Brian O’Sullivan Books in Order

Where to Begin Your Brian O’Sullivan Reading Journey

Brian O’Sullivan is known for writing fast-paced, cinematic crime fiction and psychological thrillers. If you are new to his work, you have three primary entry points depending on what type of thriller you prefer:

• For the Classic Detective Fan: Start with Revenge at Sea, the first book in the Quint Adler series. This series is his most expansive and follows a crime reporter turned private investigator solving crimes across the West Coast.
• For the Dark Family Mystery Fan: Start with The Photo Album, the opener of the Bobby McGowan trilogy. This series centers on a cold case involving a young man investigating his mother's decades-old murder.
• For the Standalone Psychological Thriller Fan: Start with The Bartender, O’Sullivan’s breakout standalone novel about an innocent bartender caught in a deadly con game in Los Angeles.

The Quint Adler Series in Order

The Quint Adler series is O’Sullivan’s flagship project. The series follows Quint Adler, a small-town reporter in California who transitions into a full-time private investigator. Adler takes on everything from serial killers to Hollywood conspiracy cover-ups. Because Adler’s personal life and career develop significantly over time, it is highly recommended to read this series in strict publication order.

1. Revenge at Sea (2020) – Quint is hired to look into a suspicious yacht explosion that killed a wealthy businessman.
2. The Bay Area Butcher (2020) – Pits Quint against a terrifying serial killer terrorizing San Francisco, reminiscent of the Zodiac killer.
3. Hollywood Murder Mystery (2021) – Quint heads south to Los Angeles to investigate the death of a rising Hollywood star.
4. Nine Days In Vegas (2021) – Quint takes a missing persons case that leads him into the high-stakes, dangerous underbelly of Las Vegas.
5. Quint Adler, P.I. (2021) – Armed with his official investigator license, Quint takes on complex new cases in San Francisco.
6. A Knife Through The Heart (2022) – Quint confronts a personal case involving a web of lies that hits too close to home.
7. Persona Non Grata (2023) – Quint must clear his own name after finding himself framed for a brutal crime.
8. The Final Chapter (2024) – The explosive eighth and final book that wraps up Quint Adler's story arc.

The Bobby McGowan Thrillers in Order

The Bobby McGowan series shifts the focus toward cold cases and deep-seated family secrets. The narrative is heavily serialized, following Bobby's obsessive quest to find out who killed his mother twenty years ago, despite warnings from his family to let the past go. You must read these books in order to understand the ongoing investigation:

1. The Photo Album (2023) – Bobby discovers a mysterious photo album belonging to his late mother and launches a public website to gather clues, attracting the attention of the killer.
2. The Other Annie (2024) – Bobby digs deeper into his family’s history, uncovering hidden identities and darker motives.
3. The Video Tape (2025) – The third installment, where a newly discovered videotape sheds light on the final pieces of the puzzle.

The Frankie and Evie Series

Before launching Quint Adler, O’Sullivan wrote a two-book thriller series focusing on the criminal duo Frankie and Evie. These novels are shorter, punchy, and offer a gritty look at the criminal underworld.

1. The Puppeteer (2017) – Introduces Frankie and Evie as they try to survive a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a mysterious orchestrator.
2. The Patsy (2018) – Frankie and Evie find themselves framed for a high-profile heist and must track down the real culprit.

Standalone Novels and Short Stories

If you want a self-contained story that doesn't require committing to a series, O’Sullivan has written three standalone novels and one short story. They can be read in any order at any time.

• The Bartender (2019) – Olive, a bartender in Los Angeles, finds herself caught in a web of greed, romance, and murder.
• My Meeting with Trump (2019) – A quick, satrical short story published early in his writing career.
• The Mastermind (2022) – A multi-perspective crime novel featuring a small-time crook, a corrupt district attorney, and a grizzled detective.
• Clusterf*ck (2026) – A high-octane psychological thriller about a married woman who enters a deadly partnership with a charismatic stranger named Eddie.

What to Know Before You Start

Brian O’Sullivan’s writing is heavily influenced by his unique background. Before turning to fiction, O’Sullivan spent nearly a decade playing professional poker, which even earned him television appearances. This experience shows in his books: his plots are built like poker games, full of strategic bluffs, tension, and high-stakes gambles. After his poker career, he attempted screenwriting in Los Angeles. While Hollywood didn't pick up his scripts, that training gave his novels their signature cinematic pacing, quick dialogue, and visual scenes. Expect gray moral areas, fast-moving chapters, and settings that capture both the sunny and dark sides of the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California.