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Murder in Mexico Books in Order

Part ofJohn Scherber Books in Order

See the Murder in Mexico books by John Scherber in order, with summaries, series background, and a clear place to start with Paul Zacher.

Last updated: July 14, 2026

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Murder in Mexico books in publication order

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35 books

1

Twenty Centavos

by John Scherber

2009

Painter Paul Zacher is pulled from the Yucatán into the murder of a San Miguel antiques dealer, found with a twenty-centavo coin in his mouth. With Maya and retired detective Cody, Paul searches for the killer.

2

The Fifth Codex

by John Scherber

2010

Paul Zacher is asked to authenticate and transfer a possible fifth Maya codex, an astonishing find with an inflammatory message. Collectors, rebels, and the government all want it, leaving Paul trapped between violent rivals.

3

Brushwork

by John Scherber

2011

A portrait commission goes wrong when a former vice president is murdered after a single sitting. Paul Zacher investigates, only to find the evidence increasingly points toward him and Maya as the killers.

4

Daddy's Girl

by John Scherber

2011

Paul Zacher and his partners take on a new Murder in Mexico investigation shaped by family ties and dangerous secrets. The case tests what people will do to protect the ones they claim to love.

5

Jack & Jill

by John Scherber

2011

Jack arranges the murder of his wife, Jill, only for the supposedly perfect plan to turn against him. The Zacher Agency must determine whether he is victim, killer, or both.

6

Strike Zone

by John Scherber

2011

The Zacher Agency arrives in Oaxaca during a violent teachers' strike to recover a lost cast of an Aztec gold skull. Their rival is a ruthless heir with a family connection to Nazi power.

7

Vanishing Act

by John Scherber

2011

The Zacher Agency heads north to the United States to find Cody Williams's missing nephew. What they uncover may not be the man they seek, but it is more dangerous than any of them expected.

8

Identity Crisis

by John Scherber

2012

Paul Zacher faces a backward kind of case, where identifying the culprit is easy but identifying the crime is not. The trail leads to a crooked Guanajuato governor and puts the agency itself in danger.

9

The Book Doctor

by John Scherber

2012

An international mystery writers' conference brings trouble to San Miguel de Allende. Paul Zacher is drawn into a case where literary personalities, public reputations, and murder make a dangerous combination.

10

The Theft of the Virgin

by John Scherber

2012

Paul Zacher finds a genuine old-master painting while Mexico's image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is stolen for a private collection. Recovering it means facing powerful people and unsettling questions about authenticity.

11

The Predator

by John Scherber

2013

The Zacher Agency is summoned to the Yucatán for a case that becomes more threatening than expected. Paul, Maya, and Cody must track a predator while staying alert to the dangers around them.

12

The Girl from Veracruz

by John Scherber

2014

When San Miguel police are stalled by a brutal case, Paul Zacher and his partners are pulled into the search for answers. Their investigation leads toward Veracruz and a danger no one wants to name.

13

Angel Face

by John Scherber

2015

Religion comes calling at the Paul Zacher Agency, bringing a case with personal beliefs and hidden motives at its core. Paul and his partners must decide who is seeking help and who is setting a trap.

14

Uneasy Rider

by John Scherber

2015

The Zacher Agency enters a world of spirited horses, wealthy owners, and high-stakes competition. Paul Zacher soon finds that the people around the stable may be more unpredictable than the animals.

15

Lost in Chiapas

by John Scherber

2016

A young woman from Minnesota travels into Chiapas and becomes entangled with a deadly Mexican cult. Paul Zacher and his partners must find her amid unfamiliar terrain and people who guard their secrets fiercely.

16

Noble Rot

by John Scherber

2016

A Northern California winery family rents a grand San Miguel house while exploring new properties, then its patriarch is murdered. Paul Zacher faces a crowded suspect list full of family money and buried resentments.

17

The Jericho Journals

by John Scherber

2016

An eccentric San Miguel figure leaves behind journals that draw Paul Zacher into a new mystery. As the past comes into focus, the agency finds that private obsessions can have public and dangerous consequences.

18

Death in the Third Act

by John Scherber

2017

A young actress is murdered onstage on opening night, turning a theatrical production into a crime scene. Paul Zacher must untangle backstage rivalries before the killer gets a chance at a final act.

19

Twilight at Tikal

by John Scherber

2017

Paul Zacher faces a case that asks whether old friends or new enemies are more dangerous. The investigation leads him into uncertain loyalties, where every helpful connection may come with a price.

20

Scorpion Rising

by John Scherber

2018

The ancient cultures of central Mexico push into the present when Paul Zacher's latest case takes a dangerous historical turn. He must follow clues through competing interests before the past claims another victim.

