Sheriffs book series in reading order

by J.A. Jance

by Susan Rogers Cooper

by Rich Curtin

by Frederick Ramsay

by Jeff Carson

by Ace Atkins

by Keith McCafferty

by Ray Hogan

Bill Crider (1941-2018) was an American author of crime fiction. Crider's series include Sheriff Dan Rhodes, private investigator Truman Smith, college teacher Carl Burns, Professor Sally Good, Stanley Waters and Ellie Taine. Subjects tie the mysteries to Texas and extend past detective fiction into westerns. The catalogue lists 75 books from Too Late to Die (1986) to That Old Scoundrel Death (2019). Several anthology and shared-world titles in the listing carry other names beside Crider's, among them Lee Goldberg, William Rabkin and Lyndsay Faye.

J.A. Jance writes mysteries and police procedurals, with J.P. Beaumont, Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds as recurring leads. The catalogue lists 82 books, starting with After the Fire (1984) and Until Proven Guilty (1985). The Taken Ones arrived in 2026, and Smoke and Mirrors is scheduled for 2027. Subjects include sheriffs, policewomen and women sleuths, and the Joanna Brady books form a named series alongside Jance's standalone novels.

Delores Fossen writes romantic suspense and Western romance, much of it set in Texas. The catalogue counts 183 books, from Unbridled (1998) and Saddled (2001) to Crossfire Creek Takedown (2026). Series include Lawmen of Silver Creek Ranch, Appaloosa Pass Ranch, Sweetwater Ranch, Wrangler's Creek, Coldwater Texas, Lone Star Ridge, Last Ride, Texas, Marshals of Maverick County and several Hard Justice lines. Sheriffs, pregnant women and amnesia recur across the subjects.

Steven F. Havill writes police procedurals set in New Mexico. Sheriff Bill Gastner is the recurring investigator, alongside the policewoman Estelle Reyes-Guzman. Havill has 34 catalogued books published between 1981 and 2026, from The Killer (1981) to Reverse (2026), sorted into the Posadas County Mysteries, the Bill Gastner Mysteries, the Dr. Thomas Parks books and a set of standalone novels. Westerns sit in the catalogue beside the mysteries, and Havill remains actively publishing.

Susan Rogers Cooper (1947-2024) was an American mystery novelist from Austin, Texas, working in the cosy category. Three series carry the Cooper name: Sheriff Milt Kovak, set in the invented Prophesy County, Oklahoma, and opening with The Man In the Green Chevy (1988); E.J. Pugh; and Kimmey Kruse, whose titles put a comic at the centre, in Funny as a Dead Comic (1993) and Funny As a Dead Relative (1994). Women sleuths, sheriffs and police procedure supply the subject matter. 29 titles are catalogued through Best Served Cold (2017).

William Wallace Johnstone, October 28, 1938 to February 8, 2004, was an American author of westerns, horror and survivalist fiction. The Devil's Kiss opened the run in 1981, followed by The Last of the Dog Team (1981), Out of the Ashes (1983) and Anarchy in the Ashes (1984). Series filed under the name include Ashes, First Mountain Man, Smoke Jensen, Last Gunfighter, Blood Bond and Duff MacCallister, and subjects include outlaws, frontier and pioneer life, revenge and Texas. The catalogue carries 544 titles under the Johnstone name dated 1981 to 2026, well past the 2004 death date, and 400 of them carry a William W. Johnstone credit.

Craig Johnson has 32 books in the catalogue, from The Cold Dish (2004) to The Brothers McKay (2026). Walt Longmire is the recurring character, and the subject headings list sheriffs, Wyoming, westerns and police procedural mystery. Early titles include Death Without Company (2006), Kindness Goes Unpunished (2007) and Another Man's Moccasins (2008). The Johnson list also carries Walt Longmire short stories and novellas plus standalone novels.

Montana features in the names of B.J. Daniels's series, including Cahill Ranch/Montana Cahills, Buckhorn, Montana, Beartooth, Montana, Montana Hamiltons, Cardwell Ranch: Montana Legacy and the Whitehorse, Montana sets. B.J. Daniels writes romantic suspense and western romance, with 150 books catalogued from Outlawed (1995) to Calling His Bluff (2026). Colt Brothers Investigation is another series. Subject tags include cowboys, sheriffs, murders and mystery.

