R Lawson Gamble Books in Order
Browse R Lawson Gamble books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, recurring-character background, and clear suggestions for where to start.
Last updated: July 15, 2026
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R Lawson Gamble books in publication order
13 books
The Other
by R Lawson Gamble
2012
When a young girl's death appears to be a bear attack, FBI agent Zack Tolliver and Navajo tracker Eagle Feather find evidence of something far worse. As more victims appear, the hunt stretches from Arizona to Southern California and becomes painfully personal.
Mestaclocan
by R Lawson Gamble
2013
A killer stalks San Francisco's green spaces, leaving victims brutally murdered and almost no evidence behind. Assigned to the case, Zack Tolliver calls on Eagle Feather as they race to stop an attacker who strikes on a deadly schedule.
Los Alamos Valley
by R Lawson Gamble
2015
This photographic history traces California's Los Alamos Valley from Chumash life and Spanish land grants through ranching, railroads, vineyards, and tourism. Community-supplied images help tell the story of a small town shaped by many cultures.
Zaca
by R Lawson Gamble
2015
While speaking at a Central Coast college, Zack Tolliver is drawn into the disappearance of ranch workers. Cartels, smuggling, murder, and an old enemy turn what should have been a quiet visit into a dangerous investigation.
Cat
by R Lawson Gamble
2016
Zack rushes back to Tuba City after Eagle Feather is injured in what appears to be a mountain-lion attack. Hunting the animal seems like the only way forward, until Zack learns this is no ordinary cat and no ordinary hunt.
Payu's Journey
by R Lawson Gamble
2016
After losing her pups, Payu the dingo finds herself caring for a human infant. Her fierce maternal instinct tells her to keep the baby, but finding a safe way to raise a child becomes an obstacle-filled journey.
Under Desert Sand
by R Lawson Gamble
2017
Two young men are found dead after an impossible-looking duel in the Mojave National Preserve. Zack, Eagle Feather, and Dr. Susan Apgar follow the clues through desert history, old conflicts over water, and a case that resists easy answers.
Canaan's Secret
by R Lawson Gamble
2018
A teenage boy is found killed by a spear near a hidden cave on Canaan Mountain, frightening a guarded religious community. When Zack's niece is followed home, Zack and Eagle Feather must uncover what local leaders are hiding.
Las Cruces
by R Lawson Gamble
2019
A burned woman's body is discovered near the site of an unsolved 1864 murder in California's Las Cruces Valley. Zack Tolliver and Eagle Feather investigate whether a terrible piece of local history is repeating itself in the present.
The Dark Road: The Beginning
by R Lawson Gamble
2019
Fresh from FBI training, Zack Tolliver begins his first assignment as a liaison on the Navajo Nation. A missing-person case, sheep mutilations, and a murder force the inexperienced agent to confront a landscape and culture he barely understands.
Johnny And The Kid
by R Lawson Gamble
2020
Fifteen-year-old Johnny finds hope in a newspaper job and the mentorship of Ike Sanders in Deep River, Texas. Then the feared gunfighter called the Kid arrives, bringing a secret that threatens Johnny, his mother, and the whole town.
Johnny And The Preacher
by R Lawson Gamble
2020
Johnny is fleeing gunmen eager to test themselves against his growing reputation. He hides in the seemingly peaceful town of Hebron, where church rules the community and the Preacher's authority may offer safety, or create a new kind of danger.
Lost Oasis
by R Lawson Gamble
2020
A leading hydrology scientist vanishes near an abandoned oasis while working on a desert energy project. When a bomb is planted on Zack Tolliver's Jeep and the FBI pulls back, Zack and Eagle Feather keep digging at their own risk.
Where to start with R Lawson Gamble
For Zack Tolliver's chronological beginning: The Dark Road: The Beginning → The Other → Mestaclocan
For Southwest crime mysteries: The Other → Zaca → Under Desert Sand
For old-fashioned Western action: Johnny And The Kid → Johnny And The Preacher
For a shorter family-friendly fantasy: Payu's Journey
R Lawson Gamble sub-series and character series
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Explore this seriesZack Tolliver, FBI books in order
Explore this series
The Other
by R Lawson Gamble
2012Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 1
Mestaclocan
by R Lawson Gamble
2013Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 2
Zaca
by R Lawson Gamble
2015Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 3
Cat
by R Lawson Gamble
2016Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 4
Under Desert Sand
by R Lawson Gamble
2017Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 5
Canaan's Secret
by R Lawson Gamble
2018Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 6
Las Cruces
by R Lawson Gamble
2019Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 8
The Dark Road: The Beginning
by R Lawson Gamble
2019Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 7
Lost Oasis
by R Lawson Gamble
2020Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 9
Zack Tolliver, FBI books in chronological order

The Other
by R Lawson Gamble
2012Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 1
Mestaclocan
by R Lawson Gamble
2013Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 2
Zaca
by R Lawson Gamble
2015Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 3
Cat
by R Lawson Gamble
2016Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 4
Under Desert Sand
by R Lawson Gamble
2017Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 5
Canaan's Secret
by R Lawson Gamble
2018Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 6
The Dark Road: The Beginning
by R Lawson Gamble
2019Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 7
Las Cruces
by R Lawson Gamble
2019Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 8
Lost Oasis
by R Lawson Gamble
2020Zack Tolliver, FBI, Book 9
R Lawson Gamble collections, short stories, and related book types
Author bio
R Lawson Gamble grew up in central New Jersey, where books were a steady part of life. His childhood was spent on a 50-acre property near the New York border, and that early habit of reading stayed with him. Mysteries and Western stories became lasting favorites.
His route to fiction was not a straight line. Before turning seriously to novels, Gamble worked in education and spent many years around music. Later, he moved to Los Alamos, California, on the Central Coast, a place whose history, terrain, and local characters would become important to his work.
A change of scenery helped start a new chapter.
In an interview, Gamble recalled trying to write a short story after the move. It did not remain short. That project became The Other, the first published Zack Tolliver mystery and the beginning of a much longer run of books. The series follows an FBI agent whose cases bring him into contact with murder investigations, wide-open country, local history, and events that do not always have an easy explanation.
Zack Tolliver is usually paired with Eagle Feather, a Navajo tracker and guide whose knowledge challenges Zack to look past the obvious. In Mestaclocan, the investigation moves to San Francisco. Zaca brings the action to California's Central Coast. Cat returns Zack and Eagle Feather to the Navajo Nation, while Under Desert Sand sends them into the Mojave.
The cases are never just office work.
Gamble's books tend to start with a concrete problem, a body, a disappearance, an attack, or a troubling piece of evidence. Then the setting matters. Desert roads, ranch country, small towns, old mining sites, and communities shaped by their own pasts are part of the pressure on the characters. The stories combine police work with regional history and a willingness to leave room for the unexplained.
He has also written outside the Zack Tolliver books. Los Alamos Valley is a photo history of the California community where he lives, covering the people, industries, cultures, and events that shaped the area. With Johnny And The Kid and Johnny And The Preacher, he turned to an old-fashioned Western about a young gunfighter trying to find his way through a dangerous world. His children's fantasy Payu's Journey follows a dingo whose unexpected responsibility changes everything.
The Western influence is easy to spot. Gamble has said that he grew up reading the kind of mysteries and frontier stories that kept him up late, and he writes toward that same sense of momentum. His characters face hard choices, old grudges, and landscapes that can be as dangerous as the people in them.
Gamble continues to live and write on California's Central Coast. Away from the desk, he has described enjoying trail running, local history, wines and ales, and the simple pleasure of a good tale well told.
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.















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