Suspense & adventure book series in reading order

by James Axler

by James Axler

by Marilyn Pappano/ Rachel Butler

Alex Archer is the name on the Rogue Angel series, 66 catalogued books published between 2006 and 2025. Annja Creed, a woman archaeologist, is the recurring character, and the books mix antiquities, adventure and suspense with fantasy. Destiny (2006) opens the run, followed by Solomon's Jar (2006), The Spider Stone (2006) and a rapid 2007 sequence including Forbidden City, God of Thunder, Provenance, Secret of the Slaves, Serpent's Kiss, The Chosen and The Lost Scrolls. Shadow Highlanders (2025) is the newest title, at a median of 320 pages.

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).

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.

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.

RaeAnne Thayne has 87 books in the catalogue, from The Mating Game / Endangered (1996) to Cozy Little Christmas (2026), with subject headings centred on contemporary romance, small towns, ranchers, cowboys and single parents. Series include Hope's Crossing, Haven Point, Cape Sanctuary, Women Of Brambleberry House, Searchers, Outlaw Hartes, Redhawks and Dugan/Riley, and Cowboys of Cold Creek is a listed grouping. Wild Streak (1996), Sweet Justice (1998), Saving Grace (2000) and Renegade Father (2001) are early titles. Suspense also appears among the subjects.

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.

Kylie Brant is an American author of contemporary romantic suspense. Brant has been nominated three times for the RITA and five times by Romantic Times, which also gave Brant its Career Achievement award. Brant won the overall Daphne du Maurier award for mystery and suspense in 2004 and 2009, and Undercover Bride (2000) is on the Romantic Times All-Time Favorites list. The catalogue lists 44 books from McLain's Law (1993) to Guilty as Sin (2025), including Rancher's Choice (1994) and Guarding Raine (1996). Series include Mindhunters, Circle of Evil, Cady Maddix Mystery, Tremaine Tradition and Sullivan Brothers. Forensic anthropologists and serial murder investigation appear in the subject tags.

Catherine Mann is an American author of romance fiction and a winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, with books at Berkley, Sourcebooks and Harlequin Desire. Mann holds a master's degree in theatre from UNC-Greensboro and a fine arts degree from the College of Charleston. The catalogue holds 87 books, from Grayson's Surrender (2002) to The Sweet Tea Odyssey (2026), and the 2010s are the heaviest decade. Wingman Warriors, Dark Ops, Elite Force, Alaskan Oil Barons, Top Dog Dude Ranch and Landis Brothers are among the series credited to Mann. Suspense, undercover operations and the United States Air Force appear in the subject records.

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.

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.

Carla Neggers writes romance and romantic suspense, with 83 books in the catalogue published from 1982 to 2019. Dream Images (1982) is the earliest, followed by Midsummer Dreams (1982), Tangled Promises (1982) and Dancing Season (1983). Rival's Break (2019) is the newest title, and the catalogue is likely complete. Neggers series include Sharpe & Donovan, Swift River Valley, Cold Ridge/U.S. Marshals, Black Falls, Boston Police/FBI and Texas Rangers/Carriage House. Subjects include contemporary romance, missing persons, murder investigations and the FBI.

Romantic suspense is Loreth Anne White's field. Sixty-six titles run from Melting the Ice (2003) to The Black Orchid (2026), across the Shadow Soldiers, Sahara Kings, Angie Pallorino, Wild Country, Dark Lure, Snowy Creek and Bellona Channel series. Horse racing, Canada, widows and women journalists appear in the subject tags.

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.

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.

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.

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.

James Axler is the pen name under which Mark Ellis wrote scores of Deathlands and Outlanders novels. The books are post-apocalyptic men's adventure: survivalism, the regression of civilisation, imaginary wars and the invented territory called Deathlands. The Axler name carries 234 titles published between 1986 and 2025, from Pilgrimage to Hell (1986) to Wraith Winter (2025). Volumes run long at a median of 347 pages, and Earthblood is a third series beside the two main runs.

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.

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.

Brenda Novak is an American author of historical romance, contemporary romance and romantic suspense, born in 1964 in Vernal, Utah. The catalogue lists 87 books, opening with Of Noble Birth (1999) and reaching Meet Me in Italy (2026). Early titles include Baby Business (2000), Snow Baby (2000) and Dear Maggie (2001). Series on the author page include the Hanover Chronicles/Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, Bulletproof, the Stillwater Trilogy, Dept 6 Hired Guns, Coyote Canyon and Fairham Island. Whiskey Creek, Silver Springs and Dundee, Idaho appear in the character listing, and subject tags cover missing persons, murder investigation and single mothers.

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.

Maggie Shayne, born 1965, is an American novelist with more than 70 novels to that name, and the subject tags centre on paranormal romance, vampires and romantic suspense. Awards include the RITA Award, Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice and Career Achievement Awards, and the P.E.A.R.L. Award. The catalogue holds 121 books from Reckless (1993) to Lone Wolf (2026). Wings in the Night, Texas Brands, Immortal Witches, Shattered Sisters, Brown & de Luca and Secrets of Shadow Falls are among the series.

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.

Marilyn Pappano/ Rachel Butler is the combined catalogue name for 76 books from 1987 to 2020. Contemporary romance and romantic suspense appear among the subjects, with widows, veterans, assassins, women journalists and kidnapping also recorded. The Lights of Home (1987) is the first title and Dangerous Reunion (2020) the latest. Series include Copper Lake, Bethlehem, Southern Knights, Heartbreak Canyon, Tallgrass, Cedar Creek and Rawlins Brothers.