W

William Heffernan

4 Series • 19 Books

4
Series
19
Books
4
Active

🎯 Where Should I Start?

Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Dead Detective Books
Start with: The Dead Detective (2010)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Paul Devlin Books
Start with: Blood Rose (1988)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of The Corsican Books
Start with: The Corsican (1983)

ⓘ About William Heffernan

William Heffernan is an American author known for writing award-winning murder-mystery thrillers. He is literally believed to have reinvented the murder mystery single-handedly. Heffernan started out as a journalist and worked as a newspaper reporter in New York. He had a very successful career in journalism as he was a three-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize. He published his debut novel “Broderick,” in 1980 and since then has gone on to write nearly twenty novels and even won the Edgar award. Among his novels include the bestselling “The Dead Detective,” “Beulah Hill,” “The Corsican,” “Cityside,” “A Time Gone By” and “When Johnny Came Marching Home” among others. His latest novel is “The Scientology Murders “the second novel of the “Dead Detective” series.

All Book Series by William Heffernan

1
The Dead Detective book cover

The Dead Detective

Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2010

Buy on Amazon
2010
2
The Scientology Murders book cover

The Scientology Murders

Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2017

Buy on Amazon
2017
1
Blood Rose book cover

Blood Rose

Series opener · book 1 of 7 · published 1988

Buy on Amazon
1988
2
Ritual book cover

Ritual

Book 2 of 7 · published 1989

Buy on Amazon
1989
3
Scarred book cover

Scarred

Book 3 of 7 · published 1993

Buy on Amazon
1993
4
Tarnished Blue book cover

Tarnished Blue

Book 4 of 7 · published 1995

Buy on Amazon
1995
5
Winter's Gold book cover

Winter's Gold

Book 5 of 7 · published 1997

Buy on Amazon
1997
6
Red Angel book cover

Red Angel

Book 6 of 7 · published 2000

Buy on Amazon
2000
7
Unholy Order book cover

Unholy Order

Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2002

Buy on Amazon
2002
1
The Corsican book cover

The Corsican

Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1983

Buy on Amazon
1983
2
Corsican Honor book cover

Corsican Honor

Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 1992

Buy on Amazon
1992
1
Broderick book cover

Broderick

Series opener · book 1 of 8 · published 1980

Buy on Amazon
1980
2
Caging the Raven book cover

Caging the Raven

Book 2 of 8 · published 1981

Buy on Amazon
1981
3
Acts of Contrition book cover

Acts of Contrition

Book 3 of 8 · published 1986

Buy on Amazon
1986
4
The Dinosaur Club book cover

The Dinosaur Club

Book 4 of 8 · published 1997

Buy on Amazon
1997
5
Beulah Hill book cover

Beulah Hill

Book 5 of 8 · published 2001

Buy on Amazon
2001
6
Cityside book cover

Cityside

Book 6 of 8 · published 2001

Buy on Amazon
2001
7
A Time Gone By book cover

A Time Gone By

Book 7 of 8 · published 2003

Buy on Amazon
2003
8
When Johnny Came Marching Home book cover

When Johnny Came Marching Home

Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2012

Buy on Amazon
2012

? Frequently Asked Questions

Who is William Heffernan?

William Heffernan is an American author known for writing award-winning murder-mystery thrillers. He is literally believed to have reinvented the murder mystery single-handedly. Heffernan started out as a journalist and worked as a newspaper reporter in New York.

Which William Heffernan series should I start with?

The best place to start is the Paul Devlin series, the earliest of William Heffernan's multi-book series: it opens with Blood Rose (1988) and runs to 7 books across 1988–2002, ending with Unholy Order (2002).

How many books has William Heffernan written?

William Heffernan has 19 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1980 and 2017. 11 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Paul Devlin series with 7 books — and 8 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

In what order should William Heffernan's series be read?

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. William Heffernan's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are The Corsican (1983–1992, 2 books), Paul Devlin (1988–2002, 7 books) and Dead Detective (2010–2017, 2 books).

How are William Heffernan's books organised into series?

This guide splits William Heffernan's 19 books into 3 named series and 8 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Paul Devlin (7 books, 1988–2002); Dead Detective (2 books, 2010–2017); The Corsican (2 books, 1983–1992).