Terry Harknett Books in Order

Terry Harknett has written 146 books, published between 1962 and 2015. The first book is The Scratch on the Surface (1962) and the newest is Death in the Desert (2015). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
146
Published
1962–2015
Pages on record
5,353 in 33 of 146 books

Terry Harknett was one of the Piccadilly Cowboys, the group of British writers who produced violent paperback westerns in the 1970s. Harknett's 146 catalogued titles run from The Scratch on the Surface in 1962 to Death in the Desert in 2015, with the 1970s as the peak decade. Adam Steele is his main western sequence, joined by Crown, Steve Wayne, Edge: The Return and the crossover run Edge Meets Steele. Early books are crime novels rather than westerns.

Source: composed

How many Terry Harknett books are there?

Terry Harknett has 146 books, released between 1962 and 2015. They include 8 series and 8 titles listed outside any series.

Terry Harknett Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 146 Terry Harknett 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 November 2026.

  1. 1
    The Scratch on the SurfaceSteve Wayne #11962 · confirmed 2/4
    1962–
  2. 2
    Dead Little Rich GirlSteve Wayne #21963 · confirmed 2/4
    1963–
  3. 3
    Invitation to a FuneralSteve Wayne #31963 · confirmed 2/4
    1963–
  4. 4
    Once a Copper1965 · confirmed 2/4
    1965–
  5. 5
    The Protectors1967 · confirmed 2/4
    1967–
  6. 6
    The Two-Way FrameSteve Wayne #41967 · confirmed 2/4
    1967–
  7. 7
    Death of an auntSteve Wayne #51967 · confirmed 2/4
    1967–
  8. 8
    Stopover for MurderFortune #11970 · 124 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1970124
  9. 9
    W. I. T. C. H (As: Jane Harman)1971 · confirmed 2/4
    1971–
  10. 10
    Softcover KillSteve Wayne #61971 · 189 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1971189
  11. 11
    The Balearic Islands1972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
  12. 12
    The LonerEdge #11972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
  13. 13
    Dead SetFortune #21972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
  14. 14
    Ten GrandEdge #21972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
  15. 15
    Apache DeathEdge #31972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
  16. 16
    One Horse RaceFortune #31972 · 126 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1972126
  17. 17
    Killer's BreedEdge #41972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
  18. 18
    Promotion Tour1972 · 253 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1972253
  19. 19
    Blood on SilverEdge #51972 · confirmed 2/4
    1972–
  20. 20
    Black DeathFortune #41973 · 124 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1973124
  21. 21
    Squeeze play1973 · 127 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1973127
  22. 22
    The Blue, the Grey and the RedEdge #61973 · confirmed 2/4
    1973–
  23. 23
    California KillingEdge #71973 · confirmed 2/4
    1973–
  24. 24
    Upmarket AffairSteve Wayne #71973 · 184 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1973184
  25. 25
    Seven Out of HellEdge #81973 · confirmed 2/4
    1973–
  26. 26
    Bloody SummerEdge #91973 · confirmed 2/4
    1973–
  27. 27
    Black VengeanceEdge #101973 · confirmed 2/4
    1973–
  28. 28
    The Sweet And Sour KillCrown #11974 · confirmed 2/4
    1974–
  29. 29
    The Violent PeaceAdam Steele #11974 · confirmed 2/4
    1974–
  30. 30
    Bounty HunterAdam Steele #21974 · confirmed 2/4
    1974–

Terry Harknett series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Terry Harknett 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.

Do you have to read Terry Harknett books in order?

You only need to read Terry Harknett books in order within each series: the books listed here span 8 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Terry Harknett

Start with Stopover for Murder (1970), the first FORTUNE book. The earliest catalogued title overall is The Scratch on the Surface (1962).

What is the newest Terry Harknett book?

Death in the Desert (2015) is the newest Terry Harknett book released so far.

Is there a new Terry Harknett book coming?

No next Terry Harknett book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Terry Harknett at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Terry Harknett title on record dates from 2015, 11 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Terry Harknett books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
5,353 pages across the 33 of 146 books with a recorded length, a median of 160 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Terry Harknett books, 71 of 146, were published in the 1970s.

When Terry Harknett books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when Terry Harknett titles appeared. 1970s was the most productive decade with 71 titles.

1960s
7
1970s
71
1980s
57
2010s
11

146 books total across 4 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.

What the Terry Harknett books are about

18 of the 146 Terry Harknett books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: westerns is tagged on 9 of 18. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.