Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The President’s Henchman | 2009 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 2 | The Hangman’s Companion | 2010 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 3 | The K Street Killer | 2011 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 4 | The Last Ballot Cast, Part 2 | 2012 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 5 | The Devil on the Doorstep | 2013 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 6 | The Good Guy with a Gun | 2014 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 7 | The Echo of the Whip | 2015 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 8 | The Daddy’s Girl Decoy | 2016 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 9 | Never Dead | 2017 | Joseph Flynn | N/A |
| 10 | The Last Chopper Out | 2017 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 11 | The King of Mirth | 2018 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 12 | The Big Fix | 2019 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 13 | The Boy From Illinois | 2021 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 14 | The Man with a Plan | 2022 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
| 15 | The Reluctant Candidate | 2025 | Joseph Flynn | Buy |
Joseph Flynn’s Jim McGill series follows a Chicago PI whose wife becomes the U.S. President. The President’s Henchman (2009) sets up the premise, and the series explores how McGill navigates crime, politics, and family through fifteen books ending with The Reluctant Candidate (2025).
The setup gives Flynn a built-in source of tension: McGill still works cases on the street while his wife runs the country. That contrast between street-level crime and White House politics drives most of the plots. The Hangman’s Companion (2010) and The K Street Killer (2011) focus on Washington-based cases, while later entries like The King of Mirth (2018) branch into more unusual territory.
Flynn self-publishes the series and has maintained a steady release schedule over sixteen years. The books are best read in order, since McGill’s personal life and political circumstances carry forward from one book to the next. The Reluctant Candidate (2025) is the most recent installment.