On this page

This page lists novels and short story collections by John Lutz.

Note that the cover image are for the first edition and for a recent paperback or digital edition.

The Truth of the Matter

John Lutz

1971

"Lou Roebuck couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it. If he could, he might not have lost his job and his wife, or ended up driving over his old nemesis, Ingrahm, in his Thunderbird. Now Roebuck’s a thief and a murderer on the run with nobody to listen to his tall tales but Ellie, a pretty blonde who’s looking for excitement. They’ll have to keep moving, though, because not only are the cops dangerously close behind, but Ingrahm’s cold killer friend, Gipp, is coming after them as well. Roebuck’s going to have to do some pretty fast talking if he and Ellie want to keep breathing. And if he can’t lie his way out of this one, he’s going to find himself lying in an early grave."

Buyer Beware

John Lutz

1976

An Alo Nudger novel.

"Private investigator Alo Nudger didn't have to think twice about accepting the $2,500 fee from Gordon Clark, whose seven-year-old daughter had been "kidnapped" by his ex-wife, Joan. After all, the pay was good, and the job seemed simple enough: bring young Melissa back from Florida to her frantic father. Nudger arrives at his destination to find only an empty house but soon locates Melissa in the safekeeping of a neighbor and reckons his job is done... or is it? For now Joan is missing, and the man she and Melissa had been living with is murdered. Nudger's new proposition from an equally distraught parent—Joan's father—is not so readily appealing as before. Fifty thousand dollars to locate a missing person is a tempting sum, indeed—assuming Alo Nudger can stay alive long enough to enjoy it."

Bonegrinder

John Lutz

1977

"When the men find him, the boy’s legs look like they were run through a wood-chipper. He’s bleeding heavily and near death, but he still has strength to tell them of the monster that attacked him: a dark, massive creature that emerged from the bottom of the lake. The child dies before he can say more. Sheriff Billy Wintone has seen too much superstition, drunkenness, and rage in this small Ozarks town to believe the delirious boy’s tale of a monster lurking under the lake’s dark waters. Like it or not, however, Wintone must scour the woods for the man or beast who killed the child before the start of fishing season. When another body is found chewed to pieces, the Sheriff begins to wonder what evil lies at the bottom of Big Water Lake."

Lazarus Man

John Lutz

1979

"Wilson Capp is an honorable man in a dishonorable profession. While the others involved in the notorious Gateway scandal that toppled a President told all and made their fortunes, Wilson Capp kept the faith, kept his silence... and was rewarded with prison. Now Wilson Capp is free. And he's out to make his former associates pay the ultimate price for their betrayal. Each victim crossed off his list brings him one corpse closer to his final target... The supreme master of dirty tricks himself... The ex-President of the United States!"

Jericho Man

John Lutz

1980

"What was once New York's proudest skyscraper is now a heap of ruins, littered with the bodies of the dead and the dying. Beyond it, like firecrackers on a string, the rest of the targets wait to be ignited, unless the demands of the Jericho Man are met. The city hesitates. One second too long. And the walls come tumbling down."

The Shadow Man

John Lutz

1981

"Martin Karpp was Alan Hobson, a compulsive thief. He was Willy Bennet, a flagrant homosexual. He was Jay Jefferson, a fanatic right-winger. He was Paul Liggett who hid his true nature behind a mask of mystery. Martin Karpp was in the nation's top maximum security prison, convicted of assassinating a Presidential candidate. That should have been the last the world would ever have to fear from this madman and his many personalities. It wasn't possible that one of them could escape both the prison and Martin Karpp's own body to roam free and kill again! But try telling that to the men and women being stalked by THE SHADOW MAN. No prison can hold him. No defenses can stop him. He is the ultimate assassin, six killers in one!"

The Eye: A Novel Of Suspense

Bill Pronzini / John Lutz

1984

An Oxman and Tobin novel.

