William Bernhardt

Ben Kincaid is finally out of the corporate life; striking out on his own, the lawyer has finally been afforded the opportunity to observe and engage with the seamy side of the law. There is little glamour or sophistication out in the cold and neither are there any grand rewards to be reaped, not for defending the losers that keep knocking on his door. Things take a new turn when Ben’s friend is framed for murder.

The best place to start is the Ben Kincaid series, the earliest of William Bernhardt's multi-book series: it opens with Primary Justice (1991) and runs to 23 books across 1991–2017, ending with Justice Returns (2017). William Bernhardt's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.

William Bernhardt has 116 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1991 and 2026. 95 of them belong to 7 named series — the largest being the Ben Kincaid series with 23 books — and 21 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. William Bernhardt's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Ben Kincaid (1991–2017, 23 books), Red Sneaker Writers (2003–2020, 11 books) and Susan Pulaski (2004–2007, 2 books), plus 3 more.

This guide splits William Bernhardt's 116 books into 7 named series and 21 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Ben Kincaid (23 books, 1991–2017); Shine (15 books, 2013–2015); Red Sneaker Writers (11 books, 2003–2020); Daniel Pike (8 books, 2019–2024); Splitsville Legal Thriller (3 books, 2021–2022), plus 2 further series.