Adam Steele Books in Order
Part ofTerry Harknett Books in OrderFind the Adam Steele books by Terry Harknett in order, with short summaries, series background, and help picking the best place to begin.
Last updated: July 7, 2026
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Adam Steele books in publication order
49 books
Bounty Hunter
by Terry Harknett
1974
Steele finds himself hunted for profit, turning a manhunt into another bloody test of speed and nerve.
Hell's Junction
by Terry Harknett
1974
A bad town and worse company force Steele into a fight where every road seems to end in gunfire.
The Violent Peace
by Terry Harknett
1974
In the violent aftermath of the Civil War, Adam Steele starts a vengeance hunt after his father is lynched and the law turns against him.
Gun Run
by Terry Harknett
1975
Moving weapons through dangerous territory puts Steele between greedy men, frightened settlers, and an awful lot of lead.
The Killing Art
by Terry Harknett
1975
Steele faces opponents who treat murder like craft, and staying alive means learning their pattern before they finish it.
Valley of Blood
by Terry Harknett
1975
Steele rides into country already primed for slaughter and has to survive the next eruption.
Badge in the Dust
by Terry Harknett
1976
A lawman's badge carries little weight in hard country, and Steele knows justice may have to come the rough way.
Comanche Carnage
by Terry Harknett
1976
Frontier tensions explode, and Steele is trapped in a brutal struggle where no one keeps clean hands.
Cross-Fire
by Terry Harknett
1976
Caught between opposing guns, Steele has to outlast both sides before the crossfire closes completely.
Lynch Town
by Terry Harknett
1976
A town quick with the rope and slow with the truth gives Steele every reason to distrust local justice.
The Losers
by Terry Harknett
1976
A ragged group with nothing left to lose makes trouble deadlier than usual, especially once Steele gets involved.
Bloody Border
by Terry Harknett
1977
Near the border, divided loyalties and old grudges turn Steele's path into a killing ground.
Death Trail
by Terry Harknett
1977
Steele follows a trail where every stop adds another body and another reason to keep riding.
Delta Duel
by Terry Harknett
1977
Rivalries harden into open conflict, and Steele gets dragged toward a showdown neither side can avoid.
River of Death
by Terry Harknett
1977
A river crossing becomes a trap when enemies, terrain, and bad timing all turn deadly.
Nightmare at Noon
by Terry Harknett
1978
Broad daylight brings terror instead of safety, and Steele has to react before panic becomes massacre.
Satan's Daughters
by Terry Harknett
1978
Steele crosses paths with a dangerous female-led threat, and the trouble is sharper than he first thinks.
Fort Despair
by Terry Harknett
1979
A fort that ought to mean safety proves almost the opposite once fear and violence take hold.
The Big Game
by Terry Harknett
1979
When gunslingers gather to prove who is fastest, Steele gets hired to keep order and ends up in the middle of the killing.
The Hard Way
by Terry Harknett
1979
With every easier option gone, Steele is left to do things the only way he fully trusts, the hard way.
The Tarnished Star
by Terry Harknett
1979
A damaged reputation sits at the center of a frontier conflict that tests what honor still means out West.
Wagons East
by Terry Harknett
1979
Wagon travel, exposed country, and hostile company turn a journey into a running fight for survival.
Wanted for Murder
by Terry Harknett
1979
Steele is either accused, or too close to the accused, and staying free means getting to the truth first.
Manhunt
by Terry Harknett
1980
Pursuer and prey keep changing places in a hard-running hunt across dangerous country.
Steele's War: The Preacher
by Terry Harknett
1980
Faith and old war scars collide as Steele confronts a preacher tied to his haunted past.
Steele's War: The Woman
by Terry Harknett
1980
Settled life starts to crack when a woman brings back the blood-soaked memories Steele wanted buried.
Steele's War: The Storekeeper
by Terry Harknett
1981
Everyday town life cannot hold back the past when a storekeeper becomes part of Steele's private war.
Steele's War: The Stranger
by Terry Harknett
1981
A stranger with an old photograph forces Steele to face both the past he remembers and the past he never knew.
The Big Prize
by Terry Harknett
1981
Two corpses and rumors of buried wealth strip the manners off a prosperous town and pull Steele into the killing.
