Best Selling Books by T. Jefferson Parker

Orange County sheriff''s detective Merci Rayborn''s investigation of a prostitute''s murder leads her to her lover, Officer Mike McNally.

In this electrifying new thriller from three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestseller T. Jefferson Parker, Private Investigator Roland Ford hunts for a missing teenager and uncovers a dark conspiracy in his most personal case yet. When hired by a beautiful and enigmatic woman to find her missing younger sister, private investigator Roland Ford immediately senses that the case is not what it seems. He is soon swept up in a web of lies and secrets as he searches for the teenager, and even his new client cannot be trusted. His investigation leads him to a secretive charter school, skinhead thugs, a cadre of American Nazis hidden in a desert compound, an arch-conservative celebrity evangelist--and, finally, to the girl herself. The Last Good Guy is Ford''s most challenging case to date, one that will leave him questioning everything he thought he knew about decency, honesty, and the battle between good and evil...if it doesn''t kill him first.

Patrick Norris returns to rural California after serving with the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. Fire has ravaged his home farm and it has all become too much for his parents and brother to manage. The country has changed though, notably after the mass killings of children in schools across the United States, invariably by lone gunmen, and a great tension exists in the people. Is there really a case for an even wider ownership of guns? Patrick''s brother, Ted, hasn''t had it easy in life. Health conditions have slowed him down and set him apart. Ted worships Patrick, and Patrick knows he has to be an example, but settling down to the country life cannot be easy after Iraq. When a child is mown down by an unknown driver suspicion takes over Fallbrook. There will be deaths before it is all resolved, perhaps many and perhaps the death of innocents

A serial killer is preying on the residents of Orange County, massacring entire families. The police are unaccountably keeping the killings under wraps, and Russ Monroe, ex-cop-turned-crime writer needs to know why. From the bestselling author of Laguna Heat. Martin''s.

“Love, lust, murder, betrayal, suffering, and redemption all parade by as a brilliant tale-spinner once again has his way with us.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Edgar Award–Winner, Best Novel of the Year The Orange County, California, that the Becker brothers knew as boys is no more—unrecognizably altered since the afternoon in 1954 when Nick, Clay, David, and Andy rumbled with the lowlife Vonns, while five-year-old Janelle Vonn watched from the sidelines. The new decade has ushered in the era of Johnson, hippies, John Birchers, and LSD. Clay becomes a casualty of a far-off jungle war. Nick becomes a cop, Andy a reporter, David a minister. And a terrible crime touches them all in ways they could never have anticipated when the mutilated corpse of teenage beauty queen Janelle Vonn is discovered in an abandoned warehouse. “Parker’s drum-tight prose and richly layered characters borrow a bit from Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled L.A. noirs as well as the more psychologically lurid novels of Dennis Lehane, but California Girl easily earns Parker his own spot on the shelf between these two masters.” —Entertainment Weekly, Editor’s Choice “A masterpiece filled with intriguing, multidimensional characters, an enthralling, sweeping plot, and some of the finest writing you’ll ever read.” —Chicago Sun-Times “Subtle—and effective . . . as much a family saga as it is a crime novel . . . an abundance of richly drawn characters.” —San Francisco Chronicle “An evocative trip back to the days of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, hippies, LSD, Charles Manson, peace protests, and the rising anger against the war in Vietnam. Parker perfectly captures the turbulence of the times.” —Orlando Sentinel

When Rebecca Harris is murdered in front of the newspaper offices of the "Orange County Journal," she leaves behind friends and co-workers shocked by her violent death. But she also leaves behind two rivals who were in love with her—passionate Joshua Weinstein, and FBI agent she was engaged to marry, and John Menden, the quiet newsman who was her lover. These men knew of each other''s part in Rebecca''s complex life, each hoping to be ultimately chosen by her. Weinstein solves the murder but he can''t get the evidence to make an arrest—the only person who can do that is Menden. Working together in an uneasy alliance, the two men join forces to bring down Rebecca''s killer. Weinstein, the lawman, guides Menden, the journalist into a powerful paramilitary organization where his every move will be scrutinized and vetted by dangerous men, and where his body and soul will be tested in the extreme. "A jolting thriller...delivers more than a rush." —The New York Times Book Review "The Triggerman''s Dance is a stunning work, so hypnotic and beautiful that when I finished it, I turned to page 1 and read it all over again." —The Washington Post "The Triggerman''s Dance has the psychological and moral complexity of a good novel of the American dark." —The New York Times "His best work thus far." —Bookpage "The Triggerman''s Dance is at once darkly disturbing and entertaining." —Atlanta Journal Constitution "A Gripping thriller from the author of such topnotch suburban angst items as Little Saigon and Laguna Heat." —Chicago Tribune

