Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dead Folks’ Blues | 1992 | Steven Womack | Buy |
| 2 | Torch Town Boogie | 1995 | Steven Womack | Buy |
| 3 | Way Past Dead | 1995 | Steven Womack | Buy |
| 4 | Chain of Fools / Nobody’s Chain Lays Straight | 1995 | Steven Womack | Buy |
| 5 | Murder Manual | 1998 | Steven Womack | Buy |
| 6 | Dirty Money | 2018 | Steven Womack | Buy |
| 7 | Fade Up From Black | 2022 | Steven Womack | Buy |
The Harry James Denton series by Steven Womack follows a private investigator working in Nashville, Tennessee. Dead Folks’ Blues (1992) won the Edgar Award and established Denton as a character rooted in Nashville’s particular mix of music, money, and trouble.
Torch Town Boogie, Way Past Dead, and Chain of Fools (all 1995) came in rapid succession, followed by Murder Manual (1998). After a long hiatus, Womack returned to the series with Dirty Money (2018) and Fade Up From Black (2022), picking up Denton’s story two decades later. The Nashville setting gives the series a distinctive flavor that sets it apart from other PI fiction.