Tales of the Lawless Land
historical adventure
Series · western
Hewey Calloway
The Hewey Calloway series by Elmer Kelton has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Good Old Boys (1978). Elmer Kelton wrote the series; it was continued by Steve Kelton, then John Bradshaw.
- Books
- 6 known books (6 novels)
- Published
- 6
- First published
- 1978
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Historical Fiction, Adventure
- Last checked
Start here: The Good Old Boys (1978) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Good Old Boys
Elmer Kelton introduced footloose cowboy Hewey Calloway in The Good Old Boys in 1978, a 257-page series opener whose gentle, comic tension with his more responsible younger brother Walter later carried over into a 1995 TNT television film starring Tommy Lee Jones.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Good Old Boys - Book 2:
The Smiling Country
The Smiling Country followed twenty years later in 1998, the second entry at 255 pages, as Elmer Kelton returned intermittently across his career to the drifting, unambitious cowboy he'd introduced two decades before.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Smiling Country - Book 3:
Six Bits a Day
Six Bits a Day, from 2005, is the third book and the shortest of Elmer Kelton's original run at 252 pages, closing out the trilogy he wrote himself before his son Steve Kelton and, later, John Bradshaw continued the character after Kelton's 2009 death.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Six Bits a Day - Book 4:
Elmer Kelton's The Unlikely Lawman
The Unlikely Lawman didn't arrive until 2022, seventeen years after Six Bits a Day, credited to Elmer Kelton with Steve Kelton as continuation author; at 336 pages it is the longest book in the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Elmer Kelton's The Unlikely Lawman - Book 5:
Elmer Kelton's The Familiar Stranger
The Familiar Stranger, published in 2024, credits both Steve Kelton and John Bradshaw as continuation authors alongside Elmer Kelton; at 192 pages it is the shortest entry in the series, the fifth book.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Elmer Kelton's The Familiar Stranger - Book 6:
Elmer Kelton's The Blessing
The Blessing closes out the series' sixth entry to date, published in 2025 at 268 pages and credited to Elmer Kelton with John Bradshaw as continuation author.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Elmer Kelton's The Blessing
About the Hewey Calloway series
Hewey Calloway is a footloose, endearingly unambitious cowboy in early-1900s West Texas -- happier drifting from ranch to ranch and outfit to outfit than settling down, in gentle, comic tension with his more responsible younger brother Walter, who wants to marry and farm. Elmer Kelton wrote the first three books over nearly three decades (The Good Old Boys, 1978; The Smiling Country, 1998; Six Bits a Day, 2005), returning to the character intermittently across his career; The Good Old Boys was adapted into a 1995 TNT television film starring Tommy Lee Jones.
After Kelton's death in 2009, the Elmer Kelton estate authorized his son, Steve Kelton, to continue the series -- The Unlikely Lawman (2022) and The Familiar Stranger (2024, co-written with John Bradshaw) -- and then selected Bradshaw alone to continue it further with The Blessing (2025), which won a Will Rogers Medallion Award. All three continuation novels are published as "Elmer Kelton's" under the character's original creator's name, with the actual writers credited alongside him.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the Hewey Calloway series?
Elmer Kelton wrote the series; it was continued by Steve Kelton, then John Bradshaw.
How many Hewey Calloway books are there?
Six: three by Elmer Kelton himself (1978-2005), and three posthumous, estate-sanctioned continuations (2022-2025) by his son Steve Kelton and, later, writer John Bradshaw.
Is Hewey Calloway still being continued after Elmer Kelton's death?
Yes -- the Elmer Kelton Estate authorized Steve Kelton (Elmer's son) to continue the series starting with The Unlikely Lawman (2022), and later selected John Bradshaw to continue it further with The Blessing (2025); all are published under the Elmer Kelton name with the actual writer credited.
Was The Good Old Boys adapted for film or TV?
Yes -- a 1995 TNT television movie starring Tommy Lee Jones as Hewey Calloway.
If you like the Hewey Calloway series
Reading order last verified .