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Jack Liffey Books in Order

Part ofJohn Shannon Books in Order

Explore Jack Liffey by John Shannon in order, with short summaries and a guide to the books to help you choose where to start reading.

Last updated: 15 new books added

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Jack Liffey books in publication order

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15 books

1

The Concrete River

by John Shannon

1996

Unemployed aerospace worker Jack Liffey takes a job finding a Mexican woman’s missing daughter. His search through East Los Angeles leads into a web of property development, political corruption and violence that offers him little room for error.

2

The Cracked Earth

by John Shannon

1999

Jack Liffey is hired to find the teenage daughter of a fading Hollywood actress. What begins as a missing-person investigation becomes increasingly dangerous as a ransom demand draws him into the overlapping interests of gangsters and powerful studio figures.

3

The Poison Sky

by John Shannon

2000

A woman secretly hires Jack Liffey to find her runaway son, drawing him into the world of a doomsday cult. Threats against his girlfriend and a dangerous chemical plot make the investigation personal as Los Angeles faces a widening crisis.

4

The Orange Curtain

by John Shannon

2001

The disappearance of a Vietnamese bookseller’s daughter brings Jack Liffey to Orange County’s Little Saigon. His search crosses gang rivalries, local corruption and a serial killer investigation, exposing tensions beneath the prosperous county’s carefully maintained public image.

5

Streets on Fire

by John Shannon

2002

Jack Liffey searches for a missing young man in South Los Angeles as anger over a police killing threatens to erupt. His investigation draws him through racial tensions and rival allegiances, while his own daughter becomes involved in the danger.

6

City of Strangers

by John Shannon

2003

Four Persian American boys disappear from an elite Los Angeles high school, and Jack Liffey is hired to find them. Their search for religious identity has brought them into contact with extremists, leaving Jack facing a threat far beyond ordinary teenage rebellion.

7

Terminal Island

by John Shannon

2004

Recovering from a collapsed lung, Jack Liffey returns to San Pedro and becomes entangled in mysterious boat disasters and a missing boy’s case. Clues tied to the community’s Japanese American past lead toward a veteran bent on settling old grievances.

8

Dangerous Games

by John Shannon

2005

Jack Liffey searches for a young woman who has fled an abusive home on an Owens Valley reservation. Following her into Los Angeles exposes a world of sexual exploitation, while trouble surrounding his own daughter makes the case especially painful.

9

Koreatown

by John Shannon

2006

A missing Korean American film student leads Jack Liffey into a radical political group and a confrontation with Homeland Security. His investigation of her disappearance draws him toward a private desert security compound, placing both his freedom and his safety at risk.

10

The Devils of Bakersfield

by John Shannon

2008

While visiting Bakersfield, Jack Liffey discovers that police and religious leaders are targeting rebellious girls as Satanists. When his daughter Maeve disappears amid raids and book burnings, he must find her before the town’s mounting hysteria overwhelms them both.

11

Palos Verdes Blue

by John Shannon

2009

Jack Liffey searches for a missing teenage girl in affluent Palos Verdes and uncovers a conflict between wealthy surfers and Mexican day laborers. As violence draws in bikers and border vigilantes, his daughter Maeve again risks herself to help.

12

On the Nickel

by John Shannon

2010

After an accident leaves Jack Liffey unable to walk or speak, his daughter Maeve intercepts a client’s call about a missing sixteen-year-old. Taking the case herself, she ventures into danger that threatens more lives than the boy’s alone.

13

A Little Too Much

by John Shannon

2011

A missing movie star’s case arrives while Jack Liffey’s daughter struggles at college and his relationship unravels. With a Colombian drug gang active in Los Angeles and a Jamaican seeking revenge, his professional and personal troubles begin to collide.

14

The Chinese Beverly Hills

by John Shannon

2013

A former lover asks Jack Liffey to find her missing niece in Monterey Park. Rising racial tensions, rival groups and political maneuvering complicate his search, while an advancing wildfire threatens a community already divided against itself.

15

Boystown

by John Shannon

2025

Recovering from heart surgery, Jack Liffey agrees to help his daughter find a missing gay activist in West Hollywood. The search entangles him in a violent struggle involving poachers and former Soviet paramilitaries, testing his recovery and his resolve.

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