Joe Gunther books in order

Joe Gunther is a thirty-five-book police procedural mystery series by Archer Mayor set in Vermont, following detective Joe Gunther through decades of investigations across the Green Mountain State.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Open Season 1988 Archer Mayor Buy
2 Borderlines 1990 Archer Mayor Buy
3 Scent of Evil 1991 Archer Mayor Buy
4 The Skeleton’s Knee 1992 Archer Mayor Buy
5 Fruits of the Poisonous Tree 1993 Archer Mayor Buy
6 The Dark Root 1994 Archer Mayor Buy
7 The Ragman’s Memory 1995 Archer Mayor Buy
8 Bellows Falls 1996 Archer Mayor Buy
9 The Disposable Man 1997 Archer Mayor Buy
10 Occam’s Razor 1999 Archer Mayor Buy
11 The Marble Mask 2000 Archer Mayor Buy
12 Tucker Peak 2001 Archer Mayor Buy
13 The Sniper’s Wife 2002 Archer Mayor Buy
14 The Sniper’s Wife: A Joe Gunther Novel 2002 Archer Mayor N/A
15 Gatekeeper 2003 Archer Mayor Buy
16 The Surrogate Thief 2004 Archer Mayor Buy
17 St. Albans Fire 2005 Archer Mayor Buy
18 The Second Mouse 2006 Archer Mayor Buy
19 The Second Mouse: A Joe Gunther Novel 2006 Archer Mayor N/A
20 Chat 2007 Archer Mayor Buy
21 The Catch 2008 Archer Mayor Buy
22 The Price of Malice 2009 Archer Mayor Buy
23 Red Herring 2010 Archer Mayor Buy
24 Tag Man 2011 Archer Mayor Buy
25 Paradise City 2012 Archer Mayor Buy
26 Three Can Keep a Secret 2013 Archer Mayor Buy
27 Proof Positive 2014 Archer Mayor Buy
28 The Company She Kept 2015 Archer Mayor Buy
29 Presumption of Guilt 2017 Archer Mayor Buy
30 Trace 2017 Archer Mayor Buy
31 Bury the Lead 2018 Archer Mayor Buy
32 Bomber’s Moon 2019 Archer Mayor Buy
33 The Orphan’s Guilt 2020 Archer Mayor Buy
34 Marked Man 2021 Archer Mayor Buy
35 Fall Guy 2022 Archer Mayor Buy

The Joe Gunther series has been running since Open Season in 1988, with 35 books following the Vermont detective through more than three decades of cases. Gunther starts his career in Brattleboro and eventually joins the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, which expands his territory to the whole state.

Archer Mayor uses the Vermont setting to tell stories that could not happen anywhere else. The state’s rural character, seasonal rhythms, and close-knit communities create a distinctive crime fiction landscape. Over 35 books, Mayor has built a detailed portrait of Vermont through its darker side, showing that serious crime exists even in the quietest corners of New England.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Joe Gunther series?

There are 35 books in the Joe Gunther series, published between 1988 and 2022.

What is the first book in the Joe Gunther series?

The first book in the Joe Gunther series is Open Season, published in 1988.

Where is the Joe Gunther series set?

The series is set throughout Vermont, from small towns to the state capital. Gunther starts as a Brattleboro detective and eventually works for the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, giving him jurisdiction across the entire state.

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