Thrillers, psychological book series in reading order

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.

Marriages with something rotten at the middle are Alice Feeney's subject. Feeney writes domestic and psychological suspense, 9 catalogued books published between 2017 and 2027. Sometimes I Lie (2017) opens the list, followed by I Know Who You Are (2019), His & Hers (2020), Rock Paper Scissors (2021), Daisy Darker (2022) and Good Bad Girl (2023). Twist is scheduled for 2027.

Rick Mofina

44 books• 8 series

Journalists and police investigators share the work in Rick Mofina's thrillers. If Angels Fall (2000) opens the Tom Reed and Walt Sydowski series, and Jack Gannon, Kate Page and Ray Wyatt head later runs. Missing persons, kidnapping, murder and terrorism supply the cases. Forty-four titles are catalogued, reaching One Second Away in 2026.

Louise Jensen writes psychological thrillers with short, flat titles: The Sister (2016), The Gift (2016), The Surrogate (2017), The Date (2018), The Family (2019), The Fall (2023), The Intruders (2024) and The Liar (2025). Sisters, female friendship and domestic crime supply the material, and police procedure and women sleuths sit in the subject list beside them. Eleven Jensen titles are catalogued between 2016 and I Did a Bad Thing (2026).

Freida McFadden is the pen name of Sara Cohen, an American author born on May 1, 1980, who writes psychological thrillers. The catalogue lists 35 books from The Devil Wears Scrubs (2013) through The Witch (2026), with series including Housemaid, Dr. Jane McGill and Pick Your Poison Adventure. The Housemaid (2022) became an international bestseller, and a 2025 feature film adaptation stars Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney. Subjects attached to the books range from medical and humor to crime and suspense. McFadden is still publishing.

Shari Lapena

12 books• 1 series

Psychological thrillers about married couples and family secrets make up most of Shari Lapena's work. Lapena published Things Go Flying (2007) and Happiness Economics (2011) before The Couple Next Door (2016) turned the catalogue toward suspense. All 12 catalogued books stand alone, so reading order follows publication date and nothing else. Getting Away with Murder is the newest, and Lapena has titles catalogued through 2026.

Lisa Unger

40 books• 11 series

Lisa Unger, born Lisa Miscione on April 26, 1970, is an American writer whose contemporary fiction is mainly psychological thrillers. Angel Fire (2002) opens a catalogue of 40 books that reaches Served Him Right (2026). Lydia Strong, Ridley Jones and House of Crows are series. Other listed titles include Beautiful Lies (2006), Black Out (2008) and Fragile (2010). Subjects cover women journalists, missing persons, married people and women sleuths.

Claire Douglas is an English author and former journalist whose thrillers, Sunday Times bestsellers, give women the key roles. The catalogue lists The Sisters (2015), Local Girl Missing (2017), Last Seen Alive (2017) and The Text (2017). Later titles include Do Not Disturb (2018), Then She Vanishes (2019), The Couple at No. 9 (2021) and The Girls Who Disappeared (2022). Subjects include secrecy, sisters, twins, home exchanging and stalking victims. The Family Friend (2026) is the newest title.

Heather Gudenkauf writes domestic suspense about family secrets, missing children and dysfunctional families, with Iowa among the settings. The Weight of Silence (2009) is the earliest of 13 catalogued books, and the run takes in These Things Hidden, Not a Sound, This Is How I Lied and The Overnight Guest (2022). The Perfect Hosts is the newest, and Take Back the Night is scheduled for 2027.

Samantha Downing has 6 books in the catalogue, published between 2019 and 2025. The first catalogued title is My Lovely Wife (2019). He Started It (2020), For Your Own Good (2021), Sleeping Dogs Lie (2022) and A Twisted Love Story (2023) came next, and the most recent title is Too Old for This (2025). No series is listed for Downing, so each of the six stands alone in the catalogue.

Marriage, infidelity and the friendships around them are Adele Parks's material. Playing Away (2000) opens a catalogue of 31 books, followed by Game Over (2001), Larger Than Life (2002), The Other Woman's Shoes (2003), Still Thinking of You (2004) and Husbands (2005). A DCI Clements grouping carries the later crime fiction. Eyes On You is the newest title, and Parks remains actively publishing.

Gilly Macmillan writes psychological suspense, opening with What She Knew, also published as Burnt Paper Sky (2015). DI Jim Clemo carries one strand; the rest of the books stand alone, among them The Perfect Girl (2016), The Nanny (2019), The Long Weekend (2022) and The Burning Library (2025). Missing children, mothers and sons, and family deception are the recurring subjects. Nine titles are catalogued.

Domestic and psychological suspense is what Terri Parlato writes. Four books make up the catalogue: All the Dark Places (2022), What Waits in the Woods (2023), Watch Your Back (2024) and She Thought She Was Safe (2026). Parlato is listed as actively publishing.

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.

Domestic and psychological thrillers built on family secrets are Hannah Mary McKinnon's territory. Siblings, neighbours and stepfathers recur across 9 books, among them The Neighbors (2018), Sister Dear (2020), Never Coming Home (2022) and Only One Survives (2024). Time After Time (2016) opens the catalogue, and A Killer Motive (2025) is the most recent.

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.

Psychological suspense is Ana Reyes's register. Two standalone novels carry her name: The House in the Pines, brought out by Dutton Books in 2023 as her debut, and The Spider Silk Scarf, due in 2026. That first novel landed on the New York Times bestseller list, took a Reese's Book Club pick and was chosen as a Costco Buyer's Pick. Reyes teaches as a professor alongside the writing.

Layne Fargo writes psychological crime fiction with women at the centre, described as feminist novels. Actresses, Chicago and noir supply the material. Temper (2019) came first, They Never Learn (2020) followed, and The Favorites (2025) is set for adaptation as a Netflix film. Fargo also co-hosts Unlikeable Female Characters. Three books are catalogued so far.