Ralph Cotton Reading Order

4 books (1999–2003)

Ralph Cotton's Danny Duggin series comprises four complete western novels published between 1999 and 2003. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Death Rides a Chestnut Mare and continuing through The Shadow of a Noose, Riders of Judgement, and concluding with Death Along the Cimarron. This action-packed western series follows a contained story arc across its four installments.

Start with Death Rides a Chestnut Mare, the first of 4 books in the Danny Duggin series.

#	Title
1	Death Rides a Chestnut Mare 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Shadow of a Noose 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Riders of Judgement 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Death Along the Cimarron 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2000–2002)

Ralph Cotton's Dead Or Alive Trilogy is a complete western action series consisting of three books published between 2000 and 2002. The novels should be read in publication order, beginning with Hangman's Choice, followed by Devil's Due, and concluding with Blood Money. This trilogy delivers fast-paced adventure within the western genre, offering readers a self-contained story arc across its three installments.

Start with Hangman's Choice and read in order.

#	Title
1	Hangman's Choice 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Devil's Due 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Blood Money 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2015–2017)

Ralph Cotton's Gun Culture series comprises two western action novels published between 2015 and 2017. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Friend of a Friend followed by Season of the Wind. This pair of books offers readers the full story arc the author intended across its two installments.

Start with Friend of a Friend and read in order.

#	Title
1	Friend of a Friend 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Season of the Wind 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (2004–2010)

Ralph Cotton's Gunfighter's Reputation is a complete Western action series comprising eleven books published between 2004 and 2010. The novels follow a gunfighter protagonist through various frontier adventures across the American West and beyond. Readers should begin with Between Hell and Texas and proceed in publication order through the final entry, Gun Country, to experience the character's story as intended.

Start with Between Hell and Texas, the first of 11 books in the Gunfighter's Reputation series.

#	Title
1	Between Hell and Texas 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Gunman's Song 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Law in Somos Santos 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Bad Day at Willow Creek 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Fast Guns Out of Texas 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Gunmen of the Desert Sands 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Ride to Hell's Gate 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Crossing Fire River 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Escape From Fire River 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	City of Bad Men 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Gun Country 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1994–2002)

Ralph Cotton's Jeston Nash series spans six complete Western novels published between 1994 and 2002. Follow these books in publication order: While Angels Dance, Powder River, Cost of a Killing, Price of a Horse, Killers of Man, and Trick of the Trade. This action-packed Western series should be read sequentially from the beginning to fully experience the character's development across the interconnected stories.

Start with While Angels Dance, the first of 6 books in the Jeston Nash series.

#	Title
1	While Angels Dance 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Powder River 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Cost of a Killing 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Price of a Horse 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Killers of Man 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Trick of the Trade 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

40 books (1998–2021)

Ralph Cotton's Ranger Sam Burrack series comprises 40 western novels following the adventures of its titular protagonist across the American frontier. Published from 1998 to 2021, the series appears to be complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Badlands. The sequence includes titles such as Montana Red, Border Dogs, Justice, and Gunfight at Cold Devil, offering fans of action-packed westerns a lengthy saga to explore.

Start with Badlands, the first of 40 books in the Ranger Sam Burrack series.

#	Title
1	Badlands 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Montana Red 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Border Dogs 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Justice 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Misery Express / Blue Star Tattoo 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Blood Rock 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Jurisdiction 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Sabre's Edge 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Vengeance is a Bullet / Vengeance 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Dead Man's Canyon 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Hell's Riders 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Showdown at Rio Sagrado 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Black Mesa 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Killing Plain 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Gunfight at Cold Devil 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Trouble Creek 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Guns on the Border / Sabio's Redemption 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Killing Texas Bob 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Ambush at Shadow Valley / Shadow Valley 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Nightfall at Little Aces 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Riders From Long Pines 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Showdown at Hole-In-the-Wall 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	A Hanging in Wild Wind 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Black Valley Riders 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Lawman From Nogales 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Lookout Hill 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Valley of the Gun 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Wildfire 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	High Wild Desert 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Lawless Trail 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Red Moon 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	Golden Riders 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Shadow River 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	Twisted Hills 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Mesa Grande 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	Payback at Big Silver 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	Scalpers 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	Showdown at Gun Hill 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	A Ranger's Trail 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Bad River 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2010–2011)

Ralph Cotton's Sherman Dahl series comprises two Western action novels published between 2010 and 2011. The complete two-book series should be read in publication order, beginning with Fighting Men followed by Gun Law. These standalone entries in Cotton's Western catalog deliver action-adventure storytelling characteristic of the author's work in the genre.

Start with Fighting Men and read in order.

#	Title
1	Fighting Men 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Gun Law 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (2003–2021)

Ralph Cotton's six western novels published between 2003 and 2021 work best when read in publication order, beginning with Jackpot Ridge. Each book stands alone as a separate story rather than following a continuous narrative arc, making them accessible entry points for readers new to the author's work. The series spans Jackpot Ridge, Webb's Posse, Guns of Wolf Valley, Blood Lands, Midnight Rider, and A Killing in Gold, with the final installment arriving nearly two decades after the first. Cotton's action-driven westerns appear to conclude with this sixth entry.

Start with Jackpot Ridge, the first of 6 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Jackpot Ridge 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Webb's Posse 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Guns of Wolf Valley / Wolf Valley 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Blood Lands 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Midnight Rider 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	A Killing in Gold 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2022–2022)

#	Title
1	The Guns of C.C. Ellis 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (2011–2022)

The Will Summers series by Ralph Cotton comprises four western action-adventure novels following the same protagonist across separate stories. Published between 2011 and 2022, the series should be read in publication order beginning with Summers' Horses, followed by Incident at Gunn Point, Dark Horses, and Gunman's Pass. The series appears to be complete.

Start with Summers' Horses, the first of 4 books in the Will Summers series.

#	Title
1	Summers' Horses 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Incident at Gunn Point 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Dark Horses 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Gunman's Pass 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible