Terry Harknett Reading Order

49 books (1974–1989)

The Adam Steele series is a complete western action collection spanning 49 books published between 1974 and 1989 by Terry Harknett. This series should be read in publication order, beginning with Bounty Hunter and continuing through its full run of interconnected adventures. The lengthy saga combines elements of mystery, thriller, and literary western fiction across its substantial catalog.

Start with Bounty Hunter, the first of 49 books in the Adam Steele series.

#	Title
1	Bounty Hunter 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Hell's Junction 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Violent Peace 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Gun Run 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Killing Art 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Valley of Blood 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Badge in the Dust 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Comanche Carnage 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Cross-Fire 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Lynch Town 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Losers 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Bloody Border 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Death Trail 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Delta Duel 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	River of Death 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Nightmare at Noon 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Satan's Daughters 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Fort Despair 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	The Big Game 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Hard Way 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Tarnished Star 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Wagons East 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Wanted for Murder 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Manhunt 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Steele's War: The Preacher 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Steele's War: The Woman 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Steele's War: The Storekeeper 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Steele's War: The Stranger 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	The Big Prize 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	The Cheaters 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	The Killer Mountains 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	The Wrong Man 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Stranger in a Strange Town 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	The Runaway 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	The Valley of the Shadow 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	Hell Raisers 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	Canyon of Death 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	High Stakes 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	Rough Justice 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Sunset Ride 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	The Killing Strain 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	Code of the West 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
43	The Big Gunfight 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
44	The Hunted 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
45	The Outcasts 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
46	Going Back 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
47	The Return 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
48	Trouble in Paradise 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
49	The Long Shadow 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

27 books (1974–1984)

The Apache series is a complete 27-book western thriller sequence by Terry Harknett, published between 1974 and 1984. This collection spans stories of frontier action and conflict, with titles like Knife in the Night, Death Train, Fort Treachery, and Blood Rising that emphasize the series' focus on violence and survival in the Old West. Readers should follow the books in publication order, beginning with Knife in the Night, to experience the narrative progression as originally intended.

Start with Knife in the Night, the first of 27 books in the Apache series.

#	Title
1	Knife in the Night 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The First Death 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Death Train 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Duel to the Death 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Fort Treachery 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Blood Line 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Sonora Slaughter 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	All Blood is Red 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Blood on the Tracks 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Naked and the Savage 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Fool's Gold 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Cruel Trail 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Blood Rising 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Born to Die 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Best Man 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Blood Brother 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Slow Dying 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Texas Killing 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Blood Wedding 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Death Dragon 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Fast Living 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Border Killing 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Death Valley 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Death Ride 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	The Hanging 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Times Past 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Debt of Blood 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1974–1975)

The Crown series consists of three complete mystery thrillers by Terry Harknett, published between 1974 and 1975. The three books in the series—Macao Mayhem, The Sweet And Sour Kill, and Bamboo Shoot-Out—should be read in publication order. This trilogy blends elements of mystery and thriller fiction into a cohesive narrative arc.

Start with Macao Mayhem and read in order.

#	Title
1	Macao Mayhem 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Sweet And Sour Kill 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Bamboo Shoot-Out 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

61 books (1972–1989)

The Edge series is a complete western thriller collection of 61 books written by Terry Harknett between 1972 and 1989. This prolific series should be read in publication order, beginning with Apache Death and continuing through titles like Blood on Silver, Killer's Breed, and Ten Grand. The full sequence spans from the first installment through Blood Run and forty-six additional entries, offering readers a comprehensive exploration of the genre across nearly two decades of releases.

Start with Apache Death, the first of 61 books in the Edge series.

