Brett Halliday Books in Order
144 books are credited to Brett Halliday, published between 1933 and 2020; 6 of them appeared after Brett Halliday's death in 1977. The first book is Outlaws Three (1933) and the newest is Death is a Lovely Dame (2020). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 144
- Published
- 1933–2020
- Confirmed
- 68 of 144 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,954 in 14 of 144 books
Brett Halliday is the main pen name of Davis Dresser (1904-1977), an American writer of mysteries and westerns. Michael Shayne, a private investigator introduced in Dividend on Death in 1939, is the long-running creation, and Dresser later commissioned other writers to carry the series on. The catalogue holds 144 books, from Outlaws Three in 1933 to Death is a Lovely Dame in 2020, taking in the Powder Valley westerns, the Rio Kid Adventures, Jerry Burke and Morgan Wayne. Dresser also published as Peter Field, Anthony Scott and Anderson Wayne, and as Asa Baker, Matthew Blood, Kathryn Culver, Don Davis and Hal Debrett.
How many Brett Halliday books are there?
Brett Halliday has 144 books, released between 1933 and 2020. 6 of them were published after Brett Halliday's death in 1977. They include 5 separate series.
Brett Halliday Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 144 Brett Halliday books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 11933–2/4
- 21938–2/4
- 31939–3/4
- 41940–2/4
- 51940–3/4
- 61940–3/4
- 71941–2/4
- 81941–2/4
- 91941–3/4
- 1019413583/4
- 111942–2/4
- 121942–2/4
- 1319423142/4
- 141943–3/4
- 151943–3/4
- 161943–2/4
- 171943–3/4
- 181944–2/4
- 191944–3/4
- 201944–2/4
- 211944–3/4
- 221944–2/4
- 231944–2/4
- 241945–3/4
- 251945–3/4
- 261945–2/4
- 271945–2/4
- 281945–2/4
- 291946–3/4
- 301946–2/4
- 311946–2/4
- 321947–3/4
- 331947–2/4
- 341947–2/4
- 351948–3/4
- 361948–2/4
- 371949–2/4
- 381949–3/4
- 391949–3/4
- 401949–2/4
- 411949–2/4
- 421950–3/4
- 431950–2/4
- 441950–2/4
- 451951–3/4
- 4619511923/4
- 471951–3/4
- 481951–2/4
- 491952–3/4
- 501952–2/4
- 511952–2/4
- 521952–2/4
- 531952–2/4
- 541953–3/4
- 5519531762/4
- 5619531762/4
- 571953–2/4
- 581954–3/4
- 591954–2/4
- 601954–2/4
- 6119541722/4
- 621954–2/4
- 631955–3/4
- 641955–3/4
- 651955–2/4
- 661955–2/4
- 6719551762/4
- 681955–2/4
- 691956–3/4
- 701956–3/4
- 711956–2/4
- 721956–2/4
- 731956–2/4
- 741957–3/4
- 751957–3/4
- 7619571762/4
- 7719571762/4
- 781957–2/4
- 791957–2/4
- 801958–3/4
- 811958–3/4
- 821958–2/4
- 831958–2/4
- 841958–2/4
- 851959–3/4
- 861959–3/4
- 871959–3/4
- 881959–2/4
- 891959–2/4
- 901959–2/4
- 911960–2/4
- 921960–3/4
- 931960–3/4
- 941960–3/4
- 951960–2/4
- 961960–2/4
- 9719603502/4
- 981961–3/4
- 991961–3/4
- 1001961–3/4
- 1011961–2/4
- 1021961–2/4
- 1031961–2/4
- 1041962–3/4
- 10519621603/4
- 1061962–3/4
- 1071962–3/4
- 10819621762/4
- 1091962–2/4
- 11019621762/4
- 1111963–3/4
- 1121963–3/4
- 11319631762/4
- 1141963–2/4
- 1151963–2/4
- 1161964–3/4
- 1171964–3/4
- 1181964–2/4
- 1191965–3/4
- 1201965–3/4
- 1211965–2/4
- 1221966–3/4
- 1231966–3/4
- 1241967–3/4
- 1251967–3/4
- 1261968–3/4
- 1271969–3/4
- 1281970–3/4
- 1291970–3/4
- 1301971–3/4
- 1311971–3/4
- 1321972–3/4
- 1331973–3/4
- 1341973–3/4
- 1351974–3/4
- 1361974–3/4
- 1371976–3/4
- 1381976–3/4
- 1392010–2/4
- 1402016–2/4
- 1412016–2/4
- 1422020–2/4
- 1432020–2/4
- 1442020–2/4
Brett Halliday books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Michael Shayne in order
68 books- 1. Dividend on Death
- 2. The Private Practice of Michael Shayne
- 3. The Uncomplaining Corpses
- 4. Tickets for Death
- 5. Bodies Are Where You Find Them
- 6. The Case of the Walking / Corpse Came Calling
- 7. Murder Wears a Mummer's Mask / In a Deadly Vein
- 8. Blood on the Black Market
- 9. Michael Shayne's Long Chance
- 10. Murder and the Married Virgin
- 11. Murder is My Business
- 12. Marked For Murder
- and 56 more in the table above
Powder Valley in order
66 books- 1. Outlaws Three
- 2. Guns from Powder Valley
- 3. Powder Valley Pay-Off
- 4. Law Man of Powder Valley / Sheriff's Revenge
- 5. Trail South from Powder Valley
- 6. Hell's Corner / Powder Valley Vengeance
- 7. Sheriff on the Spot
- 8. Death Rides The Night
- 9. Midnight Round-Up
- 10. The Smoking Iron
- 11. Gringo Guns
- 12. Ravaged Range
- and 54 more in the table above
Rio Kid Adventure in order
3 booksBrett Halliday Standalone Novels
3 books3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Jerry Burke in order
2 booksMorgan Wayne in order
2 booksDo you have to read Brett Halliday books in order?
You only need to read Brett Halliday books in order within each series: the books listed here span 5 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Brett Halliday
Start with Outlaws Three (1933), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Brett Halliday book?
Death is a Lovely Dame (2020) is the newest Brett Halliday book released so far.
Is there a new Brett Halliday book coming?
No next Brett Halliday book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Brett Halliday has won
Wikidata records 1 award for Brett Halliday. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Edgar Awards1952Won
Brett Halliday at a glance
- Died
- Brett Halliday died in 1977, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Brett Halliday are still being published after Brett Halliday's death in 1977; the newest appeared in 2020.
- Release pace
- Brett Halliday books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 2,954 pages across the 14 of 144 books with a recorded length, a median of 176 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Brett Halliday books, 49 of 144, were published in the 1950s.
What the Brett Halliday books are about
20 of the 144 Brett Halliday books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: michael shayne (fictitious character) is tagged on 9 of 20. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Michael Shayne (Fictitious character) 9 of 20 books
- Westerns 9 of 20 books
- Mystery & detective 6 of 20 books
- Shayne, michael (fictitious character) 3 of 20 books