Where to Start Reading Delvin R. Chatterson's Novels
For the best experience, you should read the Dale Hunter Crime Thriller series in publication order. The series is heavily character-driven and follows the ongoing evolution of its protagonist, Dale Hunter, an entrepreneur who repeatedly runs afoul of mafia syndicates, international smuggling rings, and white-collar corruption. Starting from the beginning allows you to watch Dale build his business, make critical criminal contacts, and see his long-term partnership with his right-hand man, Frank the Fixer, develop organically.
We highly recommend starting with the series opener, No Easy Money. This novel establishes Dale’s business background, Montreal’s tense 1980s underworld, and introduces the key allies and enemies that recur throughout the series. Jumping ahead will spoil the intense resolutions of the early books and make the dramatic timeskip in the middle of the series harder to follow.
Dale Hunter Series in Publication Order
Here is the complete list of the Dale Hunter crime thrillers in their recommended reading order:
1. No Easy Money (2018)
The series kicks off in Montreal during the 1980s computer boom. Dale Hunter is a hard-working entrepreneur focused on growing his computer products distribution startup. When a local thug demands protection money under the guise of "business insurance," Dale tries to resist. As the extortion escalates, Dale realizes the police cannot protect him. In desperation, he joins forces with Frank the Fixer—a tough Somalian refugee with deep underworld ties—and attempts a highly dangerous game of playing rival mafia factions against each other to save his family and business.
2. Simply the Best (2019)
Picking up after the violent events of the first book, Dale is trying to expand his business into Boston. However, Gino Boncanno, a Montreal gangster seeking revenge, remains a deadly threat. To make matters worse, Dale's Boston partner, Sammy Wong, is being extorted by Triads in Taiwan for a smuggling scheme. Once again, Dale must rely on Frank the Fixer, eventually drawing the New York Mafia into the conflict to push back against the Triad threat and secure his survival.
3. Merger Maniac (2019)
In the final installment of the original 1980s trilogy, Dale seeks merger partners to save his company from fierce industry competition. Instead of a standard business deal, he gets targeted by the Montreal Mafia, who want to use his company's high-volume transactions to launder illicit cash. Dale is forced to walk a razor-thin line: outsmarting the mafia to keep his family safe while ensuring he doesn't end up behind bars for corporate complicity.
4. Bad Boys in Boston (2024)
After a five-year real-world publishing break and a thirty-year in-universe timeskip, Dale Hunter and Frank the Fixer return. Now older and lured out of retirement, the duo travels to Boston to rescue Frank’s niece, who has been kidnapped by a dangerous Russian syndicate specializing in human trafficking and online exploitation. This book updates the series with a gritty modern setting and raises awareness of the realities of human trafficking.
5. Crash Landing (2024)
Following the intense events of their Boston rescue, Dale Hunter finds himself in deep personal and financial peril. To clear his name and salvage what remains of his life, he has to navigate corporate double-crosses, complex banking systems, and deadly street crime. This installment brings back the series' hallmark mix of business realities and high-stakes thriller action.
6. Whatever It Takes (2025)
In this thriller, Dale Hunter uncovers evidence that his longtime business mentor and friend, James McKenzie, is involved in deep-seated corruption, potentially linking him to murder and dangerous criminal entities. Bound by loyalty but facing extreme danger, Dale tries to pull his mentor out of the conspiracy, only to get dragged deeper into the underworld himself.
Other Works by Delvin R. Chatterson
Aside from the core Dale Hunter thrillers, Chatterson has written in other genres, drawing from both his personal history and his love for classic pulp fiction:
The Kid from California Short Stories
- The Kid from California – Short Story Series – Volume 1 (2024): Inspired by Raymond Chandler and David Baldacci, this collection is set in the 1960s. It follows Patrick Malloy, a young man from San Diego who moves to Las Vegas and becomes an enforcer for gangsters and occasionally a bodyguard for Frank Sinatra.
- Snapshots from Home: An ongoing, unpublished short story collection currently in progress.
Uncle Ralph Business Books
Before transitioning to fiction, Chatterson wrote business advice guides under the pen name "Your Uncle Ralph." He released updated editions of these in 2020:
- Don't Do It the Hard Way
- The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans
What to Know Before You Start
Chatterson’s novels are unique because of their authentic detail. The author was a real-life computer entrepreneur in 1980s Montreal, growing a distribution company to $20 million in sales. Because of this, the tech-boom backdrop, shipping challenges, and banking struggles Dale Hunter experiences are grounded in actual historical business realities, giving the series a distinct "corporate thriller" edge.
Readers should also be prepared for the major shift between Book 3 (Merger Maniac) and Book 4 (Bad Boys in Boston). The series shifts from a 1980s period piece into a modern-day crime drama, showing how Dale and Frank adapt to a changing world, new technologies, and aging.