Ben Haas/ John Benteen Books In Order

Publication Order of Cutler Books

Publication Order of Fargo Books

Publication Order of Rancho Bravo Books

Publication Order of Sundance Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Benjamin Leopold Haas was born in the year 1926 in Charlotte, North Carolina. His imagination was inspired by any stories he heard of Reconstruction and the Civil War as told to him by his Grandmother, who lived through both of them. Ben’s dad was also a pioneer operator of movie theaters, and it allowed Ben free access to all of the theaters in Charlotte and he saw many films growing up, as he was hooked on the lore of the South and the Old West.

Ben dropped out of college to help support his family, and was largely self educated. He wrote his first story at the age of eighteen, it was a pulp short story for a western magazine. Aspirations to become a writer were put on hold when he was drafted into the Army. He served from 1945 until 1946 as a Sergeant in the U. S. Army, and saw some action in the Philippines.

Going back home to Charlotte (later Sumter, South Carolina) in the year 1946, he married Douglas Thornton Taylor, who was from Raleigh four years after. Together, they had three sons John, Joel, and Michael. He sold his first novel in the year 1961, and had been working at a steel company at the time. The acceptance happened while he was laid off, and began writing full time after.

Ben wrote a ton, publishing 130 books under his own name as well as many pen-names. Ben wrote close to 24 hours per day. He attempted to write five thousand words or even more each day, and was scrupulous in maintaining his own authenticity.

Ben wanted to be a mainstream author, but had to figure out a way to finance himself in between serious work and wound up becoming a paperback writer.

Ben wrote under Ben Elliott, which is his grandma’s maiden name, who wrote Westerns published by Ace. Under the Ken Barry name he turned out some racy paperback originals for Beacon. Sam Webster, who penned five books that Monarch published.

Ben’s agent was not pleased with his choice to get into writing westerns, and suggested to him that he represent himself for those sales. Ben sent out a trial to Harry Shorten at Tower Books. Ben’s family remembers the book being titled “A Hell of A Way to Die”, which was written for Tower’s new Lassiter series. The book was published in 1969, and Shorten, the editor of the book, told Ben to create a western series all his own. The result of this wound up being “Fargo”.

The success of his “Fargo” books led to the “Sundance” series about a half-Cheyenne gunslinger. After this, a short-lived series about John Cutler followed. Ben’s crowning achievement followed, the “Rancho Bravo” series, which he published under the name of Thorne Douglas.

After attending a Literary Guild dinner in New York City in 1977, he had a heart attack and died. He was just fifty-one at the time.

“Fargo” is the first novel in the “Fargo” series, which was released in the year 1969. Fargo lives with a gun in his fist. Killing and guns are the only things he knows. Fargo is somebody that likes what he knows. What start the revolution? Or stop one, maybe? Send out for Fargo. Want to stage a prison break, blow a bridge, or rob a bank? Fargo is your guy.

The army taught him how to kill with a machine gun, pistol, and rifle. On his time, he became an expert on women, knives, and shotgun. Fargo hates living the quiet life. He knows he will get it sooner or later. He hopes that it is not going to be too much later, because he is unsure how to be both comfortable and old. While he lasts, Fargo plans on grabbing the old world by its throat and taking what he wants. If the world does not like it, it can just try to stop him. If it can.

“Panama Gold” is the second novel in the “Fargo” series, which was released in the year 1969. Cleve Buckner, a murder-crazy soldier of fortune, was recruiting an army of gunmen, killers, and deserters from all over the place in Central America. With foreign money backing him up, Buckner’s job was to destroy the Panama Canal before it could be finished.

Fargo’s one mission was to stop Buckner and eliminate both him and his army for good. It was a major order, and probably the biggest job that Fargo had ever taken on. For twenty thousand dollars, he chose to take the risk on and see if he could even do the impossible.

“The Wildcatters” is the eighth novel in the “Fargo” series, which was released in the year 1970. The East Texas oilfields came into things with a boom. Rivers of money gushed up from the ground. Along with this money came the dealers, speculators, the wheelers and dealers. And the killers.

Fargo followed this excitement and money clear across Texas. Trouble is Fargo’s business, other people’s trouble. They know him from Panama to Alaska and the intelligent ones stay out of his way. The ones that aren’t so bright get a gun barrel laid across their nose, or if Fargo is short on time, they just get killed. Fargo kills people, but he really does not enjoy it. It is a job, and one he is good at.

“Shotgun Man” is the thirteenth novel in the “Fargo” series, which was released in the year 1973. The Colorado was the toughest and wildest river in all of America. Just being able to stay alive on the rapids took a ton of luck and a lot of nerve. Then there are the men that lined it. Teddy Roosevelt referred to them as wolves, old time desperadoes and gunfighters that hid out in the surrounding wilderness.

They were once desperate sonsofbitches that hated the modern world that once exiled them, and they were always ready to strike and kill the passing strangers for their gun, or boat. Fargo’s gig this time was to go down the Colorado with Roosevelt’s government explorers. If anybody could keep them afloat and alive, it is Fargo.