Atomic Sunset: A Route 66 Mystery (The Jane Dougherty Series)

Winner — 2025 Literary Global Book Awards (Fiction–Humor)
Winner — Indies Today 2026 Best Humor
Finalist — 2025 American Writing Awards (Fiction–Satire)

Recognized for its sharp humor, atmospheric mystery, and distinctive desert noir storytelling.

Welcome to Radio Springs
When photographer Jane Dougherty’s car breaks down on a forgotten stretch of Route 66, she expects dust, diner coffee, and a little small-town gossip — not a corpse in her trunk.

Stranded in Radio Springs, Arizona’s quirkiest desert town, Jane turns her lens toward the mystery that’s suddenly become personal. With help from the town’s sharp-tongued librarian Ramona Galvin and a cast of eccentrics who’ve read more crime novels than they’ve solved crimes, Jane pieces together a trail that winds from the library stacks to the local diner and all the way out to the old canyon mines.

Everyone in Radio Springs has a story — and some will do anything to keep theirs buried.

The soda fizzes. The desert hums. And after dark, the past has a way of speaking through the static.

Atomic Sunset is a witty, small-town mystery filled with humor, heart, and a dash of desert noir. Perfect for readers who enjoy quirky fiction, bookish sleuths, offbeat conspiracies, and smart, laugh-out-loud storytelling.

5 Stars – Readers’ Favorite

J.G. Macdonald excels at writing quirky but interesting characters that entertain and intrigue... I recommend Atomic Sunset to anyone who enjoys small-town mysteries, stories dealing with conspiracy theories, and offbeat humor.”
— Gabriel Santos, Readers’ Favorite

Continue the journey in Two Hours to Bedlam, the second Route 66 mystery featuring photographer Jane Dougherty.