Order of Book Series
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Father Koesler Books in Order

Father Koesler by William X. Kienzle contains 24 books, published between 1979 and 2002. The first book is The Rosary Murders (1979) and the newest is The Gathering (2002). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
24
Published
1979–2002
Pages on record
5,946 in 20 of 24 books
Reading time
99–149 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,946 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 20 of 24 titles with a page count on record.

See all 24 books in order Printable Father Koesler checklist

Father Koesler is a Detroit mystery series by William X. Kienzle whose lead character is a Catholic priest, Father Robert Koesler. The 24 books appeared between 1979 and 2002. The Rosary Murders (1979) opens the series, followed by Death Wears a Red Hat (1980) and Mind Over Murder (1981). The early books arrived once a year, through titles such as Kill and Tell (1984) and Deadline for a Critic (1987). The Gathering (2002) is the final entry.

How many Father Koesler books are there?

Father Koesler has 24 books, released between 1979 and 2002.

Father Koesler Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 24 Father Koesler 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.

  1. Cover of The Rosary Murders by William X. Kienzle, book 1 of the Father Koesler series (1979)
  2. Cover of Death Wears a Red Hat by William X. Kienzle, book 2 of the Father Koesler series (1980)
  3. Cover of Mind Over Murder by William X. Kienzle, book 3 of the Father Koesler series (1981)
  4. Cover of Assault with Intent by William X. Kienzle, book 4 of the Father Koesler series (1982)
  5. Cover of Deathbed by William X. Kienzle, book 8 of the Father Koesler series (1986)
  6. Cover of Deadline for a Critic by William X. Kienzle, book 9 of the Father Koesler series (1987)
  7. Cover of Marked For Murder by William X. Kienzle, book 10 of the Father Koesler series (1988)
  8. Cover of Masquerade by William X. Kienzle, book 12 of the Father Koesler series (1990)
  9. Cover of Chameleon by William X. Kienzle, book 13 of the Father Koesler series (1991)
  10. Cover of Body Count by William X. Kienzle, book 14 of the Father Koesler series (1992)
  11. Cover of Dead Wrong by William X. Kienzle, book 15 of the Father Koesler series (1993)
  12. Cover of Bishop as Pawn by William X. Kienzle, book 16 of the Father Koesler series (1994)
  13. Cover of Call No Man Father by William X. Kienzle, book 17 of the Father Koesler series (1995)
  14. Cover of Requiem for Moses by William X. Kienzle, book 18 of the Father Koesler series (1996)
  15. Cover of The Man Who Loved God by William X. Kienzle, book 19 of the Father Koesler series (1997)
  16. Cover of The Greatest Evil by William X. Kienzle, book 20 of the Father Koesler series (1998)
  17. Cover of Till Death by William X. Kienzle, book 22 of the Father Koesler series (2000)
  1. 1
    The Rosary Murders1979 · 296 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1979296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Death Wears a Red Hat1980 · 288 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1980288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Mind Over Murder1981 · confirmed 2/4
    1981–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Assault with Intent1982 · 273 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1982273
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Shadow of Death1983 · 252 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1983252
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Kill and Tell1984 · 249 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1984249
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Sudden Death1985 · 252 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1985252
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Deathbed1986 · 258 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1986258
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Deadline for a Critic1987 · 339 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1987339
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Marked For Murder1988 · 295 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1988295
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Eminence1989 · 355 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1989355
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Masquerade1990 · 272 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1990272
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Chameleon1991 · 332 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1991332
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Body Count1992 · 334 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1992334
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Dead Wrong1993 · 326 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1993326
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Bishop as Pawn1994 · 307 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1994307
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Call No Man Father1995 · confirmed 2/4
    1995–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Requiem for Moses1996 · 322 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1996322
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Man Who Loved God1997 · 304 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1997304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Greatest Evil1998 · 294 pages · confirmed 2/4
    1998294
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    No Greater Love1999 · confirmed 2/4
    1999–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    Till Death2000 · 294 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2000294
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    The Sacrifice2001 · confirmed 2/4
    2001–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Gathering2002 · 304 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2002304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Father Koesler?

No separate chronological order is on record for Father Koesler, 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 Father Koesler books in order?

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

Where to start with Father Koesler

Start with The Rosary Murders (1979), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Father Koesler book?

The Gathering (2002) is the newest Father Koesler book released so far.

Is there a new Father Koesler book coming?

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

Father Koesler at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Father Koesler title on record dates from 2002, 24 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Father Koesler books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
5,946 pages across the 20 of 24 books with a recorded length, a median of 296 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Father Koesler books, 10 of 24, were published in the 1990s.

What the Father Koesler books are about

20 of the 24 Father Koesler books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: robert koesler (fictitious character) is tagged on 17 of 20. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by William X. Kienzle

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.