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Fargo (Ben Haas) Books in Order

Part ofBen Haas Books in Order

This page lists the Fargo books by Ben Haas, written as John Benteen, in order, with quick summaries, series background, and where to start.

Last updated: July 8, 2026

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Fargo (Ben Haas) books in publication order

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16 books

1

Alaska Steel

by Ben Haas

1969

An actress hires Fargo to find her estranged husband in Alaska, but the missing man is tied to valuable land and a brutal local power structure. The frozen setting adds a strong survival edge to the hunt.

2

Fargo

by Ben Haas

1969

This series opener introduces Neal Fargo, a hard, restless gunman who hires himself out for the jobs other men avoid. On the Mexican border, revolution and greed give him exactly the kind of trouble he lives for.

3

Massacre River

by Ben Haas

1969

Fargo is paid to escort Jade Ching across a war-torn stretch of the Philippines toward an arranged marriage she does not want. The journey becomes a dangerous test of loyalty, money, and conscience.

4

Panama Gold

by Ben Haas

1969

Soldier of fortune Cleve Buckner is building a private army in Central America, and Fargo is paid to stop him before the Panama Canal can be destroyed. It is a big job, even by Fargo standards.

5

Apache Raiders

by Ben Haas

1970

The Mexicans need guns, Fargo needs money, and smuggling arms past cavalry patrols already sounds bad enough. Then the real trouble arrives, the last dangerous Mescalero Apaches roaming the mountains.

6

The Wildcatters

by Ben Haas

1970

Fargo rides into the East Texas oil boom and takes sides against a ruthless tycoon trying to crush a rival claim. The result is a rough mix of drilling war, gunfights, and frontier capitalism at full speed.

7

Black Bulls

by Ben Haas

1971

Fargo lands in another hot spot where money, livestock, and pride are enough to start a shooting war. Haas keeps it lean and dirty, with hard riding, ambushes, and one more job turning nastier than expected.

8

Killing Spree

by Ben Haas

1971

After Fargo's mining partner is murdered, the man's daughter is kidnapped, and Fargo is left for dead, the chase turns vicious. Badly hurt and stripped of his gear, he still goes after the killers.

9

Sharpshooters

by Ben Haas

1972

Fargo takes on the thirty-man Canfield clan, a job so lopsided it would scare off almost anyone else. What follows is a brutal running fight of ambushes, hard shooting, and one-man-war determination.

10

Shotgun Man

by Ben Haas

1973

Fargo is hired to protect a Roosevelt-backed expedition running the wild Colorado River. The rapids are deadly enough, but the real danger waits along the banks in the hands of old gunfighters and raiders.

11

Wolf's Head

by Ben Haas

1973

Fargo rides into a savage job marked by pursuit, deception, and the feel of a hunt gone feral. This one leans hard into wilderness danger and the ruthless men waiting at the end of it.

12

Bandolero

by Ben Haas

1974

Accused of treachery and nearly executed by Pancho Villa's forces, Fargo is shoved into a secret mission across northern Mexico. German meddling, betrayal, and a dangerous traveling companion keep the pressure high.

13

Hell on Wheels

by Ben Haas

1976

Fargo is hired to help a small railroad being sabotaged by a larger rival. He answers with a private war of counter-sabotage, assassination attempts, and a final fight that barrels toward disaster on the tracks.

14

Killer's Moon

by Ben Haas

1976

Fargo walks into another paid killing job that quickly turns personal when the night hunt begins. Set against harsh country and harsher men, it is a compact adventure full of traps, pursuit, and retaliation.

15

Dakota Badlands

by Ben Haas

1977

Fargo heads into the Dakota badlands, where rough country and harder men turn paid trouble into a deadly test of endurance. It is a harsh, fast-moving adventure built on pursuit, treachery, and sudden violence.

16

Valley of Skulls

by Ben Haas

1982

Neal Fargo rides into a hard-country job where old hatreds, ambushes, and brutal terrain close in fast. The only way out is through the men who think they own the valley.

