New Reader Guide
Find your kind of trouble
A snowbound mystery, a medieval racket, a bar staffed by the dead, or a retirement home for people who used to rule the world. Start wherever the trouble sounds most inviting.
A few doors worth opening
Four worlds. A place in each.
New here? Follow your curiosity. Already know the way? Your people are waiting.
The Rusty Tankard
Four misfits, one goat, and mysteries nobody sensible would volunteer to solve.
Fantasy mysteries · Start with Book 1 Step inside
Medieval Mobsters
Six New York wiseguys introduce Thornwall to cocktails, pizza, and the family business.
Portal comedy · Adult language Step inside
Sunset Dominion
Former evil overlords. Current residents. Linda has already prepared the incident forms.
Retired villains · The Retirement Home for Evil Overlords Step inside
Dante Raises the Dead
A bar, an infernal debt, and employees who are unusually relaxed about being dead.
Dark fantasy comedy · Adult language Step insideCommonly Known as the Rusty Tankard
The Rusty Tankard reading order
Follow Nyx, Rolan, Fizzle, and Bash from their first snowbound investigation. Each book has its own mystery; the party's arguments, changing names, and growing collection of grievances reward reading in order.
- The Succubus of the Singing Stone: a blizzard, a tavern full of suspects, and a very angry arrival.
- The Village That Watches: Oakhaven offers a welcome that becomes difficult to refuse.
- The Case of the Wrong Order: dinner at Babbington Manor turns into a locked-room investigation.
- The Isle of Venara: a missing noblewoman and a beauty-obsessed island at the end of a terrible sea voyage.
Do I need to read the books in order?
The individual mysteries stand alone. Starting with Book 1 gives you the party's history and the context for recurring jokes. If an island or manor-house mystery catches your eye first, you can begin there.
Where can I try the stories?
Every book page has a free first chapter to read and listen to. The first Rusty Tankard book is also available free on Barnes & Noble through its book-page link.
Are the other worlds connected to this series?
Medieval Mobsters and The Retirement Home for Evil Overlords are standalone books. Dante Raises the Dead starts a separate series. You do not need the Rusty Tankard books to enter any of them.
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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.
Start here →Fantasy Mystery Book 1 -
A 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.
View book →Fantasy Mystery Book 2 -
A 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.
View book →Fantasy Mystery Book 3 -
A 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.
View book →Fantasy Mystery Book 4