Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saratoga Longshot | 1976 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 2 | Saratoga Swimmer | 1981 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 3 | Saratoga Headhunter | 1985 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 4 | Saratoga Snapper | 1986 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 5 | Saratoga Bestiary | 1988 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 6 | Saratoga Hexameter | 1990 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 7 | Saratoga Haunting | 1993 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 8 | Saratoga Fleshpot | 1995 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 9 | Saratoga Strongbox | 1998 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 10 | Saratoga Backtalk | 1994 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
| 11 | Saratoga Payback | 2017 | Stephen Dobyns | Buy |
The Charlie Bradshaw series follows a mild-mannered private detective through the world of Saratoga Springs, New York, a city defined by its horse-racing culture, old money, and small-town gossip. Stephen Dobyns published the first entry, Saratoga Longshot, in 1976 and returned to the character periodically over the next four decades, with the most recent installment, Saratoga Payback, arriving in 2017.
Bradshaw is an unlikely detective. He lacks the hard edge of a classic PI and often stumbles into danger rather than seeking it out. His cases tend to be rooted in the social fabric of Saratoga, drawing on the rivalries, secrets, and grudges of a community where everyone knows each other’s business. The series has a dry humor that runs alongside the mystery plotting, making the books as much about character and place as about whodunit.