When Garrett Asplundh''s body is found under a San Diego bridge, Robbie Brownlaw is called on to the case. After the tragic death of his child and the dissolution of his marriage, Garrett—regarded as an honest, straight-arrow officer—left the SDPD to become an ethics investigator, looking into the activities of his former colleagues. At first Asplundh''s death, which takes place on the eve of a reconciliation with his ex, looks like suicide, but the clues Brownlaw finds just don''t add up. Amid rampant corruption and tightening city purse strings, and with pressure mounting from the police and the city''s politicians, Brownlaw fights to find the truth, all the while trying to hold on to his own crumbling marriage. A carefully woven novel of suspense, The Fallen brings to life a superb cast of characters against the all-too-real backdrop of a city fighting for its survival.

The Rescue is a gripping thriller that explores the strength of the human-animal bond and how far we will go to protect what we love by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker. While reporting on a Tijuana animal shelter, journalist Bettina Blazak falls in love with one of her story’s subjects—an adorable Mexican street dog who is being treated for a mysterious gunshot wound. Bettina impulsively adopts the dog, who she names Felix after the veterinarian who saved him. In investigating Felix’s past, Bettina discovers that his life is nothing like what she assumed. For one thing, he’s not a Mexican street dog at all. A former DEA drug-sniffing dog, Felix has led a very colorful, dangerous, and profitable life. With Bettina’s story going viral, some interesting people are looking for Felix, making him a target—again. Bettina soon finds herself drawn into a deadly criminal underworld from which she and her beloved dog may not return. Other Forge Books by T. Jefferson Parker: A Thousand Steps At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Intricately plotted and surprisingly moving, THE BLUE HOUR is T. Jefferson Parker’s most compelling—and satisfying—thriller yet, from the NYT bestselling author and three-time Edgar Award winner. Tim Hess is a semi-retired homicide cop staring at his own death sentence—lung cancer. Time is running out. Thrice divorced and childless, Hess is the classic loner cop—so he’s happy to accept the difficult job offered to him: find and stop a serial killer who’s been abducting beautiful young women in Orange County. His new partner, and boss, is the brash, ambitious Merci Rayborn. She’s unpopular and unloved by her fellow cops, but she’s also relentless, smart and principled. Hess, challenged by the investigation and by his own disease, isn''t happy about taking orders from Merci, and he certainly isn''t planning for her to fall in love with him… “What distinguishes this moving book are the finely defined characters, the author’s accomplished style (which sketches his Orange County turf and surf in vivid strokes) and the tale’s unexpected twists.” —Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal “The crimes are sickening, the killer is a monster, and the gadgets of destruction are truly bizarre. Solid police work, beefed up with some ingenious devices from Parker’s bottomless bag of tricks, makes it all come out right—but not before the wondrously weird characters have taken this lurid plot to its outer limits.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review “Unpredictable and dynamic… far more gripping than your average serial-killer thriller … Sure-handed thriller writer Parker proves ever-surprising.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A richly metaphoric and suspenseful ride to the end … Ah, Parker in top form.” —Kirkus Reviews “Parker pulls off a rare juggling act in The Blue Hour. He combines the fast pacing and titillating elements of a bestseller with the more meaningful searchings of a John Updike novel. Parker is often compared to Michael Connelly because both men write tautly crafted police procedurals. But Parker has only one rival—Thomas Harris—when it comes to averting the clichés of the serial killer book by characterization… . If you’re seeking a thinking man’s bestseller, T. Jefferson Parker is the writer for you.” —Katy Munger, Washington Post Book World “A man much praised doesn’t need more encomiums; but T. Jefferson Parker deserves all he gets. The Blue Hour adds one more chilling thriller to a long, grim, and scary list: ingenious, intricate, complicated yet credible, a real page-turner.” —Eugen Weber, Los Angeles Times “Parker’s best work.” —Edvins Beitiks, San Francisco Examiner “Has enough chills and twists to keep the pages turning, but the real story here is the surprising love match Parker manages to pull off with realistic characters and true emotion. This will be another hit for Parker’s fans and will appeal to Michael Connelly’s as well.” —Rececca House, Library Journal “Takes you where you’ve been and it seems like the first time.” —Richard Fuller, Philadelphia Inquirer

