James McGee Books In Order

Publication Order of Matthew Hawkwood Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

James McGee is the author of the Matthew Hawkwood series of novels. The series began in 2006 with the release of Ratcatcher, and then continued with Resurrectionist the following year.

McGee grew up in an Army family which led to him traveling and attending school in other countries, including Gibraltar, Germany and Northern Ireland. After his schooling, he would work for British Airways – Revenue Accounts which he didn’t find thrilling, but the job had its perks as he was able to travel. He had the travel bug and eventually applied to work for Pan Am in their Crew Operations Department at Heathrow. He took the job which was great for someone with such a love of traveling.

After traveling all around the world, McGee found himself with the urge to write. His first novel, Trigger Men, was published in 1985. He followed that book up with two more thrillers, Crow’s War and Wolf’s Lair. The books didn’t quite find breakout success and he would return to legitimate employment. He didn’t give up on writing at this time, but decided that he should put writing on the back burner for the time being.

He’d find work in the United Kingdom at Ottakar’s Booksellers as the store manager. The writing bug returned to him at this time and he was able to write Ratcatcher, the first book in the Matthew Hawkwood series. The book was published in 2006, sixteen years after his last novel, Wolf’s Lair. The series was followed up with Resurrectionist which had enough success that he was able to resign from his book store job and focus on writing full-time.

McGee has continued to travel in the ensuing years and considers volunteering on a South African game reserve and exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu as two highlights of his extensive travels. When he’s not writing or traveling, James enjoys photography, hiking, golf, sailing, and the music of Bruce Springsteen. He also considers himself to be a massive fan of film.

Ratcatcher is the first book in the Matthew Hawkwood series. The book is set in 1811 during the Regency era at the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Matthew is a Bow Street Runner, an elite band of investigators, who is surprised when he is assigned a case to hunt down a robber. A naval courier has been murdered and mutilated, and Hawkwood will track them from St. Giles Rookery to the palatial homes of the aristocracy where knights of the realm conduct themselves in an unbecoming manner. When another body is found, the agenda behind the robbery is discovered. A French plot to take down the Royal Navy is about to be enacted and it’s up to Hawkwood to ensure it isn’t executed.

The Matthew Hawkwood series continues with Resurrectionist. Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood is on the case of some body snatchers who left a corpse mutilated and nailed to a tree. London’s anatomy schools are in session which has made the demand high for fresh corpses. A rivalry between resurrection men has led to the murder of a grave robber, his body left behind as a warning to other gangs. The investigation will bring Hawkwood into London’s murkiest corners. The grimmest place of all will be Bedlam, the asylum for the insane, where another killing has taken place. The investigation will put Hawkwood against an obsessive genius who is hell-bent on advancing the cause of science, Hawkwood’s most formidable adversary yet.

The sixth entry in the Matthew Hawkwood series is called The Reckoning. The book takes place in 1813 London as Matthew is called to a burial ground where a woman has been killed and put into an open grave. The case doesn’t seem big at first glance, but there is definitely something afoot here when Chief Magistrate James Read receives a direct order from the Home Office to abandon the case. Harkwood’s interest is piqued and he begins his hunt for the killer. The search will lead him into the heart of the government where people are determined to protect their secrets. The truth behind the murder will reveal itself as being much closer to home than he could’ve ever imagined.

Trigger Men begins as President Solomon Mabato and his death squads rule East Africa efficiently. Many have died since he seized power and now they have arrested a British university lecturer named David Holt, holding him under ransom of death. Her Majesty’s Government refuses to give in to the demands, but the British Prime Minister and his Director of SIS recruit freelancers to free Holt. A mercenary named Keel is chosen to lead the squad. He knows this is a suicide mission, but the challenge and the money are too good to turn down. The team are then offered a second contract by the ousted President, Hamilton Kemba, who wants them to kill Mabato. Keel declines and Kemba hires the Zulu assassin, Qetuka. Each group is on their own mission, but they will converge and trigger a chain of events which can only end in violence.

The title of Crow’s War refers to a pilot named Crow. He is a former pilot of helicopter gunships, but now makes his living by ferrying relief supplies to refugee camps in Pakistan. His fortunes change when he is offered a lucrative job by a resistance leader. The job is to airlift a critically ill Mujahideen field commander to hospital in Peshawar. The only catch is that the pick-up point is deep in the heart of Afghanistan during a war. The money is too good to pass up so Crow accepts the contract. The flight in is easy, but the flight out is met by a welcoming committee that isn’t all that welcoming and his helicopter is grounded. Now, Crow needs to find his way out on foot. It won’t be easy with bandits, Afghan warlords, heroin smugglers and Soviet Special Forces in his way.

2 Responses to “James McGee”

1. Bob Gray: 9 months ago

   Matthew Hawkwood books are real page turner. The description of the London slums was so good one could imagine the smells and feel of the muck. Wonderful books can we please have more of Hawkwood.

   Bob Gray

   Reply
2. Steve Roalf: 10 months ago

   Love the Matthew Hawkward series of books. In a similar vein as the Richard Sharpe books. Are there any plans to release further volumes?
   Kind Regards, and keep up the good work.
   Steve Roalf

   Reply