Ralph Dennis

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  • Bibliography:
    21 Books (1 Series)
  • First Book:
    January 1977
  • Latest Book:
    November 2020
  • Author Rating:
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Full Series List in Order

Hardman

1 - Atlanta Deathwatch (Dec-2018)
2 - The Charleston Knife is Back in Town (Jul-1982)
3 - The Golden Girl and All (Dec-2018)
4 - Pimp for the Dead (Dec-2018)
5 - Down Among the Jocks (Jan-2019)
6 - Murder is Not an Odd Job (Feb-2019)
7 - Working for the Man (Mar-2019)
8 - The Deadly Cotton Heart (Apr-2019)
9 - The One Dollar Rip-Off (May-2019)
10 - Hump's First Case (May-2019)
11 - The Last of the Armageddon Wars (May-2019)
12 - The Buy Back Blues (1977)
13 - All Kinds of Ugly (Jan-2020)

Book List in Order: 21 titles

  • The Buy Back Blues

    • / General Fiction
    • Buy Buy
    Hardman - 12

    The 12th and final adventure in the legendary Hardman series It's doing the small, simple favors that gets Jim Hardman in the most trouble. A waitress he knows asks him to find her missing husband, a freelance bartender who never returned from a week...

  • The Charleston Knife is Back in Town

    Hardman - 2

    The second novel in the unforgettable, long lost series by Ralph Dennis is finally back in print… after being coveted for years by collectors of the very best in hardboiled fiction.
    Jim Hardman was a mediocre Atlanta cop until he was wrongly ac...

  • Atlanta Deathwatch

    Hardman - 1

    The first novel in the unforgettable, ground-breaking series of crime novels by Ralph Dennis

    It's Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman works as an unlicensed PI, trouble-shooter and bodyguard…often partnered with his drinking buddy Hump Evans, a bla...

  • The Golden Girl and All

    Hardman - 3

    The third novel in Ralph Dennis’ great, but hard-to-find 1970s detective series that’s been sought-after for decades by readers of the very best in crime fiction.

    Jim Hardman was an Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and ...

  • Pimp for the Dead

    Hardman - 4

    “Dennis wrote with assurance. His prose was muscular, swift, and highly readable.” Joe R. Lansdale, from his introduction Jim Hardman was an Atlanta cop until he was wrongly accused of corruption and thrown off the force. Now he works as an u...

  • Down Among the Jocks

    Hardman - 5

    “Ralph Dennis has mastered the genre and supplied top entertainment.” The New York TimesBefore Spenser & Hawk, Elvis Cole & Joe Pike, and Hap & Leonard, there was Jim Hardman & Hump Evans, author Ralph Dennis' legendary 1970s PI team. They're bac...

  • Murder is Not an Odd Job

    Hardman - 6

    For years, original copies of Ralph Dennis' Hardman novels, one of the best crime fiction series ever written, were the Holy Grail for collectors because they were nearly impossible to find and very pricey. But those days are over. Hardman is back! <...

  • The War Heist

    “A superb thriller!” Jack Higgins, author of The Eagle Has LandedIt’s June 1940. War is raging in Europe. France is about to collapse to the Nazis. England is bracing for a devastating German invasion…and the fall of the British empire. In de...

  • Working for the Man

    Hardman - 7

    Sometimes even criminals need a detective...It's Atlanta, 1974. Ex-cop Jim Hardman and ex-NFL player Hump Evans do odd jobs. Anything that pays. As long as its not kidnapping, robbery, or murder. Not that they are afraid of killing...if that's what ...



  • The Deadly Cotton Heart

    Hardman - 8

    "Exceptional characterization, strong and vigorous prose, and a glimpse into a place and time that has long since disappeared." Mystery Scene Magazine

    "Dennis may not have made literature of Hardman, but he damn sure touched on it more than a time ...

  • Hump's First Case

    Hardman - 10

    The tenth unforgettable novel in the legendary crime series

    It's a bitter, cold night in Atlanta. Ex-cop Jim Hardman walks in on a convenience robbery committed by a youmg woman and two men that leaves an innocent clerk dead. It's an ugly experienc...

  • The Last of the Armageddon Wars

    Hardman - 11

    The 11th adventure in the ground-breaking Hardman series

    The Man, the "Black Godfather" of Atlanta, controls most of the crime in the city... but now someone wants to take it all away from him...by putting a bullet in his head and killing his crew....

  • The One Dollar Rip-Off

    Hardman - 9

    "A brilliantly original, surprising plot in one of the best crime novel series ever written. This is straight-up, hardboiled crime fiction, written in a tight, evocative voice with a wicked, dark sense of humor. It's wonderful!" Lee Goldberg, #1 New ...

  • The Broken Fixer

    The gritty, hard-edged novel of sex, crime, and corruption in 1970s Atlanta...and the man who is paid to hide it all... by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of detective novels.

    Vince Gorman is a ruthless lawyer with flexible mo...

  • A Talent for Killing

    "A breathless, lean noir thriller. Every line is razor sharp and without an ounce of fat. Jason Bourne fans will find a lot to like." Publishers WeeklyKane was a top CIA assassin until he suffered traumatic physical and psychological injuries in a ...

  • The Spy in a Box

    The bold new novel of espionage and betrayal from thriller master Ralph Dennis, the author of A Talent for Killing and the acclaimed Hardman series of crime novels.Will Hall is a CIA agent in a South American country on the brink of Civil War. But wh...

  • Dust in the Heart

    There's a killer stalking children in a small, North Carolina town...and the only one who can stop him is the local Sheriff, a man crippled physically and emotionally by a war that he's still fighting within himself. The haunting, powerful new thrill...

  • Tales of a Sad, Fat Wordman

    The late Ralph Dennis is beloved among crime fiction writers and readers for his Hardman series of detective novels from the 1970s. But little is known about the man himself. This collection of some of Ralph's early short stories and poetry, framed w...

  • All Kinds of Ugly

    Hardman - 13

    The long-lost, never-before-published, thirteenth novel in the legendary Hardman series.

    Jim Hardman will do just about anything for a buck, short of a felony, though he has been known to push the line. It's career choice that takes a big toll...



  • The New Five

    There's never been a sports novel like this one. The basketball action is so raw and visceral, you'll feel like you're on the court yourself.A lost, previously unpublished novel from the late Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series of cr...

  • Wind Sprints

    • / Literary
    • Buy Buy

    The long-lost, never-before-published, autobiographical first novel by Ralph Dennis, author of the legendary Hardman series. In the late 1960s, a balding, over-weight, heavy-drinking writer struggles to find his place in the literary/academic worlds ...

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Ralph Dennis has published 21 books.

Ralph Dennis does not have a new book coming out soon. The latest book, The New Five, was published in November 2020.

The first book by Ralph Dennis, The Buy Back Blues, was published in January 1977.

Yes. Ralph Dennis has 1 series.
Author Series
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