NEW FROM AWARD-WINNING WRITER ROB PHILLIPS
Luke McCain Mysteries
Luke McCain Mysteries
The Cascade Killer
(Book 1)
As a Fish and Wildlife police officer, Luke McCain and his partner -- a yellow Labrador named Jack -- spend their days patrolling the rivers, lakes and forests of the wild and scenic Cascade Mountains in Eastern Washington. After hunters discover human remains inside a bear's stomach, McCain is thrust into the investigation. As more dead women are found in McCain's region, authorities suspect a serial killer is prowling the mountains he knows best. McCain will need his knowledge as an outdoorsman, and his instincts as an investigator, to track the psychopathic predator before he kills again.nd, FBI agent Sara Sinclair. But when dead bodies are discovered in illegal marijuana fields hidden in the Cascade Mountains, McCain and Jack are thrust into a new investigation.
Cascade Vengeance
(Book 2)
After helping solve the Cascade Killer case, Washington State Fish & Wildlife officer Luke McCain thinks life will return to normal: hunting with his Labrador named Jack, policing Eastern Washington's wilderness, and spending time with his girlfriend. Unfortunately someone has vengeance on their mind and starts killing the workers who are growing pot illegally in the Cascades. After the body of a hunter is found near one of the illegal grows, Luke and Jack are called in to help assist on the case. How many workers are going to die before they catch the killer?
Cascade Predator
(Book 3)
With two major investigations now closed, fish and wildlife police officer Luke McCain is called upon for his most high-profile case yet. En route to the Washington State Fair, an exotic cat show’s trailer is stolen. After some of the big cats are released into the Cascade Mountains, McCain and his dog Jack try to locate the show’s most menacing member: a Bengal tiger. Meanwhile, there are rumblings that a wild cougar has killed a dirt biker in the region. While news crews flock to McCain’s neck of the woods, he must stay on the trail of both big cats before anyone else falls prey to the predators.
Cascade Kidnapping
(Book 4)
Once again, Washington State Fish & Wildlife police officer Luke McCain and his partner—a yellow Lab named Jack—are having a busy summer. Dealing with salmon poachers, elk-killing outlaws, and other wildlife issues have Luke looking forward to any early season wilderness hunt with a long-time friend.
Luke’s week in the mountains goes from pleasure to business in an instant when he is called upon to help find two teenage boys—one the son of a multi-millionaire Starbucks VIP—who have been abducted at gunpoint during a wilderness survival school expedition. Their captors, and the foreigners calling the shots behind the scenes, are desperate for their ransom money and are willing to do almost anything to get it. Trekking through the backcountry teeming with dangerous wildlife, Luke must help rescue the missing boys before the kidnapping scheme becomes deadly.
Cascade Man Hunt
(Book 5)
After continuous complaints that a poaching ring is running rampant in northeastern Washington, Fish & Wildlife police officer Luke McCain is assigned to go undercover to infiltrate the gang. Just as Luke and his fellow officers move to finally catch the poachers red-handed, one of the crooks flees into the mountains and Luke has to hunt him down.
Days later, a serial killer suspected of killing dozens of women around the Northwest escapes from custody when a Department of Corrections van crashes in the rugged North Cascades. Luke and Jack are hand-picked by the governor to join the manhunt, and the pressure is on to find the fugitive before he disappears into the wilderness, possibly to reemerge and kill again.
Creature of the Cascades
(Book 6)
When WDFW officials receive an anonymous tip that poachers might be taking young falcons and eagles from nests around eastern Washington and shipping them to a Russian oligarch, Washington State fish and wildlife officer Luke McCain and his colleagues must go to new heights to save the federally protected raptors.
Meanwhile, domestic animals are going missing in the region, and Luke investigates the gruesome remains. As details of the animals’ mysterious deaths emerge, rumors explode that a mystical creature—the ever-elusive bigfoot—may be responsible. Thinking a more plausible explanation is likely, Luke endeavors to unravel the clues leading authorities to whoever, or whatever, is killing the animals before bigfoot mania overruns the region and more beloved animals are slaughtered.
Praise for The Cascade Killer:
“Rob Phillips is a well-respected outdoor writer who has turned his talents to writing an excellent mystery book. Using current day events, THE CASCADE KILLER, is fast-paced and entertaining. Women of similar physical characteristics disappear and their bodies are found in the mountains of Eastern Washington. Game Warden Lucas McCain is called when a legal bear hunter discovers a human ear in the stomach of a harvested bear. The investigation twists and turns while more bodies are discovered, while McCain and local authorities race to find the killer before more women disappear. THE CASCADE KILLER checks all the boxes of a good book. It is entertaining and fast-paced. It also provides a glimpse into the world of today's Game Warden, from the routine to the spine tingling. This book has it all!”
