Charles Williamson Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Charles Williamson

Charles Williamson’s transition from a successful Wall Street investment career to a prolific novelist of Southwestern mysteries, high-concept science fiction, and epic fantasy has yielded several distinct entry points for readers. Because his series span vastly different genres, your ideal starting point depends entirely on your personal taste:

• For Mystery and Thriller Fans: Start with The Dead Priest of Sedona. This is the first book in the Mike Damson Mysteries, his most famous and expansive series. It offers a gritty detective style blended with the gorgeous, rugged geography of the American Southwest.
• For Science Fiction and Time-Travel Enthusiasts: Begin with Temporal Foam. It introduces a mind-bending premise of accidental time travel and is a relatively quick, fast-paced trilogy to complete.
• For Epic Fantasy Lovers: Start with The Pogrom of Mages, which launches the Healers of Glastamear series. This series is ideal for readers who enjoy grand battles, magical politics, and high-stakes wizard conflicts.
• For Tech and Cyber-Crime Buffs: Dive into Black Dot, the first of the Jack Dunn cyber-detective novels that tackle modern, digital-age mysteries.

The Mike Damson Mysteries

This is Charles Williamson's signature series. It follows Mike Damson, a battle-weary former LAPD homicide detective who moves to Sedona, Arizona, for a quieter life as a sheriff’s office manager, only to find that the red rock canyons hold dark, contemporary crimes and ancient secrets alike. Damson is joined by his intuitive wife, Margaret, who helps him navigate these complex cases.

We highly recommend reading this series in publication order. While each mystery functions as a self-contained case, the personal relationships, career shifts, and character arcs of Mike and Margaret develop chronologically across the books. Here is the order of the Mike Damson Mystery books:

1. The Dead Priest of Sedona (2015) – Damson is called to investigate when a hiker discovers a body in a pine grove in Oak Creek Canyon.
2. The Dead Chef of Santa Fe (2015) – The sleuthing duo heads to New Mexico, tackling a modern murder case tied to a legendary 17th-century treasure.
3. The Murders at El Tovar (2015) – A deadly case set near the historic El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon.
4. The Victim at Vultee Arch (2015) – Damson investigates a suspicious death near Sedona's iconic natural sandstone arch.
5. The Arson at Happy Jack (2015) – Fire and murder collide in a small forested community in Coconino County.
6. The Dead Man at Doyle Saddle (2015) – A remote trail investigation that tests Damson's tracking and detective skills.
7. The Mauling at Kinnickinick Pueblo (2017) – A hiker's death is initially blamed on a wild cougar, but Damson uncovers a sinister plot involving looted Native American ruins.
8. The Body at Midgley Bridge (2018) – Set against one of Sedona's most famous and picturesque landmarks.
9. The Homicide on the Grand Canyon Railway (2021) – A high-altitude mystery aboard the historic railway line.
10. The Corpse at Canyon Diablo (2021) – An investigation set near the eerie, historic ghost town and canyon.
11. The Abduction at Eldon Mountain (2022) – A search for a missing person leads Damson into rugged, hostile territory.
12. The Remains at Slide Rock (2023) – A gruesome discovery at the famous Oak Creek Canyon swimming destination.
13. The Missing Hacker at Jacob Lake (2023) – Damson goes north toward the Kaibab Plateau to track down a missing computer specialist.

Healers of Glastamear

For readers who prefer swords and sorcery over badges and desert trails, the Healers of Glastamear series is an immersive high-fantasy saga. It explores a world torn apart by conflicts between powerful mages, shifting alliances among ruling lords, and the heavy cost of magical warfare. It should be read strictly in order to appreciate the ongoing political struggles and the ultimate liberation of its fantasy realm.

1. The Pogrom of Mages (2015)
2. The Mages' Winter of Death (2016)
3. The War of the Fire Mages (2016)
4. The Conclave of Lords and Mages (2016)
5. Liberation by the Elf-Blood Mage (2019)

Jack Dunn: Cyber-Detective Series

This series centers on cyber-detective Jack Dunn. It shifts away from rural Southwest landscapes to explore the neon-lit, high-tech world of modern cyber-crimes, virtual investigations, and digital threats. The books are structured around color-coded titles and are best read sequentially to follow Jack's growth as a technological sleuth:

1. Black Dot (2015)
2. Green Glow (2015)
3. Blue Haze (2015)
4. Crimson Light (2022)

Temporal Foam: Sci-Fi Time Travel

The Temporal Foam trilogy is an inventive science fiction series that centers on the concept of "temporal foam"—a cosmic phenomenon that allows for accidental time travel. The narrative explores how everyday individuals cope with being ripped from their own eras and dropped into historic and future settings, ranging from modern Phoenix to ancient Pompeii.

1. Temporal Foam (2015)
2. The Argonauts of Phoenix (2015)
3. The Peaceful Pillage of Pompeii (2016)

Standalone Novels and Other Projects

If you want a break from multi-book commitments, Charles Williamson has also written standalone works that showcase his range:

• Oil Town: Murder & Riot in Tulsa (2015) – The first novel in the Howard McAlester Mysteries, this historical-flavored mystery explores a tumultuous period of labor riots and murder in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• HSS Nighthawk Surveyor: First Contact Protocols (2018) – A hard science fiction standalone novel that centers on space exploration and the tense, programmatic protocols of making first contact with an alien intelligence.

What to Know Before You Start

One of the most notable features of Charles Williamson's bibliography is the rapid speed with which his early books were released, with many key works appearing in 2015 alone. Because of this, publication order and chronological order are identical for almost all of his series. Standalone works like Oil Town can be enjoyed at any time, but his detective series benefit greatly from being read in sequence. Additionally, the Mike Damson Mysteries serve as an excellent travelogue of Northern Arizona; the author lived in Sedona for nearly two decades, and his intimate familiarity with trails, monuments, and geological features makes the setting feel like a character of its own.