When John "Chant" Sinclair learns his oldest and closest friend has been murdered, there's only one thing on the professional killer's mind: revenge. But the man who inflicted Harry Gray's slow, painful death is no simple thug.   After being thrown out of medical school, Richard Krowl dedicated himself to becoming a highly trained specialist in the art of torture. Now, other sadists attend his seminars, learning the tools of the trade from a "doctor" whose horrifying skills know no bounds.   To avenge his friend, Chant must travel to a remote Pacific island and infiltrate Krowl's secret facility. What awaits him is more terrifying than most could imagine, but Chant has seen the depths to which humanity can sink—and nothing will stop him from exacting justice by any means necessary.   Silent Killer is the 2nd book in the Chant Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

When Veil Kendry dreams, he possesses a clarity normal people never experience, along with the power of volition, which allows him to enter the minds of others. Veil's strange gift was invaluable as an operative for the CIA, but now he's left that life behind and instead channels his unusual ability into art. When needed, though, he still applies his supernatural and clandestine skills to helping those in trouble.   So when Veil crosses paths with a thief who stole a K'ung tribe religious idol from the same midtown art gallery that exhibits his dream-paintings, he's compelled to get involved—despite threats from a corrupt cop named Carl Nagle.   Using his dream powers, Veil attempts to enter the mind of the thief in order to apprehend him. But there are others on the hunt, desperate to possess the artifact— and soon, Veil will find himself fighting just to stay alive.  

With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf.   When his friend, FBI agent Michael Burana, suspiciously drowns in the small town of Cairn, New York, Mongo's pursuit of the truth takes him up the Hudson River to the scene of the crime. Long known as a village populated by artists, intellectuals, and writers, Cairn has recently become home to ultraconservative political commentator Elysius Culhane, whose autobiography title, If You're Not Right You're Wrong, is less a pun than a personal manifesto.   Mongo couldn't care less about politics, but there's something about Culhane that just isn't right. And as Mongo and his brother, Garth, attempt to discern the real reason for Agent Burana's death, they will uncover a conspiracy that could leave them both swimming with the fishes . . .   The Language of Cannibals is the 8th book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf.   Mongo's friend and sensei, Veil Kendry, is pretty magnificent himself. A devoted martial arts instructor and extremely successful abstract artist, Veil single-handedly transformed his shady neighborhood in New York City's Lower East Side into a safe haven from crime and corruption. But when Mongo enters Veil's abandoned apartment and finds a bullet hole, a cryptic oil painting, and an envelope addressed to him containing $10,000, he starts to worry that Veil's reputation as a vigilante has gotten him into the worst sort of trouble.   Determined to find his friend, Mongo attempts to rule out any enemies from Veil's past—details of which Veil has never shared with him. But as he uncovers the shocking truth of Veil's time in the Vietnam War—participating in dangerous CIA missions under the call sign "Archangel"—Mongo soon finds enemies aplenty, ones that will do anything to make sure the past remains a secret . . .   In addition to creating "the most engaging detective in decades," author George C. Chesbro introduces the character of Veil Kendry, who would go on to have his own series (Library Journal).   Two Songs This Archangel Sings is the 5th book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.  

With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf.   Now a detective in New York City, Mongo is hired by the widow of a famous architect to find out if her husband is really dead—because a new building just went up and it looks like his work. As Mongo begins to uncover the surprising truth, his investigation gives a whole new meaning to an architect's façade. The intrepid sleuth will need all of his extraordinary skills to find his man without losing his own life, as some very powerful forces want to send him back to the drawing board.   With a freewheeling blend of mystery and science fiction elements, author George C. Chesbro introduces the man called Mongo, "the most engaging detective in decades" (Library Journal).   Shadow of a Broken Man is the 1st book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf.   When Mongo's sister asks him to investigate the death of his nephew, Tommy—the victim of an apparent murder-suicide—the private detective soon learns that everything's tied to the computer game Tommy and his friends created: an elaborate quest based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The clues send Mongo on a cross-country journey, from a painful visit to his former hometown in Nebraska and back to New York, then on to the rugged coastline of California's Big Sur and, ultimately, the frozen depths of the Arctic Ocean, where a mad genius will stop at nothing to achieve total Armageddon.   Grounded by his completely original private detective Mongo, author George C. Chesbro "writes wonderfully strange mystery novels" (Boston Sunday Herald).   The Beasts of Valhalla is the 4th book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf.   After a series of traumas and an accidental poisoning, Mongo's brother, Garth Fredrickson, is lying unresponsive in an off-limits government psychiatric facility. But that won't stop New York City's most resourceful private eye—because if there's one person in the world Mongo would do anything for, it's Garth.   With a little unorthodox therapy, Mongo manages to bring his brother back to the real world. But it quickly becomes clear that Garth isn't himself. Soon the siblings are estranged, and Garth ends up in the center of a cult—an unsuspecting pawn in an international terrorist plot. Up against thousands of believers willing to do anything to protect their "new Messiah," Mongo will risk his life to save him . . .   The Cold Smell of Sacred Stone is the 6th book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf.   Originally published in leading mystery magazines in the 1970s, these ten novellas—each introduced with notes from the author—offer new readers and diehard fans alike a tantalizing taste of the unique blend of hardboiled mystery, science fiction, and explosive action of this acclaimed series.   In the House of Secret Enemies—which includes The Drop, High Wire, Rage, Country for Sale, Dark Hole on a Silent Planet, The Healer, Falling Star, Book of Shadows, Tiger in the Snow, and Candala—is the 9th book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

With a genius IQ, a past career as a circus acrobat, and a black belt in karate, criminology professor Dr. Robert Frederickson—better known as "Mongo the Magnificent"—has a decidedly unusual background for a private investigator. He also just so happens to be a dwarf.   Mongo needs all his faculties when he's hired to investigate a fellow professor who's been experimenting with sensory deprivation. Soon after, a nun asks him to help clear a psychic of murder. And then, weirdest of all, his seven-year-old neighbor, Kathy, begs him to locate her father's "Book of Shadows."   When Mongo finds Kathy's father dead from what seems to be a ritual sacrifice—and the little girl lying comatose nearby—the distressed detective follows a trail of occult clues and discovers that all three of his cases are tied to something wicked. Now, to save Kathy from an unnatural end, Mongo will risk it all to separate the facts from something even stranger than fiction.   An Affair of Sorcerers is the 3rd book in the Mongo Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.   "Beautifully plotted and assured . . . The work of a master." —#1 New York Times–bestselling author Peter Straub

There are very few people international assassin John "Chant" Sinclair trusts, and even fewer who know his secrets. When his friend, Roman magistrate Vito Biaggi, is violently killed, Chant knows that what Italian authorities are calling a random assault is anything but. With Chant's help, Biaggi had been investigating an international cabal of businessmen who were funding terrorists. Only three weeks prior, he'd revealed the conspiracy's existence and was on the brink of exposing its powerful players. But now Biaggi is dead, and Chant is determined to hunt down the ones responsible.   His search exposes a shocking trail of corruption and death, ultimately leading Chant into a secretive world ruled by a madman, where he must face the only adversary he's ever failed to defeat.   Code of Blood is the 3rd book in the Chant Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.