Thomas Scoundrel FAQ –

About the series

What are the Thomas Scoundrel books?

The Thomas Scoundrel series is a set of historical adventure novels by B.R. O'Hagan, set between the American Civil War and the early 20th century. Each book mixes real history, real historical figures, action, romance and humor, and follows one man across frontier America and around the world.

Who is Thomas Scoundrel?

Colonel Thomas Edward Scoundrel is a Union Army veteran and Civil War hero turned adventurer, journalist and troubleshooter. He is loyal to his friends, quick with his fists and his wit, and has a weakness for fine food, good wine and remarkable women.

What genre are the books?

Historical fiction, specifically historical adventure with elements of thriller, mystery and romance. Readers who enjoy Westerns, Victorian-era stories and globe-trotting adventure will feel at home.

What time period do the books cover?

The series takes place in roughly 1865 to 1914, the era of the Wild West, the Victorian age and the rise of America as a world power.

The books

How many Thomas Scoundrel books are there, and in what order?

Which book should I read first?

You can start with Scoundrel in the Thick, the first book published, but each novel is a complete story and can be read on its own. Passage to Moorea is set ten years earlier, in 1872, so readers can also follow Thomas's life in story order.

What is Scoundrel in the Thick about?

In 1882 Colorado, Thomas Scoundrel searches for his friend's kidnapped fiancée. Along the way he rides with his friend Buffalo Bill Cody, crosses paths with Oscar Wilde, and works to stop a plot to steal northern Mexico, with plenty of dynamite involved.

What is Passage to Moorea about?

In 1872, Thomas is an investigative journalist in San Francisco whose exposé of a powerful businessman marks him for death. The chase runs from the lagoons of Polynesia to the alleys of New York City, with a Hawaiian princess, a legendary South Seas fighter and President Ulysses S. Grant along the way.

What is The Ghost of Khartoum about?

Set mostly in North Africa in 1884, Thomas Scoundrel is bored with training recruits for the Mexican Army and chasing bandits in the northern territories, and he seizes the chance to write an article about the luxurious new Paris-to-Istanbul Orient Express. Aboard the train, he meets Heléne de Bovet, the captivating daughter of a renowned Egyptologist, who is on a mission to restore her father’s tarnished reputation and save his life.

Thomas and Heléne travel up the Nile to her father’s last dig site in the Valley of the Kings, only to be caught up in the escalating war between British forces led by General Charles Gordon, and the Mahdi, a charismatic warrior chieftain whose thousands of devoted followers are struggling to break free of European control.

What is The Last Wild West about?

In 1887, Thomas travels to London with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee year, and is drawn into a Ripper-style murder mystery. Annie Oakley, Frank Butler, Chief Red Shirt, Arthur Conan Doyle and Queen Victoria herself all appear.

Who will enjoy the Thomas Scoundrel books?

Readers who love big, adventurous historical fiction full of real people and places: the Wild West, Civil War veterans, Victorian London, the South Seas. The books suit readers who want action and humor alongside careful history.

What books are the Thomas Scoundrel novels similar to?

Reviewers have compared the series to the work of Bernard Cornwell, Ken Follett, James Michener and Colleen McCullough, George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman novels and Larry McMurtry.

Are the books appropriate for younger readers?

They are written for adult readers, and contain frontier violence, some strong language and romantic scenes.

Are the books funny?

Yes. Humor runs throughout the series, from Thomas's dry wit to his run-ins with famous figures of the day, alongside serious drama and danger.

The author and the history

Who is B.R. O'Hagan?

B.R. O'Hagan studied at UCLA and taught history before working in film and television, in series development and as a script doctor. He then spent years as a ghostwriter, ghost-authoring 24 published books, including several national bestsellers. He now writes the Thomas Scoundrel series in a converted barn in Oregon's Willamette Valley, minutes from some of the world's finest pinot noir vineyards.

How historically accurate are the books?

Very. The settings, events and many of the characters are real, and the historical figures behave in ways true to the record. Thomas Scoundrel and his closest companions are fictional.

Which real historical figures appear in the series?

Among others: Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, Oscar Wilde, Ulysses S. Grant, Arthur Conan Doyle and Queen Victoria, Mark Twain, young Theodore Roosevelt, and Vincent Van Gogh.

Why is there so much food and wine in the books?

Thomas Scoundrel enjoys gourmet dining and fine wine wherever he travels, and the books celebrate the great meals and wines of the era. It helps that the author lives in the heart of Oregon wine country.

Finding the books

Where can I buy the Thomas Scoundrel books?

The books are available in hardcover, ebook and audiobook from major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and Audible.

Can I borrow them from a library?

Yes. The series is available through library apps such as hoopla. Readers can also ask their local library to order the books.

Can I try the books before buying?

Yes. brohagan.com offers free chapters to read and listen to, along with illustrations and articles on the history behind the stories.

What does "Live to the fullest. No apologies." mean?

It is the motto of the series and of Thomas Scoundrel himself. It doesn't mean never apologizing. It means never apologizing for who you are, or for doing what you believe is right.