Jerry Kennealy Books in Order – Complete List

Jerry Kennealy is an American author best known for his Nick Polo detective crime mystery series. In addition, he wrote two other series, the Carroll Quint series, and the Johnny O’Rorke series, as well as several standalone books. He has also used two pen names, Paul Boray, James Brant to write additional books.

Here are the Jerry Kennealy books in order for his series, standalone works and short stories.

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Nick Polo Books in Publication Order

  1. Polo Solo, 1987
  2. Polo Solo, 1988
  3. Polo’s Ponies, 1988
  4. Polo in the Rough, 1989
  5. Polo’s Wild Card, 1990
  6. Green with Envy, 1991
  7. Special Delivery, 1992
  8. Vintage Polo, 1993
  9. Beggar’s Choice, 1994
  10. All That Glitters, 1997
  11. Polo’s Long Shot, 2017
  12. I’m Dying as Fast as I Can, 2020

Carroll Quint Books in Publication Order

  1. Still Shot, 2007
  2. Jigsaw, 2008

Johnny O’Rorke Books in Publication Order

  1. Screen Test, 2016
  2. Dirty Who?, 2018

Short Story Collections and Anthologies in Publication Order

Standalone Novels in Publication Order

Written as Paul Boray

Written as James Brant

Jerry Kennealy Biography

Jerry Kennealy Books in Order – Complete List

Born in 1938 in San Franciso, California, Jerry Kennealy is a former San Francisco policeman and licensed private investigator who decided to put his investigative knowledge into writing books.

Back during his day job as a police officer in San Francisco, he was often the first to help a person with a problem like finding someone’s keys, or be the first at the scene of a crime like a burglary. He often came into contact with regular folks, and these interactions influenced the stories in his books a lot.

One of the stories the author mentioned that really stayed with him was being a rookie cop when he was in a building, heard the cries of a small baby, knocked on the door, and after hearing no answer, he kicked in the door and found a toddler covered in his own filth, as his parents left him alone locked in a closet.

These kinds of cases do tend to stay with you over the years, even long after you stopped working in that job.

Later, as Jerry Kennealy worked as a PI, he came across some very interesting cases as well. It is no surprise that private eye Nick Polo became a crime mystery series. The author’s knowledge of the law (both in keeping it and breaking it due to coming into contact with those on the wrong side of it) gave him a pretty unique and authentic perspective.

The author first introduced Nick Polo in 1987 with his debut novel Polo Solo. Since then, he has written 11 books in the popular series and has started a new series titled The Carrol Quint Mysteries, and has written several standalone thrillers.

Polo is a complex character. He is tough but also compassionate, and what I liked most about him in the Jerry Kennealy books is that he is not a pushover. He has a rather laid-back attitude that if you don’t bug him, he won’t bug you. It’s really a refreshing outlook on life that he has.

The Nick Polo series has also a set of very enjoyable secondary characters like Mrs. Damonte who pretty much everyone who reads about her loves her.

The latest installment in the Nick Polo series is published in 2020 with the title I’m Dying As Fast As I Can. In fact, This is the latest book published by Jerry Kennealy so far.

Jerry Kennealy is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, as well as the Private Eye Writers of America.

Jerry Kennealy Awards and Nominations

  • Polo’s Wild Card was nominated for the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel in 1991
  • Special Delivery was nominated for the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel in 1993
  • The Hunted was nominated for the Barry Award for Best Paperback original in 2000
  • Cash Out was nominated for the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel in 2003
  • The Eye received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) in 2017