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Adam Steele Books in Order

Part ofTerry Harknett Books in Order

Find 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

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49 books

1

Bounty Hunter

by Terry Harknett

1974

Steele finds himself hunted for profit, turning a manhunt into another bloody test of speed and nerve.

2

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.

3

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.

4

Gun Run

by Terry Harknett

1975

Moving weapons through dangerous territory puts Steele between greedy men, frightened settlers, and an awful lot of lead.

5

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.

6

Valley of Blood

by Terry Harknett

1975

Steele rides into country already primed for slaughter and has to survive the next eruption.

7

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.

8

Comanche Carnage

by Terry Harknett

1976

Frontier tensions explode, and Steele is trapped in a brutal struggle where no one keeps clean hands.

9

Cross-Fire

by Terry Harknett

1976

Caught between opposing guns, Steele has to outlast both sides before the crossfire closes completely.

10

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.

11

The Losers

by Terry Harknett

1976

A ragged group with nothing left to lose makes trouble deadlier than usual, especially once Steele gets involved.

12

Bloody Border

by Terry Harknett

1977

Near the border, divided loyalties and old grudges turn Steele's path into a killing ground.

13

Death Trail

by Terry Harknett

1977

Steele follows a trail where every stop adds another body and another reason to keep riding.

14

Delta Duel

by Terry Harknett

1977

Rivalries harden into open conflict, and Steele gets dragged toward a showdown neither side can avoid.

15

River of Death

by Terry Harknett

1977

A river crossing becomes a trap when enemies, terrain, and bad timing all turn deadly.

16

Nightmare at Noon

by Terry Harknett

1978

Broad daylight brings terror instead of safety, and Steele has to react before panic becomes massacre.

17

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.

18

Fort Despair

by Terry Harknett

1979

A fort that ought to mean safety proves almost the opposite once fear and violence take hold.

19

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.

20

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.

21

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.

22

Wagons East

by Terry Harknett

1979

Wagon travel, exposed country, and hostile company turn a journey into a running fight for survival.

23

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.

24

Manhunt

by Terry Harknett

1980

Pursuer and prey keep changing places in a hard-running hunt across dangerous country.

25

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.

26

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.

27

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.

28

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.

29

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.

30

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.

31

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.

32

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.

33

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.

34

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.

35

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.

36

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.

37

Canyon of Death

by Terry Harknett

1985

Burdened with travelers and their wagon, Steele is ambushed in bad country and driven toward worse trouble.

38

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.

39

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.

40

Sunset Ride

by Terry Harknett

1986

Suddenly saddled with a baby, Steele has to protect the child while outlaw country closes in around him.

41

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.

42

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.

43

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.

44

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.

45

The Outcasts

by Terry Harknett

1987

Befriending a Mexican family turns Steele into a marked man among locals who think exclusion is law.

46

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.

47

The Return

by Terry Harknett

1988

Just as Steele's land title seems secure, bank robbers and family vengeance arrive to destroy the peace.

48

Trouble in Paradise

by Terry Harknett

1988

A town celebration turns sour with a stabbing and scandal, proving trouble still knows where Steele lives.

49

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

  1. Book cover for "The Violent Peace"

    The Violent Peace

    by Terry Harknett

    1974Adam Steele, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Bounty Hunter"

    Bounty Hunter

    by Terry Harknett

    1974Adam Steele, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Hell's Junction"

    Hell's Junction

    by Terry Harknett

    1974Adam Steele, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Valley of Blood"

    Valley of Blood

    by Terry Harknett

    1975Adam Steele, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Gun Run"

    Gun Run

    by Terry Harknett

    1975Adam Steele, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "The Killing Art"

    The Killing Art

    by Terry Harknett

    1975Adam Steele, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Cross-Fire"

    Cross-Fire

    by Terry Harknett

    1976Adam Steele, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Comanche Carnage"

    Comanche Carnage

    by Terry Harknett

    1976Adam Steele, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Badge in the Dust"

    Badge in the Dust

    by Terry Harknett

    1976Adam Steele, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "The Losers"

    The Losers

    by Terry Harknett

    1976Adam Steele, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Lynch Town"

    Lynch Town

    by Terry Harknett

    1976Adam Steele, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Death Trail"

    Death Trail

    by Terry Harknett

    1977Adam Steele, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Bloody Border"

    Bloody Border

    by Terry Harknett

    1977Adam Steele, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Delta Duel"

    Delta Duel

    by Terry Harknett

    1977Adam Steele, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "River of Death"