-Rich Phillips, WA State Game Warden Sgt. (Ret), Book Reviewer for the International Game Warden Magazine
"Rob Phillips' intimate knowledge of Washington State's outdoors scene and recent newsworthy events is on full display in this fast-paced novel. Featuring a smart, hard-working fish and wildlife officer, a demented serial killer, an attractive FBI agent and a scene stealing Labrador retriever, this is a great read and if you are like me you'll have a hard time putting this book down!"
-John Kruse, Host and Radio Producer of Northwestern Outdoors Radio
“Phillips tells a masterful tale that is engaging, endearing and suspenseful. It is rich with local knowledge of central Washington and the Cascade Mountains, two places the author is intimately familiar. Once I started, it was hard to put the book down. A page-turner for sure.”
-Pat Hoglund, Publisher of Western Hunting Journal, Traveling Angler, and Salmon & Steelhead Journal
“Yakima outdoor writer Rob Phillips knows his woods, waters and wardens, and it shows as he weaves them into this fast-paced, gripping murder mystery. You can practically smell the ponderosas and pack horses among pages that seem to leap straight out of the gazetteer. Mixing good old fashioned game wardening with current events, Phillips highlights the complex, often lonely and very vital work Washington fish and wildlife police perform, and a modern national travesty, the high number of missing or murdered native women. Buckle up and enjoy the plot twists and turns as they take you up mountain passes, along trout streams and down dusty logging roads as Phillips' woodswise WDFW Officer Luke McCain and trusty Lab Jack race to stop a serial killer from striking again. I don't read fiction, let alone crime thrillers, but this one has me demanding more Luke McCain novels, Rob, please!"
-Andy Walgamott, editor, Northwest Sportsman magazine
Praise for Cascade Vengeance:
“Cascade Vengeance takes readers on a thrill ride through the dual worlds of drug dealing and big-game hunting deep in Washington’s Cascade mountains. Rob Phillips uses his extensive knowledge of the region to tell the fast-moving take… on the way to the story’s harrowing and heartbreaking conclusion.”
-Scott Graham, National Outdoor Book award-winning author of Mesa Verde Victim
“Rob Phillips delivers another page turner. Cascade Vengeance is a full of murder, intrigue and suspense. And just when you think the case is solved, Phillips throws you a curveball. If you enjoyed The Cascade Killer, you’ll love Phillips’s latest in the Luke McCain series.”
-Pat Hoglund, Publisher of Western Hunting Journal, Traveling Angler, and Salmon & Steelhead Journal
"Luke McCain and his wonderful yellow lab Jack are back for another fast, fun read in a series you won’t want to miss. The big Mexican drug cartels have moved into the Cascade Mountains of Washington State where thousands of miles of forests provide endless opportunities for illegal grows, and the men doing the growing and harvesting are being stalked and killed. Luke must use all his experience and knowledge to help his girlfriend FBI Agent Sara Sinclair discover who is doing the killing. This is crime fiction at its finest - the perfect blend of compelling mystery, a fabulous setting, the best dog ever, and a very likeable hero you won’t forget."
-Christine Carbo, award-winning author of the Glacier Mystery Series
“Cascade Vengeance, the second book in the Luke McCain series, is another hang-onto-your-hat, nonstop action episode with Luke, a Washington State Fish and Wildlife officer, his FBI girlfriend Sara and Jack, his loyal yellow Lab. I felt like I was riding shotgun in Luke’s Ford pickup, bouncing along forest service roads where very bad guys might be lurking."
-Susan Richmond, owner of Inklings Bookshop
Praise for Cascade Predator:
“Lions and tigers in a conifer canopied mountain forest, trouble lurking around every corner, an intuitive fish and game cop and a fast-paced plot that twists from one suspenseful surprise to the next. Cascade Predator, is a well-blended stew of Northwest icons, a reflection of Rob’s intimate knowledge of wildlife, outdoor realism, and page-turning curve-balls that is just flat tough to put down. This latest edition to the Luke McCain thriller series confirms Rob Phillips standing as a skilled mystery writer. Already I want to read another.”
-Terry W. Sheely, Northwest author and writer
"Luke McCain is back in action! The iconic Washington game warden and his canine partner, Jack, are tearing around Washington’s central Cascade Mountains in search of an escaped – and maybe dangerous -- Bengal tiger! A fast-paced story, third in a series, that will challenge you to figure out how, and even if, Luke and Jack can pull the loose ends together and nail this case shut. I didn’t want to put the book down."
