Sergeant Brad Braun Books in Order

The Sergeant Brad Braun books sit a little to the side of E H Reinhard's better-known series, and they were published under the name Erik Racker. The lead here is Brad Braun, a Major Crimes sergeant working violent cases that feel a little more local, a little more hard-edged, and often a little more personal than the broader FBI books. If Kane is city homicide and Hank is federal pursuit, Braun feels like the cop who has to walk straight into the mess after the patrol cars clear the way.

The tone is compact and mean.

The first book, Death Report, opens with a dismembered young woman and a killer who wants attention. That grim directness carries through the rest of the run. Stealing Lives starts with a mansion murder and quickly shows that the first blood-soaked home is only the beginning. A Look Back pulls Braun into a case tied to his own past. Just by Chance follows a roadside murder where the killer is taking unusual steps not to be caught. Left Unfinished pushes things even harder when a killer from Braun's recent past turns a hospital into a hostage scene.

What holds the series together is Braun himself. He is experienced, practical, and not easily rattled, but Reinhard keeps finding ways to put pressure on the places where experience is not enough. Braun's past keeps surfacing. So do recent wounds, grudges, and people who want payback. That gives the books a strong sense of continuity even though each case is its own story.

The setting feels more county-level and close to the ground than some of Reinhard's other work. These are not glamorous crime novels. They are direct, violent procedurals about what happens after a body turns up and someone has to figure out who did it before the next one appears. The appeal is the same simple appeal Reinhard often delivers well: clear writing, fast pacing, and investigators who have to keep going even after the case turns ugly.

If you want to try this branch of his work, start with Death Report. It introduces Braun cleanly and sets the mood for everything that follows. Readers who enjoy Reinhard's stripped-down procedural style but want a different lead character will probably feel at home here very quickly.