Witnesses book series in reading order

by Mallory Kane

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.

Traci Hunter Abramson writes romantic and Christian suspense, drawing on Navy SEALs, special operations, witness protection and competitive swimming, with Mormon life among its subjects. The Saint Squad heads her series, and Falcon Point Suspense, Dream's Edge, Luke Steele and Pen & Dagger sit beside it. Fifty-six catalogued books run from Undercurrents (2004) to Treasures of Falcon Point in 2026.

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.

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.

Christian romantic suspense is the field Hope White works in, with bodyguards, witnesses and murder investigation among the recorded subjects and Michigan among the settings. Two series carry the White name: Echo Mountain and Boulder Creek Ranch. The 17 catalogued books open with Hidden in Shadows (2010) and close with Tracing a Fugitive (2022), and White is the sole credit on every one. No new title has been listed since 2022.

Nora Roberts

279 books• 37 series

Nora Roberts, born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950, is an American writer of romance under that name. As J. D. Robb, Roberts writes police procedurals with science-fiction elements, and has also published as Jill March and, in the UK, as Sarah Hardesty. This listing carries 280 Roberts books, opening with Irish Thoroughbred (1981); The Missing is scheduled for 2027. Series on the page include the In Death Universe, the MacGregors, Night Tales, the Calhoun Women, the Chesapeake Bay Saga, Irish Hearts and the O'Hurleys.

Janet Evanovich

79 books• 13 series

Stephanie Plum, a bail bond agent turned bounty hunter, is the recurring lead of Janet Evanovich's longest series. Evanovich writes humorous mystery and romance, and the catalogue holds 79 books from Full House (1981) to Split Second in 2026. Other recurring lines include Kate O'Hare & Nicolas Fox, Lizzy & Diesel, Knight and Moon, Alexandra Barnaby and the Culhane Family.

Mary Higgins Clark

62 books• 8 series

Mary Higgins Clark, born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins, was an American suspense novelist who lived from December 24, 1927 to January 31, 2020. Where Are the Children? (1975) was the debut suspense novel, and by 2015 that book was in its 75th printing. Each of Clark's 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and in European countries. The catalogue starts with Aspire to the Heavens / Mount Vernon Love Story (1968) and reaches It Had to Be You (2024). Alvirah and Willy are recurring characters, and Under Suspicion is a Clark series. Clark worked as a secretary, a copy editor and for one year a Pan-American Airlines flight attendant, and short stories supplemented the family income.

Jeffery Deaver, born May 6, 1950, is an American writer of mystery and crime fiction. Deaver holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. from Fordham University, and worked as a journalist and then a lawyer before turning to novels. Awards include the Crime Writers' Association Steel Dagger and Short Story Dagger, the Nero Award and three Ellery Queen Reader's Awards for Best Short Story of the Year. The catalogue counts 121 Deaver books from 1984 to The Collateral Heart (2026), with Freeze Frame due in 2027. Lincoln Rhyme, Kathryn Dance, Colter Shaw and John Pellam are recurring characters.

Laura Lippman

56 books• 8 series

Laura Lippman, born January 31, 1959, is an American journalist and the author of more than 20 detective novels. Subjects on the books include Tess Monaghan, women private investigators, murder and Baltimore. The catalogue lists 56 Lippman books, beginning with Baltimore Blues and Charm City (both 1997) and reaching Murder Takes a Vacation (2025). Lippman's awards include an Edgar Award, an Agatha Award, seven Anthony Awards, two Barry Awards and two Shamus Awards.

John Lescroart, born January 14, 1948, writes legal and crime thrillers built around three recurring characters: Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky and Wyatt Hunt. More than 10 million copies of Lescroart's novels have sold, in 22 languages across more than 75 countries, and 18 titles have reached the New York Times bestseller list. San Francisco appears in the subject tags. The catalogue lists 35 books, opening with Sunburn (1981), then Son of Holmes (1986), Rasputin's Revenge (1987) and Dead Irish (1989). The Vig (1990), Hard Evidence (1993) and The 13th Juror (1994) come next. The Auguste Lupa Mystery series and standalone novels also appear.

Elmore Leonard

65 books• 12 series

Elmore Leonard (October 11, 1925 to August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer and screenwriter. Leonard began with Westerns in the 1950s and moved on to crime fiction and suspense, and many of those books were filmed. The story "Three-Ten to Yuma" became the film 3:10 to Yuma (1957), which was remade in 2007. Anthony Lane, a British journalist, called Leonard one of the best crime writers in the land. Get Shorty, Rum Punch, Out of Sight, Glitz and LaBrava rank among Leonard's best-known works. The catalogue lists 65 titles starting with The Bounty Hunters (1953), plus series featuring Raylan Givens, Chili Palmer, Jack Foley and Carl Webster.

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.

Adrian McKinty's best known series follows Detective Sean Duffy through police investigations in Northern Ireland. McKinty also wrote the Michael Forsythe crime novels and the Lighthouse Trilogy for younger readers, which turns to magic and to space and time. Twenty-three books are catalogued, from Orange Rhymes With Everything (1997) to Hang on St. Christopher in 2025.

Karen Harper wrote historical fiction, romantic suspense and Amish-set novels. The catalogue holds 72 books, from Island Ecstasy (1982) to The Queen's Secret (2020), taking in The Last Boleyn (1983) and The First Princess of Wales (1984). The Elizabeth I Mysteries, the South Shores books, the Amish Home Valley and Maplecreek trilogies, and the Morgan Sisters series written as Caryn Cameron organise much of it.

Sport is Tim Green's subject on both sides of his catalogue: football and baseball novels for young readers, and suspense novels for adults. Ruffians (1993) opens the list, followed by Titans, Outlaws and The Red Zone, with the non-fiction The Dark Side of the Game alongside. Football Genius, Baseball Great and Baseball Genius are the children's series, and Casey Jordan heads a legal one. Forty-five titles run to Rocket Arm in 2025.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Roxanne St. Claire has 68 catalogued books spanning 2003 to 2026. Subjects attached to the work include romance, romantic suspense, bodyguards, undercover operations, murder and missing persons. Tropical Getaway (2003) is the earliest title, and Hit Reply (2004) appears under the name Rocki Claire. Series include Bullet Catcher, Guardian Angelinos, McGraths, the Barefoot Bay books, Dogfather and Dogmothers. Appointment in Amalfi (2026) is the newest title.

Roland Smith, born November 30, 1951, is an American author of young adult fiction and of nonfiction for children. The catalogue lists 51 titles from Sea Otter Rescue (1990) to The Vaquita (2025), with early books on zoo animals, Primates in the Zoo, Snakes in the Zoo, Inside the Zoo Nursery, sitting beside later adventure fiction. Series include I, Q, Peak, Storm Runners, Zach's Lie, Jacob Lansa, Marty and Grace and the Alphabet Picture books; Marie Smith shares credit on 3 of the titles. Subjects name survival, adventure, spies, mountaineering and terrorism.