Preacher’s Law Books In Order

Publication Order of Preacher's Law Books

The Preacher’s Law series is a series of fictional books composed by Barry Myers and Dean L. McElwain. The series deals the adventures of the main character, J.D. Preacher. They are primarily set in the American west, somewhere around the nineteenth century. This series debuted in the eighties and has seven novels in total, starting with Widow Maker and ending with Raiders.

While it may seem like the two men collaborated on these novels, the truth is that the two authors divided the writing of the books between them. The series’ first five novels were composed by McElwain, and Barry Myers wrote the last two novels of the series. But what readers might find interesting is that McElwain was not actually a real guy. It was instead sort of a house name that was commonly used by a lot of authors, including people like Dave Robbins. Interesting to know that it was a shared pen name or identity among writers.

J.D. Preacher is a man who is always found not far behind the trail of vengeance. Talk is cheap to someone like him. Preacher is a man who used to be a ranger. Maybe once he would have had a soft heart, but these days the only thing cheaper than talk is bullets, and Preacher plans to use every last one and find them all a home in the skulls of his enemies. But Preacher is also up against the greater perils that come with a chaotic time in American history, and while he may not be vulnerable, others that he knows and care about get caught up in unforeseeable actions.

This spurs in Preacher a wild rage when events beyond his control affect those that he loves. Now that he has nothing to lose, he’s going to make sure that the people who made him feel this way are going to pay. He is a former Ranger and so knows all of the disciplines that come with the job as well as the land and how to ride a horse and track down bad guys. They don’t let just anyone become a Ranger, and J.D. definitely knows what he is doing and how to fire a gun. This is good news for him and bad news for anyone who he wants to find in the sights of the barrel of his gun.

This series was first started in 1987 with the debut of Dean L. McElwain’s novel Widow Maker. This is the first of the series and it follows the tough character of Jeremy Preacher. He is a dude that you don’t want to mess with. In a time in the wild west where your skills with a gun and your ability to aim and shoot and hit your mark could mean the difference between life and death, Preacher is well equipped to deal with most of the turmoil that comes his way.

At this time in the story of America, there is a lot going on. The growing pangs of the union have reached their full effect, and the war that happened between the states left a lot of confusion, destruction, pain, and turmoil in its wake. The whole of the nation is somewhere between being traumatized and rebuilding, doing their best to restore what was damaged or destroyed. All of America is in the process of recovering from what has gone on.

Jeremy Preacher was one of Mosby’s Rangers and he is going home. He hopes and prays that his plantation will be intact and everyone will be okay– while away, many men’s families were affected by bandits, thieves, and worse. J.D. shows up to find that the plantation has been burned to the ground. His parents have been slaughtered and his sister raped before being mutilated to death. Everything has been ripped away from him and he is shocked and horrified and filled with a burning rage.

This was the last thing that anyone should have done. Unfortunately, the situation is not uncommon, but Preacher vows to find the people that were responsible and send them straight to the place where the fire eternally burns. He’s not sure, but he thinks that the men were once part of Quantrill’s Raiders. This was the group that his older brother once led.

Preacher thought that they had scattered all over the place– but maybe that’s what brought them here. They have their laws, but J.D. has some laws of his own. In life, there is the law written in books and enforced by the authorities, and the other comes written in blood that flows free. That’s the Preacher’s law and that is his vow. None of these men will ever be safe from him because of what they have done. He is going to hunt them down and make them each pay, even if it means going to the four corners of the country in order to do it.

Trail of Death is the second book in the Preacher series. He has been writing a story of his own ever since the torturous death of his family members. He’s been writing it in the fresh red blood of his enemies, and the story planned for and followed through on leaving the bodies of the people he swore revenge on littered everywhere on the trail behind him.

When he runs out of money and luck, he hasn’t run out of his thirst for vengeance. He will let his enemies fear him and know his rage by his violence against them. His wrath has no end and there are none who can escape it, for he harbors no mercy in his heart for them and will not rest until those responsible are dead as doornails.

Preacher has become an angel of death, the Grim Reaper’s assistant that is showing up on doorsteps and bars in the middle of the night searching for his assignments. Now he has come to the Black Hills on his quest to find the men who murdered his family– and shoot them all into oblivion. But when he comes into the middle of a conflict already in play, J.D. may have gotten more than he initially bargained for.

Custer is a blonde military leader that is leading a charge against the local Native Americans. There are several Indians in the area and while they number in the thousands, Custer has the forces with the modern weapons. Can they be a match for the guns and will this war draw J.D. in? Pick up this exciting second novel to find out!

One Response to “Preacher’s Law”

1. Marvin Watkins: 2 years ago

   I’ve already read all 7 of the Preacher’s Law books. Excellent books. I would recommend anyone who enjoys western novels to read this series. I’m going to a used book store and try to find them so I can reread them.

   Reply