Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quarantined | 2009 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
| 2 | Dodging Bullets | 2010 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
| 3 | The Red Empire | 2011 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
| 4 | Inheritance | 2012 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
| 5 | Crooked House | 2013 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
| 6 | The Savage Dead | 2013 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
| 7 | Lost Girl of the Lake | 2013 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
| 8 | Dog Days | 2014 | Joe McKinney | Buy |
Joe McKinney’s standalone novels show a writer willing to move around within genre fiction rather than sticking to a single formula. Quarantined, from 2009, imagines a Texas city locked down under quarantine – a scenario he explored before pandemic fiction became a crowded space. Dodging Bullets and The Red Empire demonstrate his range, moving between crime and horror without losing the procedural edge his police background provides.
The Savage Dead, published in 2013, brought zombie horror aboard a cruise ship and found a wide readership. Lost Girl of the Lake, also from 2013, edges into Southern Gothic territory, mixing crime mystery with something darker underneath. Dog Days, his 2014 entry, returned to more grounded crime thriller territory.
These eight novels give readers a fuller picture of McKinney’s range. They stand on their own without requiring familiarity with his series work, making them reasonable starting points for anyone curious about his writing.