For fans of Michael Connelly and CJ Box, the second thrilling novel in the Charlie Hood series from New York Times bestseller and Edgar-award winner T. Jefferson Parker, now featuring an excerpt from his upcoming novel The Room of White Fire. Deputy Sheriff Charlie Hood cruises the dusty backroads of the new American West. But when his partner is shot dead and Hood is drafted to find the killer, the investigation takes him to places he never wanted to go-where there''s no clear line between good and evil.

“Mesmerizing and haunting.”—Lisa Gardner “T. Jefferson Parker is the poet of American crime fiction, and The Room of White Fire absolutely proves why.”—C.J. Box In this stirring thriller from New York Times bestseller and award winner T. Jefferson Parker, P.I. Roland Ford must hunt down a soldier who is damaged by war, dangerous, and on the run. Roland Ford—once a cop, then a marine, now a private investigator—is good at finding people. But when he’s asked to locate an Air Force veteran who’s escaped from a mental institution, he realizes he’s been drawn into something deep and dark. What he doesn’t know is why a shroud of secrecy hangs over the disappearance of Clay Hickman—and why he’s getting a different story from everyone involved. In a flash, what began as just a job becomes a life-or-death obsession for Ford, pitting him against immensely powerful and treacherous people and forcing him to contend with chilling questions about truth, justice, and the American way. “A fast-paced, beautifully written thriller."—The Washington Post

In his newest novel, the bestselling author of "The Triggerman''s Dance" masterfully reinvents the classic loner cop: a man with a dark and violent past whose redemption can come only through saving others. Terry Naughton, head of Orange County''s new Crimes Against Youth Division, has his work cut out for him when he faces The Horridus--a madman who kidnaps children, then releases them unharmed but dressed in period clothing with a piece of snakeskin as a memento 12-city author tour. TV ads (Psychological Suspense) .

Merci Rayborn, T. Jefferson Parker''s stubborn, principled Orange County detective, is almost alone in believing that deputy Archie Wildcraft didn''t kill his beautiful young wife and then turn his service weapon on himself. The evidence against Wildcraft--now hospitalized with a bullet lodged in his head--seems overwhelming. But Merci, who''s still unpopular for exposing an old police scandal that caused the death of one cop and the ruination of others (The Blue Hour), is resisting pressure from her boss and a headline-hunting D.A. to arrest Wildcraft and charge him with murder. Then the deputy, who''s lost his memory and maybe his mind as a result of his injury, goes missing from his hospital room, intent on tracking down the real killers and managing to stay a step ahead of Merci. Soon, they both begin to realize that Gwen Wildcraft wasn''t killed because she got in the way of an attempted hit on her husband--it was the other way around. Parker, whose skills at characterization are as well honed as his expert pacing and intricate plotting, has penned another standout that will keep readers guessing and gasping until the last dramatic page. --Jane Adams

Investigating the latest crime scene of a celebrity thief who has been staging lucrative heists and donating the spoils to charity, rookie deputy Charlie Hood is forced to make an ethics-testing decision when the thief is targeted by a professional killer. Reprint.

