Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Target of Opportunity | 1988 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 2 | Fuse Time | 1991 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 3 | Jefferson | 1993 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 4 | Jackson | 1997 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 5 | Grant | 2000 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 6 | Shooting the Sun | 2003 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 7 | The Paris Deadline | 2012 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 8 | The Sixth Conspirator | 2019 | Max Byrd | Buy |
| 9 | Pont Neuf | 2020 | Max Byrd | Buy |
Max Byrd’s nine standalone novels range from espionage thrillers to historical fiction to literary mysteries. His presidential trilogy — Jefferson, Jackson, and Grant — represents his most sustained historical work, dramatizing pivotal moments in American history through the lives of three presidents. Each novel received praise for its research and narrative skill.
His later work includes The Paris Deadline, a mystery set in Jazz Age Paris, The Sixth Conspirator, which investigates the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, and Pont Neuf, another Paris-set novel. Shooting the Sun takes a western-expedition premise and turns it into historical adventure. The nine books show a writer drawn to history and atmosphere across multiple periods and continents.