Will Lee books in order

The Will Lee series by Stuart Woods follows a Southern family's rise through American politics across seven novels, beginning with the Edgar Award-winning Chiefs in 1981.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Chiefs 1981 Stuart Woods Buy
2 Run Before the Wind 1983 Stuart Woods Buy
3 Deep Lie 1986 Stuart Woods Buy
4 Grass Roots 1989 Stuart Woods Buy
5 The Run 1995 Stuart Woods Buy
6 Capital Crimes 2003 Stuart Woods Buy
7 Mounting Fears 2008 Stuart Woods Buy

The Will Lee series by Stuart Woods spans decades of American political life. Chiefs (1981), the series opener and Woods’s first published novel, won the Edgar Award and follows multiple generations of police chiefs in a small Georgia town. The series then tracks Will Lee from his youth through a career in politics that takes him all the way to the White House.

The seven books cover everything from Cold War espionage (Deep Lie) to domestic political maneuvering (Grass Roots, The Run). This was the series that launched Woods’s career, and it remains popular with readers who enjoy political fiction grounded in Southern settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Will Lee series?

There are seven books in the Will Lee series, published between 1981 and 2008.

What is the first book in the Will Lee series?

The first book in the Will Lee series is Chiefs, published in 1981.

Did the Will Lee series win any awards?

Yes. Chiefs, the first book in the series, won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America in 1982. It was also adapted into a television miniseries.

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