Peter Bowen (1945-2020) was an American novelist who settled in Livingston, Montana, and had worked as a cowboy, hunting and fishing guide, folksinger and poet. Two series hold the fiction: the Gabriel Du Pre mysteries, set in Montana, and the Yellowstone Kelly historical novels. Luther Sage Kelly (1849-1928), the Nez Perce, the Spanish-American War and the South African War are among the subjects. Nineteen books are catalogued, from Gentleman and Scout (1987) to Solus (2018). Bowen also wrote humour and hunting pieces as Coyote Jack.

Henry Kisor is the author of the Steve Martinez series, and the catalogue holds 12 books from What's That Pig Outdoors? (1990) to Traveling with Service Animals (2019). Subject headings include mystery and detective fiction, sheriffs, Lakota Indians, deafness, wilderness areas, bear attacks and murder for hire, and biography is also tagged. Zephyr (1994), Season's Revenge (2003), A Venture into Murder (2005), Cache of Corpses (2007) and Hang Fire (2013) are among the titles.

Gary Paulsen

181 books• 17 series

Survival and outdoor adventure run through Gary Paulsen's writing for young readers. The catalogue holds 181 books, from Some Birds Don't Fly (1968) to Northwind (2022), at a median length of 105 pages. Brian Robeson, Francis Tucket, Duncan Culpepper, Murphy and the World of Adventure books head the series lines, with non-fiction and picture books alongside. No new Paulsen title has appeared since 2022.

Rich Curtin writes the Manny Rivera mysteries. Twelve books are catalogued between 2011 and 2026, from Artifacts of Death (2011) to A Cemetery For One (2026), taking in February's Files, Trails of Deception, Moonshadow Murder and The Shaman's Secret. Sheriffs and murder investigation drive the plots, and ranching, antiquities, shamans and Native American life supply the settings.

Frederick Ramsay wrote 20 mysteries published from Artscape (2004) to Countdown (2018). Ike Schwartz is the recurring character of the Ike Schwartz Mystery series, and sheriffs and Virginia appear among the subjects. Frederick Ramsay also wrote the Jerusalem Mystery, Botswana Mystery and Jesse Sutherlin Mystery series, and historical mystery is a listed subject. Buffalo Mountain, Judas and Stranger Room date from 2007 and 2008. The catalogue is likely complete.

Ridley Pearson

56 books• 11 series

Ridley Pearson, born March 13, 1953, is an American author of suspense, thriller and adventure books, several of which have made The New York Times Best Seller list. The catalogue lists 56 titles, opening with Never Look Back (1985) and Blood of the Albatross (1986). Undercurrents (1988), Probable Cause (1990) and The Angel Maker (1993) are among the earlier books, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure (2026) is the newest. Series include Boldt & Matthews, Walt Fleming, Risk Agent, Lock and Key, Steel Trapp and Kingdom Keepers. Subject tags name Lou Boldt, Daphne Matthews and police psychologists, alongside children's fiction and fantasy.

Rita Herron writes romantic suspense, with subjects that include serial murders, police, twins, missing children and ranchers. Series include Detective Ellie Reeves, Nighthawk Island, Slaughter Creek, Cold Case, Badge Of Justice, Heroes Of Horseshoe Creek, Bucking Bronc Lodge, Demonborn and Manhunt. Fiction titles include Thief of Hearts (1997), Send Me a Hero (1998), Her Eyewitness (1999) and Forgotten Lullaby (2000). Midnight Ridge (2026) is the newest title.

The westerns of Dusty Richards fill a catalogue of 58 books from 1992 to 2025. Noble's Way (1992) opens the list, followed by By the Cut of Your Clothes and From Hell to Breakfast (both 1994). Lawless Land and Servant of the Law date from 2000, and The Abilene Trail from 2003. Rambling Down the Range (2025) is the newest title. Series include Byrnes Family Ranch, Brandiron, Frank Brothers, O'Malleys of Texas, Texas Badge Mysteries, Battling Harrigans of the Frontier and Rodeo Riders. Ranch life, cattle drives, outlaws, sheriffs, Texas Rangers and Arizona appear in the subject tags.