21

The Dead Pool

by John Scherber

2018

A decades-old pool involving Hollywood players resurfaces with deadly consequences. Paul Zacher is drawn into a mystery where old bets, old names, and a buried past prove far from finished.

22

The Missing Matisse

by John Scherber

2018

Paul Zacher is hired by the owner of a missing Matisse, a job that should suit his art-world expertise. Instead, the search uncovers competing claims and dangers that extend far beyond one painting.

23

A Murder in Moon Valley

by John Scherber

2019

An earthship-style colony arrives in Moon Valley with its own ideals and tensions. When murder disrupts the community, Paul Zacher must look past its hopeful surface to find the person with the most to hide.

24

The Big Payoff

by John Scherber

2019

A wealthy Boston lawyer's family gathers, bringing old grievances and questions of inheritance with them. Paul Zacher's investigation turns a family reckoning into a case where the promised payoff may be deadly.

25

Santa Julia Gold

by John Scherber

2020

A ruined hacienda begins to yield its secrets, and the promise of gold brings old tensions to the surface. Paul Zacher and his partners face a case where a valuable discovery makes everyone a suspect.

26

Strapped

by John Scherber

2020

Nazi-looted art surfaces in San Miguel de Allende, putting Paul Zacher's knowledge of paintings to use. The search for its history and rightful ownership leads the Zacher Agency into a dangerous conflict.

27

Sugar Daddies

by John Scherber

2020

Jessica Lain's attraction to much older men draws the Zacher Agency into a case where desire, money, and murder overlap. Paul Zacher must sort out who is exploiting whom before the danger closes in.

28

Trapped

by John Scherber

2020

Paul Zacher and the Zacher Agency take on another San Miguel case where danger closes in fast. With loyalties shifting and the truth hard to reach, escape may depend on solving the mystery first.

29

China Doll

by John Scherber

2021

A Chinese spy ring reaches south of the border, placing American expatriates in danger. Paul Zacher is caught between protecting the targets and convincing them they are victims before it is too late.

30

The Black Rain Emerald

by John Scherber

2021

A valuable emerald and the story behind it bring Paul Zacher into another case of art, history, and dangerous ownership. The Zacher Agency must separate a genuine lead from the people using it as bait.

31

In Plain Sight

by John Scherber

2022

A case hiding in full view tests Paul Zacher's talent for noticing what others dismiss. As the agency revisits familiar people and places, the obvious answer proves to be the most dangerous one.

32

Murder at Raven Ranch

by John Scherber

2022

Murder disrupts life at Raven Ranch, where private lives and property interests are tightly tangled. Paul Zacher and his partners must uncover what lies beneath the ranch's carefully managed appearance.

33

The Templar Gauntlet

by John Scherber

2022

Paul Zacher confronts a mystery tied to a Templar relic and the people determined to possess it. Historical legend becomes present danger as the Zacher Agency follows a trail with increasingly high stakes.

34

A Nightmare in Bronze

by John Scherber

2023

A bronze work becomes the center of a troubling new mystery for Paul Zacher. Art, memory, and a growing sense of danger pull the agency toward a truth that someone is determined to keep hidden.

35

Let's Close Our Eyes and Dream

by John Scherber

2023

Paul Zacher's latest investigation asks what people will risk to preserve a dream of a better life. As appearances crack, the Zacher Agency finds that hope can be used as a weapon.

Murder in Mexico books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Twenty Centavos"

    Twenty Centavos

    by John Scherber

    2009Murder in Mexico, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Fifth Codex"

    The Fifth Codex

    by John Scherber

    2010Murder in Mexico, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Brushwork"

    Brushwork

    by John Scherber

    2011Murder in Mexico, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Daddy's Girl"

    Daddy's Girl

    by John Scherber

    2011Murder in Mexico, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Strike Zone"

    Strike Zone

    by John Scherber

    2011Murder in Mexico, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Vanishing Act"

    Vanishing Act

    by John Scherber

    2011Murder in Mexico, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Jack & Jill"

    Jack & Jill

    by John Scherber

    2011Murder in Mexico, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Identity Crisis"

    Identity Crisis

    by John Scherber

    2012Murder in Mexico, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "The Theft of the Virgin"

    The Theft of the Virgin

    by John Scherber

    2012Murder in Mexico, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "The Book Doctor"

    The Book Doctor

    by John Scherber

    2012Murder in Mexico, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "The Predator"

    The Predator

    by John Scherber

    2013Murder in Mexico, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "The Girl from Veracruz"

    The Girl from Veracruz

    by John Scherber

    2014Murder in Mexico, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Angel Face"

    Angel Face

    by John Scherber

    2015Murder in Mexico, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Uneasy Rider"

    Uneasy Rider

    by John Scherber

    2015Murder in Mexico, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "Lost in Chiapas"

    Lost in Chiapas

    by John Scherber

    2016Murder in Mexico, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "The Jericho Journals"