"Lewis Collier watches the people living on West 98th Street through his telescope, the “Eye of God,” ready to mete out the ultimate punishment for every perceived sin. Those who transgress must suffer and die, and no one is safe—not the building superintendent or his junk collector friend, not the musician or the brave and beautiful woman who has struggled back from a nightmare of pain and brutality. Detective E. L. Oxman of the NYPD is assigned to investigate the bloody horror that has descended on the frightened residents of the terrorized neighborhood. But Oxman’s adulterous attraction to Jennifer, an abuse survivor, has caught Collier’s attention. And all sin is punishable by death."

Night Lines

John Lutz

1984

An Alo Nudger novel.

"A murderer is stalking the streets of St Louis, and the only thing linking his victims is a system of special nightlines used by the phone company to test equipment. Lonely people use them to make contact with one another - but these people are dying."

The Right to Sing the Blues

John Lutz

1986

An Alo Nudger novel.

"New Orleans is off Alo Nudger's beaten path; the St. Louis private detective likes the comforts of home. But he also loves jazz and when he's given a round-trip ticket to the Crescent City by legendary clarinetist Fat Jack McGee, who needs to talk to him, Nudger is willing to take a flyer. Fat Jack has a problem, maybe two: a singer named Ineida, whose father is a very important man in New Orleans, and a pianist named Hollister. Hollister plays the blues just fine, but there's something about him that disturbs Fat Jack. In fact, now that Hollister and the girl are an item, Fat Jack's scared. It doesn't take long before Nudger is, too."

Tropical Heat

John Lutz

1986

A Fred Carver novel.

"When the criminal’s bullet shattered his knee, Fred Carver’s colleagues called him lucky. Between his pension and the insurance check, they said, he had a nice, easy retirement to look forward to. But Fred Carver would rather have his knee. His career finished, his marriage over, he takes a halfhearted stab at private detective work, and is already sick of it by the time he meets Edwina Talbot, a beautiful woman who wants him to find her dead lover. Of course, Edwina doesn’t believe her lover is actually dead. Every piece of evidence at the crime scene pointed to suicide, but as far a she’s concerned her man is just missing and Fred Carver is going to bring him back. Carver wants nothing to do with it, but he can’t say no to a little adventure. Some men just aren’t built for taking it easy."

Ride the Lightning

John Lutz

1987

An Alo Nudger novel.

"No one thought Curtis Colt had been railroaded for the shooting of a liquor store owner, least of all St. Louis private investigator Alo Nudger. It had been an open-and-shut case of cold blooded murder, and the people of Missouri were just waiting for Colt to be strapped into the electric chair—after all, three eyewitnesses couldn't be wrong. But as time runs out on the convicted killer, Nudger receives a call from Candy Ann Adams, Colt's fiancé, who insists he's innocent, because she knows who really pulled the trigger. Despite his better judgment, Nudger takes the case, finding the trail cold and witnesses colder still. But, just as he prepares to abandon the case and leave Colt to his fate, Nudger comes across new evidence that convinces him that maybe Candy Ann is right, maybe the wrong man has been sentenced to 'ride the lightning'."

Scorcher

John Lutz

1987

A Fred Carver novel.

"A year ago, Fred Carver was nothing but a disabled ex-cop whose career, marriage, and family were all little more than fading memories. But then, while working as a private detective, he met Edwina Talbot, and ten months of life together has made him happier than he has been in years. But fate does not let men like Fred Carver stay happy for long. On the eve of a visit from his ex-wife and their two children, tragedy upends his new life. As if Florida in July weren’t hot enough, a madman is on a killing spree with a homemade flamethrower. After Fred’s eight-year-old son becomes the third victim, a man who has spent his life trying to catch murderers now has some killing to do of his own."

Dancer's Debt

John Lutz

1988

An Alo Nudger novel.

"Helen Crane, a beauty 'men build dreams around,' hires private eye Alo Nudger to find out what's troubling her lover Jake Dancer. Middle-aging, old-shoe Nudger tails Dancer and manages to save him from a couple of strong-arm men. Dancer, handsome, feckless, an alcoholic and compulsive gambler is vague about the money he owes, and Nudger learns that Helen, working for an 'escort service,' plans to move 'up' to prostitution to help pay Dancer's debts. Then Dancer vanishes, Nudger's lover Claudia is abducted, and the story ends with the uncovering of a grisly, sadistic snuff-film operation."