Lou Prophet, Sheriff Ben Stillman and Gideon Hawk are among the named figures in the westerns of Peter Brandvold, whose subject headings also cover outlaws, sheriffs, bounty hunters, revenge and frontier life. The catalogue counts 86 books from Once a Marshal (1998) to Finn and the Spirit Wolves (2026). Blood Mountain (1999), Dakota Kill (2000), Once a Lawman (2000) and Once Hell Freezes Over (2001) are early titles. Series include Lou Prophet, Sheriff Ben Stillman, Rogue Lawman, Bloody Joe Mannion, .45-Caliber, Rusty Spurr, Bush Riders, Lonnie Gentry, Tom Navarro and Bear Haskell: U.S. Deputy Marshal.

Jules Clement, a sheriff in the imaginary town of Blue Deer, Montana, is the recurring figure in Jamie Harrison's mysteries. The first four titles run from The Edge of the Crazies (1995) through Going Local (1996) and An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence (1998) to Blue Deer Thaw (2000). Harrison returned with The Widow Nash (2017), The Center of Everything (2021), The River View (2024) and A River Dream (2025). Eight books are catalogued, and rodeos and police investigation sit in the subject record.

Ray Hogan's catalogue subjects list westerns, outlaws, United States marshals, sheriffs, guerrillas, kidnapping and New Mexico. Shawn Starbuck Westerns is the series credited to Hogan, and Shawn Starbuck appears among the subjects as a fictional character. Longhorn Law (1957) is the listed first book, with Land of the Strangers and The Friendless One from the same year. Hangman's Valley (1959), Outlaw Marshal (1959) and Guns Against the Sun (1960) follow.

Lewis Byford Patten (1915-1981) wrote American westerns, and was born and died in Denver, Colorado. Three further names appear on the books: Lewis Ford, Lee Leighton and Joseph Wayne, the last two used for work written with Wayne D. Overholser. Revenge, sheriffs, lynching, the Cheyenne and frontier life run through the subjects. The listing holds 113 titles dated 1951 to 2011, opening with The Snake Stomper (1951) and closing with Gene Autry and Arapaho War Drums (2011).

Mike Newton/Lyle Brandt is one catalogue entry covering two names, holding 64 books dated 1979 to 2021. Westerns and western stories lead the subjects, which also record sheriffs, outlaws, United States marshals and the fictitious character Jack Slade, alongside mystery and detective fiction, serial murderers and revenge. Lawman, Gun Men, Bounty Man, Matt Price and Gideon Rider sit beside VICAP, Bureau, INTERSECT Files and Strike Force X among the series on record. Blood Sport and Slay Ride both date from 1990, with Black Lace, Head Games and Road Kills from 1991. Warpath (2021) is the most recent title, and nothing has been listed since, so the entry is dormant.

Cherokee Indians and the Indians of North America appear among Robert J. Conley's subjects, along with westerns, outlaws and sheriffs. The catalogue lists 59 books from The Rattlesnake Band & Other Poems (1984) to Plastic Indian (2018). Series include Real People, Sheriff Go-Ahead Rider, Texas Outlaw and Native American Library. The Saga of Henry Starr (1989) and Go-Ahead Rider (1990) are among the earlier titles.

Dave Robicheaux, a Louisiana detective, is the figure most associated with James Lee Burke, who also writes the Holland family novels around Billy Bob, Hackberry and Weldon Holland. Burke's 49 catalogued books stretch from Half of Paradise (1965) to The Hadacol Boogie in 2026, a span of six decades. Hard-boiled crime in Louisiana and Texas is the core subject. Median length is 387 pages, with the 2000s as the peak decade.

Colorado sheriffs and murder investigations make up Jeff Carson's mysteries, with amnesia and traffic accidents among the recurring plot material. David Wolf heads the main series and Ali Falco leads a second. Twenty-seven catalogued books run from Foreign Deceit (2012) through The Silversmith (2013), Cold Lake (2014) and Smoked Out (2015) to Wind Burn in 2026.