Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dark Horse | 2010 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
| 2 | The Mummy Case | 2010 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
| 3 | Hail Mary | 2011 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
| 4 | Clean Slate | 2013 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
| 5 | Easy Rider | 2014 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
| 6 | Night Run | 2025 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
| 7 | Nightmare-by-the-Sea | 2025 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
| 8 | Night Watch | 2026 | J. R. Rain | Buy |
The Jim Knighthorse series follows a former college football hero who becomes a private investigator after an injury ends his career. Starting with Dark Horse (2010), the eight-book series takes Knighthorse through increasingly complex cases in Southern California, blending detective fiction with occasional supernatural elements.
The first five books were published between 2010 and 2014, then the series went dormant for over a decade. Rain revived it with Night Run and Nightmare-by-the-Sea in 2025, followed by Night Watch in 2026. Knighthorse’s physical size and athletic background set him apart from the typical PI protagonist, and Rain uses that contrast between the sports world and detective work throughout the series.
Rain is a prolific author who writes across multiple series at once, including the Samantha Moon vampire mysteries. The Knighthorse books share his fast-paced style but lean more toward hard-boiled mystery than the paranormal focus of his other work. The Mummy Case (2010) is the exception, bringing in more overt supernatural plot elements.