An illustrated bibliography of the
series created by Charles Spain Verral
Welcome to the
Brains Benton Anthology a comprehensive and up-to-date
guide to the stories comprising the classic juvenile mystery series!
This page attempts to document every Brains Benton novel published to date,
starting with the six original books penned or edited by Charles Spain Verral.
In recent times, several talented fans have self-published new stories of their own,
breathing new life into the enduring legacy of Brains and Jimmy. These new cases are
rightfully presented here alongside the traditional tales.
Hover over a
title to display
cover here.
* Adult Story
† Story Collection
Charles E. Morgan, III Series
• the original series
1.
The Case of the Missing Message − Classical Junior Novel (188 pages)
Year: 1959 / Author: Charles Spain Verral / Internal Artist: Hamilton Greene /
Cover Artist: Paul Nonnast
The Kangeroos have escaped! This secret code message spells trouble for Brains Benton and Jimmy
Carson and leads them down a trail that involves a circus clown, a real live performing elephant, a
fortune-teller, a tight-rope walker, and a very pesky parrot. All clues seem to point toward a secret
message which could bring the boys' new friend Skeets Fenton into his proper inheritance, and unmask
the villains as well!
Editions:
Golden Press (w/DJ) /
Golden Press (Picture cover) /
Whitman (Wide) /
Whitman (Narrow) /
Goldencraft Library Binding * /
Golden Griffon Paperback /
British /
French /
German /
German (Frank Milford) /
Italian /
Swedish /
Finnish /
Norwegian & Danish
* − Cover scan appears by courtesy of Seth T. Smolinske.
Internal Artwork Galleries:
Hamilton Greene /
Jacques Pecnard
Note: This story originally had a working title of The Case of the Twisted Ear....
3.
The Case of the Stolen Dummy − Classical Junior Novel (186 pages)
Year: 1961 / Author: George Wyatt / Internal Artist: Walter Dey
Young Brains Benton and his pal Jimmy Carson take on a case that has baffled the police. Five thousand
dollars, collected in the community to build a summer camp for youngsters, have disappeared without a trace.
Before Brains and Jimmy solve the crime, they are plunged into a whirlwind of excitement and suspense,
climaxed by a wild chase in a racing car.
Internal Artwork Galleries:
Walter Dey /
Jacques Pecnard
Editions:
Golden Press (Picture cover) /
Whitman (Wide) /
Whitman (Narrow) /
French /
Italian /
Swedish /
Norwegian & Danish
4.
The Case of the Roving Rolls − Classical Junior Novel (186 pages)
Year: 1961 / Author: George Wyatt / Internal Artist: Al Schmidt
When a snow-white vintage Rolls-Royce chases Jimmy Carson down the driveway of the Willoughby estate all
by itself - well, as Jimmy would say, "Creeps!" But that's only the beginning: a strange hit-and-run accident,
two quarts of sour cream and a missing moustache start the incomparable Brains and his partner Jimmy off on a
truly international mystery as a kingdom hangs in the balance.
Internal Artwork Galleries:
Al Schmidt /
Jacques Pecnard
Editions:
Golden Press (Picture cover) /
Whitman (Narrow) /
French /
German /
Italian /
Swedish /
Finnish /
Norwegian & Danish
5.
The Case of the Waltzing Mouse − Classical Junior Novel (187 pages)
Year: 1961 / Author: George Wyatt / Internal Artist: Al Schmidt
Gustave von Maltzbenden's pet mouse Xenophon can waltz. This is not strange because Gustave is an animal
trainer. What does seem strange to Brains Benton and Jimmy Carson is that Gustave and Xenophon have
disappeared, leaving behind a trailerful of hungry animals, a fortune in bills where only a skindiver
could find it, and enough clues to send the members of Benton and Carson International Detective Agency
on the wildest boat ride of their young lives.
Internal Artwork Galleries:
Al Schmidt /
Beniamino Bodini
Editions:
Golden Press (Picture cover) /
Whitman (Narrow) /
French /
German /
Italian /
Swedish /
Finnish /
Norwegian & Danish
6.
The Case of the Painted Dragon − Classical Junior Novel (185 pages)
Year: 1961 / Author: George Wyatt / Internal Artist: Hamilton Greene
A moving statue, a suddenly empty swimming pool, a terrifying painted dragon - all clues
proclaim this the most difficult and dangerous case Barclay ("Brains") Benton and Jimmy
("Operative Three") Carson have ever handled. The young detectives and their friend Mikko
soon discover that the villains are the deadly variety, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
Internal Artwork Galleries:
Hamilton Greene /
Beniamino Bodini
Editions:
Golden Press (Picture cover) /
Whitman (Narrow) /
French /
German /
Italian /
Swedish /
Norwegian & Danish
• charles e. morgan, iii junior series
1.
