Most Recommended Books

Track reading, wishlists & new-book alerts

Get
Skip to content
Share:

Tom Lowe Books in Order

Browse Tom Lowe books in order, with quick summaries, series guides for Sean O'Brien, Paul Marcus, and more, plus easy where to start advice.

Last updated: July 5, 2026

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

View

Publication Order

Sort:

26 books

A False Dawn

by Tom Lowe

2009

After his wife's death, former Miami detective Sean O'Brien retreats to the St. Johns River. A dying young woman pulls him into a brutal case involving trafficking, old guilt, and a promise he cannot walk away from.

The 24th Letter

by Tom Lowe

2010

A priest learns that a man set to die in 84 hours may be innocent. Sean O'Brien races to reopen the case, follow a clue tied to Omega, and stop the real killer before time runs out.

The Butterfly Forest

by Tom Lowe

2011

Graduate student Molly Monroe sees something violent in the Ocala National Forest and becomes prey. Sean O'Brien enters a wilderness of greed, hidden treasure, and old brutality to keep her alive.

The Black Bullet

by Tom Lowe

2012

Sean O'Brien's discovery of a buried German U-boat reopens a World War II killing once dismissed as a mugging. The trail leads to a family's long grief and a secret linked to the Manhattan Project.

Blood of Cain

by Tom Lowe

2013

Courtney Burke is tied to a string of carnival murders, but Sean O'Brien suspects the truth began decades earlier. To save her, he has to unravel family secrets, religious corruption, and a crime hidden in plain sight.

Black River

by Tom Lowe

2014

Hired to find a Civil War painting, Sean O'Brien stumbles into murder, a hidden map, and a secret letter. What begins as a search for family honor grows into a dangerous hunt through buried American history.

Cemetery Road

by Tom Lowe

2015

A dead man's letter and a sister's fifty-year search send Sean O'Brien to a notorious Florida reform school. The deeper he digs, the closer he gets to a truth powerful people still want buried.

Destiny

by Tom Lowe

2015

Former CIA cryptographer Paul Marcus is asked to examine Isaac Newton's final papers and finds more than a historical curiosity. Hidden codes, prophecy, and a secret cabal turn scholarship into a deadly chase.

A Murder of Crows

by Tom Lowe

2016

When Joe Billie is accused after a grave robber turns up dead, Sean O'Brien knows his friend is hiding something. The case takes him through the Everglades and into a lethal mix of greed, history, and vengeance.

Wrath

by Tom Lowe

2017

While hunting her daughter's killer, forensic psychologist Elizabeth Monroe uncovers a modern death tied to a savage crime from 1918. Old families, old money, and old hatred make this case far more dangerous than it first looks.

The Jefferson Prophecy

by Tom Lowe

2018

An encrypted Thomas Jefferson letter surfaces in a Virginia farmhouse, linked to murder and a centuries-old vendetta. Paul Marcus has to crack the message before history tips into a new crisis.

Dragonfly

by Tom Lowe

2019

A killer is hunting retired CIA agents, and Sean O'Brien's old friend Dave Collins may be next. The clues point to a sailboat called Dragonfly and a vendetta that refuses to stay in the past.

The Confession

by Tom Lowe

2019

Father Henry McGrath hears something in confession that could stop a killer, but speaking would break sacred law. Elizabeth Monroe steps in when the priest becomes a suspect and old sins start claiming new victims.

The Orchid Keeper

by Tom Lowe

2019

A simple stop to buy flowers drops Sean O'Brien into a case involving a botanist, rare ghost orchids, and deadly corruption. Deep in the Everglades, greed and politics turn a fragile ecosystem into a battleground.

Mermaid

by Tom Lowe

2020

When a young woman in a mermaid tail washes ashore, police call it an accident. Sean O'Brien sees a pattern, and when a friend's daughter may be next, the case turns urgent and personal.

Midnight's Whisperer

by Tom Lowe

2020

Back in West Texas after war, Ty McGill is running out of options until he meets a violent stallion named Midnight. Their bond leads him toward buried betrayal, hard choices, and the possibility of a new life.

The Painter

by Tom Lowe

2020

Michael Vargas walks away from fame and returns to the Deep South, where art gives him a second chance at life. Then a guarded new muse forces him to choose between the work he wants and the heart he risks.

Altered State

by Tom Lowe

2021

Elizabeth Monroe investigates killers who have no motive, no criminal history, and no memory of what they did. The deeper she goes, the more she sees a terrifying scheme aimed at the subconscious mind.

Flash of Gold

by Tom Lowe

2021

A diver is murdered after a legendary Spanish galleon is found off Florida, and Sean's friend Nick Cronus is framed. Treasure fever brings out killers, and Sean becomes the last obstacle between them and billions.

