The Adventurers' Journal
Commonly Known as the Rusty Tankard
A fantasy mystery-comedy series where the same party tackles systems that work too well, and every escape costs something.
Same core party, different traps. Nyx, Rolan, Fizzle, and Bash keep getting dropped into places that are “working” a little too perfectly, then survive by breaking the rules instead of mastering them.
Each book is a contained mystery-adventure with a different social system at its core:
- Invitations with strings attached
- Alibis that become less helpful under pressure
- Perfect places with thoroughly imperfect answers
The reading order below is generated from the current book catalog, so new adventures will appear here as they are added. More Rusty Tankard mysteries are on the way.
Running gag: the party keeps trying to rebrand with more dramatic names, but everyone still calls them some version of “the Rusty Tankard.”
Reading order, briefly
Can I start with any book?
Yes. Every Rusty Tankard book is a complete mystery-adventure and gives you everything you need. Reading in order adds character continuity and small callbacks, but no previous plot knowledge is required. Start with whichever trouble sounds best.
- Book 1 The Succubus of the Singing Stone The beginning, but optional
It introduces the party, but nothing that follows requires you to have read it.
- Book 2 The Village That Watches A completely clean entry point
It makes no reference to Book 1.
- Book 3 The Case of the Wrong Order Easy to enter here
There is only one brief early nod to Book 2.
- Book 4 The Isle of Venara Still a standalone mystery
The opening mentions a few things from Book 3, then sets out on its own.
- Book 5 Forthcoming Light continuity planned
It will stand alone, with a small nod to Book 4.
The Route So Far
Follow the trail in reading order
Each stop is a complete mystery. The arguments, grudges, and suspiciously capable goat continue between them.
- Book 1
A blizzard seals the tavern. A giant kicks the door in, demanding to know who slept with his wife. The prime suspect volunteers to lead the investigation. Book 1—free on Barnes & Noble.
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Book 2A comedic fantasy mystery about a village that is impossibly welcoming—where every path is swept, every smile is warm, and every invitation to stay feels a little too sincere.
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Book 3A grand dinner at Babbington Manor ends in an impossible locked-room murder. With every guest guarding a secret, Nyx and her misfit companions must untangle the evidence before the household chooses its own culprit.
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Book 4A leaking ship, a hold full of beauty supplies, and a noblewoman who stopped writing home. Nyx follows the missing letters to Venara, where looking the part seems to matter rather too much.
Choose Your Door