Romantic suspense book series in reading order

by Maya Banks

by Traci Hunter Abramson

by Jackie Collins

by Eric Jerome Dickey

by Kendra Elliot

by Mariah Stewart

by Cora Reilly

by Gina Robinson

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.

Marie Ferrarella is an American romance writer, born Marie Rydzynski in Germany on 28 March 1948. Ferrarella has also written as Marie Nicole, Marie Michael and Marie Charles, and the novels have been translated into at least seven languages. The catalogue lists 328 books from 1983 to 2024, beginning with Scenes from the Heart, issued as Marie Charles. Series include Cavanaugh Justice, Matchmaking Mamas, Forever Texas, Baby of the Month Club and ChildFinders, Inc. Subjects include contemporary, western and suspense romance, police, physicians, single fathers and single mothers. Cavanaugh Justice: Cold Case Squad (2024) is the newest title.

Delores Fossen writes romantic suspense and Western romance, much of it set in Texas. The catalogue counts 183 books, from Unbridled (1998) and Saddled (2001) to Crossfire Creek Takedown (2026). Series include Lawmen of Silver Creek Ranch, Appaloosa Pass Ranch, Sweetwater Ranch, Wrangler's Creek, Coldwater Texas, Lone Star Ridge, Last Ride, Texas, Marshals of Maverick County and several Hard Justice lines. Sheriffs, pregnant women and amnesia recur across the subjects.

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.

Montana features in the names of B.J. Daniels's series, including Cahill Ranch/Montana Cahills, Buckhorn, Montana, Beartooth, Montana, Montana Hamiltons, Cardwell Ranch: Montana Legacy and the Whitehorse, Montana sets. B.J. Daniels writes romantic suspense and western romance, with 150 books catalogued from Outlawed (1995) to Calling His Bluff (2026). Colt Brothers Investigation is another series. Subject tags include cowboys, sheriffs, murders and mystery.

Debra Webb, born 1958, is an American author of suspense novels and a USA Today bestseller. The catalogue credits Webb with 180 books from 1999 to 2026, starting with Tempting Trace (1999). Series include Colby Agency, Faces of Evil, Undertaker's Daughter, Shades of Death, Lookout Mountain Mysteries and Winchester, Tennessee. Subjects cover romantic suspense, private investigators, serial murderers and missing persons. The Woman I've Become (2026) is the newest title.

Rita Herron writes romantic suspense, with subjects that include serial murders, police, twins, missing children and ranchers. Series include Detective Ellie Reeves, Nighthawk Island, Slaughter Creek, Cold Case, Badge Of Justice, Heroes Of Horseshoe Creek, Bucking Bronc Lodge, Demonborn and Manhunt. Fiction titles include Thief of Hearts (1997), Send Me a Hero (1998), Her Eyewitness (1999) and Forgotten Lullaby (2000). Midnight Ridge (2026) is the newest title.

Romantic suspense is the field recorded for Carol Ericson, whose subjects also list police and law enforcement romance, police procedural mystery, missing persons, murderers, undercover operations, Colorado and the United States Navy SEALs. The catalogue holds 72 books, from A Doctor-Nurse Encounter (2008) to Rebooting Conor Flynn (2026), with the 2010s the heaviest decade. Series credited to Ericson include Red, White and Built, Guardians of Coral Cove, Brody Law, Target: Timberline, Holding the Line, Kyra and Jake Investigation, Lost Girls and Discovery Bay.

Donald Eugene Pendleton (December 12, 1927 to October 23, 1995) was an American author of fiction and non-fiction who created Mack Bolan, a character with hundreds of millions of copies sold since a 1969 debut. From 1980, other authors wrote the Bolan books under the Pendleton name, at first with Pendleton's editorial guidance. Pendleton also wrote six Joe Copp, Private Eye novels and six Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective novels. Early titles include The Insatiables (1967), War Against the Mafia (1969) and Miami Massacre (1970).

