The Albert Samson Mysteries Series

A fake birth certificate leads Indianapolis PI Albert Samson to a woman who abandoned her child in this crime novel by a writer with “brains and style” (Los Angeles Times).   A short television spot about the life of the average private eye gives Albert Samson hope that his economic blues are about to disappear. Better yet, his newest case looks promising too. He’s just been paid a hefty retainer by Paula Belter, who has discovered that her birth certificate is a fake. There’s no record of her existence.   The trail leads to an unsolved murder and a highly publicized trial that dates back decades. But as Samson connects the dots, he doesn’t end up with a pretty picture. As another murder sends the investigation spiraling out of control, the PI edges closer to the dangerous truth.   The smart-mouthed midwestern detective who “is always good, wry company” returns in this witty crime novel from the critically acclaimed Albert Samson series (Kirkus Reviews).   Out of Season is the 6th book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

A trio of thrilling cases for the Indianapolis private eye from the “fast, funny, and brilliant” three-time Edgar Award finalist (Wall Street Journal). Michael Lewin “has brains and style”—and so does his Indy gumshoe, Albert Samson, so relaxed he doesn’t even carry a gun. In these three mysteries collected in one volume, Samson uses his wits to solve some very seedy crimes (Los Angeles Times).   Ask the Right Question: Private investigator Albert Samson gets a shake-up with his new client: sixteen-year-old Eloise Crystal is desperate to find her biological father. What the detective unearths is the kind of dirt that makes people do desperate things. Thrust into a moneyed clan of old secrets and killer deceptions, Samson discovers that the first lie may be Eloise’s.   The Way We Die Now: When Vietnam veteran Ralph Tomanek is charged with manslaughter, Samson believes there’s more to the story. But why was a man with a history of PTSD hired as an armed guard in the first place? The answer is a dizzying case of blackmail that lands Samson on the wrong end of the gun.   The Enemies Within: Samson’s new client is Bennett Willson, a struggling writer looking for justice. It’s a pretty glitzy case for the cheapest detective in Indianapolis: Strong-arm a big-time Broadway producer who allegedly stole Willson’s play. Unfortunately, Willson proves to be as pure as the Indianapolis slush. What he wants is revenge. For Samson, finding out why could mean the final curtain call.   The recipient of a Mystery Masters Award, a Raymond Chandler Society Award, and a Maltese Falcon Society Award, Michael Lewin, “writes with style and sensibility and wit . . . He can frighten the reader, too” (Ross Macdonald).

A playwright needs PI Albert Samson to find a thieving Broadway producer in this “fast, funny and brilliant series” from the Shamus Award–winning author (The Wall Street Journal).   After a Florida vacation spent at the horse races—turning a measly profit of eighty-two cents before expenses—private detective Albert Samson is back in slushy, freezing Indy, where, thankfully, it’s a short walk from his living room to his office door. One night, he opens it to find a hesitant stranger in an overcoat. With some prodding from the PI, Bennett Willson admits he wants Samson to strong-arm the Broadway producer who stole his play.   When it turns out that the cleverly crafted story is as bogus as the client himself, Samson blows the lid off a simmering brew of hatred and revenge—leaving his own life hanging in the balance.   Written by a Shamus Award–winning author who “has brains and style,” this crime novel follows the beloved midwestern detective in his most bizarre case yet (Los Angeles Times).   The Enemies Within is the 3rd book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Indianapolis PI Albert Samson picks up three cases that land him on the city’s most wanted list in this mystery from the Shamus Award–winning author.   Albert Samson, Indy’s least successful PI, is working three cases at once: an ecoterrorist group threatens to bomb the city, an obnoxious poet wants help murdering his wife, and a dazzling socialite’s mysterious package needs a courier. The ecoterrorism group, the Scum Front, arrive at his door in animal masks after misplacing a bomb. Thankfully, they have only blown up fallow cornfields so far, but Samson must track down the missing bomb before it detonates in the city.   Meanwhile, he discovers that the poet is not, in fact, married. And he wonders why a beautiful member of the Indianapolis elite would hire him as a delivery boy. As the three seemingly unrelated cases collide, time is running out for Samson to find the missing explosives, nail the culprit, and get out alive.   Constantly attracting bizarre clients, the smart-mouthed midwestern detective “is always good, wry company” in the critically acclaimed Albert Samson Mystery (Kirkus Reviews).   Called by a Panther is the 7th book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Indianapolis PI Albert Samson takes on a hospital, a pharmaceutical company, and the FBI in this “tough and clever” mystery (The New Republic).   After his slowest summer ever, struggling and desperate private eye Albert Samson places an ad in the local paper, offering his services at a bargain price. Instead of new business, he gets an eviction notice.   But his luck seems to change when Dorothea Thomas calls with an unusual tale of woe. Her brother, John, a chemist and pharmaceutical salesman, has been in a coma since a lab explosion seven months ago. Dorothea hasn’t been allowed to visit her brother in an experimental wing of the hospital—and she needs Samson to find out why. The case gets him tangled up with the FBI and leads him straight to the black heart of the pharmaceutical industry, where secrets only hide more secrets.   The smart-mouthed midwestern detective who “is always good, wry company” returns in this witty crime novel in the critically acclaimed Albert Samson series (Kirkus Reviews).   The Silent Salesman is the 4th book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Indianapolis PI Albert Samson gets his license back just in time to take on a high-profile case in the latest from the Shamus Award–winning author of Missing Woman.   After a confrontation with a cop cost him his PI license, Albert Samson is thrilled to be reinstated. Within hours, he has two new clients and can leave his day job at his mother’s diner behind. But the real payday arrives when he is brought onto the defense team for a man accused of being Indiana’s most notorious serial killer. Of all the private eyes in town, why have the lawyers handpicked Samson for the biggest case to hit Indianapolis in decades? With cash in hand, Samson starts investigating. And what he finds isn’t pretty . . .   “Bemused chuckles follow closely on the heels of horrified gasps” in in this humorous crime novel that concludes the adventures of the charming, smart-mouthed midwestern detective (Booklist).   Eye Opener is the 8th book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