The Cheaters
by Terry Harknett
1982
Arriving just in time for a hanging, Steele gets caught in a range war thick with lies and bad blood.
The Killer Mountains
by Terry Harknett
1982
Steele steps in when a preacher's people are trapped by renegades, and mercy quickly gives way to violence.
The Wrong Man
by Terry Harknett
1982
Finding his own double dead on a beach, Steele is pulled into a case of mistaken identity and deadly resemblance.
Stranger in a Strange Town
by Terry Harknett
1983
Two magnificent stallions land Steele in a town where ownership, law, and life itself change hands fast.
The Runaway
by Terry Harknett
1983
Mistaken for a corpse by wagon-train children, Steele survives long enough to learn that his troubles are not over.
The Valley of the Shadow
by Terry Harknett
1983
Left for dead and barely breathing, Steele gets one slim chance to recover before facing the men who nearly finished him.
Hell Raisers
by Terry Harknett
1984
A simple stop at a general store turns violent when armed raiders walk in and Steele happens to be in their way.
Canyon of Death
by Terry Harknett
1985
Burdened with travelers and their wagon, Steele is ambushed in bad country and driven toward worse trouble.
High Stakes
by Terry Harknett
1985
A dying rail town, a prospector's death, and gold in the hills give Steele more danger than opportunity.
Rough Justice
by Terry Harknett
1985
In a near-empty Arizona town, Steele finds a wounded lawman, a funeral, and enough fresh killing to prove justice is anything but tidy.
Sunset Ride
by Terry Harknett
1986
Suddenly saddled with a baby, Steele has to protect the child while outlaw country closes in around him.
The Killing Strain
by Terry Harknett
1986
A ruin called Trail's End looks like Steele's future until armed intruders remind him how fragile new beginnings can be.
Code of the West
by Terry Harknett
1987
Telegraph poles and modern progress cannot stop a lynch mob, and Steele is pushed into a grim defense of an innocent man.
The Big Gunfight
by Terry Harknett
1987
Hired to clear town of swaggering gunmen, Steele gets a front-row seat to a deadly contest over who is fastest.
The Hunted
by Terry Harknett
1987
Two nasty claimants arrive to take over Steele's place, forcing him into a fight over property and survival.
The Outcasts
by Terry Harknett
1987
Befriending a Mexican family turns Steele into a marked man among locals who think exclusion is law.
Going Back
by Terry Harknett
1988
A stage holdup and a woman with a derringer drag Steele back into old-style danger with no easy exit.
The Return
by Terry Harknett
1988
Just as Steele's land title seems secure, bank robbers and family vengeance arrive to destroy the peace.
Trouble in Paradise
by Terry Harknett
1988
A town celebration turns sour with a stabbing and scandal, proving trouble still knows where Steele lives.
The Long Shadow
by Terry Harknett
1989
After a rare peaceful year, Steele sees trouble ride in with a beautiful stranger and knows calm is over.
Adam Steele books in chronological order

The Violent Peace
by Terry Harknett
1974Adam Steele, Book 1
Bounty Hunter
by Terry Harknett
1974Adam Steele, Book 2
Hell's Junction
by Terry Harknett
1974Adam Steele, Book 3
Valley of Blood
by Terry Harknett
1975Adam Steele, Book 4
Gun Run
by Terry Harknett
1975Adam Steele, Book 5
The Killing Art
by Terry Harknett
1975Adam Steele, Book 6
Cross-Fire
by Terry Harknett
1976Adam Steele, Book 7
Comanche Carnage
by Terry Harknett
1976Adam Steele, Book 8
Badge in the Dust
by Terry Harknett
1976Adam Steele, Book 9
The Losers
by Terry Harknett
1976Adam Steele, Book 10
Lynch Town
by Terry Harknett
1976Adam Steele, Book 11
Death Trail
by Terry Harknett
1977Adam Steele, Book 12
Bloody Border
by Terry Harknett
1977Adam Steele, Book 13
Delta Duel
by Terry Harknett
1977Adam Steele, Book 14
River of Death
by Terry Harknett
1977Adam Steele, Book 15
Nightmare at Noon
by Terry Harknett
1978Adam Steele, Book 16
Satan's Daughters
by Terry Harknett
1978Adam Steele, Book 17
The Hard Way
by Terry Harknett
1979Adam Steele, Book 18
The Tarnished Star