    River of Death

    by Terry Harknett

    1977Adam Steele, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "Nightmare at Noon"

    Nightmare at Noon

    by Terry Harknett

    1978Adam Steele, Book 16
  17. Book cover for "Satan's Daughters"

    Satan's Daughters

    by Terry Harknett

    1978Adam Steele, Book 17
  18. Book cover for "The Hard Way"

    The Hard Way

    by Terry Harknett

    1979Adam Steele, Book 18
  19. Book cover for "The Tarnished Star"

    The Tarnished Star

    by Terry Harknett

    1979Adam Steele, Book 19
  20. Book cover for "Wanted for Murder"

    Wanted for Murder

    by Terry Harknett

    1979Adam Steele, Book 20
  21. Book cover for "Wagons East"

    Wagons East

    by Terry Harknett

    1979Adam Steele, Book 21
  22. Book cover for "The Big Game"

    The Big Game

    by Terry Harknett

    1979Adam Steele, Book 22
  23. Book cover for "Fort Despair"

    Fort Despair

    by Terry Harknett

    1979Adam Steele, Book 23
  24. Book cover for "Manhunt"

    Manhunt

    by Terry Harknett

    1980Adam Steele, Book 24
  25. Book cover for "Steele's War: The Woman"

    Steele's War: The Woman

    by Terry Harknett

    1980Adam Steele, Book 25
  26. Book cover for "Steele's War: The Preacher"

    Steele's War: The Preacher

    by Terry Harknett

    1980Adam Steele, Book 26
  27. Book cover for "Steele's War: The Storekeeper"

    Steele's War: The Storekeeper

    by Terry Harknett

    1981Adam Steele, Book 27
  28. Book cover for "Steele's War: The Stranger"

    Steele's War: The Stranger

    by Terry Harknett

    1981Adam Steele, Book 28
  29. Book cover for "The Big Prize"

    The Big Prize

    by Terry Harknett

    1981Adam Steele, Book 29
  30. Book cover for "The Killer Mountains"

    The Killer Mountains

    by Terry Harknett

    1982Adam Steele, Book 30
  31. Book cover for "The Cheaters"

    The Cheaters

    by Terry Harknett

    1982Adam Steele, Book 31
  32. Book cover for "The Wrong Man"

    The Wrong Man

    by Terry Harknett

    1982Adam Steele, Book 32
  33. Book cover for "The Valley of the Shadow"

    The Valley of the Shadow

    by Terry Harknett

    1983Adam Steele, Book 33
  34. Book cover for "The Runaway"

    The Runaway

    by Terry Harknett

    1983Adam Steele, Book 34
  35. Book cover for "Stranger in a Strange Town"

    Stranger in a Strange Town

    by Terry Harknett

    1983Adam Steele, Book 35
  36. Book cover for "Hell Raisers"

    Hell Raisers

    by Terry Harknett

    1984Adam Steele, Book 36
  37. Book cover for "Canyon of Death"

    Canyon of Death

    by Terry Harknett

    1985Adam Steele, Book 37
  38. Book cover for "High Stakes"

    High Stakes

    by Terry Harknett

    1985Adam Steele, Book 38
  39. Book cover for "Rough Justice"

    Rough Justice

    by Terry Harknett

    1985Adam Steele, Book 39
  40. Book cover for "Sunset Ride"

    Sunset Ride

    by Terry Harknett

    1986Adam Steele, Book 40
  41. Book cover for "The Killing Strain"

    The Killing Strain

    by Terry Harknett

    1986Adam Steele, Book 41
  42. Book cover for "The Big Gunfight"

    The Big Gunfight

    by Terry Harknett

    1987Adam Steele, Book 42
  43. Book cover for "The Hunted"

    The Hunted

    by Terry Harknett

    1987Adam Steele, Book 43
  44. Book cover for "Code of the West"

    Code of the West

    by Terry Harknett

    1987Adam Steele, Book 44
  45. Book cover for "The Outcasts"

    The Outcasts

    by Terry Harknett

    1987Adam Steele, Book 45
  46. Book cover for "The Return"

    The Return

    by Terry Harknett

    1988Adam Steele, Book 46
  47. Book cover for "Trouble in Paradise"

    Trouble in Paradise

    by Terry Harknett

    1988Adam Steele, Book 47
  48. Book cover for "Going Back"

    Going Back

    by Terry Harknett

    1988Adam Steele, Book 48
  49. Book cover for "The Long Shadow"

    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.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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