The Prosecutor as Guardian of Justice

Having spent decades as a defense lawyer, Gardner created Doug Selby to prove that an honest prosecutor is not an instrument of persecution, but a seeker of absolute truth. Set against the sun-drenched orange groves and dusty highways of rural Madison County, the series chronicles the ongoing war of wits between Selby, Sheriff Rex Brandon, intrepid reporter Sylvia Martin, and the sinister, silver-tongued defense counsel Alphonse Baker Carr ("Old A.B. Carr").

Courtroom Arch-Nemesis Alphonse Baker Carr ("A.B. Carr") The silver-haired master of theatrical misdirection and loophole law.
Showing all 9 Doug Selby novels
1937 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Calls It Murder

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

A dead man in a Madison City hotel room looks like a suicide until newly elected D.A. Doug Selby and Sheriff Rex Brandon discover a counterfeit passport and traces of rare poison. Sleazy defense lawyer A.B. Carr arrives to represent the prime suspect.

Forensic Clue: Selby proves the suicide note was typed on an electric typewriter with a distinct ribbon shift mechanism.
1938 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Holds a Candle

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

An automobile accident on a lonely country road leaves an unidentified hitchhiker dead. The victim carried thousands of dollars in cash sewn into his coat, leading Doug into county political corruption.

Forensic Clue: Selby matches highway skid marks and headlight bulb filament fractures to prove the hit-and-run was premeditated murder.
1939 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Draws a Circle

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

A body riddled with bullet holes is found dumped in an orange grove outside Madison City. A mysterious man with a deformed finger becomes the focal point of a tangled inheritance scheme.

Forensic Clue: Doug reconstructs the ballistic angles using orange grove irrigation ditches and surveyor stakes.
1940 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Goes to Trial

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

A tramp found dead on the railroad tracks was not killed by the freight train; his skull was fractured hours before being placed on the rails. Doug takes the case to a sensational jury trial against A.B. Carr.

Forensic Clue: Selby demonstrates train locomotive cowcatcher impact dynamics and blood coagulation timing in front of the jury.
1942 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Cooks a Goose

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

An abandoned newborn baby in a local hospital and an elderly woman killed in a traffic collision draw Selby into a high-stakes estate fraud and fraudulent adoption syndicate.

Forensic Clue: Selby traces hospital nursery foot-printing ink and birth certificate watermarks.
1944 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Calls a Turn

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

A car wreck involving an apparently intoxicated driver turns out to conceal a man who was already dead from poison before the car went over the embankment.

Forensic Clue: Doug uses automobile speedometer freeze mechanisms and carbon monoxide testing to dismantle the defense story.
1946 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Breaks a Seal

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

Doug Selby, home on brief military leave from the Army during World War II, helps Rex Brandon investigate the death of an eccentric millionaire who died drinking coffee in a local restaurant.

Forensic Clue: Doug analyzes sugar grain crystalline size and coffee cup residue to expose the poisoned sweetener.
1948 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Takes a Chance

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

A Hollywood actress, a crooked gambling casino operator, and a body found in an irrigation canal bring big-city vice into peaceful Madison County.

Forensic Clue: Doug uses agricultural canal water flow velocity and gate lock logs to pinpoint where the body was dumped.
1949 Doug Selby (D.A.)

The D.A. Breaks an Egg

Prosecutor: Doug Selby | Adversary: A.B. Carr

A burglary at a local jewelry store leads to a homicide at a motor court and an apparent suicide. A broken egg found on the kitchen floor holds the secret to an airtight alibi.

Forensic Clue: Selby calculates the drying rate of egg yolk protein under ambient desert temperatures to demolish A.B. Carr's timeline.