John Searles Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Akashic Noir Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

John Searles is a bestselling mystery author from Connecticut. He was born the third child of a truck-driving father and a homemaker mother. As a nine-year-old, he usually accompanied his father on his trucking runs during summer vacations.

But his parents’ attempts at making a man of him did not work as he began reading a lot as he lost interest in staring at a yellow line for hours. He began getting mass-market paperbacks and when he had the time made a series of short stories, which he also illustrated.

While many were the times he did not see eye to eye with his family, he had a very happy childhood even as his parents divorced following the tragic death of his younger sister. It was at this time that he started thinking of being an author.

Since he never knew anyone that was a writer given that no one in his family went to college, he did not believe it would happen. During this time he was also experiencing a lot of teasing for being gay and as a result, he usually retreated to the library where he read a lot.

After he graduated from high school, he got a job at a factory in Newtown Connecticut before he went to college.

Searles went to Southern Connecticut Stae College, where he studied business as he believed it was the most practical area of study.

He was derailed by the tragic death of his sister and it would take him more than a year to recover. It was during this time that he began to shift his focus to writing, as he came to realize that life is short and he needed to do what he had to do to accomplish his dreams.

John Searles applied to the writing program at New York University. Given that he had won several awards while at state school, he was awarded a scholarship.
During this time, his father had been contracted to ship sets for several shows on Broadway. As such, he put his luggage in his truck, and in 1993 he set off for New York City. He used to live in Greenwich village while he attended New York University.

It was while he was studying at NYU that he met Ann Hood, who proved instrumental in his career. She would take him under her wing and helped him get through the hard times, particularly after his parents’ divorce.

For money, he used to wait tables in the city during the night and head back home to write a few pages of his manuscript.

While John Searles was at New York University, he completed his manuscript and sent it out to agents and publishers and was promptly rejected. It was devastating to the young author who took his bed in frustration.

It was there that he got the first line of what would be his debut novel. The cryptic line was the seed for the 2001 published “Boy Still Missing.” The thriller was about alcoholism, abduction, adoption, and betrayal among others.

It was a work that combined many experiences and influences including working as a nanny and waiting tables. Some of the influences include the likes of Sydney Sheldon, Stephen King, and John Irving whom he used to read at the back of his father’s truck.

After graduating from New York University, he got a job at Redbook reading fiction submission before he moved to Cosmo. Given his talent, he kept getting promotions and hence had the privilege of writing while working.

After four years of writing, he finally sold “Boy Still Missing” to Morrow.

“Help for the Haunted” by John Searles begins with a shrill phone that echoes in the snowy February night. Sylvie Mason listens to her parents talking on the phone to some stranger. It is not the first time they are getting such strange calls given their chosen occupation of helping haunted souls rest in peace.
But somehow, she thinks this call is different from all others. Her parents are called to an old church that is in the outer suburbs of the town. Once they arrive there, they enter the church’s red door and Sylvie stays behind in the car. Soon after, she is snoring and a few hours later she is wakened by the sound of gunfire.

Fast forward one year later, and she struggles to come to terms with losing her parents. She is living with her eldest sister that may have had something to do with their death.

As the story moves from the present to the past and back, Sylvie investigates the mystery of her parent’s death. She comes to terms with what happened on the fateful night, and unearths dark secrets her parents kept for years.

John Searles’ novel “Strange but True” is the story of Phillip Chase. Following a bizarre falling accident, he had left his New York apartment to go live with Charlene his mother. The latter is still bitter about the death of her younger son Ronnie, who had died several years before.

Phillip is in stasis and spends much of his time trading snipes with Charlene, rereading a tragic biography, and watching television. Everything comes to a head when Ronnie’s high school girlfriend turns up at their doorstep one windy February night.

She is a very sad woman that still has great scars from the tragedy that took her boyfriend from her on Prom Night. While what had happened was a tragedy, she realized she was pregnant a few months later and now claims Ronnie is the father.

It is from this context that begins the story that is full of breathless surprise after breathless surprise. Philip and Charlene have to deal not only with Melissa’s past but also with their own.

Their desperate search for answers takes them on an emotional and poignant journey that ultimately places them on the path of revenge and murder.

“Boy Still Missing” by John Searles is a work set in 1971, where aimless but tenderhearted teenager Dominick Pindle is living in Massachusetts. Most nights he can be found driving around town to get his wayward father out of drinking dens.

His life changes when one evening he comes face to face with Edie Kramer his father’s seductive mistress. He has a moment of instant lust and so begins a secret relationship with the mysterious, beautiful, and forbidden woman.

Soon enough their erotic affair results in a shocking death and Pindle learns that his mother had just as destructive and dark secrets. Rapt with guilt and confusion, the facts about his family start to come out.

He is forced to leave and head for New York in an attempt to learn the truth about his mother and to find retribution. It is not long before he is living with a soulful and young idealist named Jeanney Garvey, who might just be what he needs.