Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Who In Hell Is Wanda Fuca? | 1995 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 2 | Cast In Stone | 1996 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 3 | The Bum’s Rush | 1997 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 4 | Slow Burn | 1998 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 5 | Last Ditch | 1999 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 6 | The Deader The Better | 2000 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 7 | Thicker than Water | 2012 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 8 | Chump Change | 2014 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 9 | Salvation Lake | 2016 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 10 | Family Values | 2017 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 11 | Soul Survivor | 2018 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
| 12 | Heavy on the Dead | 2019 | G.M. Ford | Buy |
The Leo Waterman series by G.M. Ford is a long-running mystery series set in Seattle, featuring a rumpled, grumpy, middle-aged private investigator who stumbles from one messy case to the next. Leo is not your polished detective. He likes good beer, good music, and his long-time love Rebecca Duvall, who is more than a match for him. The books blend genuine mystery plotting with a sharp sense of humor that often tips into laugh-out-loud territory.
What sets the series apart is “the boys,” a gang of homeless men who are loyal to Leo and help him with legwork on his cases in exchange for pocket money and cheap alcohol. Ford uses this ragtag crew to give the books a distinctly Seattle flavor, grounding the stories in the city’s wetter, grittier corners rather than its tech-industry gloss. The series debuted with Who In Hell Is Wanda Fuca? in 1995, a title that gives a fair idea of Ford’s sense of humor.
Ford published six books between 1995 and 2000, then brought Leo back after a twelve-year break with Thicker than Water in 2012. The second run of novels continued through 2019 with Heavy on the Dead. The series has been nominated for the Shamus and Anthony awards, and it has a loyal following among readers who like their mystery fiction with personality and wit.