The Recommended Reading Order for Frank Behr
If you want to experience the full weight of Frank Behr's journey, the recommended reading path is simple: read the books in order of their publication. While each novel presents a self-contained case that is resolved by the final page, Behr's personal transformation, his slow healing from devastating grief, and his relationships with recurring characters develop in a strictly linear fashion.
Starting at the beginning allows you to see Behr at his absolute lowest and watch him gradually rebuild his life and career. Skip ahead, and you will miss the emotional anchors that give his brutal cases their depth.
Frank Behr Books in Publication Order
David Levien’s series spans four novels published between 2008 and 2015. Here is the order of the books with their respective release years and key plot premises:
1. City of the Sun (2008)
This is the book that introduces Frank Behr to readers. Standing at a towering 6'5" and weighing 240 pounds, Behr is a reclusive former Indianapolis police officer who has retreated from the world following the tragic death of his young son. He has built a quiet life doing low-key private investigative work until he is approached by Paul and Carol Gabriel. Their twelve-year-old son, Jamie, disappeared fourteen months prior while delivering newspapers in a quiet suburb. Although Behr knows the odds of finding the boy alive are low, he reluctantly agrees to help. Partnering with the boy's desperate father, Behr dives into a dark, terrifying underworld of child abduction. The novel sets the tone for the series: grim, atmospheric, and deeply focused on the emotional cost of loss.
2. Where the Dead Lay (2009)
In the second installment, Behr is dealt another personal blow when his close friend and jiu-jitsu instructor, Aurelio Santos, is brutally murdered in what appears to be a random crime. Frustrated by the lack of police progress, Behr's investigation stalls until he is hired by a high-end private investigation firm to track down two of their operatives who went missing in Indianapolis. Enticed by a suggestion from his former police supervisor, Lieutenant Pomeroy, that solving this case could help him get reinstated on the police force, Behr takes the job. His search for the missing detectives soon collides with the investigation into Aurelio's murder, leading Behr directly into the crosshairs of a ruthless and dangerous crime syndicate.
3. Thirteen Million Dollar Pop (2011)
Also published under the alternative title The Contract in the United Kingdom, this third book shifts Behr into the world of executive protection. He is hired by the Caro Group to guard Bernard "Bernie Cool" Kolodnik, a wealthy real estate mogul with aspirations of running for public office. When an ambush by gunmen in an underground parking garage nearly claims their lives, Behr's instincts tell him that the attack was not a random act of violence. Although his employers and Kolodnik himself pressure him to let the matter drop, Behr refuses to walk away. His unsanctioned investigation uncovers political corruption, white-collar crime, and a failing multi-million-dollar "racino" (a horse track and casino venture), making him the target of a professional assassin.
4. Signature Kill (2015)
The fourth and most intense novel pits Behr against a serial killer. Struggling financially, Behr takes on a seemingly hopeless case for a single mother trying to find her missing daughter. Meanwhile, a woman’s body is found arranged in an Indianapolis park. As Behr digs into the disappearance, he uncovers a connection to the park murder and realizes a sadistic serial killer is hunting in the city. The narrative alternates between Behr's gritty investigation and the perspective of the killer—a seemingly ordinary citizen who moves invisibly through society. As Behr gets closer to the truth, his investigation overlaps with the official police manhunt, leading to a high-stakes climax that forces Behr to make a life-changing choice.
Chronological Continuity and Reading Guidance
Is there a difference between the publication order and the chronological order? No. The timeline of the stories matches the order in which they were written and published. Because of this, following the publication order is the only logical way to read the series.
While the crime plots are standalones, Behr's character arc is continuous. In City of the Sun, Behr is a broken, isolated man wrapped in grief. By the time of Where the Dead Lay and Thirteen Million Dollar Pop, we see him taking small steps back toward society, interacting with corporate employers, and attempting to build new relationships. His financial and professional struggles in Signature Kill reflect the cumulative weight of his past decisions. Reading these books out of order will spoil the subtle, rewarding progression of his character development.
The Setting: Indianapolis Noir
One of the standout features of the Frank Behr series is its setting. While many hard-boiled detective novels take place in coastal cities like Los Angeles, New York, or Boston, Levien chooses Indianapolis, Indiana. The city is treated as a character in its own right, with Levien contrasting the clean, quiet lawns of the suburbs against the gritty, industrial backstreets and underground underworld. This Midwestern heartland backdrop gives the noir elements a distinct flavor, showing that darkness can hide just as easily in the American heartland as it does in major coastal metropolises.
What to Know Before You Start
Before diving into the series, here are a few key points that will help set your expectations:
- The Screenwriting Connection: Author David Levien is highly accomplished in Hollywood. He is the co-creator of the hit television series Billions and co-wrote popular screenplays including Rounders and Ocean's Thirteen. This background is evident in the pacing of the novels; the action scenes are blocked with cinematic precision, and the dialogue is sharp and economical.
- A Grim and Visceral Tone: The series does not shy away from the darker aspects of crime. City of the Sun and Signature Kill in particular deal with heavy themes like child abduction and serial murder, containing graphic descriptions of violence. Reader discretion is advised for those sensitive to intense or gritty content.
- Award Recognition: The series has been well-received by the mystery community. Thirteen Million Dollar Pop was nominated for the Shamus Award, an accolade honoring excellence in private eye fiction, and was named the best P.I. novel of 2011 by Sons of Spade.
- Adaptation Status: Despite Levien's extensive film credentials, there are currently no television or movie adaptations of the Frank Behr series. In past interviews, Levien noted that while there was early interest, traditional private eye stories without a supernatural or unusual gimmick can be difficult to greenlight for the screen.