Invisible

by Tom Lowe

2021

Sean O'Brien briefly helps a young girl in traffic, then sees her face on the news after she disappears. To find her alive, he must enter the dark web and face a ruthless network that sells human lives.

The Fountain

by Tom Lowe

2022

Gideon Wright may have found a Florida spring that slows aging, and that makes him a target. Sean O'Brien steps in as greed, science, and myth collide around a discovery worth killing for.

The Poppy Score

by Tom Lowe

2022

Paul Marcus is asked to decode lost pages attributed to Sun Tzu, and the puzzle comes with an impossible deadline. If he fails, ancient strategy could become the trigger for a modern global catastrophe.

The White Dragon

by Tom Lowe

2022

A former Delta Force friend asks Sean O'Brien to investigate his son's sudden death. The search reveals a chain of suspicious deaths and pulls Sean into an underworld where getting answers may cost him everything.

Justice

by Tom Lowe

2023

A small anomaly at a Veterans Day parade alerts Sean O'Brien to something much bigger. Soon he is facing a shadowy network with roots in World War II and a plan that could reshape the future.

Gypsy Tears

by Tom Lowe

2024

When thieves steal the trawler Gypsy from two elderly friends, Sean O'Brien takes the chase beyond Florida and into the Bahamas. It turns into a hard run through corruption, boat theft, and modern piracy.

The Alibi

by Tom Lowe

2025

A dying woman admits she once kept silent and let the wrong man go to prison for murder. Sean O'Brien reopens the case and finds powerful people still determined to protect the lie.

Where should I start?

If you want the core Sean O'Brien story: A False DawnThe 24th LetterThe Butterfly ForestThe Black Bullet
If you like Florida crime with buried history: Cemetery RoadA Murder of CrowsFlash of Gold
If you want code breaking and global stakes: DestinyThe Jefferson ProphecyThe Poppy Score
If you prefer psychological suspense: WrathThe ConfessionAltered State
If you want standalones first: Midnight's WhispererThe Painter

Author bio

Tom Lowe came to novels by a long road. He is from North Carolina, and before he ever launched a series hero he worked as a print journalist, magazine writer, television news producer, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker. That mix helps explain why his fiction feels both reported and cinematic. He likes mystery, but he also likes facts, place, and the way a landscape can shape a story.

He did not begin as a full-time novelist.

Lowe worked in Florida newsrooms and magazines, including a stint at the Island Reporter on Sanibel. He later wrote freelance television pieces for CNN and went on to write and direct historical documentaries for PBS, including The Sponge Divers of Tarpon Springs, River Into the New World, and Zora's Roots. Along the way he also worked in media relations at Walt Disney World, wrote for magazines such as Gulfshore Life and Tropic, and spent time in Texas and Michigan before returning to Florida. He even met his wife, Keri, while working at the Island Reporter.

The move into fiction came after years of nonfiction work. While researching the news, Lowe read reporting on human trafficking in the United States and started asking the kind of question that thriller writers love, what happens if one damaged person stumbles into a system much bigger and darker than he expected? That idea became A False Dawn in 2009, the first Sean O'Brien novel. He researched the book with help from law enforcement sources and set it in places he knew, including Miami, Cassadaga, and the St. Johns River country.

That background never really left him.

Readers who start with Sean O'Brien usually stay for the combination of momentum and atmosphere. Books like The 24th Letter, The Butterfly Forest, and Cemetery Road mix murder investigations with old Florida secrets, wetlands, small towns, and the feeling that history is never as settled as people pretend. Sean is a strong lead, but the setting does a lot of work too. Lowe clearly enjoys the rough edges of backwaters, marinas, forests, and coastlines, and he knows how quickly beauty can turn threatening.

He has not stayed in one lane, either.

With Destiny, The Jefferson Prophecy, and The Poppy Score, Lowe shifted into code breaking, historical puzzles, and international conspiracy through his Paul Marcus books. With Wrath, The Confession, and Altered State, he moved toward darker psychological suspense in the Elizabeth Monroe series, where a forensic psychologist is forced to look closely at how people hide evil, and how the past keeps resurfacing. Then there are the standalones. Midnight's Whisperer heads to West Texas and won a Spur Award, while The Painter turns quieter and more character driven.

Certain things keep showing up across his work. Loyalty matters. So does grief. Old crimes rarely stay buried, and institutions do not always deserve trust. Lowe also writes a lot about people who would prefer peace but keep getting pulled toward danger because they cannot ignore what is wrong in front of them. That moral tug gives his books a steady center, even when the plots get big.

These days, his bibliography shows the range of someone who has spent years watching people, chasing details, and turning research into story. He continues to build out the Sean O'Brien world while also returning to Paul Marcus and Elizabeth Monroe. If you like thrillers with a strong sense of place, a little history in the bloodstream, and heroes who are stubborn for the right reasons, Lowe has made a solid case for himself.

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.