Patrick F. McManus Books In Order

Publication Order of Sheriff Bo Tully Books

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Author Patrick F. McManus wrote humorous columns on outdoors and mystery novels that feature Sheriff Bo Tully. The columns he wrote, for Outdoor Life and Field and Stream were collected into different books. The main themes of these columns are hunting and fishing and have some semi-fictional characters with some running jokes throughout. His writing has been known to draw comparisons to such humorous writers as Robert Benchley and Mark Twain.

He was born on August 25, 1933 and raised in the town of Sandpoint, Idaho. His father served under Douglas MacArthur during World War I and died when Patrick was just six years old. His mother did remarry but mainly, he was raised by his older sister (who is named Patricia and referred to in stories as “the troll”), mother, and grandmother.

He passed in April 2018.

After finishing high school, McManus worked construction and other jobs to put himself through Washington State College (or what is now called Washington State University). He later married Darlene “Bun” McManus, with whom he has four daughters.

McManus became a published author in the year 1978 with a collection called “A Fine and Pleasant Misery”. It was made up of different stories that were published in other publications. It would be followed up over the years by other books just like it. He would not publish a novel until the year 2006 when “The Blight Way” was published.

“The Blight Way” is the first novel in the “Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery” series and was released in the year 2006. Both Bo Tully (who is the Blight county, Idaho’s sheriff) and a guy that lost weight on Atkins were thinking about asking Jan Whittle out. The trouble is that he promised his dad (who has just turned seventy-five) that he would celebrate his birthday along with him. A thwarted romance looks like the least of things that troubles Bo, when a dead body shows up on Batim Scragg’s ranch.

The puzzling thing is that neither Batim or his two troubled kids look to be the killers. He is forced to wear his sleuthing hat, he finds that he has a lot of suspects that could have done it. It becomes obvious that while Bo’s methods may not be quite legal, they are the Blight Way.

This is a book that is not for those that want seriousness in their murder mystery stories, but it is for those that want something a little more light hearted and funny. Fans of the novel found this to be a fun and light mystery, and the characters were what made this into a memorable read for them. Each and every one of them are colorful in their own way. Like Bo, who buys Danielle Steele’s work to learn how to charm women. Like much of McManus’ work, there is plenty of humor and interesting characters and plenty of style that make this series highly enjoyable.

“Avalanche” is the second novel in the “Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery” series and was released in the year 2007. Bo gets a call saying that Mike Wilson has gone missing, and Bo is delighted by the news. Mike was an unlikable guy that owned West Branch Lodge.

It sets up an excellent opportunity for him, Dave (his tracker buddy), and Pap (who is Bo’s retired sheriff dad) to have some nights that they can spend in the lodge, drinking scotch, and sitting in hot tubs. All while they work on the case. These visions of resting and relaxation vanish when Bo and Pap drive up to the lodge and see an avalanche coming right toward them.

They are able to get out of the way of the snow, but the road that lies behind them has now been blocked. There is no indication as to how long it will stay that way. Tully is stranded at the lodge with all kinds of different visitors and the locals.

They both equally look like suspects when Tully finds out that the avalanche was not just accident of nature. Why would someone want to kill Bo, though? What started as just a missing persons case becomes murder when Mike’s corpse is found in the river just a few days later. Who killed the guy, and how did they do it? Another body is found that same week, and the only like suspect to kill the second person is Mike Wilson. But how is that even possible? It is all up to Bo to figure everything out.

Some, who are fans of McManus’ funny stories, are surprised at his ability to write mystery novels. These are so well written, that some could not put the book down until they had finish the entire thing. Fans of the novel found this to be even more enjoyable than book one in this series. All of the interactions the characters have with one another to be nothing but charming and funny.

“The Double-Jack Murders” is the third novel in the “Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery” series and was released in the year 2009. A double-jack used to describe a two man drilling team in an older time of mining. It was made up of one person that had a low IQ and another person that was more intelligent. The dumber person held a drilling steel while the smarter one hit it with a huge sledge hammer. Usually one hundred hits is what it took to get a deep enough hole to get the blasting powder of dynamite in.

In the year 1927, a double-jack disappears. Bo Tully has to figure out if there was a murder, and if so, solve it. Different distractions of a romantic sort make his investigation tougher. A crazed mountain man that wants to kill him does not make it any easier.

Some cannot get enough of McManus’ humor or these fun stories. Fans of the novel found this to be a great way to spend an afternoon; as they enjoy getting to know these characters and read an intriguing mystery. Bo may not take himself all that seriously, but he is not someone you should really mess with at all. He really does mean business. Some cannot get enough of this great series, and will read as many of them as Patrick McManus decides to write and release.

3 Responses to “Patrick F. McManus”

1. Bruce Bouthillier: 2 months ago

   RIP Pat. You were the best humorist of all time.
   Sincerely, a dedicated fan.

   Reply
2. Ben Webster: 3 months ago

   I met Pat at a book signing in Lansing and told him off for writing about his friends. I had the same type friends but had been sworn to secrecy about ever mentioning some of the stuff that went on in both hunting and fishing camps. I have most of his books and still read them when I need a laugh, only when I’m not in a doctors waiting room..

   Reply
3. Nick McVey: 3 years ago

   Except for the Bible, McManus books are my favorites. I think I enjoy them so much, the first ones, is because what he wrote about had many similarities to my life. The Bo Tully mysteries are great. I love the humor in the middle of the mystery. Patrick McManus was definitely a treasure.

   Reply