Shirlee McCoy writes Christian romance and inspirational romantic suspense, with subjects that include police, widows and single mothers. The catalogue lists 64 books from Still Waters (2003) to Blizzard Showdown (2021) and marks the author as dormant. Series include Heroes For Hire, Mission: Rescue, Lakeview, FBI: Special Crimes Unit, Apple Valley and Bradshaws. Die Before Nightfall (2005), Little Girl Lost (2007) and Lakeview Protector (2008) are among the titles.

Cindy Dees writes romantic suspense, with special forces and undercover operations among the subject tags. The catalogue holds 83 books from Behind Enemy Lines (2002) to Where the Sky Begins (2026). Medusa Project, H.O.T. Watch, Charlie Squad, Code: Warrior SEALs, Blackjacks, Runaway Ranch and Doctors Unlimited are among the series, and Hot Soldier Down (2002) and Kill Zone (2004) are early titles. Fantasy also appears in the subjects, alongside the Sleeping King series.

Sharon Sala has written under the Sharon Sala name and as Dinah McCall, with more than 85 books in print since a first publication in 1991. Sala is a seven-time RITA finalist and a Janet Dailey Award winner, and Romance Writers of America gave Sala its Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. The catalogue holds 144 Sala titles, from Sara's Angel (1991) to Reckoning (2026). Series include Blessings, Georgia; Mossy Creek; Jubilee, Kentucky; Jigsaw Files; Justice Way; Cat Dupree; Storm Front and Rebel Ridge. Romantic suspense and contemporary romance appear among the subject tags.

Cynthia Eden writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance, and the catalogue runs from The Vampire's Kiss (2005) to Ice Covered Heart (2026). Subjects include vampires, serial murder investigation, the FBI and Atlanta. Series include Wilde Ways, Ice Breaker Cold Case, Shadow Agents: Guts and Glory, LOST/Last Option Search Team, Killer Instinct, Lazarus Rising, Battling McGuire Boys, Bad Things, Trouble For Hire and Phoenix Fire. Early titles include The Wizard's Spell (2006), Hotter After Midnight (2008) and Midnight Sins (2008). The listing also carries several volumes of the Secrets anthology from 2005 to 2008.

Kat Martin is a pen name of Kathleen Kelly Martin, born July 14, 1947, an American writer of romance novels who has also published as Kathy Lawrence and Kasey Marx. The catalogue holds 81 books from Magnificent Passage (1988) to The Unseen (2025), split between historical romance and romantic suspense, with private investigators among the recorded subjects. Series include the Raines of Wind Canyon, Maximum Security, the Brodies of Alaska, the Sinclair Sisters Trilogy and BOSS, Inc. Martin is married to the writer and photographer Larry Jay Martin.

Julie Miller is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 70 books and a writer of romantic suspense, with a National Readers Choice Award, two Daphne du Maurier awards and a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in Series Romantic Suspense. One Good Man (2000) was Miller's first Harlequin Intrigue, followed by the Taylor Clan series and the Precinct spin-off. The catalogue holds 73 books from Immortal Heart (1997) to The McCormick Marines: Ethan (2026). Kansas City, police procedure and undercover operations feature in the subjects.

HelenKay Dimon is an American author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense, and a past president of the Romance Writers of America. Dimon grew up in New Holland, Pennsylvania, read journalism and political science at Syracuse, worked as a legislative correspondent in Washington, D.C., and then studied law at Wake Forest. Bodyguards, undercover operations and intelligence officers drive series such as the Corcoran Team, Bad Boys Undercover, Games People Play and Men of Hawaii. Dimon also publishes as Darby Kane.

Romantic suspense is the register Elle James works in: undercover operations, Navy SEALs, ranchers, Austin, Texas and love stories all appear in the subjects recorded against the books. The catalogue runs to 216 titles between 2005 and 2026, beginning with To Kiss a Frog (2005) and Voodoo on the Bayou (2005) and reaching Papa Noel (2026). Brotherhood Protectors, Take No Prisoners, Iron Horse Legacy, Delta Force Strong, Hellfire, Texas and Covert Cowboys, Inc. are among the series listed under the James name.