Kiss

John Lutz

1988

A Fred Carver novel.

"Retirement is a word that has always frightened Fred Carver. One of Orlando’s finest, he retired early—when a criminal’s bullet shattered his kneecap and made him unfit for beat work. Since then he hasn’t been able to relax, and fills his days and nights investigating cases the local police aren’t willing to touch. Now one of those cops has come to him with a problem that only a private detective can solve. It takes Fred into the heart of Florida’s retirement community: a spacious estate called Sunhaven where the elderly can finish their lives in luxury. But it seems that some of them are dying before their time. When the residents speak of murder, are they telling the truth, or are they simply confused? Unraveling the mystery will take Fred Carver into a place where death is seldom the result of natural causes."

Shadowtown

John Lutz

1988

An Oxman and Tobin novel.

"Shadowtown is the hottest soap opera in the country, even after the most popular character—a vampire—is killed off. The writers had little choice after the accidental death of the actor who played him. But now a real-life villain wearing the TV vampire’s cape has committed murder, slaying a former New York cop who was working as a night watchman on the show’s soundstage. Meanwhile, actress Lana Spence, who portrays a femme fatale on the soap—and has ruined a few careers—has been receiving death threats for months. Could the murder and the nasty missives be related? Oxman and Tobin must sort through a cattle call of suspects to shine a spotlight on a crazed killer hiding in the shadows."

Better Mousetraps: The Best Mystery Stories Of

John Lutz

1988

The stories are:

• The Other Runner
• The Wounded Tiger
• The Real Shape of the Coast
• High Stakes
• Buried Treasure
• The Explosives Expert
• Big Game
• In Memory Of...
• Hand of Fate
• The Second Shot
• The Shooting of Curly Dan
• The Day of the Picnic
• Mortal Combat
• Something for the Dark
• The Insomniacs Club
• The Music from Downstairs
• The Landscape of Dreams
• Until You Are Dead
• Something Like Murder
• Trickle Down
• Dear Dorie
• Dead Man
• Games for Adults
• The Butcher, the Baker
• No Small Problem
• Deeper and Deeper
• On Guard
• Fractions
• Pure Rotten
• Autumn Madness
• Understanding Electricity
• Discount Fare
• Close Calls
• One Man's Manual
• Mail Order

Time Exposure

John Lutz

1989

An Alo Nudger novel.

"Timid Nudger, determined to be a mensch, gives new meaning to fighting city hall on an assignment from Adelaide Lacy. Her sister Mary and Mary's boss, Virgil Hiller, are missing from their government posts, along with $500,000 in public funds. According to Adelaide, Mary and Virgil despised each other so much, they would only be found together outside the office if they were dead. Which is how Nudger believes he and Adelaide could wind up, as he picks up slim clues and dodges the armed stalker hired to mark the case closed."

Diamond Eyes

John Lutz

1990

An Alo Nudger novel.

"PI Alo Nudger, at the St Louis airport to pick up a pal, offers his business card to a distraught woman just before an incoming plane blows apart. The next morning she arrives at his office with a wild story about a bomb in an attache case and a fortune in stolen diamonds, and Nudger gets involved because he needs the fee to fend off his greedy, vindictive ex-wife and her sleazy lawyer. Then his new client is tortured and murdered, and when the hard-nosed killers threaten Nudger’s lover and let Nudger know that they are watching his every move, Nudger’s friend and former partner, police detective Jack Hammersmith, offers information and protection."

Flame

John Lutz

1990

A Fred Carver novel.

"For Bert Renway, it starts out as a simple proposition: a fat bundle of money to spend a few weeks impersonating Frank Wesley, a local tycoon. But after a while Bert grows suspicious of the easy money, and seeks help in the shape of Fred Carver, an ex–Orlando policeman turned private investigator. Like Bert, Carver smells trouble, and agrees to help him find out who his employers are and why they want him to play Wesley. Neither of them is suspicious enough. A few minutes after Bert leaves, an explosion sounds in the parking lot—the new client’s car gone up in a burst of flame. When they pull his body from the wreckage, dental records identify him not as Bert Renway, but as Frank Wesley. Carver doesn’t care. He’s on the case no matter who the man was."