#	Title
1	Apache Death 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Blood on Silver 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Killer's Breed 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Ten Grand 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Loner 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Black Vengeance 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Bloody Summer 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	California Killing 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Seven Out of Hell 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Blue, the Grey and the Red 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	A Town Called Hate 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Big Gold 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Sioux Uprising 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Biggest Bounty 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Blood Run 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Final Shot 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Vengeance Valley 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Ashes and Dust 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Sullivan's Law 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Ten Tombstones to Texas 1976Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Echoes of War 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Rhapsody in Red 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Slaughter Road 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	The Day Democracy Died 1977Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Death Drive 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Eve of Evil 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Savage Dawn 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	The Living, the Dying and the Dead 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Violence Trail 1978Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Red Fury 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	The Frightened Gun 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	The Guilty Ones 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Waiting for a Train 1979Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	A Ride in the Sun 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Death Deal 1980Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	Massacre Mission 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	Town on Trial 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	Vengeance at Ventura 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	Montana Melodrama 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	The Killing Claim 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	The Prisoners 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	Arapaho Revenge 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
43	Bloody Sunrise 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
44	House on the Range 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
45	The Blind Side 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
46	The Godforsaken 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
47	The Moving Cage 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
48	Revenge Ride 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
49	School For Slaughter 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
50	Shadow of the Gallows 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
51	A Time For Killing 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
52	Brutal Border 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
53	Backshot 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
54	Doom Town 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
55	Hitting Paydirt 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
56	Uneasy Riders 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
57	Dying is for Ever 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
58	Terror Town 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
59	The Desperadoes 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
60	The Breed Woman 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
61	The Rifle 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1980–1982)

Terry Harknett's Edge Meets Steele series comprises two complete mystery and thriller novels published between 1980 and 1982. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Two of a Kind followed by Matching Pair. Both books are standalone entries that can be enjoyed independently, though reading them sequentially provides the intended experience of the complete series.

Start with Two of a Kind and read in order.

6 books (2011–2012)

The Edge: The Return series comprises six complete Western thrillers by Terry Harknett, published between 2011 and 2012. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with Killing Time In Eternity and continuing through Return to Massacre Mesa, The Deputy, The Outrage, The Quiet Gun, and concluding with Name on the Bullet. The series follows a consistent narrative arc across its six installments, making sequential reading essential to fully experience the story.

Start with Killing Time In Eternity, the first of 6 books in the Edge: The Return series.

4 books (1970–1973)

The Fortune series comprises four complete mystery and thriller novels by Terry Harknett, published between 1970 and 1973. Readers should follow the books in their original publication order: Stopover for Murder, Dead Set, One Horse Race, and Black Death. This short series combines elements of mystery and thriller fiction across its four installments.

Start with Stopover for Murder, the first of 4 books in the Fortune series.

#	Title
1	Stopover for Murder 1970Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Dead Set 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	One Horse Race 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Black Death 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1972–1975)

Terry Harknett's two-book non-fiction series offers travel and regional exploration across distinct Mediterranean and Caribbean destinations. Published between 1972 and 1975, the complete series consists of The Balearic Islands and Caribbean, which should be read in publication order. These standalone geographical works provide insights into two contrasting island regions during this period.

Start with The Balearic Islands and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Balearic Islands 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Caribbean 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1965–1974)

Terry Harknett's Standalone Novels series comprises six independent mystery and thriller works published between 1965 and 1974. The series is now complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Once a Copper. The collection spans literary fiction, westerns, and non-fiction across its titles, which include The Protectors, W.I.T.C.H., Promotion Tour, Squeeze Play, and The Hero (co-written with Peter Haining).

Start with Once a Copper, the first of 6 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Once a Copper 1965Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Protectors 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	W. I. T. C. H(As: Jane Harman) 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Promotion Tour 1972Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Squeeze play 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Hero(With: Peter Haining) 1974Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (1962–1973)

The Steve Wayne series by Terry Harknett comprises seven mystery and thriller novels published between 1962 and 1973. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Scratch on the Surface and continuing through Dead Little Rich Girl, Invitation to a Funeral, Death of an Aunt, The Two-Way Frame, Softcover Kill, and concluding with Upmarket Affair. This finished series offers a full arc of mystery narratives across its seven installments.

Start with The Scratch on the Surface, the first of 7 books in the Steve Wayne series.

#	Title
1	The Scratch on the Surface 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Dead Little Rich Girl 1963Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Invitation to a Funeral 1963Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Death of an aunt 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Two-Way Frame 1967Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Softcover Kill 1971Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Upmarket Affair 1973Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (1981–2015)

The Undertaker series by Terry Harknett spans six complete books published between 1981 and 2015. This Western mystery series should be read in publication order, beginning with Black as Death and continuing through Destined to Die, Funeral by the Sea, Three Graves to a Showdown, Back from the Dead, and concluding with Death in the Desert. Each installment builds on the narrative established in previous entries, making sequential reading essential for following the story.

Start with Black as Death, the first of 6 books in the Undertaker series.