Kevin Kerney books in order

The Kevin Kerney series by Michael McGarrity is a fourteen-book mystery series following a New Mexico police chief through investigations set across the state's deserts, mountains, and cities.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Tularosa 1996 Michael McGarrity Buy
2 Mexican Hat 1997 Michael McGarrity Buy
3 Serpent Gate 1998 Michael McGarrity Buy
4 Hermit’s Peak 1999 Michael McGarrity Buy
5 The Judas Judge 2000 Michael McGarrity Buy
6 Under the Color of Law 2001 Michael McGarrity Buy
7 The Big Gamble 2002 Michael McGarrity Buy
8 Everyone Dies 2003 Michael McGarrity Buy
9 Slow Kill 2004 Michael McGarrity Buy
10 Nothing But Trouble 2005 Michael McGarrity Buy
11 Death Song 2007 Michael McGarrity Buy
12 Dead or Alive 2008 Michael McGarrity Buy
13 Residue 2018 Michael McGarrity Buy
14 Head Wounds 2020 Michael McGarrity Buy

The Kevin Kerney series by Michael McGarrity spans fourteen novels published between 1996 and 2020. The series follows Kerney from his introduction in Tularosa through his career in New Mexico law enforcement, with each book set in a different part of the state and focused on a different kind of crime.

McGarrity uses the series to map New Mexico’s geography and communities. The investigations take Kerney from isolated desert towns to the corridors of power in Santa Fe, and the state’s landscape, history, and cultural tensions are woven into every case. Kerney ages across the series, and his personal life — his relationships, his health, his connection to the land — develops alongside the criminal investigations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Kevin Kerney series?

There are fourteen books in the Kevin Kerney series, published between 1996 and 2020.

What is the first book in the Kevin Kerney series?

The first book in the Kevin Kerney series is Tularosa, published in 1996.

Who is Kevin Kerney?

Kevin Kerney is a New Mexico law enforcement officer who rises from detective to police chief across the series. He is a Vietnam veteran with deep roots in the state, and his cases take him from the Tularosa Basin to Santa Fe to the Mexican border. The series ran from 1996 to 2020, with Kerney aging in real time across the fourteen books.

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