Jack Martin passed away in February 2024 leaving us a legacy of literature. Tracing his Californian ancestry all the way back to the 1830s, Jack Martin developed a passion for American history and the mystery genre. With encouragement and support from his wife, he began writing The Alphonso Clay Mysteries. He is now with his beloved Sonia who passed away on Christmas Eve, 2009. He promised her he would finish the books and become a published author. He did. The Alphonso Clay series includes John Brown’s Body, Battle Cry of Freedom, Marching Through Georgia, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, and Hail, Columbia! Martin is also the author of the Harry Bierce Mysteries. He will be greatly missed by all but mostly by his son Justin, daughter-in-law Caitlin, and his grandson “The Mighty Connor.”
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Tracing his Californian ancestry all the way back to the 1830s, Jack Martin developed a passion for American history and the mystery genre. With encouragement and support from his beloved wife Sonia, he began writing The Alphonso Clay Mysteries. Sonia passed away on Christmas Eve 2009, following a brave battle against ovarian cancer. He promised her he would finish the books and become a published author. The series published by Open Road Publishing: John Brown’s Body, Battle Cry of Freedom, Marching Through Georgia, Battle Hymn of the Republic, and Hail Columbia. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Harry Bierce Mystery Book I (Amphorae Publishing) picks up with Clay in the late 1920s. Destroyer of Worlds – Harry Bierce Mystery Book II, next in the series, has Clay battling the evils of WWII and thwarting spies, traitors, and the only woman who knows his secret. Clay lives on…
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John Brown’s Body
An Alphonso Clay Mystery of the Civil War
Published by Open Road Media
John Brown’s Body is the 1st tome in the Alphonso Clay Civil War Mystery Series.
Cpt. Alphonso Clay had been summoned to meet John Brown—not that John Brown, but a former Boston detective recruited by Abe Lincoln to put his skills to work in the war effort. Brown has now ferreted out treachery among powerful military figures . . . but he’s killed before he can meet with Clay.Now Clay’s only hope is to decipher Brown’s cryptic notes and follow his deductive instincts to solve the murder, unmask the traitors, and ensure the Union’s victory at Vicksburg . . .
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Battle Cry of Freedom
An Alphonso Clay Mystery of the Civil War
Published by Open Road Media
The Battle Cry of Freedom is the 2nd tome in the Alphonso Clay Civil War Mystery Series.
Treason, murder, lust, love. Upon such things will the fate of America ride.
A Union Army captain is tasked with finding a turncoat before more blood is spilled—both on and off the battlefield—in this vivid historical mystery.
Tennessee, Autumn 1863: The Confederate Army, after being defeated at Vicksburg, has rallied to a victory at Chickamauga. General Grant is on his way to aid the besieged Northern forces—but a highly placed spy is getting in the way of that mission.
One officer has already been murdered to protect the traitor’s identity, and if the spy isn’t rooted out soon it may be the end for the Army of the Ohio. Grant recruits Cpt. Alphonso Clay for the job, but Clay’s work is complicated by a woman with her own nefarious agenda—and a little-known secret society . . .
“I can’t wait to read the next Alphonso Clay book.” —RP Dahlke, author of the Dead Red Mysteries
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Marching Through Georgia
An Alphonso Clay Mystery of the Civil War
Published by Open Road Media
Marching Through Georgia Reviews
Marching Through Georgia is the 3rd tome in the Alphonso Clay Civil War Mystery Series.
As Sherman moves toward Atlanta, an agent searches for traitors among the troops in this compelling Civil War thriller . . .
When Sherman’s army hits a wall of resistance at Kennesaw Mountain in the summer of 1864—despite what seemed to be highly reliable intelligence—he’s convinced by one of the Union nurses to call in Maj. Alphonso Clay to hunt for a saboteur. With his scout Ambrose Bierce badly wounded and a general murdered in the midst of battle, he summons Clay, who soon joins him on his march through Georgia.
