Josie Gray Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Josie Gray Mysteries Books

Josie Gray is the lead character in a series of mystery novels written by American bestselling novelist Tricia Fields. Josie featured in the series debut novel The Territory which was published in 2011. The second book featuring this character, Scratchgravel Road was released in 2013. The character has been featured in over five novels up to date.

The Territory

The series debut novel introduces the protagonist by the name Josie Grey. She is a Police Chief in Artemis, Texas. Her town is being overrun by some notorious Mexican gangs to building up a corridor to run drugs and guns.

Far away southwest Texas is the small town of Artemis. For the few residents who live in this little town, their town has become a refuge against the developing hostile and violent world. The people who live in this town value their isolation than anything else. Their remoteness, in the middle of the harsh desert beauty of southwest Texas, makes these people vulnerable to the increasing drug war violence escalating out of Mexico.

Something that Police Chief Josie knew before that one fateful summer evening when she witnessed violence erupted across the river in the small Mexican town of Piedra Labrada. War is raging between “La Bestia” and “Medrano” drug gangs as the Medrano side tries to cling onto their fragmenting position. Finally, the gunshots seem to fade away this night, and the police chief thinks that the violence is over for now.

Unfortunately for her as well as for her town, the violence is not over by a very long shot. Out of sight from Josie watchtower, Medrano’s ranch has been attacked. Medrano is hurriedly rushed to a hospital in Artemis using an ambulance for emergency medical care since he possesses dual Mexico and US citizenship. Despite the fact that Chief Gray and her force are outnumbered, outgunned and an attempt from a La Bestia assault gunman to finish the job, they are supposed to keep Medrano and his medical team alive.

The hospital attack only results in violence sparking to the United States side of the border in many ways not seen before. That fateful night propels the major storylines of the novel forward as various events, and many complications begin to unfold thanks to the ripple effects of the hospital attack. The cartels had no single idea of what they were creating in this intriguing story of weapons, murder, and the future of the residents of the Southwest Texas.

The series opener is an interesting read that is well written. The main character and her small force are vividly detailed complex characters and interesting as many of the residents. The settings play a pivotal role in the entire narrative from the first page to the end. The novel also features a strong southwestern flavor and is written in a similar style to that of Tony Hillerman, and if you love this author, then this series is an ideal match for you. Despite the theme about drug cartels, The Territory is also a story of finding one’s self regardless of the obstacles that come your way and taking it one step at a time.

The Scatchgravel Road

It was by just pure luck that Josie spotted Cassidy Harper car abandoned by the roadside. If she had not noticed it, she would never have found Cassidy, lying almost dead of heatstroke on the desert sand and beside her the body of a Mexican immigrant. However, Cassidy cannot explain the reason as to why she was out for a way in the midst of the scorching desert sun let alone how she happened to have a dead body beside her. Once Josie notices auspicious wounds on the dead man’s body, she knows that she needs to find the answers pretty fast before her life is endangered.

Scratchgravel Road is the second novel in Josie Gray mystery series by Tricia Fields, and it is an excellent mystery that is spiced with much suspense from the first page to the last. The characters you will encounter in this novel are well crafted and entertaining as well. Tricia manages to create a very believable story with several twists and turns to keep the readers guessing. She also manages to balance the interesting relationship amongst her character with the broader themes of greed and industrial corruption.

Wrecked

Wrecked is the third installment in Josie Gray Mystery series featuring Police Chief Josie Gray. Josie is living every police officer worst nightmare: a murder suspect whom she knows personally, and the worst thing is that it is her longtime boyfriend, Dillon Reese.

Far in southwest Texas lies a small town of Artemis, Texas where the town folks struggle to survive despite the hard economic times and the violence that escalates across the border into Texas. The police chief understands well the violence that comes across the border, and it is evident that she might prefer that to the local politics.

The idea that the local town’s mayor would show up at her door one morning is one thing that she has never imagined before. However, one spring morning he arrives unannounced, and she is less than happy to see him regardless of what he wants. For the six years, she has been police chief, their mutual distrust gap as widened tremendously.

The mayor reports that a woman by the name Roxanne Spar filed some stalking/harassment charge on Moss the night before. However, the police chief knows nothing about this case, and Moss tells Josie that she should destroy all the paperwork on this case, something that Josie will not let happen not especially under her watch. However, a few hours later, Dillon Reese disappears.

The next one week is a nightmare for Chief Gray as she has to renounce the investigation and begin the search for her boyfriend. Haunted by her actions before the time she was not aware that he was missing, she cannot do much of anything as the days pass, and Dillon remains at the hands of the kidnappers. Her investigations uncover a plot that could reward the killer millions. Now she must make one tough choice between the oath she took as an officer and her personal desire to get revenge.