The Recommended Reading Order for Sheriff Chick Charleston
For the best reading experience, you should follow the Sheriff Chick Charleston series in its publication order. The books were released between 1973 and 1989, and they trace a distinct timeline of chronological events, following the aging of Sheriff Charleston and the direct coming-of-age journey of his sidekick-turned-deputy, Jason Beard. While each mystery is resolved within its respective novel, reading them out of sequence will spoil major character developments, shifts in professional roles, and the evolving relationship between the two main sleuths.
- Wild Pitch (1973)
- The Genuine Article (1977)
- No Second Wind (1980)
- Playing Catch-Up (1985)
- Murder in the Cotswolds (1989)
Where to Start: The Perfect Entry Point
Without a doubt, you should start your journey with the first novel, Wild Pitch (1973). This book establishes the fictional town of Midbury, Montana, and introduces the dynamic between the seasoned Sheriff Chick Charleston and seventeen-year-old Jason Beard. Jason begins the series as a young baseball pitching prodigy who assists the sheriff, and his youthful perspective serves as the narrative voice. Starting here allows you to appreciate how Jason matures from a high school amateur detective into a full-fledged deputy in later books.
Sheriff Chick Charleston: Book-by-Book Guide
1. Wild Pitch (1973)
The series begins during a hot summer in Midbury, Montana. When Buster Hogue, a cantankerous and self-made cattle baron, is shot at a community picnic, Sheriff Chick Charleston must investigate. He is assisted by seventeen-year-old Jason Beard, who is preparing for a potential career in baseball. The novel relies heavily on Charleston’s brains and understanding of human nature rather than gunplay, establishing a deliberate, slow-burn mystery style that relies on community ties and secrets.
2. The Genuine Article (1977)
Set a few years later, Jason Beard returns to Midbury for the summer after spending two years away at college. He is hired as Charleston’s official deputy. The peaceful town is shattered when a wealthy and widely disliked cattle rancher, F. Y. Grimsley, is found dead on his back doorstep with a severe gash to his head. Soon after, Chief Eagle Charlie, an Indian man from the nearby reservation, is killed in a similar fashion. Charleston and Jason must identify the unique weapon—the "genuine article"—while navigating local racial tensions, prejudices, and gossip.
3. No Second Wind (1980)
This third installment takes place during a freezing Montana winter, where temperatures plummet to 40 degrees below zero. Midbury is deeply divided over a controversial strip-mining proposal, which brings corporate outsiders into conflict with traditional local ranchers. Amidst this hostile environment, cattle begin dying under mysterious circumstances, prompting rumors of occult practices. When a miner is murdered at the local "Chicken Shack" diner, Charleston, Jason, and their newly hired deputy Ike Doolittle must work quickly to keep the peace and catch the killer.
4. Playing Catch-Up (1985)
In the fourth book, Jason Beard is dealing with the seamy side of Midbury's underbelly. An oil company stenographer who was secretly working as a prostitute is found murdered. Shortly after, a talented local singer is also assaulted and killed. Charleston and Jason face local obstacles, including the arrival of a boorish, arrogant state investigator named Gewald, who constantly interferes with their progress. The book handles darker themes of poverty and changing social values in the rural West.
5. Murder in the Cotswolds (1989)
The final novel in the series moves away from Midbury, Montana, to the quiet English countryside. Sheriff Chick Charleston and his wife, Geeta, are on vacation in the Cotswolds so Geeta can trace her family roots. They stay at the Ram’s Head Inn, where an unpopular guest is found stabbed to death. Finding himself as a "fish out of water," Charleston cannot officially lead the investigation and must instead coordinate with uncooperative British investigators. He uses his practical Montana common sense and deductive reasoning to solve the case, closing the series on a unique cozy mystery note.
Chronological Order and Continuity Caveats
The chronological order of the series matches the publication order exactly. The narrative spans roughly fifteen years, during which Jason Beard grows from a high school student to a college-educated deputy, and Chick Charleston transitions from a middle-aged local sheriff to an older man ready for retirement. Because of this slow character progression, there are no prequel novels or chronological shifts that require you to read the books out of order.
What to Know Before You Start
A. B. Guthrie Jr. is famous for winning the Pulitzer Prize for his historical Western fiction, specifically The Way West (1949). The Sheriff Chick Charleston series represents a unique shift in his career, combining his signature authentic detail of Montana life with the structure of classic police procedurals and cozy whodunits. The series has a distinct, dry humor and focuses heavily on small-town community dynamics. While the first four books capture the grit and changing landscape of late 20th-century Montana, the final book acts as a delightful homage to classic British detective fiction.