Duane Lindsay Books in Order

Where to Start with Duane Lindsay

If you are new to Duane Lindsay’s writing, you have two primary entry points depending on your preferred subgenre. Her work splits cleanly between vintage private investigator mysteries and lighthearted con-artist capers. The best starting points are:

• For Vintage Noir and PI Fans: Start with Missing Amanda (2016), the book that introduces the short, overweight, and surprisingly athletic private investigator Lou Fleener in 1950s Chicago.
• For Caper and Scam Fans: Start with The Grifter’s Daughter (2017), which launches the Dani Silver series. It follows a young woman pulling off elaborate, modern-day cons alongside her eccentric crew.

Lou Fleener Mystery Series

The Lou Fleener Mystery series is Duane Lindsay’s flagship work, blending the hard-boiled style of Raymond Chandler with the tongue-in-cheek humor of Donald Westlake. Set in 1950s Chicago, the series follows private investigator Lou Fleener, a protagonist who subverts classic detective tropes by being short and pudgy, yet incredibly capable in a scrape. The books are best read in order of publication to follow the development of Lou's agency and recurring characters.

1. Missing Amanda (2016)
2. Seriously...? (2017)
3. Devil in Her Heart (2018)
4. The Classy Detective Agency (2021)
5. Ticket to Heaven (2021)
6. Filthy Rich (2021)
7. Money to Burn (2022)
8. The Contract (2022)
9. Black and White: And Dead All Over (2024)

The Grifter's Daughter Series

This series follows Dani Silver, a talented grifter who was trained in the art of the long con by her legendary father, Leroy "Pops" Amadeus Logan. If you enjoy television shows like Leverage or crime novels centered on clever, fast-paced schemes, this is the series for you. While the main books follow Dani, Lindsay also penned a prequel novella that explores how her parents first met.

The Prequel Novella

• The Rag, the Wire and the Big Store (2017) – This novella is subtitled A Leroy and Kate Love Story. It focuses on the early days of Dani's father, Leroy Logan, and Katherine "Fast Kate" Mulrooney as they pull off classic cons and fall in love. You can read this either first as a chronological prologue or after the main series books.

The Main Series Reading Order

1. The Grifter's Daughter (2017)
2. Ghost Coach (2017)
3. The Blonde with the Dangerous 'Do (2018)
4. Forever... And Then Some (2021)
5. The Truth Lies (2021)
6. High Spirits (2022)
7. Scavenger Hunt (2022)

The Morgans vs. The Mob Series

In this fast-paced thriller trilogy, Lindsay steps away from professional investigators and grifters to focus on an ordinary suburban couple, John Paul and CJ Morgan, who find themselves targeted by the criminal underworld. Because these books tell a continuous story of survival and retaliation, they must be read in order:

1. They All Fall Down (2019)
2. We All Fall Apart (2020)
3. We All Rise Together (2020)

War Corps Series

Co-authored with Raymond Dean White, this two-book techno-thriller series features high-stakes action, international plots, and counter-terrorism. It is separate from Lindsay’s solo mystery novels but retains her signature fast pacing.

1. Tap Doubt (2016)
2. American Jihad (2017)

Duane Lindsay's Standalone Novels

For readers looking for self-contained thrillers, Lindsay has published two standalone novels. With a Vengeance represents her debut in the genre, while Lone Rock is a standalone thriller released during her peak publishing years.

• With a Vengeance (2004)
• Lone Rock (2017)