Paul Kemprecos Books in Order
Browse Paul Kemprecos books in order, with short summaries, series background, reading order, and clear guidance on where to start with each series.
Last updated: July 13, 2026
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Paul Kemprecos books in publication order
20 books
Cool Blue Tomb
by Paul Kemprecos
1991
Soc signs on to a huge salvage operation tied to a legendary shipwreck, only to find a diver dead and the job crawling with lies. Treasure, smuggling, and family loyalties pull him into deep and dangerous water.
Neptune's Eye
by Paul Kemprecos
1991
Hired to find a millionaire's missing daughter, Soc starts at a marine lab and quickly finds a corpse. His search pulls him into underwater technology, corporate espionage, and a deadly race tied to a lost German submarine.
Death in Deep Water
by Paul Kemprecos
1992
A whale trainer turns up dead in an aquarium tank, and the killer whale on site is blamed. Working undercover at the aquatic park, Soc finds ecoterrorists, jealous rivals, and a murderer who wants him gone too.
Feeding Frenzy
by Paul Kemprecos
1993
After a swimmer is horribly mauled at Quanset Beach, Soc is drawn into a mystery involving a summer camp, valuable shoreline, and ruthless developers. As more bodies appear, the threat to the town stops looking like an accident.
The Mayflower Murder
by Paul Kemprecos
1996
When a Native American activist is accused of murdering a night watchman at a Pilgrim village replica, Soc is asked to help. The case leads him into casino money, stolen artifacts, and old grievances that still burn.
Bluefin Blues
by Paul Kemprecos
1997
A Japanese tuna buyer is found dead on a stolen boat, harpooned through the chest, and Soc is hired to investigate. Tuna wars, organized crime, and a disappearance at sea turn a local case into something much uglier.
Serpent
by Paul Kemprecos
1999
A priceless artifact hidden in the wreck of the Andrea Doria draws Kurt Austin into murders, archaeology, and a conspiracy over early contact with the New World. The hunt begins off Nantucket and quickly turns lethal.
Blue Gold
by Paul Kemprecos
2000
Dead whales and a jungle legend about a white goddess lead Kurt Austin toward a plot to control the world's freshwater. To stop it, the NUMA team must battle bio-pirates, treachery, and the deadly pull of money.
Fire Ice
by Paul Kemprecos
2002
A self-styled Romanov heir plans to shake the United States and Russia by turning unstable methane hydrate into a weapon. Kurt Austin is forced into a high-stakes chase to stop explosions, tsunamis, and political collapse.
White Death
by Paul Kemprecos
2003
A rescue at sea leads Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala to a corporation bent on controlling the oceans, no matter the cost. With an environmental disaster already unfolding, NUMA has little time to stop it.
Lost City
by Paul Kemprecos
2004
Scientists exploring the deep ocean find an enzyme that could dramatically extend life, then start turning up dead. Kurt Austin must connect that discovery to a ruthless crime family, a strange artifact, and a hidden agenda.
Polar Shift
by Paul Kemprecos
2005
Evidence that someone can trigger a catastrophic polar shift sends Kurt Austin into a race against global disaster. To stop the plot, he must untangle old research, extreme science, and a scheme aimed at mass destruction.
The Navigator
by Paul Kemprecos
2007
A stolen Phoenician statue, a murdered antiquities dealer, and an attempted drowning pull Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala into the hunt. Their search becomes a race through hidden history, betrayal, and a treasure with explosive consequences.
Medusa
by Paul Kemprecos
2009
When a secret undersea lab vanishes and a bathysphere is attacked off Bermuda, Kurt Austin senses a connection. The NUMA team soon faces medical experiments, a ruthless crime network, and a virus that could trigger worldwide disaster.
Grey Lady
by Paul Kemprecos
2013
A new charter boat is supposed to steady Soc's future, until he angers a Russian power broker and ends up on foggy Nantucket. There he stumbles into murder, a missing whaling artifact, and a Cold War secret.
