Moe Prager Books

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The name Moe Prager refers to a series of crime fiction novels that follow the exploits of a reluctant PI working the streets of New York in the 1980s.

Reed Farrel Coleman pondered the idea for Walking the Perfect Square, the first novel, for quite a while before he finally wrote and published it in 2002. Coleman started writing in high school.

He eventually signed up for a writing class during which he met his wife. The Dylan Klein series was his first notable work. He hesitated to pursue Walking the Perfect Square because he wasn’t quite sure how to go about executing the vision in his head.

Over time, as he experimented with other stories, Coleman’s abilities grew. Eventually, he found the courage to write the first of the Moe Prager books, unaware at the time that the series would become one of his most successful.

It is in Walking the Perfect Square that readers first meet Moe Prager, Coleman’s hero. Moe was a police officer. He wasn’t the best but he wasn’t the worst either. He had a good head on his shoulders and he always came through when it mattered.

His career peaked when he solved a prominent missing person’s case. Moe always downplayed his role in the saga, insisting that his success was the result of luck more than anything.

But he still left an impression. From there onward, things went downhill. An injury forced the detective to retire from the police force. Then his family imploded.

By the time Moe appears in Walking the Perfect Square, he is fighting tooth and nail to get his life together.

At first, Moe believes he can start over as a wine retailer. But when a cold case gains prominence, Moe’s previous successes as a police officer compel some of his admirers to draw him back into the detective field.

The Moe Prager series is spent following Moe around as he grapples with new cases. Moe isn’t a Private Investigator in Walking the Perfect Square.

In fact, for quite a number of novels, his determination to succeed in the wine business with his brother does not waver. The protagonist makes little effort to seek out trouble. But he also can’t help but miss his days as a police officer.

So whenever a particularly difficult case arises and Moe’s reputation drives others to seek his assistance, he struggles and ultimately fails to fight the allure of detective work.

New York City is a significant player in the series. The author spends quite a bit of time delving into the social, political, and economic issues that plagued the city back in the 1980s.

Moe Prager Awards

Book 5 won the Shamus Award in 2008. Book 9 received a Shamus Award nomination in 2015. Book 7 was nominated for an Anthony Award.

Book 3 won a Shamus and an Anthony Award. Book 4 won a Shamus Award in 2007.

Best Moe Prager Books

Reed Farrel Coleman has been praised for producing some of the most engaging character interactions in the business, with some of the best books in his Prager series including:

The James Deans: Moira Heaton was interning for a Senator when she suddenly disappeared. No one could prove that the Senator had played a hand in her disappearance. None the less, his career suffered.

Now, two years later, the man has reached out to Moe, asking him to solve the mystery once and for all. Moe takes the case unaware of the mess he just inherited.

Soul Patch: Moe Prager is an ex-cop in New York who is still trying to move on with his life as the owner of a wine shop. When Larry MacDonald, the NYPD Chief of Detectives asks him to investigate a mystery that might affect some of Larry’s colleagues, Moe refuses.

But then Larry ends up dead and Moe gets involved anyway.

Other Book Series You May Like

Be sure to check out the “David Wolf” Series by Jeff Carson. David Wolf did six tours in the Army as a Special Forces Operative. Now he is a cop in a small Colorado town. David wants to live up to the expectations of his community. But his personal life is fraught with the sorts of problems that keep complicating his efforts to do his job.

You should also like the Spenser Series by Robert B. Parker. Spenser is a former state cop. He is also a former boxer. People in Boston, Massachusetts don’t always take him seriously. But when things go wrong, when mysteries have to be solved and psychopaths stopped, Spenser is the one man everyone wants in their corner.

What Is The Next Book in The Moe Prager Series?

There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Moe Prager Series. The newest book is The Hollow Girl and was released on April, 18th 2014.

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