Fargo (Ben Haas) books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Panama Gold"

    Panama Gold

    by Ben Haas

    1969Fargo, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Alaska Steel"

    Alaska Steel

    by Ben Haas

    1969Fargo, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Massacre River"

    Massacre River

    by Ben Haas

    1969Fargo, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Fargo"

    Fargo

    by Ben Haas

    1969Fargo, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Apache Raiders"

    Apache Raiders

    by Ben Haas

    1970Fargo, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "The Wildcatters"

    The Wildcatters

    by Ben Haas

    1970Fargo, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Black Bulls"

    Black Bulls

    by Ben Haas

    1971Fargo, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Killing Spree"

    Killing Spree

    by Ben Haas

    1971Fargo, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Sharpshooters"

    Sharpshooters

    by Ben Haas

    1972Fargo, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Wolf's Head"

    Wolf's Head

    by Ben Haas

    1973Fargo, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Shotgun Man"

    Shotgun Man

    by Ben Haas

    1973Fargo, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Bandolero"

    Bandolero

    by Ben Haas

    1974Fargo, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Hell on Wheels"

    Hell on Wheels

    by Ben Haas

    1976Fargo, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Killer's Moon"

    Killer's Moon

    by Ben Haas

    1976Fargo, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "Dakota Badlands"

    Dakota Badlands

    by Ben Haas

    1977Fargo, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "Valley of Skulls"

    Valley of Skulls

    by Ben Haas

    1982Fargo, Book 16

Series background & context

The Fargo books are westerns, but only in the loosest and most entertaining sense. Neal Fargo is a gunman, drifter, ex-soldier, and hired trouble-shooter who goes wherever the money and danger are. He can work a border town, a river expedition, an oil boom, a railroad war, or a revolution with the same cold focus. If a job sounds impossible, that is usually when Fargo shows up.

He is not a tidy hero. That is part of the appeal.

Fargo makes his living with weapons, nerve, and experience. He is good with pistols and rifles, but the books make a point of his shotgun, his knife, and his willingness to solve problems the loud way if needed. He will take risky jobs for pay, but he is not just a thug for hire. Again and again, Ben Haas gives him a line he will not quite cross, even when he is moving through ugly company. That balance keeps the series from feeling mechanical. Fargo can be brutal, but he is never dull.

The setting also keeps the books fresh. Some adventures stay close to the classic western landscape, but many of them move well beyond a single cattle town or stretch of prairie. Fargo rides through Mexico, Panama, Alaska, the Philippines, Texas oil country, the Colorado River country, and the Dakota badlands. That globe-hopping range is one of the things that makes the series stand out. These are frontier adventures, but the frontier keeps changing shape.

Most books work as self-contained missions. In Fargo, you meet a man who is already fully formed, dangerous, restless, and looking for work. Panama Gold throws him into a high-stakes mission in Central America. Alaska Steel sends him north into a colder, rougher fight over a missing man and valuable land. Later books like The Wildcatters, Shotgun Man, and Hell on Wheels show how flexible the formula can be. Haas could drop Fargo into almost any violent corner of the late nineteenth century and make it feel natural.

There are recurring touches that help the books feel connected. Theodore Roosevelt hovers around the edges of the series more than once. So do soldiers, revolutionaries, outlaws, prospectors, schemers, and women who are smart enough to know Fargo is both useful and dangerous. The supporting cast changes, but the world always feels crowded with people who want money, power, revenge, or simply a way out.

The tone is fast, physical, and unsentimental. Ben Haas does not spend pages polishing scenery when a fight is about to break out, but the settings still matter. Heat, cold, mud, mountains, rapids, and distance all have a way of becoming part of the problem. That gives the violence more weight. Fargo is not moving through a cardboard West. He is moving through hard country where mistakes hurt.

If you want a western series with a lone antihero, blunt action, and a wider canvas than the usual cattle-and-saloon formula, Fargo is an easy recommendation. Start at the beginning, but do not expect a slow build. Haas throws you straight into the job, and Fargo rarely waits around.

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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