Detective Max Rupert Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Life We Bury |
2014 |
Buy |
| The Guise of Another |
2015 |
Buy |
| The Heavens May Fall |
2016 |
Buy |
| The Deep Dark Descending |
2017 |
Buy |
| The Shadows We Hide |
2018 |
Buy |
Lila Nash#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Stolen Hours |
2021 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Nothing More Dangerous |
2019 |
Buy |
| Forsaken Country |
2022 |
Buy |
| Saving Emma |
2023 |
N/A |
| The Quiet Librarian |
2025 |
Buy |
Allen Eskens spent years working as a criminal defense attorney before turning to fiction. His debut novel, The Life We Bury, became a bestseller and introduced readers to his sharp, atmospheric style of crime writing. Set primarily in Minnesota, his books draw on his legal background to create stories where past crimes collide with present-day consequences.
His Detective Max Rupert series follows a Minneapolis homicide detective through five novels of morally tangled cases. Eskens also writes standalone thrillers like Nothing More Dangerous and Forsaken Country, each tackling different corners of the justice system. His prose is direct, his plotting tight, and his characters carry the weight of hard choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Allen Eskens written?
Allen Eskens has written ten books across three series.
What was Allen Eskens's first book?
Allen Eskens’s first book is The Life We Bury, published in 2014.
Do the Detective Max Rupert books need to be read in order?
While each book has a self-contained case, character arcs carry over between entries. Reading in publication order gives the best experience with Max Rupert’s personal story.