Sheriffs book series in reading order

by J.A. Jance

by Rich Curtin

by Jeff Carson

by Ace Atkins

by Keith McCafferty

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Carla Cassidy, born Carla Bracale in Kansas, is an American romance novelist who has published since 1988. The first novels carried the maiden name Carla Bracale, later ones the married name Cassidy, and one fantasy novel appeared under the name Carla Cook. The catalogue lists 184 books, from Falling for You (1988, as Carla Bracale) to The Final Victim (2026). Series include Cowboys of Holiday Ranch, Wild West Bodyguards, Scarecrow Murders, Mustang, Montana, Lawmen of Black Rock, Cherokee Corners, Men of Wolf Creek and Kings of Coyote Creek. Subjects include romantic suspense, cowboys, bodyguards and serial murderers.

Ralph Cotton (1945-2024) was an American writer of westerns. The debut novel, While Angels Dance: The Life and Times of Jeston Nash, appeared from St. Martin's Press in 1994, and more than 80 novels followed, three of them carrying Ralph Compton's byline after Compton died. 75 titles are catalogued here, through to Gunman's Pass (2022). Ranger Sam Burrack is the recurring lead, with the Jeston Nash, Will Summers, Sherman Dahl, Gun Culture, Long Riders and Dead Or Alive sequences alongside. Arizona Rangers, outlaws, gunfights and frontier life carry the subject tags.

Shirlee McCoy writes Christian romance and inspirational romantic suspense, with subjects that include police, widows and single mothers. The catalogue lists 64 books from Still Waters (2003) to Blizzard Showdown (2021) and marks the author as dormant. Series include Heroes For Hire, Mission: Rescue, Lakeview, FBI: Special Crimes Unit, Apple Valley and Bradshaws. Die Before Nightfall (2005), Little Girl Lost (2007) and Lakeview Protector (2008) are among the titles.

Max Brand

345 books• 13 series

Max Brand was the main pen name of Frederick Schiller Faust, an American writer who died in 1944 and whose westerns fill most of a 345-title catalogue. Faust also created Dr. James Kildare, a young medical intern, for pulp fiction; the character later carried into Paramount and MGM films, radio, two television series and comics. Other Faust pseudonyms include George Owen Baxter, John Frederick, Evan Evans, David Manning, Peter Dawson, George Challis and Frederick Frost. Series strands include Silvertip, Dan Barry, Thunder Moon, Ronicky Doone and Bull Hunter. Harrigan (1918) is the earliest catalogued title, with reissues dated as late as 2022.

James Sallis, who lived from 1944 to 2026, was an American crime writer, poet, science fiction writer and biographer. The Lew Griffin novels, set in New Orleans, follow a detective through a series that opens with The Long-Legged Fly (1992); Drive, published in 2005, became a film of the same name in 2011. Sallis also wrote about music, starting the catalogue with The Guitar Players: One Instrument and Its Masters in American Music (1982). Thirty-eight titles are catalogued in all.

Joyce & Jim Lavene is a writing partnership credited with 67 books between 1999 and 2016, the catalogue opening with A Time for Love (1999). Subjects include mystery and detective fiction, murder investigation, sheriffs and North Carolina. Mystery series by Joyce & Jim Lavene include Sharyn Howard, Peggy Lee Garden Mysteries, A Renaissance Faire Mystery, Missing Pieces Mystery, Retired Witches Mysteries, Pie Shop Mysteries and Pet Psychic Mystery. Romance also appears among the subjects, and a non-fiction line sits alongside the novels. Putting on the Witch (2016) is the newest title, and the catalogue is marked likely complete.

Debbie Macomber

245 books• 35 series

Debbie Macomber, born October 22, 1948, is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six Macomber novels became made-for-TV movies, and the Cedar Cove novels became a television series of the same name, with Macomber serving as executive producer on the adaptations. Macomber won the first fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and holds a RITA Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. The catalogue counts 245 books between Starlight (1983) and A Date with Santa (2026). Series include Heart of Texas, Midnight Sons, Navy, Those Manning Men, Orchard Valley and Angels Everywhere.