J.D. Hardin Western Series

Bob Gleason at Playboy Press decided to launch a new series of western novels, and created two running characters, Doc and Raider. He also came up with the pseudonym J.D. Hardin, which the publisher owned.

I was one of a number of writers hired to write the books, and ended up doing nine of them.

Besides providing a decent payday, working on the series encouraged me to build a good research library on the old west, which I enjoy to this day.

Selected Works


Murder HE Wrote

For anyone who aspires to a writer's career, this book is a must-read.
Murder, She Wrote
Nashville Noir.
Jessica helps a young country singer from Cabot Cove who lands in jail in Nashville, accused of murder.
A Fatal Feast
Jessica and George team up to solve a Thanksgiving murder.
Madison Avenue Shoot
Making a television commercial is harder than it seems, especially when Jessica must solve a murder on location.
A Slaying in Savannah
Jessica Fletcher must solve a 40-year-old murder before an important bequest is lost.
Murder On Parade
Amid the Fourth of July festivities, Jessica faces a mugging and a murder.
Panning for Murder
Jessica encounters some very dangerous human wildlife on a cruise to Alaska
My Favorite Book
Charlie and the Shawneetown Dame
Madness and mayhem during Prohibition.
Republished
Coffee, Tea or Me?
My book of 35 years ago, "Coffee, Tea or Me? was reissued spring 2003, with a new foreword.
Remarkable Tale
The CIA's Control of Candy Jones
A Cold War cult classic, once again available to the reading public.