Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rafferty’s Rules | 1987 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 2 | Last Seen Alive | 1987 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 3 | Poor Dead Cricket | 1988 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 4 | Wrong Place, Wrong Time | 1989 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 5 | Cannon’s Mouth | 1990 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 6 | Fatal Sisters | 1990 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 7 | False Gods | 2018 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 8 | Wright & Wrong | 2020 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
| 9 | Down The Barrel | 2022 | W. Glenn Duncan | Buy |
Rafferty’s Rules (1987) sets the template: a Dallas P.I. takes a case, gets in over his head, and fights his way out with fists and wisecracks. W. Glenn Duncan’s series doesn’t reinvent the hardboiled detective story, but it executes the formula with energy and a strong sense of place. Dallas isn’t just a backdrop; its heat, sprawl, and culture seep into the stories.
The original run of five books came in quick succession between 1987 and 1990. After a long gap, Duncan revived the series in 2018 with three more entries. The later books pick up where the originals left off in tone, if not in time. Rafferty is still the same character: cynical, capable, and unwilling to walk away from a case once he’s started.