Most Popular 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 1960''s California, the Becker brothers are forced to confront their past when they discover the body of an old friend in an old orange-packing plant.

It is a hot California summer, and a serial killer is massacring entire families in Orange County. Russ Monroe, an ex-cop turned crime writer, stumbles onto a murder scene that replicates those committed by the serial killer. The victim was an ex-lover who he knew was dating his best friend, the city''s homicide chief. The crime was not reported and the next day all traces of it have vanished.

“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

The "ace suspense writer" ("Chicago Tribune") returns with an explosive new thriller that pits an unlikely team of detectives--who become an even more unlikely pair of lovers--against a ruthless serial killer.

"A tense and compelling drama of the wars without and the wars within—and of the flame of violence that burns through the American psyche." —T.C. Boyle, New York Times bestselling author of The Women "Stunning . . . [Parker is] a brave and daring writer." —Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy "A great American family novel. . . . Parker is playing in the same league as John Steinbeck." —Stephen Harrigan, author of The Gates of the Alamo and Remember Ben Clayton Patrick Norris has seen the worst that Afghanistan has to offer–excruciating heat, bitter cold, and death waiting behind every rock as comrades are blown to pieces by bombs and snipers. He returns home exhilarated by his new freedom and eager to realize his dream of a sport fishing business. But he is shocked to learn that the avocado ranch his family has owned for generations in the foothills of San Diego has been destroyed by a massive wildfire and the parents he loves are facing ruin. Ted Norris worships his brother and yearns for his approval. Gentle by nature, but tormented by strange fixations with a dark undercurrent, Ted is drawn into a circle of violent, criminal misfits. His urgent quest to prove himself threatens to put those he loves in peril. Patrick puts his own plans on hold to save the family''s home and falls in love with Iris, a beautiful and unusual woman, when disaster strikes. When Ted''s plan for redemption goes terribly wrong, he tries to disappear. Desperate to find his brother and salvage what remains of his family, Patrick must make an agonizing choice. Three-time Edgar Award-winner T. Jefferson Parker is known for his many bestselling crime novels, from Laguna Heat to The Famous and the Dead. Full Measure marks a departure; it is a literary novel that explores many subjects, among them the bonds of loyalty between brothers.

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.

In this electrifying thriller from three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestseller T. Jefferson Parker, PI 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.

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.

Edgar Award Winner, 2001 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2001 With the horrible scars of a childhood tragedy forever burned across his face, Joe Trona is scared in more ways than one. Rescued from an orphanage by powerful California politician Will Trona, Joe grows up to be Will''s right hand man—gopher, driver, confidante, bodyguard, fixer. When Will Trona is gunned down in a dark alley in a hail of bullets, quiet, obedient Joe vows revenge. Looking through his father''s life Joe finds his girlfriends, his deals, his friends and enemies. And Joe realizes how many secrets his father possessed and how many people he had the power to harm. But two leads come to the surface of his private investigation—a kidnapped girl being held by her own psychotic brother, and two rival street gangs who have joined forces. The truths he learns about his father''s murder are shocking. And the final truth he hears about what happened to his own face when he was just a baby in a crib changes his life forever—and once again. T. Jefferson Parker is a New York Times bestselling author and three-time Edgar Award winner. "Sun-drenched L.A. noir." —People "Parker has written a page-turner as strong and smart as its protagonist. And, in Joe''s case, that''s saying something." —The San Francisco Chronicle "... an intricately layered story... perhaps Parker''s most ambitious work to date." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "It''s too bad there are no book awards for originality. If there were, this year veteran crime writer T. Jefferson Parker would win hands down thanks to the title character of his latest book, Silent Joe, a brilliantly conceived and boldly innovative hero who makes this Parker''s best work yet." —Providence Sunday Journal "T. Jefferson Parker''s latest California mystery is worth shouting about."—People

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.

A beautiful young woman is dead in the bathroom of her home. Her husband - a promising young cop named Archie Wildcraft - is shot in the head but still alive. It looks like an attempted murder/suicide, but something tells Detective Merci Rayborn that there''s more to the story. When the suspect vanishes from his hospital bed, he draws Merci into a manhunt that leaves the entire department questioning her abilities and her judgment. Is Archie''s flight the act of a ruined mind, or a faithful heart? Is his account of the night his wife was murdered half-formed memory, or careful manipulation? Merci and Wildcraft head for a collision in a dizzying succession of cryptic clues, terrifying secrets, and painful truths.

Terry Naughton, head of Orange County''s Crimes Against Youth unit, is the champion of children. He''s come up against his share of heinous criminals in his years on the force - but nothing has prepared him for the Horridus. Abducting children from their beds, dressing them like little angels, and releasing them the next day, the only clue he leaves is a piece of snakeskin tucked into the folds of their gowns. So far he hasn''t physically harmed any of them, but as Naughton well knows, it''s only a matter of time. As he races to find the madman before his crimes escalate, Naughton learns that the Horridus may not be the only enemy. When shocking (and seemingly irrefutable) accusations put his career on the line, he is forced to confront his dark and violent past in his search for the truth.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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....

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.

"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.

“Tasty tension . . . a psychologically sharp crime thriller” from the Edgar Award-winning, New York Times–bestselling author of Desperation Reef (Entertainment Weekly). Matt Stromsoe has come a long way since his wife and son were killed in an explosion meant for him. Wounded severely in both body and spirit, Stromsoe gave up the last thing that held any meaning for him—his job on the police force—and proceeded to hit rock bottom, hard. That was a lifetime ago, and finally the spiral of personal destruction and despair seems to have come to an end. The man responsible for the murders—Stromsoe’s best friend from childhood and his wife’s old lover—is behind bars and Stromsoe has put the past behind him, rescued from the abyss by a former colleague who offers him a job at his private security firm. Stromsoe’s first assignment is to protect local television personality Frankie Hatfield from a stalker. But the further Stromsoe is drawn into this case, the more he finds that the net of intrigue is wide and ultimately leads back to the man who killed his family. As events conspire against him, Stromsoe learns that prison is no safeguard against revenge. T. Jefferson Parker has been hailed as belonging “in the first rank of American crime novelists” (The Washington Post Book World) and praised for “some of the finest writing you’ll ever read” (Chicago Sun-Times). Superbly crafted, emotionally complex, and filled with heart-stopping action, Storm Runners proves why the novels of T. Jefferson Parker are impossible to resist. “[A] taut well-oiled thriller.” —Los Angeles Times

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.

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.

When undercover ATF agent Sean Ozburn stops checking in during a mission to infiltrate the Baja Cartel, Charlie Hood watches haunting digital videos that the agent sent to his wife and fears that Oz has switched sides. By the Edgar Award-winning author of Iron River. 250,000 first printing.

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 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!

Looking for a new book that will make your heart race? The seventeenth edition of The Minotaur Sampler compiles the beginnings of three can''t-miss novels publishing October and November 2025 for free and easy sampling. No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams is a heart-pounding read set in a Halloween obsessed town where a woman''s father, a former US Senator, is missing under mysterious circumstances. T. Jefferson Parker''s Wild Instinct is a high-stakes thriller where a sniper is assigned to kill a mountain lion who supposedly killed a man. However, their investigation reveals that the man was dead long before the lion got to him. Mirage City by Lev AC Rosen is an atmospheric mystery investigating the disappearance of missing members of a queer rights organization called the Mattachine Society.

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.