For fans of Michael Connelly and CJ Box, the third thrilling novel in the Charlie Hood series from New York Times bestseller and Edgar-award winner T. Jefferson Parker, now including an excerpt from his upcoming novel The Room of White Fire. Along the U.S./Mexico border, a man named Finnegan wakes up in the border-town of Buenavista after a hit and run-eerily aware of events he should know nothing about, $90,000 richer, and with Charlie Hood''s name and address in his wallet. Meanwhile when tracking the flow of illegal guns into Mexico, Hood''s team accidentally kills the son of Benjamin Armenta, head of the Gulf Cartel and one of the most violent men in the world. Now, Hood must work to grasp the enigmatic forces fighting for control of Buenavista- forces that circle back to Finnegan, and to Armenta''s unstoppable plan for brutal vengeance.

Bradley Jones, a deputy in the L.A. sheriff''s department who''s been transporting drugs for a Mexican cartel since he was 17, turns to fellow deputy Hood for help after henchmen of a rival cartel kidnap Jones''s pregnant wife, Erin. If Jones doesn''t pay the rival cartel''s leader, Benjamin Armenta, a million within 10 days as an apology for the trouble he''s caused Armenta, Armenta will have Erin skinned alive.

What if the client who''s hired you can''t be trusted...and the woman you''re looking for doesn''t want to be found? With Then She Vanished, three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times-bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker delivers a new and pulse-pounding thriller. Private Investigator Roland Ford has taken a job for a fellow Marine and a rising politician, Dalton Strait. Strait is contending with unexplained bombings of government buildings in his district...but that is not why he hired Ford. Strait''s wife, Natalie, has gone missing, leaving behind a cryptic plea for help. Strait has made many enemies during his time in politics--including some of his own family members--all of whom could be looking for revenge. But as Ford digs into the details of a troubled marriage, Natalie''s disappearance becomes more and more complicated. Meanwhile, the bombings in the city intensify, with a mysterious group known only as the Chaos Committee claiming responsibility. Ford soon learns that the seemingly random attacks may be connected to the case he''s on--and suddenly, his hunt for a missing woman might decide the fate of an entire city.

From the Edgar Award-winning author of Silent Joe, a new hard-hitting thriller of murder, vengeance, and secret passions that will keep readers spellbound. Homicide cop Tom McMichael is on the rotation when an 84-year-old city patriarch named Pete Braga is found bludgeoned to death. Not good news, especially since the Irish McMichaels and the Portuguese Bragas share a violent family history dating back three generations. Years ago Braga shot McMichael''s grandfather in a dispute over a paycheck; soon thereafter Braga''s son was severely beaten behind a waterfront bar--legend has it that it was an act of revenge by McMichael''s father. McMichael must put aside the old family blood feud, and find the truth about Pete Braga''s death. Braga''s beautiful nurse is a suspect--she says she stepped out for some firewood, but key evidence suggests otherwise. The investigation soon expands to include Braga''s business, his family, the Catholic diocese, a multi-million dollar Indian casino, a prostitute, a cop, and, of course, the McMichael family. Cold Pursuit is the novel that T. Jefferson Parker fans have been waiting for.

Hitting rock bottom after losing his family and ability to work after an explosion that was intended to kill him, former police officer Matt Stromsoe takes a job as a bodyguard for a television personality whose private life has rendered her a stalker''s target.

"A brave and daring writer." —Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of Shanghai Girls The Carson dynasty rules the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Founded by patriarch Adam, the town is the site of the Mammoth Cup ski race-a qualifier for the Olympics. But when Wylie Welborn, Adam''s illegitimate grandson, returns after a stint in Afghanistan, it reopens a dark moment in Carson family history: the murder of Wylie''s father by his jealous and very pregnant wife, Cynthia. Her son Sky, born while his mother was in prison, and Wylie are half-brothers. They inherit not only superb athletic skills but an enmity that threatens to play out in a lethal drama on one of the fastest and most perilous ski slopes in the world. Three powerful and unusual women have central roles in this volatile family feud: Cynthia, bent on destroying Wylie; his mother Kathleen, determined to protect him; and April Holly, a beautiful celebrity snowboarder, on track to win Olympic Gold. But, as Wylie falls in love with April and they begin to imagine a life away from the violence that has shattered his family, history threatens to repeat itself and destroy them both. Combining exquisite writing with breathtaking scenes of high stakes skiing, T. Jefferson Parker''s Crazy Blood is an unforgettable story of two brothers on a ruthless quest for supremacy.