SWF Seeks Same

John Lutz

1990

Subsequently published as Single White Female or Single White Female Seeks Same.

"After a messy breakup, Allie Jones finds herself living alone in her New York apartment with no one to share her bed with - and more urgently, no one to share her rent. The solution is obvious - so she advertises for a roommate. And Hendra Carlson seems perfect - shy, quiet... safe. But soon Hendra's disturbing envy of Allie's looks and social life becomes unsettling. She wears Allie's clothes, even buys a wig in Allie's colour and style.And then the obscene phone calls start. Allie's credit cards vanish, and she discovers Hendra is leading a dangerous double life. For Hendra's twisted admiration has no limits, the nightmare has just begun, and there will be a bloody price to pay."

Bloodfire

John Lutz

1991

A Fred Carver novel.

"When he meets Bob Ghostly, it’s hardly the first time that Fred Carver has been asked to find a missing spouse. But Ghostly’s tale about a beautiful woman who fled for no apparent reason doesn’t quite convince Carver, who presses for more detail. Finally Ghostly admits it. His wife was beautiful, intelligent, and kind, but she was also a heroin addict. She fled their Florida home with half their savings—nearly $10,000—and he’s afraid she’s going to put it straight into her veins. Carver goes looking for the troubled young bride, but when she shows up on her own—terrified and looking for protection—a routine case becomes one that could prove lethal for the well-meaning PI."

Hot

John Lutz

1992

A Fred Carver novel.

"When Henry Tiller barges into Fred Carver’s office, the old man seems crazy. He tells a paranoid story about one of his neighbors on the sunny Florida Key where he makes his home—a wealthy man whom he suspects of using his yacht to run drugs. A young boy recently washed up on the beach, Tiller says, and he’s certain it was murder. Carver is uninterested until he learns that the old man’s grandson died a few years earlier: another casualty of cocaine addiction. It’s only been three years since Carver’s own son was murdered, and he’s too sentimental to turn down the case. When Tiller turns up dead himself, a victim of a suspicious hit-and-run, a little smuggled cocaine becomes the least of Carver’s troubles."

Dancing with the Dead

John Lutz

1992

"Mary Arlington only feels alive when she is dancing. The rest of her life, dominated by a violent boyfriend and a mother intent on drinking herself to death, isn’t worth being awake for, but when she dances the tango her troubles disappear. She’s gotten so good that her studio is taking her to the national competition in Ohio, where she will prove to the world and to herself that her hobby is more than a pastime. That is, if she can stay alive until the music starts to play. At dance competitions across the country, amateur dancers have been turning up with slit throats. Mary follows the killing spree in the newspapers, morbidly fascinated by the deaths of women so similar to her. When the killer comes for her, she will need more than rhythm to survive."

Thicker Than Blood

John Lutz

1993

An Alo Nudger novel.

"When shy, country girl-woman Norva Beane hires Nudger to investigate a possible securities fraud, he thinks it will be a routine case. He doesn't realize it will involve a wandering daughter, drug dealers, a dangerous, tattooed muscle-man, a dysfunctional family, and a poignant past that refuses to release its grip on anyone involved. Nudger, his lady love Claudia Bettencourt, and his friends Lieutenant Jack Hammersmith and Danny Evers are all touched by a tragedy that continues to unfold in surprising directions no matter how hard Nudger tries to stop it. The suspense becomes riveting as trouble builds and answers lead to more questions and more danger."

Spark

John Lutz

1993

A Fred Carver novel.