- Bob Mottram, Author and Outdoor Writer
Praise for Cascade Kidnapping:
“Poaching big game … Check
A loveable yellow Lab … Double Check
Computer hackers from India … WHAT!
That last item is the big checklist twist in outdoor writer Rob Phillips’ latest novel, “Cascade Kidnapping,” the fourth in his Luke McCain series. As in all of Phillips’ books, “Cascade Kidnapping” reinforces healthy respect for the outdoors and laws that protect it. Conversational narrative writing as well as the Cascade Mountains’ sense of place reward readers. Recurring characters – especially that Lab, Jack -- anchor each book.
Each of the books in this series have subplots. The elk poaching subplot in “Cascade Kidnapping” is the strongest of all. It was icing on the cake for this satisfying book. ”
-Bob Crider, Retired Editor, Publisher, Yakima Herald-Republic
"Rob Phillips, award winning outdoor writer and author of the very exciting Luke McCain series of books, has given readers the 4th installment in this most entertaining series! Cascade Kidnapping has Washington Game Warden Luke McCain and his yellow Lab Jack, arresting salmon poachers, investigating a serial elk killer and dealing with administrative duties. While finally on a few days off, McCain and Jack are asked to help locate and rescue two young kidnap victims being held in the rugged wilderness of north central Washington. They race against time and the elements to save the boys before they can be hurt or worse...
Phillips' writing displays a real knowledge of the outdoors, as well as the duties and responsibilities of game wardens. A very enjoyable book!!"
-Rich Phillips (no relation), WA. Game Warden Sgt. (Ret.)/Book Reviewer International Game Warden Magazine
Praise for Cascade Man Hunt:
“Cascade Manhunt is the fifth book of Author Rob Phillips’ Luke McCain series, and I believe it to be his best work. The book follows Washington Game Warden Luke McCain as he works undercover to apprehend a group of hard-core poachers. Next, Warden McCain worked feverishly to hunt down a fugitive wanted in several states. As a retired Washington undercover fish and wildlife detective, I found Rob’s book to be spot-on. I simply couldn’t put this book down. Finishing Cascade Manhunt in one day left me thirsting for Rob’s next book. ”
-Retired Washington Fish and Wildlife Detective and Author-Todd Vandivert.
“Like Rob Phillip’s earlier books in the Luke McCain series, unique characters make Cascade Man Hunt come alive. A plot line that twists and turns through the back country woods of central Washington keeps your attention until the end.”
-Dennis Dauble, author of Bury Me with My Fly Rod and Chasing Ghost Trout
"Thieving poachers, corrupt cop, psychopathic serial killer—multiple intriguing, fast-paced plots skillfully written to move along separate but parallel story lines toward an epic conclusion master-minded by Washington Fish and Wildlife police officer Luke McCain. That all three plots flow singularly and seamlessly from chapter to chapter in narratives rich with accurate outdoor expertise without confusing this reader is a testament to Rob Phillips wordsmithing skills. Cascade Manhunt, the latest edition to the Luke McCain thriller series leaves me wanting more."
-Terry W. Sheely, author and writer.
About the Author
Rob Phillips is an award-winning outdoor writer and book author. His articles and stories have appeared in dozens of regional and national publications over the years. He has had over 1500 articles and countless photos published since he started writing professionally in 1986. His column, “The Northwest Sportsman” has appeared in the Yakima Herald-Republic almost every week for over 32 years.
Rob’s first book, The CASCADE KILLER was written during the pandemic of 2020. Since being published in October of 2020 it has sold very well, and has garnered thousands of four and five star ratings on Amazon.
Seeing the potential for a series featuring his main characters, Rob wrote the second book in the Luke McCain mystery series in mid-2020 and CASCADE VENGEANCE was released in February 2021. Rob’s third novel in the series, CASCADE PREDATOR, was released in June of 2021.
Rob’s next novel, CASCADE KIDNAPPING was released in July of 2022 and continues the adventures of Luke and Jack.
The fifth book in the series, CASCADE MANHUNT was published in July of 2023 and Rob’s newest Luke McCain mystery, CREATURE OF THE CASCADES, will be out on December 9, 2O23.
The first five books are receiving rave reviews and high ratings on Amazon and Good Reads, with nearly 50,000 copies sold around the country.
Rob and his wife Terri, live with a very spoiled Labrador retriever in Yakima, Washington.