The #1 Los Angeles Times bestselling author of Red Light and The Blue Hour returns with a moody, sexy, suspenseful novel about a scarred man, the father he idolized, and the secret he uncovers. With the horrible remnants of a childhood tragedy forever visible across his otherwise handsome face, Joe Trona is scarred in more ways than one. Rescued from an orphanage by Will Trona, a charismatic Orange County politician who sensed his dark potential, Joe is swept into the maelstrom of power and intimidation that surrounds his adoptive father''s illustrious career. Serving as Will''s right-hand man, Joe is trained to protect and defend his father''s territory -- but he can''t save the powerful man from his enemies. Will Trona is murdered, and Joe will stop at nothing to find out who did it. Looking for clues as he sifts through the remains of his father''s life -- his girlfriends, acquaintances, deals, and enemies -- Joe comes to realize how many secrets Will Trona possessed, and how many people he had the power to harm. But two leads keep rising to the surface: a little girl who was kidnapped by her mentally disturbed brother, and two rival gangs who seem to have joined forces. As Joe deepens his investigation -- and as he is forced to confront the painful events of his troubled childhood -- these two seemingly disconnected threads will intersect. Just how and why form the crux of this intricate, intelligent mystery that satisfies the mind as well as the heart -- and reveals yet again the impeccable detail, vivid characterization, and emotional complexity that make a T. Jefferson Parker novel impossible to resist.

A Thousand Steps is a beguiling thriller, an incisive coming-of-age story, and a vivid portrait of a turbulent time and place by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker. Download a FREE sneak peek today! Laguna Beach, California, 1968. The Age of Aquarius is in full swing. Timothy Leary is a rock star. LSD is God. Folks from all over are flocking to Laguna, seeking peace, love, and enlightenment. Matt Antony is just trying get by. Matt is sixteen, broke, and never sure where his next meal is coming from. Mom’s a stoner, his deadbeat dad is a no-show, his brother’s fighting in Nam . . . and his big sister Jazz has just gone missing. The cops figure she’s just another runaway hippie chick, enjoying a summer of love, but Matt doesn’t believe it. Not after another missing girl turns up dead on the beach. All Matt really wants to do is get his driver’s license and ask out the girl he’s been crushing on since fourth grade, yet it’s up to him to find his sister. But in a town where the cops don’t trust the hippies and the hippies don’t trust the cops, uncovering what’s really happened to Jazz is going to force him to grow up fast. If it’s not already too late. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Life in Newport Beach, California is more nightmare than paradise when ex-cop Jim Weir''s pregnant sister is brutally murdered. Life becomes unbearable when Weir is asked to investigate his former department. Political corruption and small town connections make this task even more onerous.

An unprecedented collective features pairings by 23 best-selling and critically acclaimed suspense writers, who in short high-action stories pit their most popular characters against one another.

For fans of Michael Connelly and CJ Box, from New York Times bestseller and Edgar-award winner T. Jefferson Parker, author of The Room of White Fire, comes the explosive finale in his Charlie Hood series, which will bring together the destinies of three men caught between light and darkness.... Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Charlie Hood is attached to the ATF, working undercover on the illegal arms trade that flows across the U.S.-Mexico border. The sparkle of the diamond fillings he wears in his left canine distracts his task force targets and is often the first step toward a long stay behind bars. Meanwhile, Bradley Jones—sheriff’s deputy, employee of the Baja Cartel, and son of the love of Charlie’s life—is expecting a son of his own. Bradley, supposedly descended from the famed Mexican outlaw Joaquin Murrieta, has reaped the rewards of his treachery, keeping a hoard of cash and jewelry in a secret lair on his property. Charlie knows Bradley’s secrets, all of them; the question is what he’ll do with the information. But he still has to contend with the devilish Mike Finnegan, who flits in and out of the lives of his friends, knows things he should not know, is seemingly immortal, and delights in the havoc he wreaks in the orbits of everyone he touches.... All three are about to meet. But all will not survive....

