John P Marquand Books in Order

Henry Shelton's estranged father returns to America after ten years, drawing his son toward the dangers of a French royalist plot. Their uneasy reunion forces Henry to question a charming man's reputation, motives, and influence.

This biography follows Timothy Dexter from his beginnings as a Massachusetts leather dresser to his life as a wealthy Newburyport merchant. His extravagant home and eccentric behavior provide a portrait of ambition within a seaport community.

A young man becomes entangled with wealthy shipowner Eliphalet Greer, whose dealings have already devastated his family. Sent to a South Pacific island aboard the Felicity, he enters an arrangement whose consequences threaten his independence.

Successive generations of the Swales and Scarlets compete in a shipbuilding town north of Boston. Family pride, commercial ambition, romance, and inherited hostility shape a community where ancestry and trade offer rival claims to social standing.

A journalist accompanies an American financier, his daughter, and her boyfriend into China in search of rare Ming porcelain. Their expedition encounters bandits, warlords, and deceptive guides, turning a collecting venture into a struggle for survival.

Grounded American aviator Casey Lee becomes involved with a Russian spy and Japanese agent Mr. Moto. Offered a chance to use his flying skills again, he must navigate deception and dangerous loyalties in an unfamiliar political struggle.

American expatriate Tom Nelson tries to protect museum buyer Eleanor Joyce from an unscrupulous dealer in Chinese art. A suspicious death draws them into political intrigue in Peking, where Japanese agent Mr. Moto pursues his own objectives.

A fictional biographer assembles letters and personal documents to recount the life of George Apley, a Boston aristocrat. The resulting portrait exposes tensions between family tradition, social respectability, and personal desire within his privileged world.

Wilson Hitchings travels to Honolulu to investigate a family gambling establishment run by his cousin Eva. Their involvement in international intrigue forces them into an uneasy alliance with Mr. Moto, who is protecting Japanese interests.

Traveling toward Mongolia to join an archaeological expedition, Calvin Gates meets Japanese agent Mr. Moto. A cigarette case carrying a secret message draws Gates and fellow passenger Sylvia Dillaway into a dangerous contest among rival governments.

Writer Jim Calder remains drawn to his extended family at Wickford Point despite their demands on his money and patience. The impoverished Brills cling to their distinguished literary ancestry, making his attachment both comforting and burdensome.

Preparing personal histories for a Harvard reunion prompts Boston investment counselor Harry Pulham to review his own conventional life. Memories of an unconventional romance in New York challenge his belief that family duty determined his choices.

Former naval pilot Bob Bolles accepts a charter to remote Mercator Island, expecting a routine voyage with wealthy passengers. Their hidden intentions draw him into international espionage involving a military secret and the enigmatic Mr. Moto.

As America approaches entry into World War II, successful script doctor Jeffrey Wilson worries that his son will lose his youth to combat. Reconsidering his own compromises, he struggles with the limits of his influence.

Polly Fulton rebels against her wealthy industrialist father's world by leaving her longtime boyfriend and marrying radical journalist Tom Brett. Wartime pressures expose tensions in her marriage, forcing her to examine the motives behind her choices.

Geological expert Winslow Greene travels to South America, where he falls for mining-company stenographer Henrietta Simpson. Their developing romance becomes entangled with suspicious figures, including Herr Bauer, drawing a modest professional into danger and espionage.

Manhattan banker Charles Gray competes for a crucial promotion while memories of his Massachusetts upbringing distract him. A return to his hometown forces him to reconsider the social divisions and personal choices that shaped his career.

General Melville Goodwin's military success brings publicity and the attention of attractive Dottie Peale. Accustomed to army life, he struggles with civilian sophistication while his ambitious wife Muriel plans a future that leaves little room for uncertainty.

The son of a mill engineer, Willis Wayde becomes fascinated by the wealthy Harcourt family and receives its patriarch's guidance. His pursuit of business success brings opportunities and romantic attachments, but also increasingly difficult personal compromises.

Letters between country club officials reveal the anxieties behind Happy Knoll's respectable image. Troublesome staff, demanding members, and competition with another club turn the pursuit of leisure into a series of disputes over money, status, and management.

American agents Jack Rhyce and Ruth Bogart arrive in Tokyo to prevent a political assassination. Their supposed tour guide, Mr. Moto, offers help, but his ambiguous loyalties complicate a mission threatened by a Communist conspiracy.

Marquand revisits the life of eccentric Newburyport merchant Timothy Dexter, revising his earlier biography with additional historical material. Family memories and reflections on his own childhood connect Dexter's extravagant career with the town's changing social traditions.

After a failed musical threatens his finances, playwright Thomas Harrow looks back on his career and three unhappy marriages. His memories trace conflicts between artistic ambition, domestic expectations, and the happiness that professional success never secured.

Tom Michael falls in love with wealthy Marianne Jellett after growing up admiring the mansions on Warning Hill. A connection between her father's business dealings and his own father's suicide complicates his hopes of crossing their social divide.