RICHARD'S BOOKS
Discover the Books of Richard Paolinelli!
Explore the extraordinary worlds, unforgettable characters, and gripping adventures created by award-winning author Richard Paolinelli. From epic science fiction and space opera to suspenseful mysteries, political thrillers, fantasy adventures, historical fiction, and sports nonfiction, his books offer something for readers across a wide range of genres.Discover bestselling-style adventures in the Starquest 4th Age science fiction saga, unravel dangerous conspiracies in the Del Rio mystery thriller trilogy, or explore standalone novels including Escaping Infinity, Maelstrom, Seadragon, and When the Gods Fell. Browse Richard Paolinelli's complete book catalog below to explore individual titles, read descriptions, discover new series, and find purchasing options for your next great read.
CLICK ON THE BLUE BUTTON ABOVE EACH BOOK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT AND FOR PURCHASE LINKS.
NOVELS
EXPLORE BOOKS BY GENRE & SERIES
Of All The Gin Joints in the Universe is pure sci-fi noir with a mischievous grin: fedora tilted just so, cigarette smoke doing interpretive dance in the recycled air, a double-crossing dame whose secrets could melt a bulkhead—and the whole glorious mess playing out on a 25th-century space station where the stars never clock out and justice is the shadiest commodity on the menu.
Are you ready to check in—but never check out? Escaping Infinity delivers a mind-bending science fiction thriller where a mysterious hotel hides an impossible reality. Peter Childress discovers endless floors, guests from different eras, and a terrifying secret that could determine the fate of humanity. Step inside the Infinity Hotel—but don't expect to find your way out!
Imagine you're a 32-year-old Master Chief in the U.S. Navy named Walter Koch, and you're not just testing any old diving suit; you're in what's essentially a high-tech, sci-fi wetsuit for Project Seadragon. This suit lets you swim deeper than a submarine's dreams, without the hassle of tanks or the fear of the bends. An explosion sends you rocketing towards the surface, leaving your team in a rather permanent state of "rest." When you wake up, you're not just in the suit; you are the suit, in a manner of speaking. It's fused with you, and nobody's got a clue how to get you out.
The first mission to Mars discovers our origin stories were wrong. Earth's gods, led by Zeus, Odin, Ra, and Lucifer, waged a terrible war on the Red Planet millions of years ago; but the final battle still looms, and Earth will be the final battlefield.
Dr. Steven Collins, driven by a singular purpose to prevent humanity's annihilation by asteroids, invents a revolutionary shield using Earth's magnetic field. But what happens when this shield, meant to save us, becomes the harbinger of our doom?
Galen Dwyn is a mercenary with a penchant for trouble and a knack for survival. Hired to rescue a kidnapped princess, Galen finds himself not just facing off against kidnappers, but entangled in a web of political machinations that threaten to ignite a civil war across the galaxy.
In the aftermath of the chaos left by the first book, Captain Galen Dwyn follows the trail of an ancient artifact that promises immense power or catastrophic destruction. As the crew of the Starquest navigates through political intrigue, interstellar battles, and betrayals within their ranks, Galen must wield his blade not just in combat but in diplomacy and strategy. Will he become the harbinger of peace or the catalyst for the galaxy's downfall?
As ancient prophecies unravel and long-buried secrets surface, Galen Dwyn must navigate treacherous betrayals, harness ancient technologies, and confront his own destiny to save all he holds dear. Packed with pulse-pounding action, intricate world-building, and emotional depth, Galen's Heart is the Starquest 4th Age finale that delivers an epic conclusion that will leave readers breathless. Join the quest—will courage and hope prevail, or will the stars fall forever?
Across the Starquest: 4th Age Adventures trilogy—Galen’s Way, Galen’s Blade, and the epic finale Galen’s Heart—Dragon Award finalist Richard Paolinelli delivers pulse-pounding space opera set in the shared universe of Dragon Award winner John C. Wright’s Starquest saga.