    The Jericho Journals

    by John Scherber

    2016Murder in Mexico, Book 16
  17. Book cover for "Noble Rot"

    Noble Rot

    by John Scherber

    2016Murder in Mexico, Book 17
  18. Book cover for "Twilight at Tikal"

    Twilight at Tikal

    by John Scherber

    2017Murder in Mexico, Book 18
  19. Book cover for "Death in the Third Act"

    Death in the Third Act

    by John Scherber

    2017Murder in Mexico, Book 19
  20. Book cover for "Scorpion Rising"

    Scorpion Rising

    by John Scherber

    2018Murder in Mexico, Book 20
  21. Book cover for "The Dead Pool"

    The Dead Pool

    by John Scherber

    2018Murder in Mexico, Book 21
  22. Book cover for "The Missing Matisse"

    The Missing Matisse

    by John Scherber

    2018Murder in Mexico, Book 22
  23. Book cover for "A Murder in Moon Valley"

    A Murder in Moon Valley

    by John Scherber

    2019Murder in Mexico, Book 23
  24. Book cover for "The Big Payoff"

    The Big Payoff

    by John Scherber

    2019Murder in Mexico, Book 24
  25. Book cover for "Sugar Daddies"

    Sugar Daddies

    by John Scherber

    2020Murder in Mexico, Book 25
  26. Book cover for "Strapped"

    Strapped

    by John Scherber

    2020Murder in Mexico, Book 26
  27. Book cover for "Santa Julia Gold"

    Santa Julia Gold

    by John Scherber

    2020Murder in Mexico, Book 27
  28. Book cover for "Trapped"

    Trapped

    by John Scherber

    2020Murder in Mexico, Book 28
  29. Book cover for "The Black Rain Emerald"

    The Black Rain Emerald

    by John Scherber

    2021Murder in Mexico, Book 29
  30. Book cover for "China Doll"

    China Doll

    by John Scherber

    2021Murder in Mexico, Book 30
  31. Book cover for "The Templar Gauntlet"

    The Templar Gauntlet

    by John Scherber

    2022Murder in Mexico, Book 31
  32. Book cover for "In Plain Sight"

    In Plain Sight

    by John Scherber

    2022Murder in Mexico, Book 32
  33. Book cover for "Murder at Raven Ranch"

    Murder at Raven Ranch

    by John Scherber

    2022Murder in Mexico, Book 33
  34. Book cover for "A Nightmare in Bronze"

    A Nightmare in Bronze

    by John Scherber

    2023Murder in Mexico, Book 34
  35. Book cover for "Let's Close Our Eyes and Dream"

    Let's Close Our Eyes and Dream

    by John Scherber

    2023Murder in Mexico, Book 35

Series background & context

The Murder in Mexico series follows Paul Zacher, a painter who keeps finding that a quiet life around art is harder to manage than it should be. Paul lives and works in and around San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, but his cases can carry him across the country and beyond it. He isn't a conventional private eye. His eye for paintings, antiques, fakes, and overlooked details makes him useful when a mystery starts to take shape.

He doesn't work alone.

Paul's closest partners are Maya Sanchez, his Mexican girlfriend, and Cody Williams, a retired homicide detective. Together they make up the Zacher Agency, a small operation that attracts problems involving murder, missing people, valuable objects, and clients with complicated stories. The trio's different skills matter. Paul brings an artist's attention to surfaces and authenticity, Maya has local knowledge and a clear head, and Cody knows how investigations can go bad.

San Miguel de Allende is more than scenery in these books. Its old colonial streets, international residents, galleries, restored houses, and mix of local and expatriate communities give each case a social world to explore. A suspect may be a collector, a visitor, a developer, an artist, or a longtime resident. The series also moves through places such as Oaxaca, Chiapas, the Yucatán, and Tikal, using travel to widen the stakes without losing sight of the team at the center.

Art and history are frequent troublemakers. A disputed Maya codex, a stolen religious image, a missing Matisse, Nazi-looted art, and hidden treasure all appear in the series. But the objects are rarely the whole point. They reveal rivalries, money problems, old grudges, family tensions, and the desperation that can turn an ordinary deal into a dangerous one.

The tone is brisk and lightly offbeat, even when the danger is real. Scherber lets Paul and his friends trade observations and deal with the odd rules of places they don't fully control. That balance gives the books some humor while keeping the mysteries moving.

Start with Twenty Centavos, where Paul is pulled into the murder of a San Miguel antiques dealer. It introduces the core trio and the mix of art-world detail, Mexican settings, and amateur detection that carries through the later novels. The cases work as individual adventures, but reading in publication order gives the relationships more room to develop.

Expect murders, artifacts, travel, and plenty of people who would rather keep the truth locked away.

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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