"Hattie Evans, a retired schoolteacher, isn’t one to fuss. When her husband drops dead of a heart attack, she does her best to move on without too many tears. After all, Jerome was seventy years old. But an anonymous note, asserting that her husband was murdered, shakes her resolve, and she seeks out help. The police are useless, save that they send her to Fred Carver - a former Orlando cop who turned PI when a bullet shattered his left knee. Her case takes Carver into the depths of Solartown: an old-age mecca where seventy is the new forty, golf carts are the only way to get around, and death from natural causes is nowhere to be found."

Torch

John Lutz

1994

A Fred Carver novel.

"Donna Winship is an ordinary woman with a typical problem. No longer in love with her husband, she has taken to spending evenings and long afternoons with a new man. Fearful that her husband will learn the truth and be overwhelmed with jealousy, she contacts Fred Carver, an ex-cop turned PI, and asks him to tail her. Minutes after he agrees, Donna drives her car into a speeding tractor trailer. Dead on impact. The local police are happy to call it a suicide, but Carver is determined to serve his client, even in death. More bloodshed follows, as Donna’s husband kills himself and her lover disappears without a trace. No love triangle is simple, but this one could cost Fred Carver his life."

Shadows Everywhere: A Short Story Collection

John Lutz

1994

"Twelve tales of mystery from the pen of bestselling author John Lutz, Shadows everywhere collects much of the author's early work. You'll meet everyone from a "hardscrabble farm woman" to a volatile trucker with an explosive cargo, a cliff driver with dreams of gold, and women who are digging for it. Not every PI is a good guy, and not every villain gets his due. These tales twist and turn, surprise and entertain."

Death by Jury

John Lutz

1995

An Alo Nudger novel.

"Private Investigator Alo Nudger is hired by an attorney to learn about the client he is defending on a murder charge. The defendant's wife has disappeared and the police believe that her wealthy husband killed her. But despite his guilt, the husband seems strangely unconcerned. The defendant's sister knows something and so does the sensuous next-door neighbor. What Nudger learns pulls him deep into a tangle of deception, sex and dark family secrets."

Burn

John Lutz

1995

A Fred Carver novel.

"Joel Brandt swears he’s never met the woman before. His wife dead six months before, the small-time businessman is perplexed when Del Moray police inform him that a local woman, Marla Cloy, has accused him of harassing her. According to her, Joel has been lurking outside of her house, following her car, even assaulting her at the grocery store. Brandt says it’s all a lie, but the police don’t believe him. He goes to Fred Carver, an ex-cop turned PI, for help clearing his name. The harder Carver looks, the less he understands. There is no apparent connection between the two people, and yet one of them is trying to destroy the other’s life. When this game turns deadly, who will be the first to go?"

Lightning

John Lutz

1996

A Fred Carver novel.

"Fred Carver’s lover, Beth, is not a woman who wants to be tied down. When she learns that she is pregnant with the detective’s child, she resists his attempts to marry her and initially wants to have an abortion. Finally, love wins out, and they decide to raise the child together. Stopping by the abortion clinic to cancel her appointment, Beth is caught in an explosion that spares her life but takes her unborn child. The police are content to lock up a local anti-abortion fanatic whose house is full of explosives, but Fred Carver isn’t convinced. When he and Beth start receiving death threats, he takes the matter into his own hands—seeking revenge against the man who took his child and nearly murdered the woman he loves."

The Ex

John Lutz

1996

"David and Molly Jones live with their three-year-old son Michael on Manhattan's Upper West Side. They are devoted to their son and secure in their love for each other. Then Deirdre Grocci invades their lives. Once upon a time, she was David's wife. Their relationship was marked by kinky, violent sex and Deirdre's unsettling mood swings. That was over five years ago. David hasn't thought much about his ex since then. But his ex has been thinking about him... Leaving a trail of shocking violence behind her, she has moved across the country just to be near David again. Soon, she has moved into the Joneses' apartment building. Made friends with Michael. And begun to convince Molly that she is losing her mind. Most dangerous of all, she lures David back into a world of addictive sex he both craves and fears. Deirdre won't be content to be the other woman forever. She wants David back. This time, for keeps. But there's one force she didn't reckon on: David's wife. To hold on to her family, her sanity, and her life. Molly is willing to go to hell and back."