The Case of the Carrier Pigeon − Junior Novel (207 pages)
Year: 2008 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
While on a bicycle ride, Brains Benton (X), and his partner Jimmy Carson (Operative Three), find a wounded
homing pigeon. The message that the bird was carrying is missing! The Benton and Carson International Detective
Agency fly into action, and find themselves up to their eyeballs in trouble!
Internal Artwork Gallery:
Shannon Stirnweis
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Amazon PB /
Kindle eBook /
Apple eBook
Note: This story is a sequel to Painted Dragon, and is based upon the discovery
of a wounded pigeon by Brains and Jimmy at the very end of that novel.
2.
The Case of the Lost Loot − Junior Novel (213 pages)
Year: 2008 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
A millionaire's mansion was burglarized decades ago and the loot never recovered. An old deed may hold the
clue to where the over quarter of a million dollars is hidden. Brains Benton (X), and his partner Jimmy Carson
(Operative Three), get involved in the case, and they soon find themselves up to their necks in danger and
intrigue.
Internal Artwork Gallery:
Shannon Stirnweis
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Amazon PB /
Kindle eBook /
Apple eBook
3.
The Case of the Stolen Jewelry − Junior Novel (189 pages)
Year: 2009 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
While collecting soda pop bottles, Jimmy Carson (Operative Three) makes a startling discovery. There are
stolen diamonds hidden inside a bottle! When he reports his find to Brains (X), the Benton and Carson
International Detective Agency swings into high gear. Trying to find the jewel thieves leads them on a
journey fraught with mystery and danger. Run-ins with a gang of juvenile delinquents lead to some hair-raising
trouble!
Internal Artwork Gallery:
Shannon Stirnweis
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Amazon PB /
Kindle eBook /
Apple eBook
4.
The Case of the Final Message − Junior Novel (185 pages)
Year: 2011 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
It's the beginning of a new year and Brains Benton (X) and Jimmy Carson (Operative Three) are just trying to enjoy a quiet break from school.
But on the way home from sledding, they notice a police car at a classmate's house. The simple case of breaking and entering turns into a baffling
puzzle with hidden clues. The case takes the two operatives of the Benton and Carson International Detective Agency on an adventure that takes
them to Washington D.C. and back. There is danger up to the eyeballs as Brains and Jimmy get into even more of a mystery than they can even
dream of. Enjoy the ride as Benton and Carson solve the case as only they can!
Internal Artwork Gallery:
Shannon Stirnweis
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Amazon PB
5.
The Case of the Disappearing Magician − Junior Novel
Year: 2014 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
Mysterious explosions in the night get the Benton and Carson International Detective Agency on the job to investigate. The case leads Brains and Jimmy
to the Crestwood Fair where they uncover a devious plot to get away with robbing the First National Bank.
Join Operative Three and Operative X on this thrilling ride as they match wits with a conniving magician!
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Kindle eBook /
Amazon PB
6.
The Case of the Crossed Wire − Junior Novel
Year: 2016 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
In this latest Brains Benton mystery, Jimmy Carson accidently overhears two men discussing a diabolical plot over the telephone. Although he doesn't know exactly
what's going on, he knows that it's bad news! He tells Brains and in no time the Benton and Carson International Detective Agency is operating in high gear!
Join Operative Three and X in this exciting adventure-mystery as they match wits with a criminal element that has big plans for the upcoming election!
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Kindle eBook /
Amazon PB
7.
The Case of the Aviator's Plans − Junior Novel
Year: 2017 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
It's been raining cats and dogs for days. When the rain finally subsides, Jimmy Carson (Operative Three) and Brains Benton (X) muster all
of their courage to rescue a woman who is trapped in a raging flood! This leads the firm of the Benton and Carson International Detective Agency
into one of their most dangerous cases ever!
Buckle in for some high flying adventure and intrigue!
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Kindle eBook /
Amazon PB
8.
The Case of the Crooked Deal − Junior Novel
Year: 2018 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
Crestwood Junior-Senior High School is broken into and money is stolen from the French Club!
Brains Benton (X) and Jimmy Carson (Operative Three) are called in on the case. They soon find themselves up to their eyeballs in trouble.
Join our two private detectives in their latest mystery!
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Amazon PB
9.
The Case of the Spy's Revenge − Junior Novel
Year: 2018 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
Things seem to be going well for Brains Benton and Jimmy Carson of the Benton and Carson International Detective Agency, when suddenly some strange
things start to happen. Things go from bad to worse when they wind up being framed for arson! Join Operative Three and X as they try to capture one of the most
dangerous criminals they've ever encountered!
