble spreads far beyond his original case, he must travel through time to recover what has vanished.
The Fifty Foot Detective
by John Swartzwelder
2011
Professor Moriarty, an elementary-school mathematics teacher with criminal ambitions, challenges Frank Burly to stop his planned masterpiece. The detective’s efforts turn a science convention into a stronghold of mad scientists in this comic collision of detective and monster stories.
The Million Dollar Policeman
by John Swartzwelder
2012
Frank Burly trades private detection for police work, attracted by the opportunities a badge might offer. His new duties send him to a retirement home, where elderly criminals are planning an ambitious theft of Earth’s core.
Detective Made Easy
by John Swartzwelder
2013
Frank Burly’s attempt to advertise his detective agency brings clients searching for stolen gadgets. As he investigates the thefts, a professor introduces a robot that supposedly does detective work better than any human investigator.
Earth's Biggest Fan
by John Swartzwelder
2015
Frank Burly visits an alien enthusiast whose greatest passion is Earth and its culture. The encounter with a devoted collector of human memorabilia gives the bewildered detective another opportunity to experience his home planet from an unfamiliar perspective.
The Monster That Wouldn't Sink
by John Swartzwelder
2015
A time-travel mishap lands Frank Burly aboard the Titanic while he is pursuing Jack the Ripper for a television appearance. Certain the ship will sink, he places a large bet without remembering exactly how disaster occurs.
Burly Go Home
by John Swartzwelder
2017
After losing a job with a trio of movie comedians, Frank Burly becomes a product tester with painful results. Strange behavior among Central City’s residents then draws his attention toward a mystery beyond his employment troubles.
The Spy with No Pants
by John Swartzwelder
2021
Frank Burly answers a matchbox advertisement promising an exciting new career in espionage. When the spy school fails to deliver, his attempt to track down its operators leads him into another sequence of costly and ridiculous confrontations.
Dead Detective Mountain
by John Swartzwelder
2023
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