Government investigators book series in reading order

by John Sandford

by Mike Lawson

by Kyle Mills

by David Baldacci

by Candace Robb

by Robert W. Walker

by Dean Koontz

by Debby Giusti

Historical romance and FBI suspense make up Catherine Coulter's two main bodies of work. Regency and medieval romances such as the Sherbrooke Brides and Medieval Song sequences date back to the 1979 debut The Rebel Bride, while the FBI Thriller series and A Brit in the FBI follow government investigator Dillon Savich. Coulter's catalogue runs to 95 books, reaching The Heir of Whitestone in 2026.

Kay Hooper, born in 1957, is a New York Times bestselling American author credited with more than 60 books. The catalogue counts 86 Hooper books between Lady Thief (1981) and Curse of Salem (2021), several early titles appearing under the name Kay Robbins. Subjects include romance, suspense, the Loveswept imprint, psychics, serial murders and the fictional investigator Noah Bishop. Series include the Bishop Files, Hagan, Shamrock Trinity and Once Upon A Time..., and no new title has been listed since 2021.

David Baldacci

71 books• 16 series

David Baldacci is an American novelist, born on 5 August 1960, who trained as an attorney and writes mostly suspense fiction and legal thrillers. The catalogue lists 72 Baldacci books, starting with Absolute Power (1996); All In appeared in 2026 and Boom Town is scheduled for 2027. Recurring leads include Amos Decker, Will Robie, John Puller, Atlee Pine and Aloysius Archer, alongside the Camel Club and the Sean King & Michelle Maxwell books. Baldacci novels have been published in more than 80 countries and 45 languages, with worldwide sales above 130 million copies.

Heather Graham is the name under which Heather Graham Pozzessere, an American writer born on 15 March 1953, publishes mainly romance fiction; Shannon Drake is a further pen name. Graham's work has been published in about 25 languages, with more than 75 million copies printed. The catalogue records 311 books from Tender Taming (1983) to Destiny Rising (2026). Krewe of Hunters, Harrison Investigation, Cafferty & Quinn, Alliance Vampires, Keepers: L.A., New York Confidential and Finnegan Connection are among the Graham series. Subjects span historical, paranormal, contemporary and suspense romance.

Douglas Preston

54 books• 9 series

Douglas Preston writes thrillers with horror and science fiction edges, built on serial murder, antiquities and government investigation. Aloysius Pendergast is the character the catalogue is best known for, with Nora Kelly, Gideon Crew, Wyman Ford and the Cash & Colcord books beside him. Fifty-seven catalogued titles run from Dinosaurs in the Attic (1986) through Relic (1995) and Riptide (1998) to Pendergast, and Resurrection is scheduled for 2027.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child write thrillers together, and 16 of their joint books are catalogued here. Relic (1995) starts the collaboration and Angel of Vengeance (2024) is the most recent entry. Aloysius Pendergast, a government investigator, carries most of them through serial murder cases in New York. The pair keep publishing.

John Sandford is the professional name of John Roswell Camp, an American novelist born on February 23, 1944. Camp is a former journalist and a Pulitzer Prize recipient. The Sandford catalogue runs to 63 books, opening with Rules of Prey (1989) and reaching Revenge Prey (2026), with Ruthless Prey announced for 2027. Lucas Davenport and Minnesota appear among the subject headings, and the series list includes Virgil Flowers, Letty Davenport, Kidd & LuEllen, Singular Menace and the Prey Universe.

Mike Lawson writes political thrillers built around government investigators. The catalogue lists 25 books, from The Inside Ring (2005) to The Asset (2026), in two named series: Joe DeMarco and Agent Kay Hamilton. Joe DeMarco is the recurring character. House Rules / Dead on Arrival (2008), House Secrets (2009) and House Justice (2010) appear early in the run, alongside the standalone title Rosarito Beach (2013). Undercover operations, drug trafficking and the US Drug Enforcement Administration appear among the subject headings.

