T. Jefferson Parker Books

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T. Jefferson Parker is an American author of police procedurals set in South California. He was born in 1953 in Los, Angeles California and has lived in Southern California his entire life. He was named T. Jefferson Parker and apparently the T does not stand for anything, and his mother said it would appear good on the presidential letterhead. Parker went to public schools and graduated from the University of California with a bachelor’s degree in English. His writing career took off working as a journalist for The Newport Ensign. He later changed jobs to write for the Daily Pilot winning 3 Orange County Press Club Awards. It was during this time that he started writing his first novel Laguna Heat.

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Parker’s stories often feature one protagonist and sometimes part of the story is shown from the antagonist point of view. These stories build suspense as the lead character tries to prevent more crimes. The crimes featured in the story are usually graphic which causes unrest in the town where the story is set. Parker is famously known for using California as a setting for his novels and showcasing the effects of crime on a community. He uses his past experiences as a resident of California but although most of his work is set in Los Angeles and Orange County. The author relocated to San Diego, and most of his recent novels are set there.

T. JEFFERSON PARKER AWARDS

Parker won the 2002 and 2008 Edgar Award for Silent Joe for the Best Novel category. In 2008 his short story titled Skinhead Central won him another Edgar Award thus making him one of the prolific writers to have won Edgar three times.

BEST T. JEFFERSON PARKER BOOKS

These are two best books by T. Jefferson Parker, L.A. Outlaws, and Silent Joe.

L.A. Outlaws: In this interesting series debut, the author Parker creates to intriguing and memorable characters. The first of the lead character is Charlie Hood, a man who fought the war in Iraq and now working as the County Sheriff deputy. The second character is Allison Murrieta, who claims that she is a descendant of the renowned California outlaw, Joanquin Murrieta killed and beheaded in 1853. The original Murrieta was so famous such that his skull was preserved in a jar of alcohol and sent on a tour and some say it was lost in the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906, but however Allison claims to have hidden the head in her barn.

Now Allison picks up Murrieta and sets out on a crime spree that involves boosting cars and robbing food joints.

She donates some fair share of her proceeds to several local charities including one owned by Los Angeles Police Department the Cops are not surprised, but in this media-besotted age, she becomes a local celebrity and a folk hero.

She comes across a deal where the local diamond dealer wants to pay off the loan to some gangsters with $450,000 worth diamonds. She plans to take off the dealer but arrives at the scene only to find ten men dead where the exchange was supposed to take place.

Furthermore, she also finds diamonds and is about to get away from the scene when Deputy Charlie Hood pulls her over.

Charlie requests for her licenses which reveal her to be Suzanne Jones, an eighth-grade history teacher. Upon a look up from the computer, she comes out clean, and thus Hood lets her go. However, when Hood discovers ten bodies immediately after he lets her go, he cannot help but wonder whether she was involved. Could she have killed all these people? Now, Hood must investigate and reveal the killer before he/she strikes again.

Silent Joe: With the horrible memories still of his childhood still showing on his face, Joe Trona is scarred in more than just one way. As an infant, his biological father threw acid on his face, and his mother left him. His adoptive father is the county supervisor. As an adult, Joe becomes a driver, and whenever his father needs protection, he is there to help. However, when his adoptive father is murdered, Joe will stop at nothing to find out the person who did it.

Moreover, searching for clues, he filters through the remains of his father’s life, his acquaintances, girlfriends, enemies and deals and comes to realize how many secrets his father kept and the number of people who had the power to harm him.

When Does The Next T. Jefferson Parker book come out?

T. Jefferson Parker doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Wild Instinct and was released on November, 11th 2025.

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