Ball & Chain Books in Order

Ball & Chain by John W. Mefford contains 8 books, published between 2019 and 2020. The first book is Mercy (2019) and the newest is Trap (2020). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
8
Published
2019–2020

Ball & Chain is an eight-book series by John W. Mefford, published across 2019 and 2020. Every catalogued title is a single word: Mercy, Fear, Bury, Lure, Prey and Vanish in 2019, then Escape and Trap in 2020. Mefford is credited on all eight books, and the catalogue holds nothing later than 2020.

Source: composed

How many Ball & Chain books are there?

Ball & Chain has 8 books, released between 2019 and 2020.

Ball & Chain Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 8 Ball & Chain books in the order they were published, with the release year and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.

  1. 1
    Mercy2019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  2. 2
    Fear2019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  3. 3
    Bury2019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  4. 4
    Lure2019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  5. 5
    Prey2019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  6. 6
    Vanish2019 · confirmed 1/4
    2019–
  7. 7
    Escape2020 · confirmed 1/4
    2020–
  8. 8
    Trap2020 · confirmed 1/4
    2020–

Is there a chronological order for Ball & Chain?

No separate chronological order is on record for Ball & Chain, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read Ball & Chain books in order?

You should read the Ball & Chain books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Ball & Chain book also stands alone.

Where to start with Ball & Chain

Start with Mercy (2019), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Ball & Chain book?

Trap (2020) is the newest Ball & Chain book released so far.

Is there a new Ball & Chain book coming?

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

Ball & Chain at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Ball & Chain title on record dates from 2020, 6 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Ball & Chain books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Busiest decade
Most Ball & Chain books, 6 of 8, were published in the 2010s.

When Ball & Chain books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when Ball & Chain titles appeared. 2010s was the most productive decade with 6 titles.

2010s
6
2020s
2

8 books total across 2 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.