by Terry Harknett
1979Adam Steele, Book 19
Wanted for Murder
by Terry Harknett
1979Adam Steele, Book 20
Wagons East
by Terry Harknett
1979Adam Steele, Book 21
The Big Game
by Terry Harknett
1979Adam Steele, Book 22
Fort Despair
by Terry Harknett
1979Adam Steele, Book 23
Manhunt
by Terry Harknett
1980Adam Steele, Book 24
Steele's War: The Woman
by Terry Harknett
1980Adam Steele, Book 25
Steele's War: The Preacher
by Terry Harknett
1980Adam Steele, Book 26
Steele's War: The Storekeeper
by Terry Harknett
1981Adam Steele, Book 27
Steele's War: The Stranger
by Terry Harknett
1981Adam Steele, Book 28
The Big Prize
by Terry Harknett
1981Adam Steele, Book 29
The Killer Mountains
by Terry Harknett
1982Adam Steele, Book 30
The Cheaters
by Terry Harknett
1982Adam Steele, Book 31
The Wrong Man
by Terry Harknett
1982Adam Steele, Book 32
The Valley of the Shadow
by Terry Harknett
1983Adam Steele, Book 33
The Runaway
by Terry Harknett
1983Adam Steele, Book 34
Stranger in a Strange Town
by Terry Harknett
1983Adam Steele, Book 35
Hell Raisers
by Terry Harknett
1984Adam Steele, Book 36
Canyon of Death
by Terry Harknett
1985Adam Steele, Book 37
High Stakes
by Terry Harknett
1985Adam Steele, Book 38
Rough Justice
by Terry Harknett
1985Adam Steele, Book 39
Sunset Ride
by Terry Harknett
1986Adam Steele, Book 40
The Killing Strain
by Terry Harknett
1986Adam Steele, Book 41
The Big Gunfight
by Terry Harknett
1987Adam Steele, Book 42
The Hunted
by Terry Harknett
1987Adam Steele, Book 43
Code of the West
by Terry Harknett
1987Adam Steele, Book 44
The Outcasts
by Terry Harknett
1987Adam Steele, Book 45
The Return
by Terry Harknett
1988Adam Steele, Book 46
Trouble in Paradise
by Terry Harknett
1988Adam Steele, Book 47
Going Back
by Terry Harknett
1988Adam Steele, Book 48
The Long Shadow
by Terry Harknett
1989Adam Steele, Book 49
Series background & context
Adam Steele is Terry Harknett's other major George G. Gilman western hero, and he makes a useful contrast with Edge. The series begins with The Violent Peace, in the bitter aftermath of the Civil War. Steele's father is lynched after being wrongly suspected of rebel sympathy, Steele is forced into a killing that turns the law against him, and his life becomes a long run through vengeance, danger, and bad luck.
That setup gives the early books a strong push. Steele is on the move, often hunted, usually angry, and never far from the next trap. But unlike some western antiheroes, he does not stay frozen in one mode. Over time the series lets him change. He remains dangerous, but he also keeps trying, sometimes against his own better judgment, to get closer to settled life, property, and a future that is not just another gunfight.
That attempt to settle is one of the things that makes the later books interesting. A lot of the series turns on Steele trying to carve out space for himself, only to have new claimants, gunmen, thieves, old enemies, or outright lunatics arrive to wreck it. The Killing Strain, The Hunted, Code of the West, The Outcasts, and The Long Shadow all work variations on that pressure. A man wants peace. The frontier refuses to allow it.
The tone is still violent, but usually a shade less savage than Edge at his coldest. Steele can be ruthless, and the body count is not small, yet the books often give more room to his fatigue, his half-formed domestic hopes, and the way history keeps leaning on him. That does not make the series soft. It just gives it a slightly different emotional center.
He never gets left alone for long.
If Edge is Harknett's icon of hard-bitten western cruelty, Steele is the companion figure who shows what happens when a similarly deadly man keeps trying to live among other people. That makes the series big, varied, and easy to stay with. You get revenge plots, range wars, bad towns, stage holdups, gold fever, and land disputes, but you also get a protagonist whose long fight is not only about killing the right enemy. It is also about whether he can ever stop fighting at all.
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