Who – or what – is killing members of the Navajo tribe? RESERVATIONS, the first book of the Jack Del Rio political mystery/thriller series, is set near Gallup, New Mexico, where the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni reservations lie adjacent. Three tribal leaders have been murdered - murdered in a fashion that suggests the deeds were carried out by COYOTE, a legendary supernatural evil trickster feared by many Native Americans.
In the second book of the series, Betrayals, FBI Special Agent Jack Del Rio is still recovering from the dramatic conclusion of the events on the Navajo Nation and quickly finds himself as the only man in America who can stop the strings of assassinations and conspiracies that threaten to topple the entire government administration and bring the United States under the thumb of evil dictatorship.
In the thrilling conclusion to the Jack Del Rio series, Endgames, the former FBI Special Agent has fallen off the grid and is content to let the rest of the world believe him dead. He has taken the name John Rivers and lives a secluded life on the Navajo Reservation. A pair of deadly ambushes just outside his new home proves to be the last straw and Del Rio returns to the fight with a vengeance.
All three books of the Jack Del Rio political mystery/thriller series in one volume. Follow Jack Del Rio's adventures from England to D.C. and out to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico.
U.S. Marshal. David Crockett Hall and Texas Ranger, John Barclay Armstrong have set out chasing men, each for their own reasons. When their paths converge in Kansas, they discover the men they were following separately have now joined together and are heading for a giant payday somewhere, but where the two lawmen don't know.
Explore science fiction novels, space opera adventures, fantasy books, and mystery thrillers by award-winning author Richard Paolinelli. Discover standalone adventures, the Starquest 4th Age space opera series, the Del Rio mystery thriller trilogy, and imaginative stories filled with unforgettable characters, dangerous worlds, and high-stakes suspense. Browse the books below to discover your next great read.
NON-FICTION BOOKS
This second edition of From The Fields provides an updated narrative account, written by award-winning sports journalist Richard Paolinelli, of the first century of high school football played in Turlock, California - including stats, rosters, and interviews with former players and coaches. Starting with the first team of 15 players from the 1920 Turlock High football team all the way through to the 2019 season, Paolinelli reviews the highs and lows of a small town's high school football journey.
Perfection's Arbiter looks at the amazing life and career of Ralph "Babe" Pinelli, the man fate chose to be exactly where he needed to be on one of the game's greatest days. Had it been any other umpire that day other than Pinelli, Larsen's perfect game might never have happened, if not for how Pinelli grew up in early 20th Century San Francisco, how he overcame losing his father in the 1906 Quake, how he overcame his hot temper to become a major league baseball player and umpire.
FREE BOOKS
Bari Forelni is a prince of Etalya, a planet colonized by people who fled Earth during the wars of Khan Noonien Singh. An accident of fate led the colony ship to this world, granting all born there with an extended life span of over 300 years. Forelni will see the birth of Starfleet when Etalya is visited by Captain Archer of the Enterprise. He will serve under the command of Captain James T. Kirk abord the Enterprise before taking his own command. His son will accompany Captain Jean-Luc Picard on the Enterprise on two missions even as Bari serves as the President of the United Federation of Planets. His incredible life's journey will unfold across three generations of Star Trek lore.
These three short stories from the devious mind of acclaimed author Richard Paolinelli are sure to entertain. In Spinster's Manor, a traveling conman in post Civil War Vermont thinks he has happened upon a gold mine as he encounters a young woman running a boarding house all on her own. But he will find much more than he ever bargained for. Nor will he have been the first traveler to find himself within the walls of the spinster's manor. In The Sorceress' Curses, a young man is in desperate need of an old wizard's help in lifting a fiendish curse. The old man has also run afoul of the evil sorceress and agrees to help. But the journey will be arduous and lifted the curse will not be an easy task. In The Medallion, a young thief gets much more than she expected when she steals a medallion from an old antique store.