Curt Wendelboe / C. M. Wendelboe Books In Order

Publication Order of Bitter Wind Mystery Books

Publication Order of Nelson Lane Frontier Mystery Books

Publication Order of Spirit Road Mystery Books

Publication Order of Tucker Ashley Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

A long-time American writer, Curt M. Wendelboe, or C. M. Wendelboe for short, has been creating a name for himself with his subtle and highly creative take on the mystery genre, as he manages to conjure up a sense of nostalgia almost with his extremely evocative and nuanced style of writing, with it guiding the reader along gently with both a sense of purpose and conviction, keeping them hooked throughout, right until the very last page. This is also true of his characters too, as they’re extremely well drawn, giving a fully rounded portrait of strong individuals, and how they operate under duress and pressure. Over time he has managed to make the genre completely his own, giving him his own voice and outlook on the format in the process, along with the many experiences that have shaped him throughout his long and colorful life. Working in law enforcement for over thirty-eight years, he has managed to make a name for himself not only within the world of literature, but in law and order as well. Shaping not only him as a person, it has also allowed him to create a strong and intelligent backlog of work that has a great degree of insight thanks to his time spent serving as an officer and in the army. Allowing him to say something different and unique, he has used his experiences to create a number stories that are highly realistic and accurate, giving the reader an insight into what it’s really like working within the forces. Along with that, he has also created characters that interact with each other in a realistic manner too, making them resonate with the reader far more deeply than they would otherwise, All of this will continue on into the foreseeable future for quite some time to come, as there’s a lot more planned on the horizon for this particular author of mystery fiction yet.

Early and Personal Life

Heading off to Vietnam, Wendelboe was discharged at the end of it as it was starting to wind down, leading to him taking up a career in law enforcement, as well as becoming a police chief for some time too. Along with his keen love of literature he’s always been a passionate reader with a gift for the written word, something which he would work at nurturing over the years. Coupled with his experience serving overseas in Vietnam, as well as working in the forces, he’s made a strong name for himself thanks to his large degree of accuracy that’s helped him to find his own unique voice within the mystery genre, creating something new in the process.

Moving to Gillette, Wyoming, he found his niche serving within the police force. This can also be said of his writing, as he started to lay out his ideas. With more books set to follow, it doesn’t look like he’s stopping anytime soon.

Writing Career

Bringing out his first book back in 2011, ‘Death Along the Spirit Road’ was the debut title to come from Wendelboe as an author of carefully crafted and intelligent mystery novels. Heralding the arrival of an interesting new voice, this would also allow him to set-up the ‘Spirit Road Mystery’ series of novels, letting him make his name for himself as an author. Coming a long way in a relatively short amount of time, he would continue to write over the years to come, developing his style, as he would draw from the many experiences that he’d had throughout his life serving in the army and on the police force.

Now living in Cheyenne, Wyoming, he largely writes from his own experiences. A retired lawman, he now also writes full-time. This is something that’s expected to carry on for quite some time to come.

Death on the Greasy Grass

Setting up the third title in the ongoing ‘Spirit Road Mystery’ series of novels, this works as a self-contained mystery novel in its own right. Keeping the reader guessing throughout, it builds upon the books that came before, whilst also developing the characters and their many narrative arcs. The main protagonist is Manny Tanno, as the series is steeped in tribal folklore with this tribal cop, as he undertakes a variety of mysteries, solving and getting to the bottom of them.

Keeping a journal of his exploits, Levi Star Dancer had worked as a scout for none other than General Custer himself, as a Crow Tribe member, with the journal chronicling his time from the Battle of the Greasy Grass and onwards. This manages to rile up a number of people, as they hope that the journal doesn’t see the light of day in the present times, keeping the past in the past and hidden. Stepping on to the scene once more is Manny Tanno, the former Oglala Lakota tribal cop, as he witnesses a reenactor of the Battle of Little Big Horn being killed right in front of him. What secrets lie in the past? To which lengths will people go to keep them there? Who was the cause of the death on the greasy grass?

Hunting the Five Point Killer

Initially published through the ‘Midnight Ink’ publishing label, this was first brought out on the 8th of October in 2017, as it heralded an entirely new series to come from Wendelboe as an author. Marking the first title in the ‘Bitter Wind Mystery’ series of novels, this book sets up the franchise with the first mystery to solve, as well as creating the overall premise of the forthcoming books. Not only that, but it establishes both the style and the tone to come, allowing Wendelboe to develop the characters and the overall world in the process too, giving the readers an idea of what they were to expect in the future.

A former homicide detective, the Denver detective Arn Anderson is completely broke, thus leading to him taking on a cold murder case, something which he would never have done otherwise. Not only that, but his desperation has also lead to him doing the case with a television reporter and, adding insult to injury, he’s returning back to his childhood home of Cheyenne, something he’d told himself he’d never do. It’s the eve of the tenth anniversary of a particularly heinous serial killer though, one who appears to be out of retirement as well. Will Arn be able to catch them this time round? Can he get his life back together? What will become of him as he finds himself hunting the five point killer?

One Response to “Curt Wendelboe / C. M. Wendelboe”

1. Lori Healy: 2 years ago

   I happened to pick up one of your books awhile back with plans to have it be the next book I read. Then at the book store with my daughter the other day she found one of your books and thought it sounded worth reading. I told her yours was my next book!!! Got home and sure enough it was.
   Having worked with a few authors awhile back, I asked them that if I found a mistake in their books do I let them know? all three said yes…. so, page 12, 3/4 of the way down the page in Hunting the Saturday Night Strangler needs a space in-between where it should read Arn (space)knealt. Incase it should ever go to another print.
   Only on page 13 and I’m hook, line and sinker with it’s plot. Should i find any additional errors (never spelling as I’m horrible) but simple things like above, would you like that input? Looking forward to the rest of the book!

   Reply