New Orleans (La.) book series in reading order

by Barbara Hambly

Barbara Hambly

119 books• 23 series

Barbara Hambly, an American novelist and screenwriter born August 28, 1951, works across fantasy, science fiction, mystery and historical fiction. The Benjamin January mysteries follow a free man of color, a musician and physician, in antebellum New Orleans. Hambly's other series include James Asher, Darwath, Sun Wolf and Starhawk and the Windrose Chronicles, and the science fiction extends into Star Trek and Star Wars settings. Historical novels about Mary Todd Lincoln and Abigail Adams are also part of the output. The 119 catalogued books run from The Time of the Dark (1982) to Death in the Palace (2026).

Laura Childs writes cozy mysteries in three series: the Tea Shop Mysteries, with Theodosia Browning in Charleston, South Carolina, the Scrapbooking Mysteries and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Death by Darjeeling (2001) opens the catalogue, which holds 56 books and reaches Death at a Firefly Tea. Buttermint Bomb is scheduled for 2027.

Sherrilyn Kenyon

117 books• 29 series

Sherrilyn Kenyon, born December 11, 1965, is an American writer of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, best known for the Dark-Hunter series. Under the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor, Kenyon writes historical fiction with paranormal elements. The books have sold over 70 million copies in more than 100 countries. The catalogue lists 117 titles from The Wager (1992) to Hell's Half Acre (2026), among them series such as League: Nemesis Rising, Dream-Hunter, B.A.D. Agency and Chronicles of Nick. Two early non-fiction titles are writer's guides from 1994 and 1995.

Julie Smith, born November 25, 1944, is an American mystery writer whose sixth book, New Orleans Mourning, won the 1991 Edgar Award for Best Novel. Skip Langdon, Talba Wallis, Rebecca Schwartz and Paul MacDonald are series, and subjects include policewomen, New Orleans, women lawyers and San Francisco. The catalogue lists 31 books, starting with Death Turns a Trick (1982) and ending with The Big Crazy (2019). The Axeman's Jazz (1991) and Jazz Funeral (1993) are listed titles.

Faith Hunter

61 books• 9 series

Faith Hunter is the fantasy pen name of Gwendolyn Faith Hunter, an American author and blogger who writes thrillers as Gwen Hunter. Thrillers written with Gary Leveille appear under the joint name Gary Hunter. Hunter co-founded the writer assistance blog MagicalWords.net and built a role-playing game on the Rogue Mage series. The catalogue lists 61 books, from Bloodring (2006) to Junkyard Riders (2026). Jane Yellowrock, Soulwood, Junkyard Cats and Thorn St. Croix are among the series. Subjects include vampires, shapeshifting, New Orleans and Cherokee Indians.

Ali Vali writes lesbian romance and romantic suspense, with 41 books catalogued from All It Took Was You (2001) to Journey to Amazonia (2026). Cain Casey is a series, and The Devil Inside (2006), The Devil Unleashed (2006) and Deal with the Devil (2008) are among the listed titles. Genesis Clan, Harry & Desi's, Sept Savoie & Keegan Blanchard, Blue Skies and Waves are other series. Subjects include New Orleans, organized crime, women lawyers, restaurateurs and lesbian police officers.

Lisa Jackson

189 books• 27 series

Lisa Jackson, born Susan Lisa Jackson in 1952, is an American author of romance and romantic suspense novels, with more than 75 to that name. The catalogue holds 189 Lisa Jackson books, from A Twist of Fate (1983) to Not What It Seems (2026). Subjects across the list include serial murders, women detectives, Montana and contemporary romance. Jackson's series include Selena Alvarez/Regan Pescoli, McCaffertys, Cahills / San Francisco, Savannah and the Dark Jewels Trilogy, plus a historical trilogy issued as Susan Lynn Crose. New Jackson titles continue to appear.

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.

Erica Spindler, born in 1957, is a New York Times bestselling writer of romantic thrillers. The catalogue lists 38 Spindler books, from Heaven Sent (1988) to The Detective's Daughter (2022), and no new title has appeared since. Early titles include Chances Are (1989), Read Between the Lines (1989), Magnolia Dawn (1993) and Night Jasmine (1993). Series include Stacy Killian, Kitt Lundgren, Lightkeepers, Malones and Blossoms of the South. Subjects include serial murder, stalkers, psychological suspense and New Orleans.

