This just in! James D. Brewer has in June won the 2025 Southeastern Writers Association H.W. “Buzz” Bernard Award for Novel with the submission of his 1960s coming-of-age novel Rockabilly Rag. This is the second year in a row Brewer has won this award. Keepin’ the stories comin’!

Historical Mysteries

The Choctaw Parker Mystery/Adventure Series

by James D. Brewer

Blood on the Crossties: The Florida Chautauqua Murders (2nd Edition) is the first book in my new, three-volume, Victorian-era mystery series from Brown Bear Publications. It features Jimmy Lee “Choctaw” Parker, a railroad detective who works for each of the three great railroad barons that opened the state of Florida to settlement and tourism. The book is available on Amazon.

What readers are saying about Blood on the Crossties —

“Colorful post-Civil War characters coupled with an emerging Victorian era society and underlying motives offer the reader an intriguing narrative landscape.”

“Brewer crafts an interesting cast of many memorable, despicable, and even some semi- honorable characters within a realistic historical setting.”

“…an engaging, anchored crime tale.” 

–Historical Novel Society

“James Brewer knows how to spin a yarn and you will close the book wanting to read more!” – Amazon reader

Book 1

In early February of 1885, the robbery of the Pensacola and Atlantic train could not have come at a worse time for Florida panhandle railroad magnate William Chipley. He had put time, money, and both his personal and business reputation on the line to host the first Gulf Chautauqua in DeFuniak Springs. Now, with the murder of two guards, and the theft of both a payroll and a shipment of new US Army rifles, the success of the Chautauqua was at risk. Chipley hires the half-White/half-Indian L&N railroad detective Jimmy Lee “Choctaw” Parker to investigate the crime, find the culprits, and restore confidence to those who would travel from all over the eastern US to attend the very first month-long Florida Chautauqua. But Parker is not the only one investigating the robbery of the P&A, for he finds out very soon that he must work with — or in spite of — a pair of Pinkertons hired by the insurance company to recover the money, as well as an aggressive, vengeful, US Army Captain determined to recover the weapons and get justice for the two murdered soldiers. Parker, along with a long-time associate and a resourceful lady gambler, must navigate a web of politics, racial tension, Civil War grudges, and greed to bring to justice the culprits in this Victorian-era historical mystery.  

Now available from Amazon.com !

Book 2: Blood on the Trestle: Murder in Florida’s Ancient City.

Set in St. Augustine, Florida in 1886, business tycoon Henry Flagler hires Jimmy Lee “Choctaw” Parker to investigate sabotage against his railroad and his new Ponce de Leon hotel. Parker and his colleagues, Vance and Moody, must work together to identify those who would use violence to stand in the way of opening up Florida to tourism and travel.

Here’s what the Historical Novel Society says about Blood on the Trestle.

Brewer’s settings and other details put the reader into that time and place. The well-paced main plotline turns into a layered, sometimes hair-raising story with kidnappings, brutal beatings, and dead bodies. How can Parker and his seemingly misplaced helpers collect solid information to bring vicious people to justice? The non-fiction account of Flagler, his business associates, and engineers erecting the grand real-life Ponce De Leon Hotel out of Florida swamp, which follows alongside the story, adds fascinating context. One of those associates is John D. Rockefeller. The engineer who built the lighting system that allows hundreds of workmen to toil after dark is Thomas Edison. This blend of actual history with a fictional mystery should delight Brewer fans.

The audiobook version of Blood on the Trestle in now available on Amazon.com or through Audible.com. Eight hours of exciting narration by Rick Adamson.

Available October 1, 2025 from Amazon.com

Book 3: Blood at the Whistlestop: Murder on Florida’s Peace River

Railroad baron Henry Bradley Plant hires Jimmy Lee “Choctaw” Parker and his team of detectives to help conceal his plans to expand the South Florida Railroad out to a deep-water port in Tampa, Florida. When Plant’s son, Morton, attempts to locate a missing railroad employee of the Plant System, the trouble he encounters in the Bone Valley region of south Florida will require Parker’s best efforts to keep Plant, his son, and a US Congressman from meeting a violent end.

Below you will find the other historical mysteries written by James D. Brewer.

The Masey Baldridge/Luke Williamson Riverboat Mysteries

What critics say about James D. Brewer’s series:

“Brawny riverboat intrigue …”
“Echoes the works of Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind …”
“Brewer’s fully dimensioned characters give life to his historical plotting, making for an eminently satisfying mystery.”

—– Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews

There are five novels in this Reconstruction-era riverboat mystery series published by Walker & Company of New York. They follow the exploits of a former Union gunboat captain, and ex-Confederate soldier, and a resourceful ‘entertainer of gentlemen’ who band together to form the Big River Detective Agency in the mid 1870s. While all five books occur in chronological order, starting with No Bottom and ending with No Escape, each can be enjoyed as a stand-alone volume.

You can purchase the Masey Baldridge/Luke Williamson mysteries at either of the links below:

Amazon.com: James D. Brewer: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

James D. Brewer Books | List of books by author James D. Brewer (thriftbooks.com)