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Julian Quist Mystery Books in Order

Part ofHugh Pentecost Books in Order

Find the Julian Quist Mystery books by Hugh Pentecost in order, with brief summaries, series background, and an easy starting point for readers.

Last updated: July 15, 2026

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Julian Quist Mystery books in publication order

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16 books

1

Don't Drop Dead Tomorrow

by Hugh Pentecost

1971

Julian Quist makes his first appearance as a public-relations expert caught in a murder case. His access to New York's wealthy and influential circles proves useful as he searches for the truth behind a threatened life.

2

The Champagne Killer

by Hugh Pentecost

1972

Julian Quist investigates a murder case with a glittering social surface and a bitter core. Champagne, celebration, and high connections provide the setting, but Quist knows that the most polished party can conceal a killer.

3

The Beautiful Dead

by Hugh Pentecost

1973

Julian Quist is drawn into a glamorous case where beauty and status cannot hide the violence underneath. His investigation moves through a world of image-making, ambition, and people willing to protect a dangerous secret.

4

The Judas Freak

by Hugh Pentecost

1974

Betrayal sits at the center of this Julian Quist mystery. As a case unfolds among people skilled at managing their public faces, Quist must learn who has sold out whom, and why murder became the price.

5

Honeymoon with Death

by Hugh Pentecost

1975

Julian Quist encounters a newlywed celebration overshadowed by danger and murder. As private promises collide with public appearances, he must determine whether love has brought the victim safety, betrayal, or a carefully laid trap.

6

Die After Dark

by Hugh Pentecost

1976

Night brings danger to Julian Quist's polished New York world when a case of murder and secrecy begins after dark. He must expose the person using the city's shadows, parties, and private arrangements as cover.

7

The Steel Palace

by Hugh Pentecost

1977

Julian Quist is drawn into a murder case connected to a powerful and imposing world of wealth and business. To solve it, he must find the weak point in a structure built to keep outsiders away.

8

Deadly Trap

by Hugh Pentecost

1978

A public-relations assignment becomes a deadly trap for Julian Quist when a client's trouble turns into murder. He must decide who is being manipulated, who is lying, and whether the apparent victim is really the target.

9

Homicidal Horse

by Hugh Pentecost

1979

Julian Quist enters a world where a horse, its owners, and its backers become tied to a deadly mystery. He must sort through money, rivalry, and fear before another apparent accident becomes impossible to explain.

10

Death Mask

by Hugh Pentecost

1980

A politician receives a call that opens the door to a dangerous mystery, and Julian Quist is drawn into the fallout. Public life, private identity, and a threatening mask of respectability all complicate the search for a killer.

11

Sow Death, Reap Death

by Hugh Pentecost

1981

Julian Quist investigates a case in which a cruel act has planted consequences no one can control. As resentment turns deadly, he must identify the person ready to turn a long-nursed grievance into murder.

12

Past, Present, and Murder

by Hugh Pentecost

1982

When the fiancée of a partner in Julian Quist's firm becomes involved in a murder case, old history becomes impossible to ignore. Quist must uncover how past choices are shaping a very present danger.

13

Murder Out of Wedlock

by Hugh Pentecost

1983

Julian Quist is hired to manage a sensitive situation, only to find that a private scandal has become a murder case. He must work through rumor, damaged reputations, and competing accounts of a dangerous relationship.

14

The Substitute Victim

by Hugh Pentecost

1984

Julian Quist takes on a crisis involving a movie star and controversial politician whose troubles put someone else in danger. The investigation turns on mistaken targets, public image, and the question of who was meant to die.

15

The Party Killer

by Hugh Pentecost

1985

A celebrity gathering gives Julian Quist access to a crowded field of performers, friends, and hidden resentments. When violence interrupts the occasion, he investigates a case where a carefully planned party may have been a trap.

16

Kill and Kill Again

by Hugh Pentecost

1987

Public-relations expert Julian Quist investigates a baffling murder that suggests the killer may not be finished. As the people around the victim grow more anxious, Quist must separate a public story from the private motives beneath it.

Julian Quist Mystery books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Don't Drop Dead Tomorrow"

    Don't Drop Dead Tomorrow

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1971Julian Quist Mystery, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Champagne Killer"

    The Champagne Killer

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1972Julian Quist Mystery, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "The Beautiful Dead"

    The Beautiful Dead

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1973Julian Quist Mystery, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "The Judas Freak"

    The Judas Freak

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1974Julian Quist Mystery, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Honeymoon with Death"

    Honeymoon with Death

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1975Julian Quist Mystery, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Die After Dark"

    Die After Dark

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1976Julian Quist Mystery, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "The Steel Palace"

    The Steel Palace

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1977Julian Quist Mystery, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Deadly Trap"

    Deadly Trap

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1978Julian Quist Mystery, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Homicidal Horse"

    Homicidal Horse

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1979Julian Quist Mystery, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Death Mask"

    Death Mask

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1980Julian Quist Mystery, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Sow Death, Reap Death"

    Sow Death, Reap Death

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1981Julian Quist Mystery, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Past, Present, and Murder"

    Past, Present, and Murder

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1982Julian Quist Mystery, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Murder Out of Wedlock"

    Murder Out of Wedlock

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1983Julian Quist Mystery, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "The Substitute Victim"

    The Substitute Victim

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1984Julian Quist Mystery, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "The Party Killer"

    The Party Killer

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1985Julian Quist Mystery, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "Kill and Kill Again"

    Kill and Kill Again

    by Hugh Pentecost

    1987Julian Quist Mystery, Book 16

Series background & context

Julian Quist is a successful New York public-relations executive who moves easily among celebrities, wealthy clients, business leaders, and political figures. His job is built on managing appearances. That makes him especially useful when a polished public story starts to fall apart under the pressure of murder.

The series opens with Don't Drop Dead Tomorrow, followed by The Champagne Killer and The Beautiful Dead. Quist is not a conventional private detective. He is a well-connected professional whose work brings him close to people trying to protect careers, money, marriages, and reputations. When someone dies, he has a good reason to ask who benefits from the official version of events.

In Quist's world, image is evidence.

The books have a contemporary city-mystery feel. They move through offices, parties, media circles, political campaigns, luxury homes, and other places where public attention can be as dangerous as a weapon. Quist is handsome, confident, and willing to take risks, but the series does not present him as a lone genius. His friends and associates, including Manhattan homicide lieutenant Mark Kreevick, help connect his social access to formal police work.

The later novels continue to use high-profile situations as the entry point for crime. In Past, Present, and Murder, Murder Out of Wedlock, The Substitute Victim, and The Party Killer, private scandals and public stakes overlap. Death Mask, Sow Death, Reap Death, and Kill and Kill Again keep the focus on people whose success has made them visible targets.

Quist is often drawn in because someone needs help controlling a crisis. That does not mean he accepts the first explanation he hears. He understands how carefully a story can be staged, how an alibi can be sold, and how a rumor can be used to steer suspicion. His investigations are as much about reading people as collecting clues.

The danger usually arrives dressed for dinner.

Readers should begin with Don't Drop Dead Tomorrow to see Quist's professional world take shape. The novels can also be enjoyed as individual mysteries, since each centers on a new case, but the series gains extra texture as recurring friends and the New York setting become familiar.

Expect smart, fast-moving mysteries about ambition, publicity, and the trouble that begins when somebody's carefully managed life can no longer be managed.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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