Table of Contents
Lawrence Sanders is a seed author for me. Reading his books set me on my way to create my reading trees. I f discovered Sanders’s books sometime in the 1970s. I read First Second and Third Deadly Sins books.
I read three more of Sanders books in the 1980s including: The Timothy Games, The Timothy Files and The Eighth Commandment t (The Commandment #3). All I can really say is they were good! And back in the day Sanders was a prolific and bestselling author.
Lawrence Sanders Background
Lawrence Sanders was born in Brooklyn in New York City. After public school he attended Wabash College, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then returned to New York and worked at Macy’s Department Store. In 1943 he joined the United States Marine Corps and was discharged in 1946. Sanders was a former magazine editorial writer and later turned to full-time fiction writing. He wrote his first novel, The Anderson Tapes, in 1970 at the age of 50 and in 1971 received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for best first novel. It deals with a plot by a group of criminals to rob a luxury apartment building. His Archy McNally series was continued by author Vincent Lardo. Read More
Awards
The Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award Best first novel.The Anderson Tapes
Between the late 1990s and 2022 I hadn’t read any Lawrene Sanders books. However, I never forgot how much I liked his work, Somewhere along the way I had added two Archy McNally books to my TBR shelves. In 2022 I read McNally’s Secret and it confirmed my memories. It was a very enjoyable return visit to the books of Lawrence Sanders.
Since then thanks to my Goodwill visits I’ve added three more McNall.y. So including McNally’s Trail (the other paperback I now have four McNally books on my TBR shelves.
Archy McNally Series
| Title | Series No | Dated Published | Date Read |
| McNally’s Secret | #1 | 1991 | 2022 |
| McNally’s Luck | #2 | 1992 | TBR Shelf |
| McNally’s Risk | #3 | 1993 | |
| McNally’s Caper | #4 | 1994 | TBR Shelf |
| McNally’s Trial | #5 | 1995 | TBR Shelf |
| McNally’s Puzzle | #6 | 1996 | |
| McNally’a Gamble | #7 | 1997 | TBR Shelf |
Edward X. Delaney Series
| Title | Series No | Date Published | Date Read |
| The Anderson Tapes | #1 | (1970) | |
| The First Deadly Sin | #2 | (1973) | Pre-1980 |
| The Second Deadly Sin | #3 | (1977) | |
| The Third Deadly Sin | #4 | (1981) | |
| The Fourth Deadly Sin | #5 | (1985) |
Peter Tangent Series
| Title | Series No | Year Published | Date Read |
| The Tangent Objective | #1 | 1976 | |
| The Tangent Factor | #2 | 1976 |
The Commandment Series
| Title | Series No. | Date Published | Date Read |
| The Sixth Commandment | #1 | 1978 | |
| The Tenth Commandment ( | #2 | 1980 | |
| The Eighth Commandment | #3 | 1986 | 1987 |
| The Seventh Commandment | #4 | 1991 |
Timothy Cone Series
| Title | Series No./Type | Date Published | Date Read |
| The Timothy Files | # 1/Collection | 1987 | 1987 |
| Timothy’s Game | #2/Collection | 1988 | 1988 |
From One Author to Many
Looking back, reading Lawrence Sanders wasn’t just about enjoying a few good books—it helped shape the direction of my reading life.
Somewhere along the way, Sanders led me to : Lawrence Block‘s Matt Scudder Series and other writers who blended crime, character, and storytelling in ways that kept me turning pages. And years later, reading Parnell Hall and Janet Evanovich sent me back to Lawrence Sanders where it all started —this time to Archy McNally,
That’s how these reading trees grow. One author becomes a seed, and before you know it, there are branches everywhere.