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Kindle eBook /
Amazon PB
10.
The Case of the Ghost Town's Secret − Junior Novel
Year: 2020 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon & Kirk Stirnweis
Creeps!
That’s something Jimmy Carson (Operative Three) likes to say when he’s stunned or amazed. Well, his words sum up perfectly the danger and adventure in this new Brains Benton Mystery!
Cars have been stolen all across the state, including Nick the Beatnik's Jaguar and Mrs. T. Phillips Willoughby’s prized 1925 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.
Of course, the Benton and Carson Detective Agency swing into high gear as they follow a lead that takes them to a small ghost town.
Brains Benton (X) and Jimmy face all types of peril in this new adventure, including running into a vampire.
Buy!
Lulu HB with DJ /
Lulu PB /
Apple eBook /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Kindle eBook /
Amazon PB
• charles e. morgan, iii short-stories
--.
The Adventures of Benton & Carson − Junior Anthology
Year: 2016 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: Shannon Stirnweis
For the first time in hardback, enjoy this collection of six action-packed short stories featuring Jimmy Carson (Operative Three) and Brains Benton (Operative X).
This edition includes three previously unpublished tales. It also includes the story of how Brains and Jimmy met, and the holiday favorite, "Christmas Eve in Crestwood."
- Shattered Glass:
- Jimmy Carson is in his last year of elementary school. When his school is vandalized, he decides to try and
catch the culprit. While doing so, he runs into a kid genius named "Brains" Benton . . .
- Autumn Fires:
- X and Operative Three go looking for the owner of a lost dog and wind up fighting for their lives!
- Christmas Eve in Crestwood:
- It's a snowy Christmas Eve in Crestwood. But Brains Benton (X), and his partner Jimmy Carson (Operative Three), think that there is something amiss at the church.
- Hide 'n Seek
- Calcium Carbonate on a String
- Casualty of War
Buy!
Hardbound /
Golden Griffon Tribute Paperback /
Blurb Picture Cover /
Kindle eBook /
Amazon PB
S.S.
Benton & Carson − Adult Anthology
Year: 2018 / Author: Charles E. Morgan, III / Artist: None
Whatever happened to Brains Benton and Jimmy Carson? As young adults they had grown up and gone their separate ways. But they couldn't
stay apart forever could they? This book is a collection of short stories that chronicles their adventures as they once again reunite and reform The
Benton and Carson International Detective Agency. Only this time they're in the suburbs of Washington D.C.
NOTE: Some of these stories deal with adult themes and may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Buy!
Blurb Picture Cover /
Amazon PB
• other novels
1.
The Case of the Wounded Pigeon − Junior Novel (194 pages)
Year: 2008 / Author: Fred Rexroad / Internal Artist: Susan Rexroad
It's Spring. It's Saturday. School is out in two weeks. Life is good. Jimmy Carson and his best friend Brains Benton
are on a leisurely bike ride when they find an injured bird under a tree. The bird happens to be a carrier pigeon
wounded by a shotgun. The pigeon is also carrying a mysterious coded message! The Benton and Carson
International Detective Agency is back with a new case to solve.
Buy!
Paperback Edition.
Note: This story builds a mystery around the events in the closing chapter of Painted Dragon.
2.
The Case of the Dancing Walrus (And Other Stories) − Junior Anthology
Year: 2015 / Author: Sean Murphy
This book contains three short stories the author wrote for his son, Ben. The cases detailed in this volume are:
- The Case of the Dancing Walrus
- The Mystery of the Forgotten Mine
- The Secret of the Sunken Sundial
Buy!
Paperback Edition.
3.
The Case of the Courier Cat − Junior Novel
Year: 2012 / Author: Scott Lockwood / Artist: Scott Dickerson
Brains and Jimmy come to the aid of their most unlikely client—their nosey housekeeper Mrs. Ray! She needs
the services of Benton and Carson to help save her sister from being blackmailed. But the case soon becomes more
complicated than even Brains expects as the boys find themselves mixed up with a mysterious cat, a rival detective
agency, missing pearls, a haunted house and a mad scientist.
Can even the amazing genius of Brains Benton unmask the sinister mastermind behind the whole scheme?
Whatever you do, don't miss this chance to find out!
Buy! Paperback Edition
4.
A Scandal at Crestwood College − Junior Novel
Year: 2012 / Author: Scott Lockwood / Artist: Scott Dickerson
Jimmy's sister Ann is accused of stealing answer sheets and selling them to her sorority sisters. Jimmy
and Brains take on one of their most cunning foes in an effort to free Ann from prison. The evidence points
to the head of the soroity's ethics commmittee, but is everything what it appears to be?
