Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dead Shot | 2012 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 2 | Dead Line | 2012 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 3 | Better off Dead | 2013 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 4 | Dead in the Water | 2014 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 5 | Dead Man’s Curve | 2014 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 6 | Dead and Gone | 2015 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 7 | Dead Wrong | 2015 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 8 | Dead Man’s Land | 2015 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 9 | Dead Drop | 2016 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 10 | Dead End | 2016 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 11 | Dead to Rights | 2016 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
| 12 | Dead on Arrival | 2018 | Jack Patterson / R.J. Patterson | Buy |
The Cal Murphy series was Jack Patterson’s first, beginning with Dead Shot in 2012. Murphy is an investigative journalist with a knack for stumbling into stories that put his life at risk. The series plays on the theme of “dead” throughout its titles, from Dead Line and Dead in the Water to Dead on Arrival, giving the books a cohesive identity on the shelf.
Patterson draws on his own journalism background to give Murphy’s investigations a sense of authenticity. The stories blend crime fiction with thriller pacing, as Murphy digs into corruption, cover-ups, and murder while dodging the people who want to keep those secrets buried. The twelve-book series ran from 2012 to 2018, making it a complete and self-contained reading experience.