About
I was born, raised, educated, praised, scorned, loved, and shunned in Chicago — and then I took my act on the road. Having endured more frigid winters than I care to think about, I made sure the road led somewhere warm. I’ve lived in Los Angeles, and Honolulu, and Los Angeles again. I loved the warm weather, the blue ocean, and the palm trees. But I didn’t like the isolation of living in the remote reaches of the Hawaiian Pacific. Nor did I like the congestion, smog, and cost of living in L.A.
So when my daughter was born, my wife and I thought we could do worse than to raise her in the Midwest, despite the weather. Our decision proved to be correct. Our daughter has grown up to be a happy and brilliant young woman. The Midwest has been a productive place for me to write. And global warming has produced much more moderate winters than the ones I suffered through as a boy.
— Joe
Jim McGill Series
When McGill was formally introduced to the White House press corps, Helen Thomas asked him how it felt to be the country’s first First Gentleman.
He responded, “I prefer to think of myself as the president’s henchman.”
Books in the series [in order]:
#1 — The President’s Henchman [2009]
#2 — The Hangman’s Companion [2010]
#3 — The K Street Killer [2011]
#4 — Part 1: The Last Ballot Cast [2012]
#5 — Part 2: The Last Ballot Cast [2012]
#6 — The Devil on the Doorstep [2013]
#7 — The Good Guy with a Gun [2014]
#8 — The Echo of the Whip [2015]
#9 — The Daddy’s Girl Decoy [2016]
#10 — The Last Chopper Out [2017]
#11 — The King of Mirth [2018]
#12 — The Big Fix [2019]
#13 — The Boy From Illinois [2021]
#14 — The Man with a Plan [2022]
McGill’s Short Cases 1-3: Three Jim McGill Short Stories
Take the Money Trilogy
McGill is back…only this guy is Dan McGill.
Dan McGill, Jim McGill’s great-uncle, is the man who inspired Jim to become a cop. The Take the Money Trilogy is set in the years 1941-1945. The action starts in Chicago, follows Dan to the fighting in Europe, and comes full circle when he returns home.
The story involves a deadly fight with the Chicago Mob, the war against Germany, and Dan’s dilemma of choosing between a wily female spy and a spunky young woman back in the U.S. who paints risqué images on bombs that will be dropped on the enemy.
On the Run Book 1
Cohort 1, Book 2
Homeward Bound, Book 3
John Tall Wolf Series
John Tall Wolf —
#1 — Tall Man in Ray-Bans [2012 ]
#2 — War Party [2013]
#3 — Super Chief [2014]
#4 — Smoke Signals [2016]
#5 — Big Medicine [2017]
#6 — Powwow in Paris [2018]
#7 — Top of the Mountain [2022]
Ron Ketchum Mysteries
Ron Ketchum saw his share of the dark side of life as a cop in Los Angeles. Then he left L.A. to become the chief of police in the Sierra Nevada resort town of Goldstrike.
Books in the series [in order]:
#1 — Nailed [2011]
#2 — Defiled [2012]
#3 — Impaled [2015]
Also available in a 3-novel package —
The Ron Ketchum Mysteries
Novels — Stand Alones
Novels that thrill, keep you on the edge of your seat, make you laugh, make you angry, entertain and enlighten.
The Concrete Inquisition
Digger
The Next President
Hot Type
Gasoline, Texas
Farewell Performance
Round Robin, A Love Story of Epic Proportions
Blood Street Punx
One False Step
Still Coming
Hangman, A Western Novella
Kill Me Twice
Short Fiction
Short stories are dear to my heart.
Donnely’s Mug [Joe’s 1st short story]
Pointy Teeth, Twelve Bite-size Stories
The twelve stories include: Beat the Devil, The Hotel Fred, Smoked Out, High Heat, Bunny and Sunshine, No Good Deed. . ., Fixer-Upper, Sleepover, Speed Trap, Younger Woman, Money Man and Tech Support.
