Alo Nudger

Series · 9 books · 1976-1998

By John Lutz

Books in series

Buyer Beware

1976

Hired to return a kidnapped child to her father, Alo Nudger discovers that he's been set up for fraud—and possibly murder. "One of the best and most unusual novels in the history of private eye fiction."—Cedar-Rapids Gazette. Lutz's bestselling novel SWF Seeks Same will soon be a major motion picture.

Nightlines

1984

In spite of his loathing for murder cases, P.T. Nudger takes on a case that draws him into the late-night telephone subculture of St. Louis in search of the psychopathic killer who brutally murdered his client's twin sister

The Right to Sing the Blues

1985

Private investigator Alo Nudger is hired by nightclub owner Fat Jack McGee to investigate the background of Willy Hollister, a jazz keyboard musician, who has become involved with Ineida Mann, daughter of a powerful, vengeful financier. Reprint.

Ride the Lightning

1987

AN ALO NUDGER MYSTERY No one thought Curtis Colt had been railroaded for the shooting of a liquor store owner, least of all St. Louis private investigator Alo Nudger. It had been an open-and-shut case of cold-blooded murder, and the people of Missouri were just waiting for Colt to be strapped into the electric chair-after all, three eyewitnesses couldn't be wrong. But as time runs out on the convicted killer, Nudger receives a call from Candy Ann Adams, Colt's fiancé, who insists he's innocent-because she knows who really pulled the trigger. Much to his surprise, Nudger comes across new evidence that convinces him that maybe Candy Ann is right-maybe the wrong man has been sentenced to "ride the lighting"....

Dancer's Debt

1988

Detective Alo Nudger, who is recruited by a "professional companion" to investigate the cause of her lover's manic depression, uncovers a host of unbecoming activities among some members of St. Louis high society

Diamond Eyes

1990

Private detective Alo Nudger matches wits with an unscrupulous insurance investigator, a sadist, and a terminally ill killer as he searches for a million-dollar cache of stolen diamonds and the murderer of his client, Vanita White

Thicker Than Blood

1993

When shy, country girl-woman Norva Beane hires Alo Nudger to investigate a possible securities fraud, he thinks it will be a routine case. He doesn't realize it will involve a wandering daughter, drug dealers, a dangerous, tattooed muscleman, a dysfunctional family, and a poignant past that refuses to release its grip on anyone involved. Nudger, his lady love Claudia Bettencourt, and his friends Lieutenant Jack Hammersmith and Danny Evers are all touched by a tragedy by that continues to unfold in surprising directions no matter how hard Nudger tries to stop it. The suspense becomes riveting as trouble builds and answers lead to more questions and more danger.

Death By Jury

1995

Private investigator Nudger is hired by an eccentric attorney to learn about the client he is defending on a murder charge. The defendant's wife has disappeared. The police and prosecution say she is dead and that her wealthy-banker husband killed her and concealed the body. But despite overwhelming evidence of his guilt, the husband seems unconcerned, even though his almost certain conviction will result in his execution. The defendant's sister knows something about what happened. So does the prizewinning poet and sensuous next-door neighbor. Then there's the embittered sister-in-law, and further complicating matters is a mysterious woman who buys and sells antiques. Just to make matters worse, a huge man with bourbon on his breath unmistakably means Nudger harm. What Nudger learns pulls him ever deeper into a tangle of deception, sex, and family secrets that intertwine to create a unique and startling plot twist—a surprising kind of justice.

#10

Oops!

1998

Acquiring a sexy novice P.I. associate along the way, veteran sleuth Alo Nudger is investigating the not-so-mysterious death of Betty Almer when his client, Mr. Almer, unexpectedly dies in a suspicious house fire

Author

John Lutz

Author · 52 books

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles. His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay. Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.