Carter Brown Books In Order

Publication Order of Andy Kane Books

Publication Order of Al Wheeler Books

Publication Order of Barney Blaine Books

Publication Order of Danny Boyd Books

Publication Order of Larry Baker Books

Publication Order of Mavis Seidlitz Books

Publication Order of Max Dumas Books

Publication Order of Mike Farrell Books

Publication Order of Paul Donovan Books

Publication Order of Randy Roberts Books

Publication Order of Rick Holman Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Recommendations

Every 2 weeks we send out an e-mail with 12 Book Recommendations by genre. Subscribe today! Click here for all past recommendations.

A British-Australian author, the writer Alan Geoffrey Yates made some considerable impact as an author during his time. Producing large quantities of crime and detective stories, he would create a vast number of books during his long and illustrious writing career. With an eye and an ear for realism, he was gifted at building worlds that at once seem wholly realistic, whilst also allowing the reader to escape into them. Setting up environments that would draw the reader in, many of his books would gain a worldwide audience, with many of them being popular in Europe. This was a clear testament to his skills as a writer, especially with most, if not all of his stories being set in America.

Writing under a series of different names as well, he would use the pseudonyms Paul Valdez, Tom Conway and Caroline Farr as well. Carter Brown was one of his most prominent though, with it becoming a globally recognized brand of sorts over the years, with other writers also assuming the moniker too. One would notably include that of editor C.J. McKenzie who would produce a collection of books using the Brown pen-name. Focusing largely on crime and detective stories, Yates would make the name synonymous with the genre over the years, paving the way for scores of other writers to follow in his footsteps later on. Creating a legacy that will stand the test of time for a long time yet, Carter Brown continues to find fan to this day, with more and more continually discovering his work, leaving behind an institution within the literary industry.

Early and Personal Life

Born on the 1st of August, 1923, in Ilford England, the future crime writer to be Alan Geoffrey Yates grew up with a strong passion for literature. Constantly focusing on the written word and everything that it had to offer him, he would come to create a style and tone that would serve him well in the following years to come. His time spent growing up in Australia would also come to heavily shape his outlook on life and how he would approach his material. Whilst he would write novels that would largely be set in America, especially when it came to his pen-name of Carter Brown, he would also infuse his own personality and experiences into his work. In the years to come he would would also establish a number of iconic characters too, many of which he would draw from his own life as well.

Prior to becoming a writer full-time he would work as a film technician, something which gave him a strong visual sense when writing. This can be seen running throughout his work, with its clear filmic quality, something which is still replicated to this very day. Settling down in 1948 he would get married before becoming a writer full-time, writing westerns under the name of Tom Conway, along with science-fiction under the name of Paul Valdez. It would be under the name of Carter Brown that he would write crime fiction though, creating his most prolific brand of pulp fiction worldwide. Passing away in 1985 from on the 5th of May from lung congestion, he would leave behind a legacy that is still felt and respected to this day, and it will continue to be that way for many years to come.

Writing Career

Making his debut with the title ‘Death Date for Dolores’, he would first arrive on the literary scene as Carter Brown in 1951. This would be a crime novel, something which would become a major staple of his work throughout the intervening years. He would also go on to create a number of highly popular series as well, such as his ‘Al Wheeler’ novels, along with his ‘Danny Boyd’ titles. These would largely focus themselves on hard-boiled detective mysteries set firmly in the pulp noir mold of fiction. All of these titles would also set the template for a lot of other authors to follow in his footsteps in the years to come as well.

Also writing under the Carter Brown moniker, the editor of Alan Geoffrey Yates, C. J. Mckenzie would assume the pseudonym too. Writing for ten novels under the pen-name whilst Yates was away overseas during the year of 1958, he would keep the brand running whilst he was gone. This proved to be extremely successful over the year, as the the Carter Brown legacy would continue to grow even more. Reaching a high level of success internationally too, the Carter Brown name would see over 120 million books in print during its time. Reaching astronomical levels of success, his work was translated into numerous different languages, allowing him to become a universally recognizable brand worldwide, a legacy that continues to this day.

The Corpse

Initially published through the Signet publishing label, this would first come out in 1958 to an already eager audience. Setting up the eighth title in the ongoing Al Wheeler series of books, it charts his time as a free-wheeling cop from California. Investigating a number of different cases, each book sees a different mystery, as he must use his skills and get to the bottom of each mystery.

It seemed that Al Wheeler had everything going, with love on the table, as he was ready and willing, but it just wasn’t to be. Facing three corpses, he’s presented with the first one in a the jive bar of one sultry blonde singer who knew her way around men and music. That’s when a second turns up in a rooming house, along with a third arriving on Al’s doorstep, leaving him to face the fact that there’s a killer out to make him his next victim. Can Al find them before he’s found? Why are they killing and what are their motivations? Just who is behind the corpse?

Sad-Eyed Seductress

The sixth title in the long-running series of Danny Boyd titles, this would continue in much the same vein as before. Released through the Signet publishing label once again, this would originally be published in 1961, as it would develop both the ambiance and the atmosphere of the series overall. Along with this it would also manage to provide some twists and turns of its own along the way, taking it in new and exciting directions.

This time it would appear that once again that Danny Boyd has another case on his hands, as it appears a woman has been found dead. Seductive as she was beautiful, it would appear that there’s more to the case than initially meets the eye, as he proceeds to fully immerse himself in the mystery. Dealing with a murderer he must find them before it’s too late and they proceed to strike again, as they’ll do anything to cover their tracks. Will he be able to find them? What really happened and why did they murder? Who is behind the death of the sad-eyed seductress?