Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Hard Day’s Death | 2008 | Raymond Benson | Buy |
| 2 | Dark Side of the Morgue | 2009 | Raymond Benson | Buy |
| 3 | On the Threshold of a Death | 2009 | Raymond Benson | Buy |
The Spike Berenger series follows a former rock star who finds himself investigating murders in and around the music business. In A Hard Day’s Death (2008), Spike is drawn into a case involving a murdered rock legend, and his personal connections to the music scene make him both a suspect and an unlikely investigator. Dark Side of the Morgue (2009) continues his misadventures, putting him in the middle of another killing tied to the industry.
Benson, himself a musician and music enthusiast, brought firsthand knowledge of the rock world to these books. The series has a lighter tone than his Bond or Splinter Cell work, leaning into the humor of a middle-aged rocker stumbling through criminal investigations. The titles are all plays on classic rock song and album names, a running joke that signals the books’ mix of mystery and music-scene comedy.