But as Clay investigates the situation—and tries to prevent any further unwelcome surprises from the Confederates—it becomes apparent that there may be more than one person betraying the Union . . .
“I can’t wait to read the next Alphonso Clay book.” —RP Dahlke, author of the Dead Red Mysteries
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The Battle Hymn of the Republic
An Alphonso Clay Mystery of the Civil War
Published by Open Road Media
Battle Hymn of the Republic Reviews
Battle Hymn of the Republic is the 4th tome in the Alphonso Clay Civil War Mystery Series.
The Civil War has ended—but the killing isn’t over—in this intriguing historical murder mystery.
April 1865: The Civil War is all but over after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, but there are those who don’t want the killing to end. Abraham Lincoln’s assassin is still in hiding—but more violence is planned in a conspiracy to destroy the country once and for all.
With the nation and countless civilian lives at stake, Col. Alphonso Clay, a master of intrigue and detection who has served General Grant with honor, is assigned to the case by the secretary of state. With the help of a beautiful agent, he is about to travel into the destructive heart of a secretive cult older than the United States itself . . .
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Hail, Columbia!
An Alphonso Clay Mystery of the Civil War
Published by Open Road Media
Hail Columbia is the 5th tome in the Alphonso Clay Civil War Mystery Series.
Amid the tensions of Reconstruction, a Civil War veteran and presidential agent hunts down violent threats and secretive hidden enemies . . .
The Civil War ended four years ago—but that doesn’t mean that peace rules the land. Confederate veterans have formed a secret organization, the Ku Klux Klan, to fight what they perceive as unjust oppression, violently attacking former slaves and attempting to sabotage the government’s authority in the South. To address the danger they pose, President Ulysses S. Grant turns to his most trusted agent: Maj. Alphonso Brutus Clay.
The goal is to end the mayhem without sparking a renewal of hostilities and plunging the nation into bloodshed again. With the help of a friend, Ambrose Bierce, and the fierce Teresa Duval, Clay must confront a corrupt cabal intent on controlling this still-fragile Union—a threat to not only the United States but the world.
“I can’t wait to read the next Alphonso Clay book.” —RP Dahlke, author of the Dead Red Mysteries
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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Book One in the Harry Bierce series…Clay lives on.
Published by Blank Slate Press
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? Reviews
Set in the 1930’s amidst the effects of Prohibition and the Depression, there is a conspiracy to assassinate President Roosevelt. Hoover’s Bureau of Investigation is in full-swing, and his key agent, Harry Bierce, has been tasked, with and without “knowledge,” to find the hit man. During his ceaseless delving, he solves several other cases which, unbeknownst to him, are tumbling dominos leading him to home plate.
Bierce’s unusual tactics and his resemblance, in many ways, to Dorian Gray, keep the question marks flying through your head. Who, or better yet, what is he? How is it he knows so much? How would a photograph taken in 1865 have him in it…and him look exactly the same now?
Refreshing compared to today’s modern action/thrillers, it takes you back to a time when men and women really dressed well and where intuition, sleuthing and skills were needed to track down and apprehend bad guys. No cell phones, GPS, computers or even police radios. Martin keeps you thinking and craving until the last word. You finish saying to yourself, There has to be a sequel!
Martin has taken 90% historical facts and events and inserted Harry Bierce in such a way that you are confused with reality. ‘Standing ovation’ writing.
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Destroyer of Worlds – Book two in the Harry Bierce series
It is 1940 and Special Agent Harry Bierce of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is facing his greatest series of challenges to date. On the orders of J. Edgar Hoover, who does not like Bierce but often must rely on the deceptively mild-looking agent, Bierce must thwart the efforts of Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazi SS, to derail the re-election of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Not only that, he must identify a murderous spy in the midst of the Manhattan Project and supervise the detention of a monstrous creature that under no circumstances must be revealed to the American public. To top it off, he must guide the career of a young, troubled female agent through the maze of chauvinist corridors that is the F.B.I. under Hoover. Has he finally bitten off more than he can chew?
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