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Kevin Kerney Books in Order

Part ofMichael McGarrity Books in Order

Browse the Kevin Kerney crime novels by Michael McGarrity in order, with book summaries, series background, character notes, and guidance on the best reading path through this New Mexico police procedural series.

Last updated: December 18, 2025

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Publication Order

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14 books

1

Head Wounds

by Michael McGarrity

2020

Dona Ana County detective Clayton Istee catches a chilling double homicide in a Las Cruces hotel, the victims scalped and their throats cut. The trail leads to a hidden casino theft, a Mexican drug lord, and a relentless hitman who soon targets Clayton's family.

2

Residue

by Michael McGarrity

2018

When the long-lost bones of Kerney's college girlfriend are found on a friend's New Mexico property, forensic evidence points straight at him. Arrested by his own son, he and his wife Sara race to reconstruct forgotten events and track down the witness who can clear his name.

3

Dead or Alive

by Michael McGarrity

2008

Living temporarily in London, retired Santa Fe police chief Kerney rushes home when his ranch partner is murdered by an escaped prisoner. Joining forces with Clayton, he helps lead a statewide manhunt for a spree killer determined to go down in a blaze of violence.

4

Death Song

by Michael McGarrity

2007

The ambush of a Lincoln County deputy and the brutal murder of his wife bring Kerney and his Mescalero Apache son, Clayton Istee, together on a difficult case. Their search for the deputy's missing child ties the killings to a drug-trafficking scheme and other unsolved murders.

5

Nothing But Trouble

by Michael McGarrity

2005

Kerney agrees to advise on a Western film shooting near the Mexican border and heads to the Bootheel with his army-officer wife and young son. A dead federal agent, immigrant smuggling, and a fugitive soldier soon turn the supposed vacation into a high-risk juggling act.

6

Slow Kill

by Michael McGarrity

2004

Santa Fe police chief Kerney travels to a California horse ranch to buy breeding stock and instead becomes the prime suspect when the owner is found dead. Digging into the man's past and a Vietnam-era mystery, he uncovers motives that stretch across decades and both coasts.

7

Everyone Dies

by Michael McGarrity

2003

A calculating killer begins executing people linked to the justice system and leaves taunting notes for Kerney. As the attacks edge closer to his pregnant wife and their unborn child, Kerney must protect his family while tracking an adversary who always seems one step ahead.

8

The Big Gamble

by Michael McGarrity

2002

When two bodies are discovered in a burned-out New Mexico building, one connects to a missing-person file Kerney never closed. Teaming up with his newly found son, he follows the evidence into a web of arson, fraud, and buried family secrets.

9

Under the Color of Law

by Michael McGarrity

2001

New Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney catches a high-profile case when a U.S. ambassador's estranged wife is found stabbed in her hilltop mansion. Federal agents move in fast with a neat solution, forcing Kerney into a quiet, risky probe of a possible government cover-up.

10

The Judas Judge

by Michael McGarrity

2000

Six people are gunned down at a remote New Mexico campground in what looks like a random shooting spree. Deputy State Police Chief Kerney suspects the real target was a retired judge, and digging into the man's dark past exposes layers of family betrayal and long-buried crimes.

11

Hermit's Peak

by Michael McGarrity

1999

An old friend leaves Kerney a high-country ranch beneath Hermit's Peak, offering a possible future away from police work. When a stray dog leads him to human remains and evidence of timber theft, he must balance dreams of ranching with a complex homicide investigation.

12

Serpent Gate

by Michael McGarrity

1998

Back in uniform with the New Mexico State Police, Kerney investigates an unsolved small-town cop killing just as a priceless art collection is stolen from the governor's office. A homeless witness and a vanished place called Serpent Gate point toward an old, very dangerous enemy.

13

Mexican Hat

by Michael McGarrity

1997

Working as a seasonal forest ranger in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness, Kevin Kerney hopes for a quiet summer. The murder of a tourist, a confused old man, and a sixty-year-old land feud drag him into a deadly tangle of poachers and ranch politics.

14

Tularosa

by Michael McGarrity

1996

Forced into early retirement by an on-the-job shooting, former Santa Fe chief of detectives Kevin Kerney agrees to search for his ex-partner's missing soldier son near White Sands Missile Range. The hunt uncovers a smuggling scheme tied to stolen Civil War artifacts and border intrigue.

Series background & context

The Kevin Kerney series follows a seasoned lawman whose life keeps circling back to New Mexico’s wide‑open spaces and tight‑knit communities. Across these novels, Michael McGarrity blends police‑procedural detail with the atmosphere of a modern Western.

When readers first meet Kerney in Tularosa, he is a former chief of detectives in Santa Fe, forced into medical retirement by an on‑the‑job shooting. A friend’s missing son pulls him into the desert around White Sands Missile Range, and the case reminds him how much he misses the work, even as it reopens old wounds.

From there the series tracks his return to law enforcement as a New Mexico State Police deputy chief and later as Santa Fe’s police chief. Each book centers on a single major investigation—a wilderness killing in Mexican Hat, art theft and political intrigue in Serpent Gate, an inherited murder case in Hermit’s Peak, a campground massacre in The Judas Judge, and high‑level conspiracies in Under the Color of Law and beyond.

Over time the crimes widen in scope, from local homicides and family feuds to drug‑trafficking networks, border smuggling, and a terrifying spree killer in Dead or Alive. Later entries such as Residue and Head Wounds turn more personal, forcing the characters to revisit long‑buried history and face enemies who threaten their families as well as their careers.

Kerney himself is shaped by Vietnam‑era service, a damaged leg, and a deep attachment to ranch country. His marriage to army officer Sara Brannon adds an ongoing tension between domestic life and duty, while his relationship with his Mescalero Apache son, Clayton Istee, gradually becomes one of the emotional anchors of the series. Clayton grows from a largely absent figure into a fellow investigator, and eventually the lead in some of the most dangerous cases.

Setting is as important as plot. The novels move from the Tularosa Basin and the Gila Wilderness to Santa Fe, the state’s Bootheel, small border towns, Las Cruces, and pockets of California and Mexico, always returning to the rhythms of New Mexico ranches, pueblos, reservations, and small‑town streets. McGarrity uses those landscapes to highlight conflicts over land, water, crime, and cultural identity.

Although each book can be read on its own, the series rewards reading in order as Kerney ages, changes jobs, discovers family he never knew he had, and slowly hands more responsibility to Clayton. Together the novels offer a long, satisfying arc for readers who enjoy grounded police work, strong regional flavor, and characters who carry the weight of earlier stories with them.

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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All 14 Kevin Kerney Books in Order (Complete List 2026)