Brains Benton Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Brains Benton Mystery Books

Publication Order of Brains Benton as an Adult Mysteries Books

The Brains Benton Mysteries is a long-running series of mystery books. The series tracks the adventures of a teenager named Barclay “Brains” Benton and his friend James “Jimmy” Carson”. The two have teamed together to form a detective agency known as Benton and Carson International Detective Agency.

The series was debuted by Charles Spain Verall who wrote the first book in the series. The next five titles in the series in the series were written by George Wyatt. The first release was The Case of the Missing Message which was published in 1959. The book was followed up by The Case of the Counterfeit Coin. The final book that Wyatt wrote and published was The Case of the Painted Dragon in 1961.

Brains Benton Mysteries were well known for their collection of unique characters that jump off the page. One example would be an animal trainer who has a pet seal and dancing mouse. One of the best things about the series though is the way that the characters were empowered. They were out to solve the problems because they wanted to. They had a true individualistic spirit which made the series stand out.

The name George Wyatt turned out to be a pen name and the books were actually written by Charles Spain Verral. The author had originally intended to pass the series on to another author after the release of the first book, but he was unhappy with the results. He ended up taking the outlines of the books and re-writing them, publishing them under the name of George Wyatt.

Golden Press published the originally series and the later reprints were done by Whitman Books.

The series was picked back up in the 2000s when Charles E. Morgan began publishing Brains Benton books. The author fell in love with boy mystery books like Brains Benton and the Hardy Boys, and the books eventually inspired him to write his own books. He ended up returning to that love of Brains Benton and began publishing his own books in the series. He published his first in 2006 with the release of The Case of the Carrier Pigeon.

Author Scott Lockwood also picked up the Brains Benton series in 2010 and released four books in the series. The first being The Case of the Courier Cat. Lockwood set two of the books in the future when Brains and Jimmy were adults. These books also worked as crossovers with the genius inventor character of Tom Swift Jr. The Swift books were written under the pen name of Victor Appleton II.

Thomas Hudson also wrote a book in the Brains Benton series where Brains and Jimmy were adults. The book was released in 2015 and titled The Case of the Insane Down Memory Lane.

The Case of the Missing Message is the first book in the Brains Benton series. The story features a secret coded message that leads Brains and Jimmy down a trail that will see them encounter a circus clown, performing elephant, tightrope walker, and an annoying parrot. The clues all set to deliver a secret message that could allow one of their friends to receive their inheritance as well as unmasking the dastardly villains behind it.

One Response to “Brains Benton Mystery”

1. Dr T: 6 months ago

   Excellent history of the series! Thank you for making this available. I was a Brains Benton fan when I was young, and am enjoying seeing new authors take a crack at it.

   Reply