Final Seconds

John Lutz and David August

1998

"Will Harper was an NYPD hero. Then fate, a fiery blast, and departmental politics burned down his career. Now Will is again in the line of fire as a disgraced FBI profiler pulls him back into the action - on a hunt for a serial killer authorities don't even know about yet. Somewhere out there a man has been following a plan, choosing his victims, learning from his mistakes with every attack as he crisscrosses the country in a pattern that means everything to him. Former FBI legend Harold Addleman has seen the pattern and brought Harper into the case - while the bureau is in dangerous denial. For Harper, holding on to a marriage and a life after police work, the search suddenly turns frantic, bizarre, and personal. Because the killer he's hunting knows exactly who he is, where he's been, and how to take him out of this hunt - forever."

Oops!

John Lutz

1998

An Alo Nudger novel.

"Alo Nudger is coerced by a very young, fearless, feckless pixie of a colleague named Lacy Tumulty to take over a case that she's too busy to handle. It's an easy assignment, but Nudger's agreement to help with the case is a reluctant one. Lacy, charming as she is, has a way of being followed by trouble. The client is a man who wants to prove his daughter was murdered. The police won't do it, so he has hired Lacy, who enlists Nudger. The daughter, alone in her locked house, tripped on the stairs, fell, fractured her skull, and died. Seems to Nudger it's almost robbery to take the man's money. But all is not what it seems."

Until You Are Dead

John Lutz

1998

"A collection of twenty-seven short mystery/thriller stories with an introduction by John Lutz."

• Until You Are Dead
• The Chess Players
• Explosive Cargo
• Games for Adults
• The Basement Room
• Double Murder
• Fair Shake
• Heat
• Life Sentence
• On Judgment Day
• Death by the Numbers
• A Handgun for Protection
• Prospectus on Death
• Understanding Electricity
• The Man in the Morgue
• The Explosives Expert
• Men with Motives
• Twice Removed
• Winds of Change
• The Lemon Drink Queen
• Not Just a Number
• King of the Kennel
• Abridged
• Mail Order
• Going, Going
• Moon Children
• The Other Side of Reason

The Nudger Dilemmas: A Short Story Collection

John Lutz

2001

Alo Nudger short stories.

"Nudger, whose ever-present antacids protect a stomach that turns at the mere hint of danger, somehow manages to do his job without resorting to fists or handguns. The well-turned phrase is his most lethal weapon, whether he's seeking justice for an executed man proved innocent after the fact or coming to the aid of his friend Danny, proprietor of Danny's Donuts, who believes that his fellow shipmates from Vietnam are being killed one by one."

• Ride The Lightning
• What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
• Only One Way To Land
• Time Exposure
• Typographical Error
• Where Is Harry Beal?
• Flotsam And Jetsam
• Thunder Of Guilt
• Right To Sing The Blues
• Before You Leap
• Litigants
• Man In The Morgue
• Romantics

The Night Caller

John Lutz

2001

A Night novel.

"When he discovers his daughter's corpse in a deserted beachfront bungalow, devastated Ezekiel Cooper vows to find her murderer. The former NYPD detective doesn't know there have been other victims, women who seemingly had nothing in common, aside from a grisly fate. Then Coop crosses paths with Cara Callahan, who's determined to lure her sister's killer by transforming herself into someone just like her. But Cara's plan may be working too well. Because lurking in the shadows, just as Coop feared, the Night Caller watches her every move. . .preparing to strike again."

The Night Watcher

John Lutz

2002

A Night novel.

"Someone is killing wealthy Manhattanites. One by one, the victims are discovered in luxurious high-rise apartments. Bound, gagged - brutally murdered in the 'safety' of their own homes, by someone whose modus operandi is as horrifying as anything NYPD Detectives Ben Stack and Rica Lopez have ever seen. As Stack and Lopez investigate the cruel deaths, they have no idea that they are being watched from the shadows - observed by a cunning murderer picking up all the clues necessary to stay one step ahead of the police while perfecting a deadly craft. And when a pattern slowly emerges, the detectives realize that the killings aren't the random acts of a maniac, but the personal campaign of someone bent on retribution. . .someone who's been watching closely and knows their case too well."

