North American Confederacy Series by L. Neil Smith

Denver detective Win Bear, on the trail of a murderer, discovers much more than a killer. He accidentally stumbles upon the probability broach, a portal to a myriad of worlds--some wildly different from, others disconcertingly similar to our own. Win finds himself transported to an alternate Earth where Congress is in Colorado, everyone carries a gun, there are gorillas in the Senate, and public services are controlled by private businesses.

More than a 150,000 women have been kidnapped without a trace or any ransom demand in the ‘normal’ world run by the Federalists and the bureaucracy. But that is not the only problem, because the freedom loving population in the ‘alternate’ reality of the North American Confederacy are facing their own crises.People are disappearing across the Probability Broach, including Win Bear's closest friend, Featherstone-Haugh (who heads the Confederacy), and even Win's wife and assistant... moreMore than a 150,000 women have been kidnapped without a trace or any ransom demand in the ‘normal’ world run by the Federalists and the bureaucracy. But that is not the only problem, because the freedom loving population in the ‘alternate’ reality of the North American Confederacy are facing their own crises.People are disappearing across the Probability Broach, including Win Bear's closest friend, Featherstone-Haugh (who heads the Confederacy), and even Win's wife and assistant.Ill (and deadly) winds are blowing and threatening to destroy the Probability Broach as we know it. Win Bear, keeping one step ahead of lethal assassins and fighting incredible odds, must solve multiple apparantly disparate cases that all seem to lead to the end of freedom. less

The Aliens had come a long way from mere cactus hoppers. But their next step was murder--in the First degree!Murder most alien. Something flashed and a great roar deafened the audience.When the smoke and green-tinged vapor cleared, a lamviin alien--what was left of it anyway--lay dead before the horrified gaze of several hundred eyewitnesses. Responsibility for solving the crime lay squarely on the three shoulders of Bucketeer-Inquirer Mav... moreThe Aliens had come a long way from mere cactus hoppers. But their next step was murder--in the First degree!Murder most alien. Something flashed and a great roar deafened the audience.When the smoke and green-tinged vapor cleared, a lamviin alien--what was left of it anyway--lay dead before the horrified gaze of several hundred eyewitnesses. Responsibility for solving the crime lay squarely on the three shoulders of Bucketeer-Inquirer Mav. But--the windowless room had been locked, no one saw the killer, and the murder weapon itself was a mystery. less

The God that failedTo his bosses at the Ochskahrt Memorial Academy he was Captain Bernard M. Gruenblum, Temporal Division - just another time traveler. But to the aliens from Yamaguchi he was, literally, God. So, if Bernie was going to medieval Japan, they were too. Well, three of them.It was supposed to be a routine historical survey, but things livened up when a mutiny knocked Bernie off course... moreThe God that failedTo his bosses at the Ochskahrt Memorial Academy he was Captain Bernard M. Gruenblum, Temporal Division - just another time traveler. But to the aliens from Yamaguchi he was, literally, God. So, if Bernie was going to medieval Japan, they were too. Well, three of them.It was supposed to be a routine historical survey, but things livened up when a mutiny knocked Bernie off course. With disillusioned aliens for a crew and a brig full of murderers, Bernie knew getting home would be tough - and that was before the time machine disappeared! less

Corporal Whitey O’Thraight may need to choose between his own survival or that of his home planetWhitey O’Thraight, the Ship’s Armorer on the first interstellar vessel launched by his home planet Vespucci, finds himself stranded on a strange planet with just one other survivor. Captured by the local Baron, they are freed by a group of monks who are much more than they initially appear to be... moreCorporal Whitey O’Thraight may need to choose between his own survival or that of his home planetWhitey O’Thraight, the Ship’s Armorer on the first interstellar vessel launched by his home planet Vespucci, finds himself stranded on a strange planet with just one other survivor. Captured by the local Baron, they are freed by a group of monks who are much more than they initially appear to be. Their new benefactors and friends have something special in mind for the two survivors, but going along with these plans might mean the destruction of Vespucci as they knew it.Another breath-taking adventure by the author of the award winning Pallas and The Probability Broach less

In a parallel universe to America, George Washington has been executed and Alexander Hamilton is exiled, leaving a government-free country--until, centuries later, several Hamiltonians want to travel back in time to save him

In the North American Confederacy . . . People are free--really free. Free to do as they please, whether it be starting a business, running for elected office, or taking target practice in the back forty. There's not a whole lot of government, nor is there a lot of crime, because everyone who wants to carries a gun, and isn't afraid to use it... moreIn the North American Confederacy . . . People are free--really free. Free to do as they please, whether it be starting a business, running for elected office, or taking target practice in the back forty. There's not a whole lot of government, nor is there a lot of crime, because everyone who wants to carries a gun, and isn't afraid to use it.But someone has bombed the Endicott Building, killing hundreds of people, and Win Bear, the only licensed detective in the confederacy, has to find out who did this dastardly deed, and why. Because whoever did it has already shown their willingness to commit more terrorist acts, no matter how many people are hurt.And that can't go on, or soon the confederacy will be just as the bad old United States--and that is something they want to avoid at all costs. less