Order of Thomas Black Books

Thomas Black is the protagonist in a series of mystery novels by American author Earl Emerson. Thomas Black was a 10-year vet with the Seattle Police Department until he ended up killing a teenaged car thief, causing him to quit the department. Now, he ends up renting a basement, while living off his police pension and the odd P.I. job that comes his way. Black occasionally teams up his best friend, Kathy Birchfield, who starts out as a law student who rents a room from him.

Earl Emerson began his Thomas Black series in 1985 with the novel The Rainy City. After the 1998 novel Catfish Cafe, the series took an 11-year hiatus until 2009’s Cape Disappointment. The series is currently ongoing. Below is a list of Earl Emerson’s Thomas Black books in order of when they were first published (which is the same as their chronological order):

Publication Order of Thomas Black Books

The Rainy City	(1985)
Poverty Bay	(1985)
Nervous Laughter	(1985)
Fat Tuesday	(1987)
Deviant Behavior	(1988)
Yellow Dog Party	(1991)
The Portland Laugher	(1994)
The Vanishing Smile	(1995)
The Million-Dollar Tattoo	(1996)
Deception Pass	(1997)
Catfish Cafe	(1998)
Cape Disappointment	(2009)
Monica's Sister	(2013)