The Night Spider

John Lutz

2003

A Night novel.

"A thriller about a serial killer who preys upon women living in high-rises. With few visible means of entry, the mysterious stalker kills women while they sleep in their beds behind securely locked doors. Like his namesake, he leaves his victims wrapped in their bed sheets and stabbed repeatedly, having them slowly bleed to death with their mouths frozen in a silent scream. The few clues left on the scene point to a wall-crawling, glass-cutting predator who easily eludes the best minds on the police force. Now a determined detective must stop him–before time runs out for his next victim."

Endless Road And Other Stories

John Lutz

2003

"From master mystery author John Lutz comes this collection featuring a gripping man-on-the-run novel and four of his best pieces of short fiction."

• Endless Road
• The Truth Of The Matter
• DNA
• Image
• S.O.S.

Darker Than Night

John Lutz

2004

A Night novel featuring Frank Quinn.

"A murderer dubbed 'The Night Prowler' has turned the city that doesn't sleep into a town kept awake by terror. Unseen, he enters couples' home. Unsuspected, he lingers until the perfect moment arrives. And then he leaves 'gifts' for his victims - before taking their lives. Ex-homicide cop Frank Quinn is still reeling in the wake of an elaborate set-up that ended his career. For Quinn, tracking this killer isn't just any job - it's a last chance to salvage his reputation. And with the body count rising, it's up to Quinn to unlock the mystery of a madman's past and end his bloody reign."

Fear The Night

John Lutz

2005

A Night novel.

"He comes out when the sun goes down. He's made New York City his shooting gallery. The Night Sniper threatens to increase the body count-unless legendary homicide detective Vin Repetto is willing to engage him in a lethal game of cat and mouse. When the next victim is murdered right before Repetto's eyes, the game is set to begin. But The Night Sniper doesn't realize they're playing by Repetto's rules."

Chill Of Night

John Lutz

2006

A Night novel.

"There's a twisted serial killer stalking the streets of New York City, dealing his own perverse version of justice. He kills swiftly and silently, leaving his calling card - a red J - on the bodies of his prey. His victims have one thing in common: they've all been jurors in the city's most infamous cases - cases in which the killer was found not guilty. Overnight, the Justice Killer has the city in a stranglehold. And there's only one man who has a shot at finding him . . . Homicide detective Artemis Beam made his reputation hunting down serial killers. After getting shot by an armed robber--and stepping on the wrong toes in the NYPD--he's been retired. The city needs him now, and finding the killer is his chance to get back into the life he loves. As the body count climbs and the city's legal system fails, the Justice Killer thinks he's outsmarted the cops. But Beam isn't officially a cop anymore . . . and he doesn't have to play by the rules."

In For The Kill

John Lutz

2007

A Frank Quinn novel.

"A madman is stalking women in the city. By the time his victims are found, they've been dismembered with careful precision, their limbs stacked into a gruesome pyramid and completely cleansed of every last drop of blood. Accustomed to working on the most grisly homicides, detective Frank Quinn's nerves don't rattle easily but with this killer the veteran cop feels a chill run down his spine. This time, he realises, he is up against a psychopath who will test him like never before."

Night Kills

John Lutz

2008

A Frank Quinn novel.

"Frank Quinn is sure he is hunting for a madman: someone who is shooting young women in the heart, defiling their bodies, leaving only the torsos to be found. Quinn, a former NYPD detective, is called into the case by an ambitious chief of police and mobilizes his team of brilliant law-enforcement misfits. But in the concrete canyons of New York, this shocking serial murder case is turning into something very different. . . Jill Clark came to the city with too many hopes and too little cash. Now a seemingly deranged woman is telling her an extraordinary story. New to an exclusive dating service, Jill is warned that other women have died on their dates-and that she could be next. Struggling against a death trap closing in around her, Jill has a powerful ally in Frank Quinn. But no one knows the true motives behind a rampage of cold-blooded murder-or how much more terrifying this is going to get."

