Gideon and Sirius Books in Order: How to read Alan Russell’s series?
A cop and his dog.
What is the Gideon and Sirius series about?
Written by American novelist Alan Russell, the Gideon and Sirius series is a crime series with a canine twist.
The story revolves around LAPD cop Michael Gideon and his police dog partner Sirius. After capturing a notorious serial killer in the midst of an inferno, they were chosen to head up the newly formed Special Cases Unit.
The duo has to tackle out-of-the-ordinary cases, anything deemed unusual or bizarre even by Hollyweird standards.
Gideon and Sirius Books in Order:
Every book in the Gideon and Sirius series works as a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one novel to the other.
- Burning Man (2012)
- Guardians of the Night (2015)
- Lost Dog (2016)
- Gideon’s Rescue (2018)
- L.A. Woman (2019)
- The Last Good Dog (2021)
What is the plot of the Gideon and Sirius novels?
For more information about the books in the Gideon and Sirius series by Alan Russell, you’ll find below the official synopsis for all the books:
Burning Man – When a teenager is found crucified in a city park, LAPD cop Michael Gideon and his police dog partner Sirius are handed the bizarre case. Confronting the gruesome tableau and having to work the case worsens Detective Gideon’s PTSD, a condition he has tried to hide from others. Gideon’s burns may have healed, but the fire haunts him still…in more ways than one.
Guardians of the Night – Ronald “Wrong” Pauley is a homeless man long fallen from grace. When Pauley’s late-night drinking is interrupted by a detonation of light, he sees what he describes as a “being of light” in the alley below. Pauley tries to help, but ends up as a witness to what he believes is the murder of a fallen angel. Gideon and Sirius are already in the midst of trying to determine the identity of the so-called “Reluctant Hero” who seemed to magically appear just moments after shots began ringing out at an elementary school. Braving gunfire, the hero tackled the shooter, and then disappeared.
Lost Dog – Heather Moreland has clearly disappeared under suspicious circumstances, and the more Gideon digs into her past, the more he’s convinced of her abduction. As Gideon strives to help the missing woman, he is also troubled by the suspicious death of Detective Langston Walker, the leader of a support group for families of murder victims. The last time they’d met, Walker told Gideon about a cold case he had reopened, making Gideon wonder if the detective’s demise is the accident everyone believes.
Gideon’s Rescue – Gideon and Sirius walked through fire to catch an infamous serial killer. To assist the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, Gideon has agreed to monthly prison visits with Ellis Haines, aka the Weatherman. This time, a homicide case the FBI wants Haines to analyze sparks a chilling discovery: A new serial killer has struck, and he’s lacing his crime scenes with hidden messages intended for Haines. Haines isn’t the only killer whose twisted game Gideon must try to break up. A missing man’s love poems are delivered to his fiancée with the message: So sorry for your loss. And when a sweet pit bull named Emily is rescued after being left for dead, Gideon and Sirius pull out all the stops to try and bring down the dogfighting ring that abused her.
L.A. Woman – When a woman in Bel Air dies of a rattlesnake bite, the case doesn’t seem to fit the usual purview of LAPD’s Special Cases Unit. But Carrie Holder was no ordinary LA woman. She was a member of the city’s latest cult, the Church of the Gate, which counts Hollywood’s movers and shakers among its devotees. Investigating the cult’s secrets takes Detective Michael Gideon, his German shepherd K-9 partner, Sirius, and pit bull rescue Emily across Los Angeles’s canyons, neighborhoods, and movie studio lots-but all the while, an even darker threat looms closer.
The Last Good Dog – It’s been a year of change for Gideon and Sirius. Both are new parents, but for the two of them, the joys of fatherhood have to wait. After a few months of silence, the All-In Killer has begun his murderous spree again-and his latest victim died only miles from Gideon’s doorstep. The All-In Killer has made it no secret that his homicidal countdown will end only with the deaths of Gideon and Sirius. When Gideon decides he can no longer hide the encroaching threat from his wife, they prepare together for the approaching storm.
What should you read if you like the Gideon and Sirius novels?
If you like reading Alan Russell’s Gideon and Sirius, you may be interested in The Andy Carpenter Series by David Rosenfelt or The Chet and Bernie Mystery Series by Spencer Quinn.
