Sheriff Bo Tully Books In Order

Publication Order of Sheriff Bo Tully Books

Sheriff Bo Tully stars in this series of mysteries that is set in BlightCounty, Idaho. He uses guns for both his hobbies and job, but is not one to have any attachment with them in a sentimental sort of way. Like him, his father was sheriff before him.

The series began being published in the year 2006 when “The Blight Way”was released. He announced on his official site that the sixth book “Circles in the Snow” would be the final mystery starring Bo Tully. It was released in the year 2014, and after its release, McManus considers himself retired.

“The Blight Way” is the first novel in the “Sheriff Bo Tully” series and was released in the year 2006. Bo Tully, as well as a guy that lost weight using Atkins, were thinking about asking his grade school crush named Jan Whittle. The problem with that is that he had made plans already to celebrate his dad’s birthday with him, as his dad celebrates 75 years of life. His thwarted romance ends up being the least of his worries, though, when there is a corpse that turns up on the ranch of Batim Scragg.

Most puzzling of all, is that neither Batim or either of his wayward sons look like they killed the dead person. Bo has to put on his detective hat here, and is faced with quite a bit of potential suspects. What quickly becomes clear is that the ways the sheriff uses to investigate may or may not be be legal, but are The Blight Way, better or worse.

“Avalanche” is the second novel in the “Sheriff Bo Tully” series and was released in the year 2007. Tully gets a call that says that Mike Wilson (he owns West Branch Lodge and is all around not likable) has vanished. It makes him delighted, because it tells him that he, his dad, and Dave are going to be able to relax in the lodge in the hot tubs and drink the single malt scotch. All while they work the case. The approaching avalanche dashes these ideas of relaxation and rest right as they pull up to the hotel.

Tully is just able to outrun the snow crushing them, but they are blocked in. For how long, they do not know. There are some locals and vacationers that make up a motley group of people they meet at the lodge. All of whom look to be suspects when there is startling proof that the avalanche was done on purpose and not just an accident from nature.

Why would someone want him dead though? It goes from a case of a missing person to full on murder when they find Mike’s body in the river some time later. Who killed him and how did they do it? He is also the only suspect that could have killed another dead body that is reported in Blight City during that week. How is this possible? That is one thing Tully is going to have to figure out.

“The Double Jack Murders” is the third novel in the “Sheriff Bo Tully” series and was released in the year 2009. Tully works a missing persons case that dates back 75 years. It began when two gold miners, or double jack (which is a two man drilling team) went missing mysteriously. This happened right when they hit the jackpot while in a part of Blight County that is in the middle of nowhere.

There is a much more threatening case that is looming much larger. A mentally unstable killer named Kincaid has just gotten out of prison after serving just two months of his life sentence. This guy is a nasty piece of business if ever there was. He was able to escape, and is looking for revenge against Bo Tully. He is the one that put Kincaid in jail to start with.

To try to do some prospecting and fishing, as well as lure the killer into the open, he goes north with Pap and his buddy Dave. The two cases play out, and Tully is looking for a killer that probably died long ago and is stalked by another murder that is very alive.

“The Huckleberry Murders” is the fourth novel in the “Sheriff Bo Tully” series and was released in the year 2010. At the beginning of this one, Tully is following up a famous hunch of his; he believes Ray Crockett (who is a ranch caretaker and sociopath that has a record) killed Orville Poulson (who is a local guy that is retired). One problem with this is that Tully has got zero evidence or even a body that would prove there was a crime committed. It is believed by others that Orville is still living and well; he is even cashing checks from Social Security while in Spokane.

At the same time, a case that is much more alarming is coming to light. There are three young guys that have been shot in the back of their heads. It was done execution style, and the murders took place in Scotchman Mountain (in a huckleberry patch), and there was no identification left behind. Tully gets help from a beautiful agent with the FBI named Angela Phelps. He tries to put the pieces together of these murders and Poulson going missing, as well as a big white dual tired truck that causes crime and havoc.

What little leads they have are killed or end up being impossible to track down, Tully has to use his own instincts to figure out who the killer is and why. He is led to a swamp that is supposed to be haunted with Agent Phelps, Pap (his womanizer dad and the ex-sheriff), Dave (Tully’s good buddy and an expert tracker), and Poke (who is a mountain man).

The style used by McManus in the book calls to mind Art Buchwald, Mark Twain, and Garrison Keillor. Fans of the novel find that this is one twisting case that is full of murder and mystery. It might just be the most entertaining story in the entire series. Every single one of these books is very humorous, and this fourth is no exception to that.