Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunset | 2012 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
| 2 | Sunrise | 2013 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
| 3 | First Light | 2014 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
| 4 | This Side of Midnight | 2015 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
| 5 | With Six You Get Wally | 2016 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
| 6 | Who Killed Joe Italiano? | 2018 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
| 7 | For Better or Worse | 2019 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
| 8 | The Case of the Missing Fan Dancer | 2022 | Al Lamanda | Buy |
The John Bekker series by Al Lamanda follows a former cop living on the Maine coast who keeps getting drawn back into investigations. Sunset (2012) introduces Bekker and his reluctant return to detective work, and the series has grown to eight books through The Case of the Missing Fan Dancer (2022).
The early titles, Sunset, Sunrise, and First Light, set the tone with names that evoke the coastal Maine setting. Later entries like Who Killed Joe Italiano? and The Case of the Missing Fan Dancer suggest a broader range of cases as Bekker’s reputation for solving mysteries grows. The series also includes lighter touches, with With Six You Get Wally hinting at the humor Lamanda works into the stories alongside the crime plots.
Lamanda’s John Bekker books offer a steady, character-driven mystery series for readers who enjoy coastal settings and a detective who brings both experience and reluctance to each new case.