Lindsay McKenna is the pseudonym of Eileen Nauman, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1964 to 1967 and has also been a volunteer firefighter, an EMT in Arizona and a pilot. Nauman is known as the Top Gun of Women's Military Fiction. The catalogue records 148 books from Captive of Fate (1983) to No Turning Back (2024). Morgan's Mercenaries and its sub-series, Delos, Wind River Valley, Shadow Team and Black Jaguar Squadron are among the series, and military veterans, cowboys and Wyoming appear in the subjects alongside romantic suspense.

Dana Mentink writes Christian romantic suspense, and the catalogue lists 76 books running to Raging Waters (2026). Early titles include Flashover (2008), Fog Over Finny's Nose (2008), Killer Cargo (2008) and Betrayal in the Badlands (2010). Series include Desert Justice, Security Hounds Investigations, Pacific Coast Private Eyes, Love Unleashed, Gold Country Cowboys, Roughwater Ranch Cowboys, South Dakota Badlands, Stormswept, Ice Cream Shop Mystery, Treasure Seekers and Winds of Danger. Subjects include missing persons, murder investigation and clean and wholesome romance.

Terri Reed has 60 catalogued books, from Love Comes Home (2004) to Montana Christmas Target (2026). Northern Border Patrol, McClains and Protection Specialists are the listed series. Romantic suspense, Christian romance, inspirational fiction, missing persons and witnesses appear among the subjects. A Sheltering Love (2005), Strictly Confidential (2006), Double Deception (2007), Her Christmas Protector (2007) and Double Cross (2008) are other titles.

Lisa Childs writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance, and the catalogue holds 102 books from Return of the Lawman (2002) to Christmas Security (2025). Born on 31 October, Childs has written since childhood, turned to mysteries after reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, and won a first writing award at age 11. Bachelor Bodyguards, Hotshot Heroes, Bachelor Cowboys, Secret Vampire Society, Special Agents at the Altar and Bane Island are among the series. Subjects include bodyguards, widows and single mothers.

Jayne Ann Krentz, born Jayne Castle on 28 March 1948 in Cobb, California, is an American romance novelist with New York Times bestsellers under seven pseudonyms. Three names remain in use: Krentz for contemporary romantic suspense, Amanda Quick for historical romantic suspense and Jayne Ann Castle for futuristic and paranormal romantic suspense. More than 35 million copies are in print. The catalogue lists 205 books, from Vintage of Surrender (1979, as Jayne Castle) to Enter the Nightmare (2026), with The Book Hunter due in 2027. Early titles also appeared as Jayne Bentley, Jayne Taylor and Stephanie James. Series include Burning Cove, Eclipse Bay and the Dreamlight Trilogy.

Maya Banks is an American bestselling novelist of erotic romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance and Scottish historical romance. The catalogue lists 79 books between 2006 and 2021, from Seducing Simon (2006) to Wherever You Are (2021). Series include KGI (Kelly Group International), Breathless, the Surrender Trilogy, the McCabe Trilogy, Colters' Legacy and Anetakis Tycoons. Brothers, intelligence work and sexual dominance and submission are among the recorded subjects.

Christian romance and romantic suspense make up the catalogue of Margaret Daley, and the subject tags also mark inspirational fiction and the Love Inspired line. The catalogue holds 110 books from A Matter of Pride (1983) to Into the Danger (2021). Family for Keeps, Sadie's Hero and The Power of Love all appeared in 2002, and Gold in the Fire (2004) and Light in the Storm (2005) came soon after. Series include Strong Women, Extraordinary Situations; Fostered by Love; Guardians Inc.; Lone Star Justice; Men of the Texas Rangers; Caring Canines; Alaskan Search and Rescue; and Heart of the Amazon. Widows, bodyguards and missing persons recur in the tags.