Andrew Welsh-Huggins Books In Order

Publication Order of Andy Hayes Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Guns + Tacos Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is an American journalist and writer of non-fiction books and fiction on crime. Andrew graduated from Kenyon College.

He is the Associated Press’ legal-affairs reporter in Columbus, Ohio. In this job, he covers criminal justice, long-lived zoo animals, and the Statehouse.

Andrew’s debut novel, called “Fourth Down and Out”, was released in the year 2014. His fiction work is from the mystery genre.

“Fourth Down and Out” is the first novel in the “Andy Hayes” series and was released in the year 2014. The job appears easy enough on first glance for private investigator Andy Hayes: save his client’s reputation by getting a laptop back and erasing one troublesome video off of its hard drive. That is before somebody breaks into Andy’s apartment in Columbus. Before somebody else, who is armed with a shotgun, relieves him of said laptop and before the FBI show up suddenly asking a whole lot of questions.

There is quickly a growing list of people that have a claim on this computer, all of whom with secrets that they don’t want uncovered. One of these people winds up dead, and Andy has got his hands full convincing the authorities that he isn’t responsible, as he tries to piece together just who is, and who has the laptop before somebody else dies.

Quickly the trail leads back to the last place that Andy wants to go: back to Ohio State University, where very few have forgiven him for the mistake he made two decades prior during his days as the star quarterback for the Buckeyes. This one misjudgment sent him on a downward spiral that cost him two marriages, a playing career, several ruined relationships, and above all his legacy in Ohio’s capital city, a place where the fortunes of the OSU team are not too far from people’s minds.

While Andy tracks a killer and a laptop from the toniest of the suburbs in the city to its grittiest of neighborhoods, he has to confront a dark figure from his past. He also has to prove that this time he isn’t going to drop the ball.

The novel is a fun spin around the town for readers that has a satisfying ending and a gripping climax. Fans thoroughly enjoyed the plot of the novel, and found this highly entertaining and it made for a snappy read.

“Slow Burn” is the second novel in the “Andy Hayes” series and was released in the year 2015. Close to two years have gone by since Aaron Custer supposedly set a house on fire in Columbus that killed three college students, one of whom was a young woman with whom he argued with just hours before. The prosecutors had a slam dunk case against Custer, who was a convicted fire-starter whose prints were found on the lighter that started the fire and soon pleaded guilty in order to avoid facing the death penalty.

Andy Hayes is quite skeptical when Custer’s grandma wants him to reopen the case by finding some mysterious witness that could have seen the real culprit that night. His doubts quickly fade away while he uncovers all kinds of motives for the victims’ deaths, implicating drug dealers, the state’s natural gas fracking boom, as well as more.

In order to delve deeper, Andy has to once more make amends with his past. Suzanne Gregory, a television reporter and ex-fiance of Andy’s, has got more info on the Orton Avenue fire than any other journalist in the town. However, asking her for help means reopening up old wounds, right when Andy has begun a new relationship he is determined not to screw up. While Andy follows Custer’s trail down some ever-darker paths, he has to revisit much of his past and figure out whether or not he is able to forfeit his future.

“Capitol Punishment” is the third novel in the “Andy Hayes” series and was released in the year 2016. It appeared to be simple enough. Reporter Lee Hershey needs protection for a couple of weeks while pursuing the largest story of his career with all eyes on Ohio during a presidential election. Columbus based private eye Andy Hayes, who is broke as usual, does not have a whole lot of choice but to sign on, even while his girlfriend falls for the rather charming journalist.

Murder strikes at the Statehouse and Andy finds that he is partly responsible for this death. An innocent man is behind bars, more lives in danger, and a mysterious vehicle that follows Andy around the city. The detective has got his hands full attempting to solve a killing in one poisonous political environment where everybody has got a motive for murder and simply anybody might be the next target.

“The Hunt” is the fourth novel in the “Andy Hayes” series and was released in the year 2017. While a serial killer stalks hookers in Columbus, Ohio, one distraught brother asks private eye Andy Hayes to find his sister before it is too late. Andy, caught in a deadly race against time, learns that he is not the one and only person looking for Jessica Byrnes. He may, however, be the only one that wants her alive. Byrnes has not been seen in the weeks following a downward slide that began as a runaway teen and could have ended for good on the streets.

Helping Andy is a former prostitute named Theresa Sullivan. She is now working at St. Andrew’s, the mission church that is ran by Andy’s pal, the Reverend Roy Roberts, and who is less than keen on Theresa reliving those memories that almost killed her. There is a local congresswoman that is making headlines with the work she is doing against human trafficking that puts some pressure on Andy to solve this case. All while the cops do not want him anywhere near their exhaustive search for the killer.

At the same time, Andy’s hunt to find Jessica exposes the buying and selling of trafficked women all across the region. Looming over Andy’s increasingly desperate search is the very shadow of his most dangerous foe yet.