The Emerald Scepter
by Paul Kemprecos
2013
Former Navy SEAL Matt Hawkins, now an undersea robotics engineer, is sent on a secret hunt for the treasure of Prester John. The mission leads from Afghanistan into a global conspiracy with catastrophic stakes.
The Minoan Cipher
by Paul Kemprecos
2016
Matt Hawkins dives on what may be an intact Minoan shipwreck off Spain and brings up an ancient translating device. From there, archaeology turns deadly as he faces killers determined to control what the wreck can reveal.
Shark Bait
by Paul Kemprecos
2018
When a man turns up dead in Cape Cod Bay and a tagged great white shark takes the blame, Soc joins a pirate movie shoot and finds poachers, gangsters, and more dangerous predators on shore.
Killing Icarus
by Paul Kemprecos
2021
Art historian Abi Vickers retreats to Cape Cod after her life in Boston falls apart, hoping for quiet and a fresh start. Instead she uncovers a World War II secret linked to an Edward Hopper sketch and a glider reenactment.
The God in the Sea
by Paul Kemprecos
2024
A winter job meant to solve Soc's money problems instead sends him into hiding and into another murder case. On Cape Cod he finds a scholar's death, an old treasure feud, and danger coming from every direction.
Where to start with Paul Kemprecos
If you want the Cape Cod private-eye series: Cool Blue Tomb → Neptune's Eye → Death in Deep Water
If you want later Soc adventures first: Grey Lady → Shark Bait → The God in the Sea
If you want globe-trotting action: Serpent → Blue Gold → Fire Ice → White Death
If you want treasure and history thrillers: The Emerald Scepter → The Minoan Cipher → Killing Icarus
Paul Kemprecos sub-series and character series
Aristotle Socarides books in order
Explore this series
Cool Blue Tomb
by Paul Kemprecos
1991Aristotle Socarides, Book 1
Neptune's Eye
by Paul Kemprecos
1991Aristotle Socarides, Book 2
Death in Deep Water
by Paul Kemprecos
1992Aristotle Socarides, Book 3
Feeding Frenzy
by Paul Kemprecos
1993Aristotle Socarides, Book 4
The Mayflower Murder
by Paul Kemprecos
1996Aristotle Socarides, Book 5
Bluefin Blues
by Paul Kemprecos
1997Aristotle Socarides, Book 6
Grey Lady
by Paul Kemprecos
2013Aristotle Socarides, Book 7
Shark Bait
by Paul Kemprecos
2018Aristotle Socarides, Book 8
The God in the Sea
by Paul Kemprecos
2024Aristotle Socarides, Book 9
Aristotle Socarides books in chronological order

Cool Blue Tomb
by Paul Kemprecos
1991Aristotle Socarides, Book 1
Neptune's Eye
by Paul Kemprecos
1991Aristotle Socarides, Book 2
Death in Deep Water
by Paul Kemprecos
1992Aristotle Socarides, Book 3
Feeding Frenzy
by Paul Kemprecos
1993Aristotle Socarides, Book 4
The Mayflower Murder
by Paul Kemprecos
1996Aristotle Socarides, Book 5
Bluefin Blues
by Paul Kemprecos
1997Aristotle Socarides, Book 6
Grey Lady
by Paul Kemprecos
2013Aristotle Socarides, Book 7
Shark Bait
by Paul Kemprecos
2018Aristotle Socarides, Book 8
The God in the Sea
by Paul Kemprecos
2024Aristotle Socarides, Book 9
Matinicus "Matt" Hawkins Adventure books in order
Explore this seriesNUMA Files (Paul Kemprecos) books in order
Explore this series
Serpent
by Paul Kemprecos
1999NUMA Files, Book 1
Blue Gold
by Paul Kemprecos
2000NUMA Files, Book 2
Fire Ice
by Paul Kemprecos
2002NUMA Files, Book 3
White Death
by Paul Kemprecos
2003NUMA Files, Book 4
Lost City
by Paul Kemprecos
2004NUMA Files, Book 5
Polar Shift
by Paul Kemprecos
2005NUMA Files, Book 6
The Navigator
by Paul Kemprecos
2007NUMA Files, Book 7
Medusa
by Paul Kemprecos
2009NUMA Files, Book 8
NUMA Files (Paul Kemprecos) books in chronological order

Serpent
by Paul Kemprecos
1999NUMA Files, Book 1
Blue Gold
