Jake Stellar Books in Order
Part ofRodney Riesel Books in OrderExplore the Jake Stellar books in order by Rodney Riesel, with short summaries, series background, and an easy starting place for this coastal detective series.
Last updated: January 17, 2026
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Publication Order
10 books
This, That, and the Other Thing
by Rodney Riesel
2025
The clues are small and scattered, this, that, and the other thing, but Jake Stellar can’t ignore the pattern they’re forming. With Avis Lint at his side, he chases the pieces across the coast until the case snaps into focus, and the danger gets personal.
A Matter of Time
by Rodney Riesel
2024
For Jake Stellar, the latest investigation is a race against the clock. Every witness stalls, every lead comes late, and the pressure keeps rising. Working with Avis Lint, Jake has to move fast before time runs out on the truth, and on someone’s life.
Stormwater
by Rodney Riesel
2023
After a stretch of rough weather, a new case surfaces for Jake Stellar and Avis Lint. What looks like ordinary coastal chaos starts pointing to something planned. They have to chase leads fast, because the next storm could wash away the evidence for good.
Southern Exposure
by Rodney Riesel
2021
Detective Jake Stellar follows a case that takes him into a world of sun, money, and secrets. With Avis Lint pushing him and pushing back, Jake tries to keep the investigation clean while someone else works hard to keep the truth buried.
Excited About Nothing
by Rodney Riesel
2019
Jake Stellar thinks the last case is behind him, but a new death pulls him back in. Working alongside Avis Lint, he has to read between the lines of a community that’s acting calm on the surface, and hiding panic underneath.
Dead in the Water
by Rodney Riesel
2017
A pool boy finds his employer, Wanda Truman, floating face down in her pool and becomes the prime suspect. Detectives Jake Stellar and Avis Lint dig into Wanda’s past, and every new detail stretches the suspect list longer than they expected.
When Death Returns
by Rodney Riesel
2016
Has a serial killer from the past returned to North Myrtle Beach? Jake Stellar and Avis Lint investigate a homicide that echoes old crimes, and the similarities are too sharp to ignore. If they’re right, the next victim could already be chosen.
The Obedience of Fools
by Rodney Riesel
2016
Jake Stellar and Avis Lint butt heads with some of the Grand Strand’s elite while investigating a string of homicides. The deeper they push, the clearer it becomes that a hidden secret is protecting someone powerful, and that secret has a body count.
Beach Shoot
by Rodney Riesel
2015
On a bright Sunday morning in North Myrtle Beach, Emily Bowen is found dying on the sand. Detective Jake Stellar is forced to team with his nemesis, Detective Avis Lint, and together they piece through clues that point to a calculated, brutal crime.
North Murder Beach
by Rodney Riesel
2014
North Myrtle Beach detective Jake Stellar is ready for a quieter stretch after the spring crowds leave. Then a case hits that exposes how quickly a tourist town can turn on itself, and Jake has to sort locals, visitors, and motives before the beach swallows the truth.
Series background & context
The Jake Stellar series is rooted in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where tourist season brings money, crowds, and just enough chaos for crime to hide in plain sight. Jake Stellar is a working detective, the kind who has seen enough to be skeptical, but not enough to stop caring.
The series begins with North Murder Beach, set as the beach town shifts from spring crowds into the summer rush. That time of year matters, the town changes week to week, and so do the suspects. What looks like a simple case can turn into something complicated once you factor in visitors, locals with grudges, and the pressure to keep everything looking fine.
On the beach, the tide hides a lot.
A key part of the series is Jake’s partnership with Detective Avis Lint. They don’t start out smooth. In Beach Shoot, Jake is forced into an unlikely team-up with his nemesis as they investigate a woman found dying on the sand. From there, the relationship becomes one of the series’ engines, two detectives who push each other’s buttons, then push each other toward the truth.
The cases lean procedural without getting bogged down. When Death Returns plays with the fear of an old killer coming back, when a new homicide echoes crimes from the past. The Obedience of Fools takes Jake and Avis into the orbit of wealthy locals, where status and secrets can block an investigation. Dead in the Water opens with a murder that looks easy to pin on the nearest suspect, and then proves nothing is that simple.
While each book delivers its own mystery, reading in order helps because the partnership and the town dynamics keep evolving. These are good reads for anyone who likes beach-town atmosphere, detective banter, and cases built around motives that feel human, greed, fear, jealousy, the urge to keep a reputation intact. Start at North Murder Beach if you want the full arc from the beginning, or jump in anywhere and follow the clues from there.
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