Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chasing the Dragon | 2004 | Domenic Stansberry | Buy |
| 2 | The Big Boom | 2006 | Domenic Stansberry | Buy |
| 3 | The Ancient Rain | 2008 | Domenic Stansberry | Buy |
| 4 | Naked Moon | 2010 | Domenic Stansberry | Buy |
The North Beach Mystery series is set in San Francisco’s North Beach district, a neighborhood with deep Italian-American roots. Private investigator Dante Mancuso is at the center of all four books, navigating cases that mix personal history with the changing face of his community. Chasing the Dragon (2004), the series opener, won the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
The Big Boom (2006), The Ancient Rain (2008), and Naked Moon (2010) continued the series, with each book exploring different corners of North Beach life and the pressures of gentrification, old family ties, and organized crime. Domenic Stansberry writes with a strong sense of place, and the neighborhood itself is as much a character in these books as Dante is.