Randy Overbeck
Author of the Bestselling Series
The Haunted Shores Mysteries
Washington's Spy Ring
About Randy - The Long Story
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, bestselling author, popular podcaster and speaker in much demand. After serving children for almost four decades as a teacher, college prof and school leader, he used those experiences and skills to craft captivating mysteries, thrillers and historical suspense. Tapping into his experiences as an educator and his expertise as a researcher, he has been able to infuse his writings with a palpable authenticity, whether the action takes place in a classroom on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay or in the filthy, congested streets of New York City in 1776.
Dr. Overbeck’s contributions to both education and literature have been honored for decades. His commitment to improving literacy for students earned him both a state award (the LEAF award) and national recognition (the National Teacher Leader Award). More recently, his home town of Lebanon, Ohio bestowed on him the Harmon Arts Award for Literature in 2026.
To date, he has authored seven novels in three different series. His first, LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND, is a standalone thriller about a terrorist takeover of a Midwest high school and one teacher’s defiant efforts to defend her students. His Haunted Shores Mysteries, which currently stands at four entries, BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY, SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER and RED SHADOWS AT SAUGATUCK, are bestselling mysteries and ghost stories combined. His next series, Lessons in Peril, has only one installment, to date, CRUEL LESSONS, with a second in process. His latest title, ABIGAIL TRENCH, is the first in his historical suspense series, Washington’s Spy Ring.
These novels have also earned considerable accolades with more than a dozen national awards including the Best Book Award (Chanticleer Books and Review), the Gold Award (Literary Titan), Thriller of the Year (ReadersFavorite) and Mystery of the Year (ReaderViews and N N LightBookHeaven) as well earning Finalist and Judge’s Favorite in the prestigious Silver Falchion Award (Killer Nashville). However, readers’ responses have been the most rewarding. His novels have earned hundreds of five-star reviews from Amazon and Goodreads members.
Dr. Overbeck is also the host of the popular podcast, Great Stories about Great Storytellers, which ranks among the top 50% of all podcasts in the US. Each of the more than fifty episodes reveal the untold backstories of famous authors, directors and poets such as Edgar Allen Poe, John Grisham, Alfred Hitchcock and Dr. Seuss.
When he is not writing, he is in much demand as a speaker, sharing informative and entertaining programs to more than 300 groups all over the country, with presentations such as “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” “A Few Favorite Haunts” and “The Strange World of Book Publishing.” For 2026-27, Dr. Overbeck has added another program offering just in time to celebrate the sesquicentennial, “Five Reasons We Won the American Revolution…and they’re not what you learned in school.”
Click here to request Dr. Overbeck speak to your organization, chapter or book club.
A member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. Dr. Overbeck is married to Cathy, his wife and partner of more than 50 years, and they have three grown children—settled in three different states across the country—as well as eight remarkable grandchildren. For him, time not devoted to writing and speaking is often spent traveling to visit family and other resort locations in search of his next literary inspiration.
Five Things You Might Not Know about Dr. Randy Overbeck
1
Randy comes from a large extended family. He is one of seven sons and his nieces and nephews could staff several football or soccer teams and the number of grand-nieces and grand-nephews is growing. The Overbeck family is spread over several states but family members have managed to stay close and connected. The six brothers (his oldest brother Bob is deceased) take a trip together every six months to hang out and connect. Family is quite important to Randy Overbeck.
(Family Portrait taken a few years ago)
2
Dr. Overbeck is both an introvert and an extrovert. Like most writers, Randy savors the time alone, pounding away on the computer, creating his stories and living in his imaginary worlds. Most mornings he closes the door to his office and enters these incredible fictional worlds. But Randy is equally at home speaking to groups of fifteen or seventy-five, entertaining and educating participants with one of his interactive, multimedia presentations. In fact, he is most balanced when he has a healthy dose of both solitude and quiet and boisterous interaction with readers and audiences.
3
Over his extensive career, Dr. Overbeck had the privilege to work with thousands of teachers, administrators, parents, board members, bus drivers, custodians—well, you get the picture. These real-life individuals have provided the inspiration to craft the incredibly authentic characters of his novels. Most of these characters are fictional, but some are very close to the genuine article. Characters in the “Haunted Shores Mysteries” are a case in point. Consider Al McClure, the music director, who befriends Darrell in his first days at Wilshire High School in BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE. In fact, the real Al McClure—yes, actual wise-cracking music teacher and band director—befriended new teacher, Randy Overbeck, in his first teaching job. Even though Randy and Al had very different career paths, they managed to stay in touch as colleagues and friends for more than thirty-five years, until Al’s death. The fictional character is an homage to a good friend—done with permission, of course. Several other characters have been drawn from other remarkable educators Dr. Overbeck worked with over the years.
4
Through all of his adult life, Dr. Overbeck has been a tireless advocate for children’s literacy. He has even been recognized with state and national awards for his literacy work. In addition to his efforts to raise student achievement in the districts where he worked, Dr. Overbeck served on two state panels for reading tests, reviewed reading tests for ACT, and spoke on a national panel on literacy in Washington D. C. As a member of a local Rotary Club, he headed up a volunteer reading program for third graders and was among the early champions of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Project, which delivers a book a month to every child in the county from birth to age five. He continues his commitment to literacy now as an author since the latest research reveals three fourths of all American adults have NOT read a book in the past year!
5
Dr. Overbeck has had the good fortune of becoming friends with a few bestselling authors, each of whom has been generous with their time and advice. While still in his role as an educator, he met and got to know Jim Trelease, author of THE READ ALOUD HANDBOOK. (If you don’t know this remarkable parent and teacher resource book, it went through eight US editions as well as six international editions, selling more than two million copies.) Jim was the first to advise Randy on navigating the publishing world. Early on in his writing career, Dr. Overbeck was fortunate to befriend William Kent Krueger, Edgar award-winning author of the bestselling Cork O’Connor series. Kent wrote the first blurb for BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE and did the same for his newest title, ABIGAIL TRENCH and Randy has found his support and counsel to be invaluable. He heard Hank Phillippi Ryan, noted investigative reporter and multi-award winning author, at a recent writing conference. Hank has been a friend and a supporter since the day they met and she too wrote a blurb for one of his novels. These are just a few of the famous and successful authors who have been kind, generous and supportive. Dr. Overbeck would not be the writer he is today without those far ahead of him willing to extend a helping hand.