Dev Conrad Books In Order

Publication Order of Dev Conrad Books

The Dev Conrad Series refers to a well-received literary series penned by an award-winning scribbler named Ed Gorman. Did you know that Ed Gorman’s legal name was Edward Joseph Gorman Jr? For starters, Gorman was born in November 1941 in Cedar Rapids, a region located in Iowa, in the US. He died in October 2016 still in Cedar Rapids, after living for 74 years.

Ed Gorman, who doubled up as an editor and contributor to anthologies, was constantly featured on various world-famous publications. Gorman’s literary work ranges from series of books to standalone novels to collections to anthologies to short stories to novellas to chapbooks to graphic novels. Gorman wrote narrative prose under these pen names. Apart from the pen name Ed Gorman, the most familiar ones are Daniel Ransom and E. J. Gorman. Other pen names adopted are Robert David Chase and Richard Driscoll. Ed Gorman’s bountiful writing career started in 1984, after he resigned from the advertising industry, and he was still writing by the time he died. Gorman preferred to write mysteries, westerns, thrillers, horror fiction, and at times, non-fiction.

Section on Books
In terms of book series, the Dev Conrad series is the last series of books that Ed Gorman wrote. Incidentally, the last book in this book series, entitled The Dangerous Agent, was published one year before he died. There are five primary works in the Dev Conrad series, and the books were published in a span of seven years. The first book in the series has seven editions. The very first edition rolled off the press in early 2008, called Sleeping Dogs; and the series is shelved under the mystery, suspense, fiction, and political thriller genres.

There is yet another early novel that Dev Conrad published in the Dev Conrad series. Entitled Stranglehood, it is the second book in the series. There are six editions of this book but the first edition was initially published in October 2010.

Dev Conrad Series: Central Character and First Two Books’ Synopsis
Dev Conrad is the featured central character in the Dev Conrad series. Conrad is an experienced political consultant and is outsourced by various political aspirants throughout the series. Conrad, who has worked with various members of the Congress vying for elective posts, is on the campaign teams of aspirants with shady pasts.

In the first book in the Dev Conrad series, Sleeping Dogs, protagonist Conrad is assisting a senator, named Warren Nicholas, from Illinois to get reelected. The turning point is the bosom friend-cum-adviser of the aspirant who has killed himself. Worse still, a broadcasted debate augurs bad for the aspirant’s political ambitions. Realizing that the senator is a philanderer, Conrad resolves to scrutinize the staff members of the politician, especially those that have been in relationships with him. The sleuthing leads Conrad to the dark underbelly of politics and prompts the killing of an unsavory politician who harbors secrets which might doom Nicholas’ political career.

In the second book in the Dev Conrad series, Stranglehood, protagonist Conrad is working for a female member of the Congress named Susan Cooper who also hails from a political dynasty. There is an internal threat to her campaign machinery, resulting from one of her damnable secrets. The campaign trail moves from bad to worse following a series of murders, including that of a fellow political consultant coupled with blackmailing.

Ed Gorman: Literary Awards
Ed Goman’s 1985 book titled New, Improved Murder was shortlisted for the Shamus Award in 1986. His 1987 book The Autumn Dead was nominated for the Shamus Award too. Both books are in the Jack Dwyer series. He has won the Spur Award thanks to the short story named The Face. Another story called Eye of the Beholder was a Shamus Award nominee in 1997. A short story called Turn Away clinched the Shamus Award in 1988 while another one named The Story Reason Why was in the nomination list.

Gorman won the Macavity Award during the 1994 award ceremonies, thanks to The Fine Art of Murder which he edited. The said book also secured him a nomination for the Anthony Award. Speaking of Murder, which was edited by Gorman and Martin Greenberg, was nominated for the Macavity Awards in 1999. It had also been nominated for the Agatha Award a year previously. Other awards that Gorman clinched include Ellery Queen Award (2003), The Eye, and The International Horror Writers Award; he was nominated for Brom Stoker Award in 2001 courtesy of his book The Dark Fantastic.

Dev Conrad series: Books into Films
The following are film adaptations of Ed Gorman’s work. First, there is a 2008 film titled The Poker Club which based on a similarly titled 1999 book. Michael Risley, Johnny Messner, and Jana Kramer starred; they appeared as Neal, Bill, and Trudy, respectively.

The Long Silence After, which is a short film released in 2009, was based on Gorman’s short story. Duane Sharp, John Shane and Tiffini Funches starred wherein they appeared as Neely, Friend, and Mary Williams. Another short film is The Ugly Fire which was produced in 2009. Michael Lechner, Kirsten McCain, and Scott McClelland are starring actors and actress; they played as Roy Hubbard, Mrs Cunningham, and Mr Byerly.

Dev Conrad Series: Best Books
The best three books in the Dev Conrad series are Sleeping Dogs, Stranglehood, and Blindside. The first two have been discussed above. Blindside is the third book in the Dev Conrad series. It was initially published in September 2011; political consult Conrad is now working for a Congressman called Michael Robards. One of Robards’ campaign staff members is shot dead in what is presumed mugging but the aspirant’s rivals have fingered Robards for the killing.

Other Books You May Like
Readers who enjoyed the Dev Conrad series also loved these series of books. The first one is titled Liam Quinn Mysteries and is penned by L. H. Thomson. First published in 2012, it features protagonist Liam Quinn, a former boxer and art student who had been jailed for forgery. He is hired as an insurance investigator later on, and takes the opportunity to try to redeem his image. But there is a plethora of troubles including a run-in with the local authorities and a mobster.

The second one is called Reed Ferguson Mystery series authored by Renee Pawlish. The featured protagonist is Reed Ferguson, a daring private eye. The third one is titled Darcy Lynch series and is authored by Elin Barnes. The protagonist is Darcy Lynch in this duology; Lynch is an investigator-cum-office worker and is sleuthing a series of well-orchestrated crimes.