“A smoothly written private‐eye story” and Edgar Award Finalist: Indianapolis PI Albert Samson stirs up a wealthy family’s secrets (The New York Times).   It’s a slow afternoon for Indianapolis private detective Albert Samson. He’s just awoken from an office doze when a new client walks in. Sixteen-year-old Eloise Crystal recently discovered that her blood type doesn’t match either of her parents’, and she wants Samson to find her biological father.   Skeptical, but one hundred dollars richer, Samson begins some preliminary digging into the past of one of the most respected family names in Indiana. What he unearths is the kind of dirt that makes people do desperate things—and it thrusts him into a shifting world of lies, old money, and murderous secrets.   A beloved series by a Shamus Award–winning author, Ask the Right Question introduces the smart-mouthed midwestern detective “who’s always good, wry company” (Kirkus Reviews).   Ask the Right Question is the 1st book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Indianapolis’s least employed PI heads downstate in search of a missing woman in this mystery from the “funny and brilliant” Shamus Award–winning author (The Wall Street Journal).   Facing insolvency and imminent eviction, private detective Albert Samson finally catches a break. Elizabeth Staedtler hires him to find her missing friend, Priscilla. But is Priscilla really missing or has she simply run away from her husband?   Conducting an investigation in an unfamiliar city of Southern Indiana, Samson lands a stint in lockup, two murderers on his tail, and threats of a violent end that make the dispossessed detective consider hanging up his gumshoes for good.   Another humorous installment in the beloved Albert Samson mysteries, this crime novel follows the smart-mouthed midwestern detective into bizarre territory.   Missing Woman is the 5th book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Indianapolis PI Albert Samson must prove the innocence of an unstable veteran accused of murder in this “excellent” mystery (The New Republic).   Martha Jerome chose struggling private eye Albert Samson because he’s the cheapest detective in Indianapolis. She wants Samson to find evidence that will exonerate her son-in-law, Ralph Tomanek, of the manslaughter charges against him.   A troubled Vietnam veteran who’s been in and out of mental hospitals, Tomanek fired his shotgun and killed a man who may or may not have been reaching for his own weapon. Refusing to believe Tomanek is just a crazy vet with a bad case of PTSD, Samson goes to bat for him—and uncovers a nasty web of blackmail that could land the nosey detective on the wrong end of a gun.   The smart-mouthed midwestern detective “who’s always good, wry company” returns in this witty crime novel by a Shamus Award–winning author (Kirkus Reviews).   The Way We Die Now is the 2nd book in the Albert Samson Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.