Order of John J. Malone Books

John J. Malone is the protagonist in a series of detective fiction novels by American novelist Craig Rice. John J. Malone is a rumpled Chicago lawyer who teams up with press agent Jake Justus and eccentric heiress Helene Brand.

Craig Rice began the John J. Malone series in 1939 with the novel Eight Faces at Three (aka Death at Three). The series lasted thirteen novels and two collections. Below is a list of Craig Rice’s John J. Malone books in order of when they were first published:

Publication Order of John J. Malone Books

If You Like John J. Malone Books, You’ll Love…

• Perry Mason
• Nathan Heller
• Dalziel & Pascoe

John J. Malone Synopsis: Eight Faces at Three is the first book in the series by Craig Rice. John J. Malone, defender of the guilty, is notorious for getting his culpable clients off. It’s the innocent ones who are problems. Like Holly Inglehart, accused of piercing the black heart of her well-heeled and tyrannical aunt Alexandria with a lovely Florentine paper cutter. No one who knew the old battle-ax liked her, but Holly’s prints were found on the murder weapon. Plus, she had a motive: She was about to be disinherited for marrying a common bandleader.

With each new lurid headline, Holly’s friends and supporters start to rally. There’s North Shore debutante Helene Brand; Holly’s groom’s press agent, Jake Justus; the madam of a local brothel, and Alexandria’s hand-wringing servants. But not one of them can explain the queerest bent to the crime: At the time of the murder, every clock in the Inglehart mansion stopped dead. And that’s only the first twist in a baffling case of “aunty-cide” – because Alexandria won’t be the last one to perish.