James Patterson

510 books• 73 series

James Patterson, born on March 22, 1947, is an American writer whose catalogue here holds 514 books published from 1976 to 2027. The run opens with The Thomas Berryman Number (1976), and Along Came a Spider (1992) and Kiss the Girls (1995) follow later. Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, Witch & Wizard, NYPD Red, Private, Middle School and the Women's Murder Club are among the Patterson series, alongside standalone thrillers, non-fiction and romance. Marshall Karp shares the credit on 5 of the books. Patterson's sales exceed 425 million copies, and Patterson was the first person to sell one million e-books. Forbes ranked Patterson the highest-paid author in 2016, for a third year running, and the National Book Foundation gave Patterson the Literarian Award in November 2015. 27 Stars is scheduled for 2027.

Kyle Mills, born August 26, 1966, is an American writer of thriller fiction. The catalogue holds 24 books, from Rising Phoenix (1997) to Fade In (2025). Terrorism, espionage, intelligence officers and government investigators run through the recorded subjects, and Mitch Rapp is listed among the characters, with Vince Flynn sharing the credit on one title. Mark Beamon and Fade are the series credited to Mills, alongside a set of standalone novels. Mills is still publishing.

Mariah Stewart writes women's fiction and romantic suspense. The Chesapeake Diaries, Wyndham Beach, the Hudson Sisters, Mercy Street, Enright and Last are the series in a catalogue of 50 titles, which opens in 1995 with Moments in Time and reaches Wake-Up Calls (2026). Maryland settings, federal investigators, serial murders and family life fill the subject tags.

Suzanne Brockmann, born 1960, is an American writer of romantic fiction, some of it under the name Anne Brock. Brockmann lives near Boston, Massachusetts. The catalogue counts 69 books, opening with Future Perfect in 1993 and running to Jules Cassidy, P.I. in 2026. Troubleshooters and Tall, Dark & Dangerous are recurring series, and Navy SEALs, terrorism, kidnapping and government investigators appear in the subjects, together with romantic suspense.

Carla Cassidy, born Carla Bracale in Kansas, is an American romance novelist who has published since 1988. The first novels carried the maiden name Carla Bracale, later ones the married name Cassidy, and one fantasy novel appeared under the name Carla Cook. The catalogue lists 184 books, from Falling for You (1988, as Carla Bracale) to The Final Victim (2026). Series include Cowboys of Holiday Ranch, Wild West Bodyguards, Scarecrow Murders, Mustang, Montana, Lawmen of Black Rock, Cherokee Corners, Men of Wolf Creek and Kings of Coyote Creek. Subjects include romantic suspense, cowboys, bodyguards and serial murderers.

Owen Laukkanen

13 books• 4 series

Owen Laukkanen, born February 20, 1983, is a Canadian mystery writer and the creator of the Stevens and Windermere series. The Professionals (2012), the first novel, was an Anthony Award finalist for Best First Novel at Bouchercon 2013 and made the Kirkus Reviews list of the top 100 novels of 2012. Laukkanen lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. The catalogue lists 13 books, from The Professionals to 11 Paper Hearts (2021), including Criminal Enterprise (2013), Kill Fee (2014) and Deception Cove (2019). How to Win at High School (2015) and The Fixes (2016) appeared under the name Owen Matthews. Neah Bay is also listed as a series.

Karin Slaughter

39 books• 10 series

American crime writer Karin Slaughter was born in 1971. Her debut, Blindsighted (2001), made the Crime Writers' Association shortlist for best thriller debut, and Cop Town won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger in 2015. The catalogue carries 39 of her books through The Secrets We Hide (2026). Will Trent, Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver are recurring figures, and her series listings include Andrea Oliver, North Falls Thriller, Pretty Girls and Good Daughter alongside standalone novels. Subjects cover police work, medical examiners, murder and the state of Georgia. Slaughter's books are published in 120 countries.

Lisa Gardner, born in 1972, is an American suspense novelist and a #1 New York Times bestseller. Gardner started out in romantic suspense under the name Alicia Scott, and three series here carry that pseudonym. The domestic thriller The Perfect Husband (1997) was the breakthrough. Gardner's series follow Detective D.D. Warren, Tessa Leoni and Frankie Elkin, and police investigations, missing persons and Boston recur in the subjects. The catalogue counts 48 books from Walking After Midnight (1992) to You'll Be Sorry (2026). Gardner's novels appear in more than 30 countries, and screen credits include At the Midnight House, The Survivors Club and Hide.

