The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 13 books · 2006 to 2025 · Often set in Berkeley

Jesse Kellerman

Crime and mysteryThriller and suspenseFantasyPolice proceduralPsychological suspenseUrban fantasy

Jesse Kellerman writes literary thrillers on his own, from Sunstroke to the comic Potboiler, and co-writes the Clay Edison books and the Golem novels with his father, Jonathan Kellerman.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. The Clay Edison and Golem books also appear on Jonathan Kellerman's page.

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Who appears in which book

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LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Jesse Kellerman books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Clay Edison

6 books · Set in BerkeleyPolice proceduralPsychological suspense
  1. 1Crime Scene2017CrossoverWith Clay EdisonClay Edison also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon
  2. 2A Measure of Darkness2018CrossoverWith Clay EdisonClay Edison also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Half Moon Bay2020CrossoverWith Clay EdisonClay Edison also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Burning2021CrossoverWith Clay EdisonClay Edison also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Lost Coast2024CrossoverWith Clay EdisonClay Edison also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon
  6. 6Coyote Hills2025CrossoverWith Clay EdisonClay Edison also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon

Golem

2 books · Set in Los AngelesPolice proceduralUrban fantasy
  1. 1The Golem of Hollywood2014CrossoverWith Jacob LevJacob Lev also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Golem of Paris2015CrossoverWith Jacob LevJacob Lev also appears in books by Jonathan KellermanBuy on Amazon

Standalone

5 booksPsychological suspense
  1. 1Sunstroke2006Set in California and MexicoBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Trouble2007With Jonah Stem · Set in New YorkBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Genius2008With Ethan Muller · Set in New YorkBuy on Amazon
  4. 4The Executor2010With Joseph Geismar · Set in BostonBuy on Amazon
  5. 5Potboiler2012With Arthur Pfefferkorn · Set in CaliforniaBuy on Amazon

Characters

7 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Clay Edison circle

Golem

Standalone leads