Urge To Kill

John Lutz

2009

A Frank Quinn novel.

"Homicide detective Frank Quinn can't stay retired when a new breed of murdering madman is on the prowl. In a city terrorized by bloody brutality, Quinn and his team hunt a psychopath who lures beautiful women into a night of unbridled passion, then wakes them to a vicious, drawn-out death. Stumbling over a trail of horribly defiled bodies, Quinn can't seem to catch up to the killer--because the killer is about to catch up to him."

Mister X

John Lutz

2010

A Frank Quinn novel.

"He mutilates his victims. Slices their throats. And carves an X into their flesh. Five years ago, he claimed the lives of six women. Then the killings abruptly stopped - no one knows why. Ex-homicide detective Frank Quinn remembers. Which is why he's shocked to see one of the dead women in his office. Actually, she's the identical twin of the last victim, and she wants Quinn to find her sister's murderer. But when the cold case heats up, it attracts the media spotlight - and suddenly the killings start again."

Serial

John Lutz

2011

A Frank Quinn novel.

"A New York restaurateur, Millie Graff, is followed home from work by a man who forces her into her apartment and tortures her before killing her. She is found with her hand wrapped around a silver cross on a necklace. She's been gagged, sexually violated and then skinned alive. As Quinn and his associates follow the path of the killer known as 'The Skinner', another woman's desperate search for the truth will bring her into the crosshairs of a killer with a burning desire to settle old scores. Quinn and Pearl must rush to Missouri to confront the monster before yet another life is lost."

Pulse

John Lutz

2012

A Frank Quinn novel.

"The infamous transsexual serial killer known as Daniel Danielle escapes from prison during a Florida hurricane and Frank Quinn fears he has returned and is wreaking havoc as the body count rises. Or it could be a copy cat killer working with stunning originality but whoever it is, this evil force must be stopped before another victim is claimed."

Twist

John Lutz

2013

A Frank Quinn novel.

"A former homicide detective specialising in tracking serial killers, Frank Quinn is a highly decorated ex-cop. And now his niece, Carlie Hobbs, needs help. Someone is stalking her, and the NYPC can't stop him. A blonde, blue eyed beauty, Carlie fits the victim profile of the killer who's been terrorising women - leaving them bound, gagged and tortured with surgical precision. To win against the most personal adversary of his career Quinn will have to set the perfect trap... and all he needs now is the perfect bait."

Frenzy

John Lutz

2014

A Frank Quinn novel.

"Six women are found dead in a hotel room – five are them are students, still in their teens. Tied up and tortured, these are signature killings recognised by the NYPD for the three bloody initials carved into each victim’s forehead: D.O.A. Ex-cop Frank Quinn has faced this madman before and both men bear the scars from their last encounter. Killer and cop, hunter and prey, find themselves in a deadly game of matched wits where only one can prevail. It’s not just about who will be killed, but who will survive."

Slaughter

John Lutz

2015

A Frank Quinn novel.

"A beautiful jogger, drained of blood, dismembered, then meticulously reassembled on the grass in Central Park. Subway derailments, plummeting elevators, collapsing construction cranes, apartment explosions—all creating a bloody, senseless puzzle. Detective Frank Quinn knows that even while the slayer is taunting the cops and the public, he’s also screaming to be caught. But Quinn will have to risk everything he holds precious to bring in this killer."

The Honorable Traitors

John Lutz

2018

"Officially, Thomas Laker is an employee of the NSA. His real employer, known as the Gray Outfit, is not listed—anywhere. When a Washington, D.C., insider is killed in a bomb explosion, Laker teams up with cryptographer Ava North on a desperate search for clues. The only thing certain is that another act of terrorism is imminent. Delving into the dangerous past when America was drawn into global conflict,  they discover one of history’s greatest—and deadliest—secrets. In the wrong hands it can unleash unimaginable destruction. Now, to keep his homeland from plunging into its darkest hour, Laker will have to defend everything he believes in."