Janet Evanovich

79 books• 13 series

Stephanie Plum, a bail bond agent turned bounty hunter, is the recurring lead of Janet Evanovich's longest series. Evanovich writes humorous mystery and romance, and the catalogue holds 79 books from Full House (1981) to Split Second in 2026. Other recurring lines include Kate O'Hare & Nicolas Fox, Lizzy & Diesel, Knight and Moon, Alexandra Barnaby and the Culhane Family.

Karen Robards has written historical romance, contemporary romance and romantic suspense across 56 catalogued books. Island Flame (1981) opens the list, followed by Sea Fire (1982), Forbidden Love (1983), Amanda Rose (1984), Dark Torment (1985) and To Love a Man (1985). Dr. Charlotte Stone, the Banning Sisters and Jessica Ford head series inside a catalogue otherwise made of standalone novels. The Moonlight Runner is the newest title, and Robards remains actively publishing.

Sandra Orchard has 29 catalogued books, published from Deep Cover (2011) to The Honeyed Truth (2026). Subject tags cover romantic suspense, Christian romance, undercover operations, women detectives, art thefts and the FBI. Undercover Cops, Port Aster Secrets and Serena Jones Mystery are the Orchard series in the listing. Critical Condition and Shades of Truth followed in 2012, and Fatal Inheritance and Deadly Devotion in 2013. Sandra Orchard is still publishing.

Paula Graves writes romantic suspense, with catalogue subjects that list Tennessee, North Carolina, government investigators, police and serial murder. The 41 books run from Forbidden Territory (2006) to Operation Nanny (2017). Series credited to Graves include Cooper Justice, Cooper Security, Bitterwood P.D., Gates, Campbell Cove Academy and Brody & Hannigan Mysteries. Cowboy Alibi (2008), Bachelor Sheriff (2010) and Code Name: Willow (2011) are among the earlier titles.

Jeff Rovin is an American author, magazine editor, freelance writer and columnist who has reached the New York Times bestseller list. The catalogue holds 38 books between 1975 and 2023 and crosses reference works, film books and thrillers: A Pictorial History of Science Fiction Films (1975), The Encyclopedia of Monsters (1990), Adventure Heroes (1994) and Aliens, Robots, and Spaceships (1995) sit beside titles such as April Fool's Day (1986) and Re-Animator (1987). Op-Center recurs as a grouping in the listing, and Tom Clancy carries a credit on one book in it. Zero-G / Samuel Lord is the series recorded for Rovin, and the listing is marked dormant.

David Wiltse is an American novelist and playwright with 14 plays and many screenplays and teleplays, including the CBS series Ladies Man. The Wiltse book list holds 22 titles from Suggs (1972) to SCRAMBLE! (2010). The John Becker series is a set of thrillers, with government investigators, the FBI, Nebraska and serial murders among the subjects. Prayer for the Dead (1991) and Close to the Bone (1992) are two of the titles, and Wiltse also writes the Billy Tree series.

Julie Garwood (1944-2023) was an American novelist who wrote more than twenty-seven romance novels across historical and suspense subgenres. More than 35 million copies of Garwood's books are in print, and at least 24 reached the New York Times bestseller list. A Girl Named Summer is a Garwood novel for young adults. For the Roses became the television feature Rose Hill. The catalogue records 36 books, running from Gentle Warrior (1985) to Grace Under Fire (2022), with series including Buchanan-Renard-MacKenna, Claybornes of Rose Hill, Crown's Spies, Highlands' Lairds and Lairds' Brides.

Thomas Perry was an American writer of mystery and thriller novels, born August 7, 1947, who died on September 15, 2025. The Butcher's Boy (1982) was Perry's debut and received the 1983 Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. The catalogue lists 41 books, from that debut to The Get Out (2026). Series are Jane Whitefield, Butcher's Boy and Jack Till, and titles include Metzger's Dog (1983), Vanishing Act (1995) and Shadow Woman (1997). Subject headings cover assassins, the Mafia, government investigators and Indians of North America.