Washington (state) book series in reading order

by Mary Daheim

by Jo Dereske

by G.M. Ford

Two mystery series carry most of Mary Daheim's catalogue: the Bed-and-Breakfast books around Judith McMonigle Flynn, and the Emma Lord novels about a newspaper publisher in Washington state. Eighty-four titles are catalogued between The Royal Mile (1983) and Lady MacDeath in 2020, with historical romances among the early work. The 1990s were the densest decade.

J.A. Jance writes mysteries and police procedurals, with J.P. Beaumont, Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds as recurring leads. The catalogue lists 82 books, starting with After the Fire (1984) and Until Proven Guilty (1985). The Taken Ones arrived in 2026, and Smoke and Mirrors is scheduled for 2027. Subjects include sheriffs, policewomen and women sleuths, and the Joanna Brady books form a named series alongside Jance's standalone novels.

Earl Emerson, born in Tacoma in 1948, writes mystery novels and thrillers across two series: the Thomas Black detective books and the Mac Fontana books. Poverty Bay took the Shamus Award for Best Private Eye Novel from the Private Eye Writers of America in 1986, and Emerson's work has been nominated for an Edgar. Emerson serves as a lieutenant with the Seattle Fire Department and lives in North Bend, Washington. Twenty-seven books are catalogued, from Fill The World With Phantoms (1979) to Jackson Street (2017); Seattle, Washington State and firefighting recur as subjects.

Debbie Macomber

245 books• 35 series

Debbie Macomber, born October 22, 1948, is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six Macomber novels became made-for-TV movies, and the Cedar Cove novels became a television series of the same name, with Macomber serving as executive producer on the adaptations. Macomber won the first fan-voted Quill Award for romance in 2005 and holds a RITA Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. The catalogue counts 245 books between Starlight (1983) and A Date with Santa (2026). Series include Heart of Texas, Midnight Sons, Navy, Those Manning Men, Orchard Valley and Angels Everywhere.

Jo Dereske writes cozy mystery around librarians. Helma Zukas, a librarian in the imaginary town of Bellehaven, Washington, carries the Miss Zukas series, which opens with Miss Zukas and the Library Murders (1994) and continues through the Island Murders (1995), the Stroke of Death (1995) and Out of Circulation (1997). A second series follows Ruby Crane. The 20 catalogued books run from Glom Gloom (1985) to All of Us at the Same Time (2014), and nothing has followed 2014.

G.M. Ford writes hard-boiled mysteries, with Seattle and Washington State among the settings, across 21 books from 1995 to 2019. Ford's two series feature Leo Waterman and Frank Corso, and private investigators and journalists appear among the subjects. Who In Hell Is Wanda Fuca? (1995) is the first title, followed by books such as The Bum's Rush (1997), Fury (2001) and Black River (2002). Heavy on the Dead (2019) is the last catalogued book.

Contemporary romance is the territory of Jill Shalvis, an American novelist whose work includes the Lucky Harbor books. The catalogue records 140 books, opening with Summer of Fire in 1996 and extending to Falling into You in 2026. Heartbreaker Bay, Wildstone, Animal Magnetism, Sunrise Cove, Cedar Ridge and Sky High Air are among the series. Firefighters, bush pilots, sisters, California and Washington state appear in the subject tags, and Shalvis is still publishing.

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.

Cowboys, ranchers and ranch life run through Linda Lael Miller's 134 catalogued books, in historical, contemporary and western romance alike. Miller's families and places include the McKettricks, the Montana Creeds, Stone Creek, Springwater Seasons, Painted Pony Creek and the Brides of Bliss County, with a Tremayne vampire sequence off to one side. Desire and Destiny (1983) is the earliest title and The Silver Hills Boarding House the newest.

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.

Sheila Simonson's catalogue spans Regency historical romance and women-sleuth mysteries, with subject headings naming booksellers, librarians, sheriffs, Washington state and Oregon. The 14 books date from 1984 to 2017, beginning with A Cousinly Connexion (1984) and Lady Elizabeth's Comet (1985). Simonson's series are Lark Dodge, Clanross and Latouche County Mystery. Larkspur (1990), Skylark (1992) and Mudlark (1993) are among the titles, and Call Down the Hawk (2017) is the latest.

Brenda Wilbee writes historical and religious fiction, and the recorded subjects place the work among women pioneers, frontier and pioneer life, Christian women, religious life, shipwreck survival, Seattle and Washington state. Nine books carry the Wilbee credit, beginning with Sweetbriar (1983) and reaching Skagway It's All About The Gold (2013). Six of the titles carry the Sweetbriar name, and Sweetbriar is catalogued as a series under the same credit. The others are Shipwreck! (1991) and Taming The Dragons (1992). The median recorded length is 254 pages across all nine.

American novelist Kristin Hannah was born in 1960. The catalogue lists 28 of her books, from A Handful of Heaven (1991) through The Women, with The Fire announced and the list reaching 2027. The Women, published in 2024, is set in the United States during the Vietnam War of the 1960s. Winter Garden, The Nightingale, Firefly Lane, The Great Alone and The Four Winds rank among her most notable works. Subjects across the list include historical and contemporary romance, mothers and daughters, sisters and female friendship. Her listings also contain the Girls of Firefly Lane series, standalone novels and short stories.

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.

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.

Aaron Elkins, born in Brooklyn on 24 July 1935, is an American mystery writer. The novels featuring forensic anthropologist Gideon Oliver, the skeleton detective, are the best known part of the catalogue, which also runs the Lee Ofsted series, the Chris Norgren Mysteries, the Alix London series and standalone novels. The catalogue lists 35 books, from Fellowship of Fear (1982) to A Long Time Coming (2018). Subjects include college teachers, women golfers and Seattle.

Sherman Alexie

26 books

Sherman Alexie is a Spokane novelist, short story writer, poet, screenwriter and filmmaker whose work draws on his life as an Indigenous American with ancestry in several tribes. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and lives in Seattle, Washington. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) is his best known book: it took the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2007, and the Odyssey Award for best audiobook for young people in 2008, read by Alexie himself. Twenty-six titles are catalogued, from The Business of Fancydancing (1991) to You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (2017).

Susan Andersen, born in 1950, has written American romance novels since 1989. Shadow Dance (1989) opens a catalogue of 26 books running to 2021, at a median 375 pages, and covers contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Five series divide the work: Marine, Sisterhood Diaries, Razor Bay, Showgirls and #Lovestruck. Police, single mothers, mothers and daughters, and Washington state recur across the books. No new title has appeared since 2021.