Join Jimmy and Brains as they take on one of their most dangerous cases in an attempt to unveil a sinister
conspiracy aimed at launching one woman's rise to a position of unnassailable power!
Buy! Paperback Edition
5.
Brains Benton and The Subtraction Mystery − Junior Novel
Year: 2015 / Author: Scott Lockwood / Artist: Scott Dickerson
In their younger days, Barclay “Brains” Benton and Jimmy Carson formed their own detective agency and solved
many crimes. But a personal tragedy resulted in Brains dissolving the agency, apparently for good. Now, years later, he
heads the bionics lab of the top-secret SwiftTech Laboratories, located in Thousand Oaks, California.
But, when his investigative reporter girlfriend is injured in the course of discovering the secret behind a series of
mysterious bank robberies, Brains finds himself forced out of retirement to catch the mastermind behind the strange thefts.
Join Brains and Jimmy once again as they try to stop a renegade scientist and the deadly device that could be used as a
weapon of mass destruction!
Buy! Paperback Edition
6.
The Case of the Other Missing Message − Junior Novel
Year: 2016 / Author: Scott Lockwood / Artist: Scott Dickerson
This is the 10th novel in the Brains Benton series of mysteries and the 2nd cross-over book to feature the famous inventor,
Tom Swift. The death of a scientist at SwiftTech leads the investigation duo of Brains Benton and Jimmy Carson to the mysterious
CEM/Anahuac corporation, run by the ruthless Sun Erato Ohm.
oined by their new friend, Dr. Thomasina Swift, they encounter formidable obstacles ranging from street gangs to genetically engineered giants.
Will Jimmy and Brains arrive at the answer in time to save Tom Swift Jr.'s girlfriend Phyllis Newton from certain death? Or will she be threatened by
a woman said to have vanished into a black hole? Don't waste a minute picking up this latest volume in the Brains Benton − Tom Swift Jr. series and
find out for yourself!
Buy! Paperback Edition
7.
The Case of the Insane Woman Down Memory Lane − Adult Novel
Year: 2015 / Author: Thomas Hudson / Artist: Thomas Hudson
Famous as a pre-teen detective, Barclay "Brains" Benton and his best friend Jimmy Carson have grown up. After college
Brains has gone to work for an electronics company while Jim is now a crime reporter for a newspaper in Los Angeles. Time,
work and circumstances have drawn Jim back to his old home town of Crestwood while he takes a summer break from reporting.
Brains joins him to take his mind off his girlfriend having moved away from California for a year. They rent an attic room and decide
to take on a few small cases.
But, when a mysterious woman gets word to them through Jim's sister−she was one of Ann's favorite, if a little eccentric,
teachers−that she is being stalked by aliens from outer space, both young men are drawn into one of their weirder mysteries
ever. It gets even stranger when the woman's own daughter turns out to be nearly as eccentric. The two have been living in a
house where it seems the only way to get in or out is to climb up the side to a second-story window! But when the old woman
disappears almost out from under Brains' and Jim's noses, they just have to get to the bottom of it.
Buy! Paperback Edition
unpublished stories
These works exist in manuscript form, but are unlikely to be published in the foreseeable future:
Title |
Author |
Type |
A Brains Benton Halloween |
Mark Coomer |
Junior Short Story. |
The Case of the Broken Heart |
C. E. Morgan, III |
Adult Story. |
Final Consequence |
C. E. Morgan, III |
Adult Story. |
The Case of the Abused Soul |
C. E. Morgan, III |
Adult Story. |
The Case of the Silver Scimitar |
Jim H. |
Junior Story. |
The Case of the Hidden Father |
Bradley Cobb |
Junior Story. |
The Case of the Devious Mastermind − Junior College-Based Novel
Year: TO BE ANNOUNCED / Author: Mark Coomer / Artist: Unknown
Formerly known as The Case of the Escaping Kangaroos, this adventure follows the exploits of Brains and Jimmy
in College, where they meet the Three Investigators − Jupe, Pete and Bob − who are still juniors in high school.
Tentatively planned to have a proper release, this story is currently freely available to read in the
Brains Benton Yahoo Group.
The Case of the Sultan's Skull − Adult Novel
Year: TO BE ANNOUNCED / Author: Mark Coomer / Artist: Unknown
This feature-length story takes place in 2003, when Brains and Jimmy are in their mid-50s.
Also tentatively planned to have a proper release, this story is currently freely available to read in the
Brains Benton Yahoo Group.
For more details on any of the above stories, please contact the relevant author via the
Brains Benton Yahoo Group.
Top
• suggested reading order
This listing is included for those who wish to read the published stories in some sort of chronological order:
Top