Reavis Z. Wortham Books In Order

Publication Order of Cap Whitlatch Westerns Books

Publication Order of Red River Mystery Books

Publication Order of Sonny Hawke Thriller Books

Publication Order of Tucker Snow Thrillers Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Reavis Z. Wortham is an American author that writes mystery novels. Wortham is best known for the Red River Series of novels.

+Biography
Reavis Z. Wortham was born in 1954 in Texas. Even though his father’s job always took the family to Dallas, each weekend found Wortham, his parents and his brother driving back to Texas where they lived with his grandparents.

Wortham always felt most comfortable in his grandparent’s country residence in Texas. But he also grew to appreciate Dallas because it was where he was educated. The author’s interest in reading was sparked at an early age, and a lot of the excitement he felt whenever he set off for elementary school in the mornings was driven by the love he had for his school library.

Wortham remembers developing and nurturing a relationship with his school librarian that drove him to pursue reading and writing. The woman saw something special in Wortham and gave him the sorts of recommendations that shaped his reading preferences.

The writing bug struck soon after. A former student of Urban Park Elementary School and W.W. Samuel High School, Reavis Z. Wortham was fortunate to find work in a library the moment he graduated from high school.

When he wasn’t shelving books, Wortham was reading them, a process that slowly expanded his reading tastes and introduced him to writers like Jean Shepherd and Jack Kerouac.

Despite the time he spent immersed in books, it took Wortham many years to wind his way into the publishing field. Initially, the author set his sights on becoming an architect, and he put those plans into motion by attended East Texas State University and getting his degree in Industrial Management.

However, it did not take him long to realize that architecture held no appeal for him, at least not as a field that he would like to pursue for the rest of his life. Concluding that he did not truly know what he wanted to do with his life, Reavis Z. Wortham settled on a teaching degree.

He landed a job at a school in Dallas. He spent a little over ten years teaching, during which time he pondered the possibilities and potential of the publishing industry. To kick his writing career off, the author began submitting articles to newspapers and magazines.

And while some of his work went into publication, Wortham mostly received rejections. So the author went back to school and added a few more certificates to his resume. That eventually earned him the position of Communications Specialist in the Garland ISD in the 1980s.

Wortham’s title and position changed several times over the years but he never stopped reading. Every new author he encountered gave Wortham further insight into the writing process.

And after a lifetime spent consuming other people’s work, the author realized that if he wanted to succeed as a writer, he would have to learn to combine the writing styles of all the notable authors he had encountered into a unique writing voice that was likely to appeal to all the editors and publishers that had repeatedly turned him down.

So the author did just that. He made a few tentative submissions to newspapers. That opened the way for a few columns in magazines. By the time Wortham wrote his first novel, he was fifty-six years of age.

By then, the author had retired from education. Things took off rather quickly for Wortham from that point onward. He attended writing conferences, workshops, and festivals and made vital connections that showed him what he needed to do to make it in publishing.

John Gilstrap was especially instrumental in the author’s success. A mentor who he met at a mystery conference in Florida, John and Wortham became fast friends and learned to support one another, eventually going on trips around the country together to promote their literary works.

While Reavis Z. Wortham admits that he joined the writing arena a little late, he believes his decades of experience contributed to his eventual success. By the time his novels hit the shelves, Wortham had garnered a stable following of readers via the hundreds of articles he had written for newspapers and magazines.

Wortham loves the outdoors. You can find him hunting, fishing, and camping. He also spends a lot of time traveling.

+The Rock Hole
It is 1964 and Ned Parker is a farmer who also doubles as the constable of his small community on a part-time basis. Ned is called upon to investigate the remains of a bird dog. The dog seems to have been tortured and the clues Ned stumbles upon speak to the presence of a dangerous element in the community.

Ned’s constable work was never particularly difficult, primarily because the position involved dealing with moonshiners and drunks, possibly even a domestic dispute or two. When murder follows the animal atrocities, it doesn’t take Ned long to realize that he might be in way over his head.

His attempts at following the clues and trails he encounters only lead to unexpected twists and frustrating dead ends. When the killer in question begins stalking Ned’s family, he agrees with the local judge that it might be time to call upon the FBI.

When an attempt to kidnap his grandchildren is foiled, Ned throws out the rulebook and begins to take drastic steps to bring the murder spree in his community to an end.

+Burrows
The time has come for Ned Parker to leave his constable work in Center Springs, Texas behind, and he is more than ready to enjoy his retirement. Unfortunately, Center Springs won’t let him rest easy.

Things start going wrong when Ned is led to a body in the river. Cody Parker, his nephew, and the new constable starts an investigation, with Ned agreeing to work with him to stop a murder spree spreading across multiple states.

While Ned and Cody get to the business of catching a criminal, Ned’s grandchildren spend those weeks trying to come to terms with the trauma they experienced during Ned’s last case.

Texas is on edge. Someone is out to shatter the peace of Ned’s quiet community and he has every intention of stopping them, no matter what it takes.

3 Responses to “Reavis Z. Wortham”

1. Daria: 5 months ago

   Found Hard Country and enjoyed!!! I am starting to listen to Hawke series. I am now hooked!

   Reply
2. Rose A. Worlein: 7 months ago

   Loved Hard Country – couldn’t put it down. Need more of these characters

   Reply
3. johnna: 2 years ago

   Love your Red River mystery series

   Reply