Loren D. Estleman Standalone Novels books in order

Loren D. Estleman's standalone novels include 27 books spanning westerns, crime fiction, and historical novels published from 1976 to 2022.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Red Highway / The Oklahoma Punk 1976 Loren D. Estleman Buy
2 The Hider 1980 Loren D. Estleman Buy
3 Aces and Eights 1981 Loren D. Estleman Buy
4 The Wolfer 1983 Loren D. Estleman Buy
5 Mister St. John 1983 Loren D. Estleman Buy
6 This Old Bill 1984 Loren D. Estleman Buy
7 Gun Man 1985 Loren D. Estleman Buy
8 Bloody Season 1987 Loren D. Estleman Buy
9 Peeper 1989 Loren D. Estleman Buy
10 Sudden Country 1991 Loren D. Estleman Buy
11 Billy Gashade 1997 Loren D. Estleman Buy
12 Journey of the Dead 1998 Loren D. Estleman Buy
13 The Rocky Mountain Moving Picture Association 1999 Loren D. Estleman Buy
14 The Master Executioner 2001 Loren D. Estleman Buy
15 Black Powder, White Smoke 2002 Loren D. Estleman Buy
16 The Undertaker’s Wife 2005 Loren D. Estleman Buy
17 The Adventures of Johnny Vermillion 2006 Loren D. Estleman Buy
18 Gas City 2008 Loren D. Estleman Buy
19 The Branch and the Scaffold 2009 Loren D. Estleman Buy
20 Roy & Lillie: A Love Story 2010 Loren D. Estleman Buy
21 The Confessions of Al Capone 2013 Loren D. Estleman Buy
22 Ragtime Cowboys 2014 Loren D. Estleman Buy
23 The Long High Noon 2015 Loren D. Estleman Buy
24 Nearly Nero 2017 Loren D. Estleman Buy
25 The Ballad of Black Bart 2017 Loren D. Estleman Buy
26 The Eagle and the Viper 2021 Loren D. Estleman Buy
27 Paperback Jack 2022 Loren D. Estleman Buy

Loren D. Estleman’s standalone novels show the full range of his interests, from frontier westerns to crime fiction set in various periods of American history. His earliest standalones, like Red Highway (1976) and The Hider (1980), were rough-edged westerns. Aces and Eights (1981) and Bloody Season (1987) brought more polish, fictionalizing the stories of Wild Bill Hickok and the Earps at the O.K. Corral respectively.

Later standalones moved between genres freely. Billy Gashade (1997) and Journey of the Dead (1998) returned to the West, while Gas City (2008) and The Confessions of Al Capone (2013) tackled organized crime in different eras. The Eagle and the Viper (2021) is a historical thriller about an assassination plot against Napoleon, and Paperback Jack (2022) is a love letter to the pulp fiction industry. Throughout, Estleman’s research and prose quality remain consistent, even as he moves between very different settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Loren D. Estleman Standalone Novels series?

There are 27 books in the Loren D. Estleman Standalone Novels series, published between 1976 and 2022.

What is the first book in the Loren D. Estleman Standalone Novels series?

The first book in the Loren D. Estleman Standalone Novels series is Red Highway / The Oklahoma Punk, published in 1976.

Which Loren D. Estleman standalone novel is the best starting point?

Bloody Season (1987), a fictionalized account of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, is one of his most acclaimed standalones. For crime fiction readers, The Confessions of Al Capone (2013) is a strong choice.

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