Beneath the teeming and exotic surfaceon, Chuck Frye, renegade son of a powerful land baron, kidnaps his brother''s Vietnamese wife . . . and is plunged into a wealthy family''s web of tragic secrets. Non-stop action from the author of Laguna Heat.#St. Martin''s Press.

In this high-stakes thriller by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker, ("A marvel...hits the high-water mark for crime fiction every time out." —Gregg Hurwitz), a big wave surfer and her sons compete in the same contest that killed her husband many years before. Jen Stonebreaker hasn''t entered into a big-wave surfing competition since witnessing her husband''s tragic death twenty-five years ago at the Monsters of the Mavericks. Now, Jen is ready to tackle those same Monsters with her twin sons Casey and Brock, who have become competitive surfers in a perilous sport. When he’s not riding waves, modeling for surfing magazines, or posting viral content for his many fans, Casey Stonebreaker spends his days helping with the family restaurant — catching fish in the morning and bartending at night. Casey’s love for the ocean and his willingness to expose illegal poachers on his platforms puts him on a collision course with a crime syndicate eager to destroy anyone threatening their business. Outspoken Brock Stonebreaker couldn’t be more different from his twin. The founder of Breath of Life, a church and rescue mission that assists with natural disasters that no one else will touch, Brock has lived an adventurous and sometimes violent life. Not everyone appreciates the work that Brock''s Breath of Life mission accomplishes, and threats to destroy his mission—and his family—swirl around him. As the big-wave contest draws closer, a huge, late fall swell is headed toward the Pacific coastline. Jen''s fears gnaw at her — fear for herself, for her sons, for what this competition will mean for the rest of her life. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In this incendiary thriller from three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker, Roland Ford is hunting down a mysterious killer, jockeying for position with the FBI, and risking everything to save a friend in terrible jeopardy. Returning hero and private investigator Roland Ford is on the trail of a mysterious killer who is beheading CIA drone operators and leaving puzzling clues at each crime scene. His troubled friend Lindsay Rakes is afraid for her own life and the life of her son after a fellow flight crew member is killed in brutal fashion. Even more terrifying is the odd note the killer left behind: "Welcome to Caliphornia. This is not the last." Ford strikes an uneasy alliance with San Diego-based FBI agent Joan Taucher, who is tough as nails but haunted by what she sees as the Bureau''s failure to catch the 9/11 terrorists, many of whom spent their last days in her city. As the killer strikes again, Ford and Taucher dash into the fray, each desperate for their own reasons--each ready to risk it all to stop the killer from doing far more damage.

In this short story from the thrilling anthology FaceOff, John Lescroart and T. Jefferson Parker team up for the first time ever, along with their characters—Wyatt Hunt, hero of three of Lescorart’s Hunt Club thrillers; and Joe Trona from Parker’s Edgar Award–winning Silent Joe. What begins as a relaxing fishing vacation among friends quickly descends into chaos when Hunt and Trona are drawn into a local gang war in the heart of a tiny Mexican village. When an innocent family is taken hostage, Hunt and Trona have no choice but to set aside their fishing poles and set a trap for some much bigger prey. For more exciting pairs, check out all eleven stories in FaceOff!

For fans of Michael Connelly and CJ Box, the fourth suspenseful and thrilling novel in the Charlie Hood series from New York Times bestseller and Edgar-award winner T. Jefferson Parker, now featuring an excerpt from his upcoming novel The Room of White Fire. Charlie Hood searches for an undercover agent who has disappeared, only to resurface in a haunting series of bizarre and inexplicable video tapes. The trail leads Charlie into the fevered landscape of America''s southern border and the unexplored depths of humanity''s dark soul.

When reporter/crime writer Russell Monroe finds his former lover brutally slain in an apparently ritual style, he suspects a connection to other recent murders in the county. Somehow, the case never appears on the police blotter - although Russell saw his former colleague, homicide chief Marty Parish, leaving the scene of the crime - and soon all evidence of the death disappears. Meanwhile, a string of killings continues in the same gruesome style, and Russell becomes the contact of the deranged man responsible. As Monroe gets dangerously entangled in this deadly intrigue, he must fight for his life while watching his wife fight for hers against a terminal brain tumor.