by Paul Kemprecos
2000NUMA Files, Book 2
Fire Ice
by Paul Kemprecos
2002NUMA Files, Book 3
White Death
by Paul Kemprecos
2003NUMA Files, Book 4
Lost City
by Paul Kemprecos
2004NUMA Files, Book 5
Polar Shift
by Paul Kemprecos
2005NUMA Files, Book 6
The Navigator
by Paul Kemprecos
2007NUMA Files, Book 7
Medusa
by Paul Kemprecos
2009NUMA Files, Book 8
Standalone Paul Kemprecos books
Author bio
Paul Kemprecos grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, studied journalism at Boston University, and moved to Cape Cod in 1961. Before he was known for mystery and adventure novels, he spent years in the newspaper business, learning how local politics, working boats, family feuds, and old stories can hide bigger trouble.
That background turned out to be perfect training.
Kemprecos worked as a reporter and editor on the Cape, eventually becoming managing editor of The Cape Codder. One of the stories that stayed with him involved the hunt for the pirate ship Whydah, which went down off Cape Cod in 1717. He first tried to turn that material into nonfiction. When that plan stalled, he reshaped the idea into a novel and invented Aristotle "Soc" Socarides, an ex-cop, diver, fisherman, and private eye whose cases are tangled up with the sea.
His debut, Cool Blue Tomb, arrived in 1991 and won the Shamus Award for Best Original Paperback. More Soc books followed, including Neptune's Eye, Death in Deep Water, The Mayflower Murder, and Bluefin Blues. Readers who like these novels usually point to the same things: the Cape Cod setting feels lived in, the underwater and salvage details feel practical, and Soc is smart, funny, stubborn, and a little weather-beaten.
Then the scale of the stories got much bigger.
After Bluefin Blues, Kemprecos was invited to help launch the NUMA Files with Clive Cussler. Starting with Serpent, he helped create Kurt Austin and the NUMA Special Assignments Team, taking the maritime interests that shaped the Soc books and pushing them onto a global stage. In books like Blue Gold, Fire Ice, Lost City, and Polar Shift, he mixed underwater action, science, archaeology, and conspiracy plots without losing his feel for how people talk and improvise when things go wrong.
Even when the stakes are huge, Kemprecos tends to come back to a few favorite ingredients. Hidden history. Dangerous water. Smart professionals under pressure. And places that are more than scenery, especially Cape Cod, which shows up in his work not as a postcard but as a working landscape with harbors, labs, dunes, boats, money troubles, and long memories.
He also kept writing under his own name. He returned to Soc in Grey Lady, Shark Bait, and The God in the Sea, and launched another action line with former Navy SEAL Matt Hawkins in The Emerald Scepter and The Minoan Cipher. Later, Killing Icarus introduced art historian Abi Vickers in a suspense story rooted in Cape Cod history. Across all of those books, you can see the same habits at work: curiosity about the past, affection for coastal communities, and an eye for how greed and ambition can turn a local mystery into something much darker.
He never really left the Cape, either.
Kemprecos lives on Cape Cod with his wife, Christi. That steady connection to place may be the clearest thread running through his career. Whether he is writing about a diver in a salvage operation, a NUMA team racing around the world, or an art historian stumbling into an old wartime secret, his books keep returning to the pull of the sea, and to the idea that history does not stay buried for long.
Edited by
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