Paul Turner books in order

The Paul Turner series by Mark Richard Zubro follows a gay Chicago police detective solving crimes across 12 books.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Sorry Now? 1991 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
2 Political Poison 1993 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
3 Another Dead Teenager 1995 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
4 The Truth Can Get You Killed 1997 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
5 Drop Dead 1999 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
6 Sex and Murder.com 2001 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
7 Dead Egotistical Morons 2003 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
8 Nerds Who Kill 2005 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
9 Hook, Line, and Homicide 2007 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
10 Black And Blue And Pretty Dead Too 2011 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
11 Pawn of Satan 2013 Mark Richard Zubro Buy
12 Ring of Silence 2017 Mark Richard Zubro Buy

The Paul Turner series follows a gay Chicago police detective through 12 mysteries published between 1991 and 2017. Turner is a widowed father of two sons, one of whom has special needs, and his personal life gives the series depth beyond the individual cases. Sorry Now?, the first book, established the formula: a murder investigation set against the backdrop of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.

Later entries like Dead Egotistical Morons (2003), which takes place at a teachers’ convention, and Ring of Silence (2017), dealing with corruption within the police department, show Zubro’s range within the procedural format. The series is notable for featuring an openly gay detective at a time when this was uncommon in mystery fiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Paul Turner series?

There are twelve books in the Paul Turner series, published between 1991 and 2017.

What is the first book in the Paul Turner series?

The first book in the Paul Turner series is Sorry Now?, published in 1991.

Do the Paul Turner books need to be read in order?

Each Paul Turner book has a self-contained mystery, but reading in order lets you follow Turner’s personal life and career as they develop over the series. Starting with Sorry Now? is recommended.

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