Rochelle Alers, born August 7, 1943, is an American romance novelist who has also written as Susan James and Rena McLeary. The catalogue lists 95 books from Careless Whispers (1988) to A Maverick of Honor (2026). Subjects cover African American romance, contemporary and historical romance, widows and New Orleans. Series include Hideaway Legacy, Eatons, Wickham Falls Weddings, Cavanaugh Island, Blackstones of Virginia and Whitfield Brides. Hideaway (1995) is among the titles.

Nevada Barr

24 books• 5 series

Nevada Barr is an American writer of mystery fiction, born in 1952. The Anna Pigeon novels are Barr's best known work: Anna Pigeon is a woman park ranger, and the books are set in national parks and other protected areas of the United States. Barr's 24 catalogued titles run from Bittersweet (1984) to What Rose Forgot (2019), and the catalogue also lists standalone novels, short fiction and non-fiction. An Anna Pigeon television series takes the character's name and starts in 2026.

Rumble on the Bayou (2006) is the first of 64 Jana DeLeon books in the catalogue, which reaches Marsh Mystics (2026). DeLeon's series include Miss Fortune Mystery, Ghost-in-Law, Shaye Archer, Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance, Tempest Island and Marina at Midlife. Subjects cover romantic suspense, humorous mystery, murder, missing persons, private investigators, plantations and New Orleans. Early titles include Trouble in Mudbug (2009), Bayou Bodyguard (2011) and Louisiana Longshot (2012).

JoAnn Ross, an American writer, has published more than 100 novels since 1983 across romance, romantic suspense and women's fiction, and has also written as JoAnn Robbins and JoAnn Robb. She belongs to the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors and holds Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title. The catalogue lists 114 books from Winning Season (1983) to Just One Look (2022) and marks the run as dormant. Series include Shelter Bay, Honeymoon Harbor, Castlelough, High Risk, Lucky Penny, Callahan Brothers, Stewart Sisters and New Orleans Knights. Subjects include Navy SEALs, private investigators and first loves.

Urban fantasy and paranormal romance are Chloe Neill's genres. Neill, born May 17, 1975, is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires and Devil's Isle series. The catalogue lists 34 books from Some Girls Bite (2009) to Ember Eternal (2025), also covering Heirs of Chicagoland, Captain Kit Brightling and Souls Burn Brightest. Vampires, magic, good and evil, and the city of Chicago recur among the recorded subjects.

Stella Cameron was born on December 5, 1943 on the southern coast of England and grew up an avid reader with a parallel love of writing. The catalogue counts 76 books from 1985, when Faces of a Clown and Moontide appeared, to The Playing Fields (2022). Some early titles, such as Love Beyond Question (1985) and Full Circle (1986), carry the name Alicia Brandon. Series include Alex Duggins, Rossmara Family, Mayfair Square, Court of Angels, Chimney Rock, Elliot Brothers, New Orleans PD and Navy SEALs. Subjects span romantic suspense, contemporary and historical romance, murder, Louisiana and the Cotswold hills.

James Sallis, who lived from 1944 to 2026, was an American crime writer, poet, science fiction writer and biographer. The Lew Griffin novels, set in New Orleans, follow a detective through a series that opens with The Long-Legged Fly (1992); Drive, published in 2005, became a film of the same name in 2011. Sallis also wrote about music, starting the catalogue with The Guitar Players: One Instrument and Its Masters in American Music (1982). Thirty-eight titles are catalogued in all.

Poppy Z. Brite

29 books• 6 series

Poppy Z. Brite is the former name of William Joseph Martin, an American author born on 25 May 1967 who rose to prominence in gothic horror in the early 1990s through novels and short story collections. Lost Souls (1992), Drawing Blood (1993) and Exquisite Corpse (1996) are the best-known novels. Later work turned to dark comedy, much of it set among New Orleans restaurants, and many characters are openly gay or bisexual. The catalogue lists 29 books from Seed of Lost Souls (1988) to Portrait of a Phantom (2017), including His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood and Other Stories (1995). Rickey and G-Man is the series on record, and subjects include cooks and New Orleans.

Paranormal romance fills H.P. Mallory's catalogue, which runs to 227 titles since Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (2010). Vampires, witches, warlocks, ghosts and guardian angels carry series including Jolie Wilkins, Dulcie O'Neil, Lily Harper, Haven Hollow, Midlife Spirits, Bryn and Sinjin, Dark Destinies and the Trailer Park Vampire. New Orleans and the afterlife recur as settings. Damask Dreams appeared in 2026, and Oracles and Oddyseys is dated 2027.