Joseph Heywood books

Joseph Heywood is an American author known for the Woods Cop Mysteries, a long-running crime series set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula featuring conservation officer Grady Service.

Beau Valentine Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Berkut 1987 Buy
The Domino Conspiracy 1992 Buy

Lute Bapcat Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Red Jacket 2012 Buy
Mountains of the Misbegotten 2014 Buy
Beyond Beyond 2020 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Covered Waters: Tempests of a Nomadic Trouter 2003 Buy
Limpy’s Adult Lexicon 2023 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Taxi Dancer 1985 Buy
The Snowfly 2000 Buy
Upper Peculiar 2019 Buy

Woods Cop Mysteries Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Ice Hunter 2001 Buy
Blue Wolf In Green Fire 2002 Buy
Blue Wolf in Green Fire: A Woods Cop Mystery 2019 N/A
Chasing a Blond Moon 2003 Buy
Running Dark 2005 Buy
Strike Dog 2007 Buy
Death Roe 2008 Buy
Shadow of the Wolf Tree 2010 Buy
Shadow of the Wolf Tree: A Woods Cop Mystery 2010 N/A
Force of Blood 2011 Buy
Hard Ground 2013 N/A
Killing a Cold One 2013 Buy
Killing a Cold One: A Woods Cop Mystery 2013 N/A
Harder Ground 2015 N/A
Buckular Dystrophy 2016 Buy
Bad Optics 2018 Buy
Out of Service 2024 Buy

Woods Cop Mysteries Collections Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Hard Ground 2013 Buy
Harder Ground 2015 Buy

Joseph Heywood draws on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for his fiction, creating crime novels where the wilderness is as much a character as the people who live and work in it. His Woods Cop Mysteries follow Grady Service, a conservation officer whose beat covers some of the most remote and rugged territory in the Lower 48.

Before the Woods Cop series, Heywood wrote Cold War thrillers and literary fiction. The Snowfly, a standalone novel about a legendary trout fly, is considered a classic of outdoor fiction. Heywood served in the Air Force and worked in corporate leadership before turning to writing full time, and his books reflect both his military discipline and his deep love of the Michigan outdoors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Joseph Heywood written?

Joseph Heywood has written 29 books across six series.

What was Joseph Heywood's first book?

Joseph Heywood’s first book is Taxi Dancer, published in 1985.

What is Joseph Heywood known for?

Heywood is known for the Woods Cop Mysteries, a seventeen-book series following Michigan conservation officer Grady Service. The books are praised for their authentic depiction of the Upper Peninsula’s wilderness and the unique challenges facing wildlife law enforcement.

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