Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buyer Beware | 1976 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 2 | Nightlines | 1984 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 3 | The Right to Sing the Blues | 1985 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 4 | Ride the Lightning | 1987 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 5 | Dancer’s Debt | 1988 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 6 | Time Exposure | 1989 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 7 | Diamond Eyes | 1990 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 8 | Thicker Than Blood | 1993 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 9 | Death By Jury | 1995 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 10 | Oops! | 1998 | John Lutz | Buy |
John Lutz’s Alo Nudger is one of private eye fiction’s most endearingly human creations. Unlike the tough, confident detectives of the genre’s tradition, Nudger is anxious, broke, and physically unremarkable. He works out of a shabby office in St. Louis, takes cases he probably should not, and frequently finds himself in over his head. His nervous stomach is a running detail that grounds him as a real person rather than a genre archetype.
The ten novels, published between 1976 and 1998, follow Nudger through cases that range from standard missing persons work to murder investigations. Titles like Buyer Beware, Nightlines, and Ride the Lightning show Lutz working in the classic private eye tradition while adding his own humor and empathy. The St. Louis setting gives the series a Midwestern flavor that distinguishes it from the coastal cities where most detective fiction takes place.