Joe Hunter Books in Order
Part ofMatt Hilton Books in OrderThis page shows the Joe Hunter books by Matt Hilton in order, with quick summaries, character notes, and help deciding where to start the series.
Last updated: June 8, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Publication Order
17 books
Dead Fall
by Matt Hilton
2009
In this early Joe Hunter short story, a job that looks manageable tips into sudden violence. Hilton keeps the setup lean and the finish sharp.
Dead Men's Dust
by Matt Hilton
2009
Joe Hunter goes looking for his missing, estranged brother and crosses paths with the terrifying Tubal Cain. It is a violent search that drags him across America and into real nightmare territory.
Cut and Run
by Matt Hilton
2010
An assassin using Joe Hunter's face launches a murder spree designed to frame him. Hunted by the law and by his enemies, Joe has to clear his name while staying alive.
Judgement and Wrath
by Matt Hilton
2010
Trying to build a quieter life in Florida, Joe Hunter takes what looks like a simple retrieval job. Then a ruthless contract killer enters the picture and turns it into a deadly chase through the swamps.
Slash and Burn
by Matt Hilton
2010
Joe Hunter is pulled into another hard-driving case that tears across the South. The threats keep shifting, the body count rises, and survival depends on staying one move ahead.
Blood and Ashes
by Matt Hilton
2011
A woman's death looks like a tragic accident, but Joe Hunter is not convinced. As he digs deeper, he finds lies, violence, and a case that burns hotter than it first appears.
Dead Men's Harvest
by Matt Hilton
2011
The Harvestman is back, and he wants revenge. Joe Hunter is forced into a showdown with an old enemy whose return makes an already brutal world even worse.
No Going Back
by Matt Hilton
2012
Jameson Walker turns to Joe Hunter when his daughter disappears into serious trouble. Bringing her home means stepping into a case that gets more dangerous with every answer.
Red Stripes
by Matt Hilton
2013
This sharp, fast Joe Hunter short story drops him into another nasty confrontation where hesitation can get you killed. It is a compact hit of action with the series' usual hard edge.
Rules of Honour
by Matt Hilton
2013
When Rink's father is murdered, Joe Hunter stands beside his closest friend. Their search for answers turns personal fast, and revenge is never far behind.
The Lawless Kind
by Matt Hilton
2014
A plea for help draws Joe Hunter into a savage mess of hidden motives and old loyalties. The deeper he goes, the harder it becomes to tell who needs saving and who is setting the trap.
The Devil's Anvil
by Matt Hilton
2015
Joe Hunter agrees to protect Billie Womack and quickly learns the job is anything but simple. As enemies close in, the assignment turns into a brutal fight for survival.
Hot Property
by Matt Hilton
2016
A short Joe Hunter adventure that wastes no time getting violent. A seemingly simple job turns hot in a hurry, and Hunter has to rely on speed, instinct, and force to stay ahead.
No Safe Place
by Matt Hilton
2016
Andrew Clayton's wife is dead, the police suspect him, and his child may be next. Joe Hunter takes the case, but protecting a frightened boy means digging into secrets someone will kill to keep buried.
Marked for Death
by Matt Hilton
2017
What should be an easy security job at an elite Miami event goes badly wrong. Joe Hunter steps into a domestic dispute, uncovers something far darker, and soon finds himself on the run.
The Fourth Option
by Matt Hilton
2020
Joe Hunter returns in a later series thriller where a bad situation turns deadly fast. Hunted, battered, and forced to think on the move, he has to cut through layers of danger before he becomes the next body.
The Due Season
by Matt Hilton
2024
This later Joe Hunter outing feels like a reckoning, with old debts and present danger arriving at once. Hunter has little room for error and even less time.
Series background & context
The Joe Hunter books are Matt Hilton's hard-driving action thrillers, built around a man who gets called when the police cannot help, the law is too slow, or the problem is already turning violent. Joe Hunter is a former counterterrorism operative from Manchester who now works in the United States, taking on jobs that usually begin with a missing person, a threatened family, or someone desperate enough to ask for off-the-books help.
He is a fixer, but not a smooth one. Joe is at his best when the talking is done and the danger is close. That gives the series its shape. A case starts with something personal and focused, then widens into a nasty tangle of killers, traffickers, old grudges, serial predators, or powerful people who assume they can act without consequence. Joe keeps moving anyway.
A big part of the series is his friendship with Jared Rink. Rink is not just backup. He is Joe's closest ally, a man with his own scars, loyalties, and code, and the books are often strongest when the two of them are working side by side. Their bond gives the series heart, even when everything around them is breaking bones and drawing blood.
The settings matter too. These books like open highways, swamps, desert roads, cheap motels, mountain cabins, small towns, and places where help is a long way off. Starting with Dead Men's Dust, Hilton sends Joe through versions of America that feel wide, rough, and full of menace. Later books like Judgement and Wrath, Rules of Honour, and Marked for Death keep that restless energy while raising the personal stakes.
What makes the series work is that Joe is tough but not untouchable. He gets hurt. He misjudges people. He carries guilt. He knows violence solves some problems and creates others. That gives the books a blunt moral edge. Joe is not trying to be a saint, but he does have lines he will not cross, and he has a strong instinct for standing up for people who are being hunted, cornered, or written off.
The tone is fast, physical, and unsentimental. These are not puzzle-box crime novels. They are built around momentum, pursuit, ambush, and last stands. Even so, the best books keep circling back to loyalty, justice, and the cost of living by a code in a lawless world.
If you want the clearest entry point, begin with Dead Men's Dust. It lays down Joe's voice, his methods, and the brutal kind of trouble he walks into. From there, the series grows bigger, darker, and more personal, but it never loses that original promise, when Joe Hunter shows up, somebody is about to have a very bad day.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.































Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts