Most Recommended Books

Track reading, wishlists & new-book alerts

Get
Skip to content
Share:

Kurt Hunter Mysteries Books in Order

Part ofSteven Becker Books in Order

See the Kurt Hunter Mysteries by Steven Becker in order, with quick summaries, series background, and a helpful guide to where to begin.

Last updated: July 2, 2026

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).

Kurt Hunter Mysteries books in publication order

Sort:

16 books

1

Backwater Bay

by Steven Becker

2018

Special Agent Kurt Hunter's first real case begins with a body in the Biscayne mangroves. The trail takes him from quiet park waters to South Beach, and straight back into the spotlight he never wanted.

2

Backwater Channel

by Steven Becker

2018

Kurt witnesses a murder at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant and ends up on the case. What looks political at first soon opens into a much deadlier game.

3

Backwater Cove

by Steven Becker

2018

A woman washes up on a remote island in Biscayne National Park, and Kurt has to find out who put her there. The case drags him into a world of money, ambition, and ruthless boosters.

4

Backwater Key

by Steven Becker

2018

Out of work but not out of stubbornness, Kurt refuses to ignore a gang war spilling through his park. When a body turns up at Boca Chita Lighthouse, he goes back on the hunt.

5

Backwater Pass

by Steven Becker

2018

A bridge collapse kills six people and leaves Kurt chasing the truth through politics and blame shifting. With the wreckage headed for an artificial reef, time is working against him.

6

Backwater Tide

by Steven Becker

2018

An adrift boat and a dead treasure hunter kick off one of Kurt's messiest cases. Among shifting alliances and rising bodies, he has to navigate a dangerous crowd obsessed with what lies underwater.

7

Backwater Flats

by Steven Becker

2019

The murder of an officer in Biscayne National Park hints at rot inside the system. Kurt is told to solve the crime while powerful people work just as hard to keep the truth buried.

8

Backwater Grave

by Steven Becker

2020

A string of drownings brings the FBI in and pushes Kurt toward a nightmare of politics and personal danger. When the dead all connect back to him, the case turns brutally intimate.

9

Backwater Diva

by Steven Becker

2021

A murder aboard a yacht draws Kurt into a flashy world he barely recognizes. The case is high-profile, messy, and exactly the kind of attention he never wants.

10

Backwater Haven

by Steven Becker

2021

South Florida's party coves are getting crowded, reckless, and dangerous. When a boat drifts into the park with a dead DEA agent aboard, Kurt has to dig through sandbar chaos and island history.

11

Backwater Predator

by Steven Becker

2021

Biscayne National Park becomes a battleground between people who want to use it and people who want to save it. When the fight turns violent, Kurt is stuck in the middle with no easy side to trust.

12

Backwater Connection

by Steven Becker

2022

When the tides deliver yet another body, Kurt finds himself chasing killers with cartel ties. In Biscayne National Park, even the water can point straight toward organized crime.

13

Backwater Squall

by Steven Becker

2022

A woman's plea to find her missing husband sends Kurt into Biscayne's most unforgiving waters. Nature is dangerous enough, but the people hiding in the backwaters are worse.

14

Backwater Glades

by Steven Becker

2023

Following a killer into Everglades City, Kurt discovers just how lethal the Glades can be. Between the terrain and the people hiding in it, staying alive becomes part of the job.

15

Backwater Virgin

by Steven Becker

2024

A murder in the Virgin Islands pulls Kurt into a case wrapped in reefs, caves, smuggling, and treasure hunting. Paradise turns dangerous fast when the dead man's secrets start to surface.

16

Backwater Cartel

by Steven Becker

2025

A high-tech surface drone smuggling drugs through protected waters tells Kurt the criminals are changing. To shut the operation down, he has to chase a cartel from Miami to the Upper Keys.

Kurt Hunter Mysteries books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Backwater Bay"

    Backwater Bay

    by Steven Becker

    2018Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Backwater Channel"

    Backwater Channel

    by Steven Becker

    2018Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Backwater Cove"

    Backwater Cove

    by Steven Becker

    2018Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Backwater Key"

    Backwater Key

    by Steven Becker

    2018Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Backwater Pass"

    Backwater Pass

    by Steven Becker

    2018Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Backwater Tide"

    Backwater Tide

    by Steven Becker

    2018Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Backwater Flats"

    Backwater Flats

    by Steven Becker

    2019Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Backwater Grave"

    Backwater Grave

    by Steven Becker

    2020Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Backwater Diva"

    Backwater Diva

    by Steven Becker

    2021Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Backwater Haven"

    Backwater Haven

    by Steven Becker

    2021Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Backwater Predator"

    Backwater Predator

    by Steven Becker

    2021Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Backwater Squall"

    Backwater Squall

    by Steven Becker

    2022Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Backwater Connection"

    Backwater Connection

    by Steven Becker

    2022Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Backwater Glades"

    Backwater Glades

    by Steven Becker

    2023Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "Backwater Virgin"

    Backwater Virgin

    by Steven Becker

    2024Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "Backwater Cartel"

    Backwater Cartel

    by Steven Becker

    2025Kurt Hunter Mysteries, Book 16

Series background & context

The Kurt Hunter books move Steven Becker's Florida storytelling into more direct mystery territory. Kurt is a special agent tied to Biscayne National Park, and that job gives the series its shape. He is not working cozy villages or drawing-room crimes. He is dealing with bodies in mangroves, missing people, political pressure, environmental fights, smugglers, cartels, treasure hunters, and the constant problem of trying to protect a national park that sits in the shadow of Miami.

That setting does a lot of heavy lifting. Biscayne is beautiful, open, and easy to underestimate. The park's islands, channels, shallows, and backwaters create the kind of landscape where people can disappear, dump evidence, run contraband, or get lost for good. Becker uses that well. The water is calm until it isn't. A sandbar party can turn into a crime scene. A wreck can be an accident, or not. A floating body can open a door into politics, money, and old grudges.

The park is beautiful. It is also a crime scene.

Kurt himself is a good fit for this world because he does not read like a flashy hero. He often seems tired of attention and wary of bureaucracy, but he keeps doing the work. That matters because many of these cases are not just about solving a murder. They are also about handling overlapping agencies, protecting the park, and deciding how far he can trust the people who are supposed to be on his side. The series keeps bringing him back to the same tension, public duty on one side, messy reality on the other.

The books are case-driven, but they do connect. Early novels like Backwater Bay, Backwater Channel, and Backwater Cove establish Kurt's mix of fieldwork, local knowledge, and institutional frustration. Later entries widen the pressure, pulling in bridge collapses, gang turf wars, ecological battles, missing persons, and high-tech smuggling. Even when the plots get bigger, the stories stay rooted in place. You can feel the heat, the distance, and the way a bad decision can echo across open water.

Tone-wise, this is Becker in mystery and procedural mode, but still with his usual boating and marine action. Expect a stronger investigative thread than in the Mac Travis books, a little more law-enforcement friction, and plenty of coastal atmosphere. If you like mysteries that mix crime-solving with real working landscapes, Kurt Hunter is a solid series to follow.

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.

Comments

Did we miss something? Have feedback?

Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts

We only use your email to notify you about replies.

All comments are moderated.

Discover and track your reading on the go

Track your reading, manage wishlists, and get notified when new books are added.