📖 About Hank the Cowdog

Hank the Cowdog is a series universe written by John R. Erickson. The complete collection runs to 90 books across 1 series, published between 1980 and 2025.

The main series is Publication Order of Hank the Cowdog Books with 90 books. It opens with The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1980) and currently runs to The Case of the Poison Toad (2025).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Hank the Cowdog

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog (1980), book 1 of Publication Order of Hank the Cowdog Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

Each of the 1 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Hank the Cowdog Books in Order

Publication Order of Hank the Cowdog Books
90 books
1
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog book cover1The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog1980Buy on Amazon
The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog book cover2The Further Adventures of Hank the Cowdog1983Buy on Amazon
It's a Dog's Life book cover3It's a Dog's Life1984Buy on Amazon
Murder in the Middle Pasture book cover4Murder in the Middle Pasture1985Buy on Amazon
Faded Love book cover5Faded Love1985Buy on Amazon
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie book cover6Let Sleeping Dogs Lie1986Buy on Amazon
The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob book cover7The Curse of the Incredible Priceless Corncob1986Buy on Amazon
The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse book cover8The Case of the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse1987Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Halloween Ghost book cover9The Case of the Halloween Ghost1987Buy on Amazon
Every Dog Has His Day book cover10Every Dog Has His Day1988Buy on Amazon
Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest book cover11Lost in the Dark Unchanted Forest1988Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox book cover12The Case of the Fiddle Playing Fox1989Buy on Amazon
The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve book cover13The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve1989Buy on Amazon
Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business book cover14Hank the Cowdog and Monkey Business1990Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Missing Cat book cover15The Case of the Missing Cat1990Buy on Amazon
Lost in the Blinded Blizzard book cover16Lost in the Blinded Blizzard1991Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog book cover17The Case of the Car-Barkaholic Dog1991Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Hooking Bull book cover18The Case of the Hooking Bull1992Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Midnight Rustler book cover19The Case of the Midnight Rustler1992Buy on Amazon
The Phantom in the Mirror book cover20The Phantom in the Mirror1993Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Vampire Cat book cover21The Case of the Vampire Cat1993Buy on Amazon
Moonlight Madness book cover22Moonlight Madness1994Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Black-hooded Hangmans book cover23The Case of the Black-hooded Hangmans1995Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Kidnapped Collie book cover24The Case of the Kidnapped Collie1996Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster book cover25The Case of the Night-Stalking Bone Monster1996Buy on Amazon
The Mopwater Files book cover26The Mopwater Files1997Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper book cover27The Case of the Vampire Vacuum Sweeper1997Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Haystack Kitties book cover28The Case of the Haystack Kitties1998Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook book cover29The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook1998Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Garbage Monster from Outer Space book cover30The Case of the Garbage Monster from Outer Space1999Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Measled Cowboy book cover31The Case of the Measled Cowboy1999Buy on Amazon
Slim's Good-bye book cover32Slim's Good-bye2000Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Saddlehouse Robbery book cover33The Case of the Saddlehouse Robbery2000Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Raging Rottweiler book cover34The Case of the Raging Rottweiler2000Buy on Amazon
The Fling book cover35The Fling2001Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Missing Bird Dog book cover36The Case of the Missing Bird Dog2002Buy on Amazon
Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog book cover37Tales and Tunes from Hank the Cowdog2003Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree book cover38The Case of the Shipwrecked Tree2003Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Burrowing Robot book cover39The Case of the Burrowing Robot2003Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Twisted Kitty book cover40The Case of the Twisted Kitty2004Buy on Amazon
The Dungeon of Doom book cover41The Dungeon of Doom2004Buy on Amazon
The Homeless Pooch book cover42The Homeless Pooch2004Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Falling Sky book cover43The Case of the Falling Sky2005Buy on Amazon
The Watermelon Patch Mystery book cover44The Watermelon Patch Mystery2005Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies book cover45The Case of the Tender Cheeping Chickies2006Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Monkey Burglar book cover46The Case of the Monkey Burglar2006Buy on Amazon
The Kitty Cheater book cover47The Kitty Cheater2006Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Blazing Sky book cover48The Case of the Blazing Sky2008Buy on Amazon
The Quest for the Great White Quail book cover49The Quest for the Great White Quail2008Buy on Amazon
The Cookie Moon book cover50The Cookie Moon2009Buy on Amazon
Drover's Secret Life book cover51Drover's Secret Life2009Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Dinosaur Birds book cover52The Case of the Dinosaur Birds2009Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Secret Weapon book cover53The Case of the Secret Weapon2010Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Coyote Invasion book cover54The Case of the Coyote Invasion2010Buy on Amazon
The Dancing Cowboy book cover55The Dancing Cowboy2010Buy on Amazon
The Valentine's Day Robbery book cover56The Valentine's Day Robbery2010Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Perfect Dog book cover57The Case of the Perfect Dog2012Buy on Amazon
The Runaway Windmill book cover58The Runaway Windmill2012Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Mysterious Voice book cover59The Case of the Mysterious Voice2012Buy on Amazon
The Big Question book cover60The Big Question2012Buy on Amazon
The Disappearance of Drover book cover61The Disappearance of Drover2012Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Most Ancient Bone book cover62The Case of the Most Ancient Bone2012Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup book cover63The Case of the Booby-Trapped Pickup2012Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Tricky Trap book cover64The Case of the Tricky Trap2012Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Prowling Bear book cover65The Case of the Prowling Bear2013Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Deadly Ha-Ha Game book cover66The Case of the Deadly Ha-Ha Game2013Buy on Amazon
The Secret Laundry Monster Files book cover67The Secret Laundry Monster Files2013Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado book cover68The Case of the Swirling Killer Tornado2013Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting book cover69The Case of the Double Bumblebee Sting2013Buy on Amazon
The Ghost of Rabbits Past book cover70The Ghost of Rabbits Past2013Buy on Amazon
The Return of the Charlie Monsters book cover71The Return of the Charlie Monsters2014Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Three Rings book cover72The Case of the Three Rings2014Buy on Amazon
The Three Rings book cover73The Three Rings2014Buy on Amazon
The Almost Last Roundup book cover74The Almost Last Roundup2015Buy on Amazon
The Christmas Turkey Disaster book cover75The Christmas Turkey Disaster2015Buy on Amazon
Wagons West book cover76Wagons West2016Buy on Amazon
The Secret Pledge book cover77The Secret Pledge2016Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Wandering Goats book cover78The Case of the Wandering Goats2017Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Troublesome Lady book cover79The Case of the Troublesome Lady2017Buy on Amazon
The Case of the Monster Fire book cover80The Case of the Monster Fire2018Buy on Amazon

+ 10 more books…

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Hank the Cowdog books are there?
There are 90 books in the Hank the Cowdog collection, organised into 1 series and published between 1980 and 2025.
What is the first Hank the Cowdog book?
The first book is The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, published in 1980.
What order should I read the Hank the Cowdog books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Hank the Cowdog books?
The Hank the Cowdog books were written by John R. Erickson.
Is the Hank the Cowdog series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Hank the Cowdog Books, has 90 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Hank the Cowdog series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1980, and the most recent in 2025.