Mac McClellan Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Mac McClellan Mystery Books

When military men retire from active service, most of them rarely chronicle their lives and times in the military. They mostly prefer to live their lives in peace, some of them grappling with post traumatic stress disorder. As such, it is almost a godsend when a former military man not only gives a blow-by-blow account of his military service but is also inspired by their former occupation to write fiction. The Mac McClellan Mystery series comes in in this context.

First and foremost, the Mac McClellan Mystery series is a literary series authored by E. Michael Helms. For starters, Helms is an American penman who was born in Marietta upon Georgia, in the United States; he grew up in Panama and is currently residing in Westminster region in South Carolina. In 1967, Helms joined the United States Marine Corps after he graduated from high school.

E. Michael Helms, who is a prolific and award-winning man of letters with a series of books and memoir under his belt, was dispatched to Vietnam wherein he served at the advanced stage of the Vietnam War; in 1969, he received a honorary discharge. His wartime experiences have augured well for his writing ambitions. His niche is especially mystery books, memoirs, and historical fiction. Among the literary figures that inspired Helms include German novelist Erich Maria Remarque, American-Canadian author Kenneth Millar, Robert J. Ray, and American author Sloan Wilson. Helms debuted in 1990, and his debut book, titled The Proud Bastards, is a memoir.

The Mac McClellan Mystery Series: Background
According to author E. Michael Helms, writing the Mac McClellan Mystery series was somewhat circumstantial. Prior to writing the said series, he had been suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. His research on and writing an autobiographical book on the Vietnam War, and suchlike wartime aspects (especially the painful flashbacks that would have been better forgotten) were not only exhaustive to him, but also left him washed out.

For a change of scene, E. Michael Helms considered and opted to write a mystery series. Another thing that inspired him to write the series is his great love for The Hardy Boys during his formative years; incidentally, that is a fictitious character created by Franklin W. Dixon and Stratemeyer Syndicate. And thus the Mac McClellan Mystery series was created. The said series is set in the backdrop of the Florida Panhandle coastline wherein Helms not only grew up in but also fished.

The Mac McClellan Mystery series: Basics
Incidentally, the Mac McClellan Mystery series is a trilogy. The first book in this series has four editions. The first edition was originally published in November 2013, titled Deadly Catch, and this series is filed away under the mystery, crime, and suspense genres.

Another early book which E. Michael Helms published in the aforementioned series is titled Deadly Ruse. This is the second book in the serialized Mac McClellan Mystery; it has three editions of which the first one was initially published in November 2014.

The Mac McClellan Mystery series: Protagonist and Personality Traits
The featured protagonist in the Mac McClellan Mystery series is Mac McClellan; the series is named after the main character. Meet protagonist Mac Mac McClellan. Just like the former real-life occupation of author E. Michael Helms, protagonist McClellan had been serving in the US Marine Corps in the run-up to his retirement. But unlike Helms who served between 1967 and 1969, McClellan served for a whooping twenty four years.

In the series, McClellan appears as practical, engaging, truthful, humorous, and is an iconoclast. He is a divorcee and is currently having a romantic affair with a spirited saleswoman called Kate Bell who also doubles up as his confidante. Bell is a contagonist in the series.

The Mac McClellan Mystery series: First Two Books’ Storylines
In the first book in the Mac McClellan Mystery series, Deadly Catch, protagonist McClellan’s life has transitioned from military life to civilian life. McClellan is having a laid-back fishing expedition at Florida Panhandle but suddenly fishes out a disfigured corpse. The deceased is a niece of Bo, the regional sheriff. McClellan is fingered for the murder. Worse still, there is a damnable discovery of an uncommon cannabis strain called Panama Red on the boat that McClellan rented from the marina. As they start sleuthing in a bid to smoke out the real killer and drug smuggler and ensure that justice prevails, McClellan and Bell brush shoulders with dishonest politicians, deadly regional drug dealers, and witty local authorities. And discover a vendetta too.

In the second book in the Mac McClellan Mystery series, Deadly Ruse, Kate Bell is sure that she has just seen her ex-boyfriend Wes Harrison. But Harrison purportedly died over ten years previously. Was the Harrison lookalike she momentarily spotted a ghost? To reassure the startled Bell, McClellan starts sleuthing. They discover well-orchestrated organized crime that is extensive but they start trending softly after an attempt is made of their lives.

The Mac McClellan Mystery Series: Awards and Accolades
The books in The Mac McClellan Mystery series have bagged or been nominated for literary awards. For instance, the 2013 book named Deadly Catch got an honorable mention during the 2014 RONE Awards ceremony in the Mystery category. In 2015, the second book in the series, Deadly Ruse, clinched the RONE Award, in the Best Mystery category.

Best Books by E. Michael Helms
The best books published by E. Michael Helms are the first two in the Mac McClellan Mystery series, plus the one titled The Proud Bastards. The Proud Bastards is seemingly inspired by the informal name of an infantry battalion within the 4th Marines; basically, this chronicles Helms’ journey from boot camp to the frontline during the Vietnam War.

Other Books You May Like
People who enjoyed reading the Mac McClellan Mystery series authored by E. Michael Helms also enjoyed the following ones. The first one is titled Jillian Hillcrest penned by Joyce T. Strand. Jillian Hillcrest is the featured protagonist in this duology; he is a a public relations executive in a Silicon Valley-based biotech company and is trying to solve murders.

The second one is named the Ultimate CORE series authored by Kristine Mason. This series features different protagonists but they are all sleuthing a series of deaths, kidnapping, and disappearing and reappearing baby boys. The third one is called Kate Jones Thriller series authored by D. V. Berkom. Kate Jones is the featured protagonist; Jones is on the run after stealing from a drug lord.