Women spies book series in reading order

by Dorothy Gilman

by Susan Elia MacNeal

by Rhys Bowen

by Margaret Duffy

Dorothy Gilman (June 25, 1923 – February 2, 2012) was an American writer known above all for the Mrs. Pollifax spy novels, whose heroine Emily Pollifax is a grandmother who takes up spying in her 60s. The Mystery Writers of America gave Gilman its Grand Master Award in 2010. The catalogue holds 36 titles published between 1949 and 2002. Early books such as Enchanted Caravan (1949), Carnival Gypsy (1950) and The Calico Year (1953) appeared under the name Dorothy Gilman Butters. Madame Karitska is Gilman's second series, and the last listed title is Kaleidoscope (2002).

Modesty Blaise (1965) opens Peter O'Donnell's catalogue and introduces the action heroine and undercover trouble-shooter who defines it. O'Donnell (1920-2010) was an English writer of mysteries and of comic strips, and the Modesty Blaise comic strip runs alongside the novels as a separate catalogued sequence. Under the pen name Madeleine Brent, O'Donnell also wrote gothic historical romance; Merlin's Keep took the Romantic Novelists' Association's Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 1978. The 48 catalogued titles reach from 1965 to 2017.

Christian historical romance is where Roseanna White's catalogue sits, with women spies, the First World War, heiresses and aristocracy among the recorded subjects. The listing runs to 41 books, opening with A Stray Drop of Blood (2005) and reaching The Final Cut (2026). Culper Ring, Ladies of the Manor, Shadows Over England, Codebreakers, Secrets of the Isles and Imposters are among the series under the White name. White is recorded as ongoing.

Maggie Hope, an American working in wartime Britain, carries Susan Elia MacNeal's historical spy series from Mr. Churchill's Secretary (2012). Women spies, cryptography and undercover operations during the Second World War are the recurring subjects. MacNeal's catalogue opens earlier with non-fiction, Wedding Zen (2004) and Infused (2006), and runs to 14 titles through The Last Hope in 2024.

Lauren Willig, an American novelist, specialises in historical fiction. The Pink Carnation series is Willig's best-known work, following British spies of the Napoleonic era in the Scarlet Pimpernel mould as they fight for Britain and fall in love. Willig's 26 catalogued books open with The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (2004) and reach What Happens at Nightfall (2026), taking in espionage, women spies, England and historical suspense. Willig continues to publish.

J.A. Konrath writes crime thrillers, and the subject tags point to Chicago, policewomen and women sleuths, along with horror and women spies. Whiskey Sour (2004) is the first catalogued title, followed by Bloody Mary (2005), Rusty Nail (2006) and Dirty Martini (2007). Dark and Stormy (2026) is the most recent title. Jacqueline Daniels, known as Jack, is the character named in the subject tags. Series on the author page include Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, Codename: Chandler, Timecaster, Phineas Troutt Mysteries, Harry McGlade Mystery and the Konrath/Kilborn Collective.

Joanna Bourne is an American writer of historical romance set in Europe during the Napoleonic wars. The Spymasters series follows a group of spies and has won a number of awards. The Spymaster's Lady and My Lord and Spymaster both appeared in 2008, and The Forbidden Rose (2010), The Black Hawk (2011), Rogue Spy (2014) and Beauty Like the Night (2017) complete six catalogued books. Library Journal placed Rogue Spy, which pairs a code-breaker with a British service agent, among the ten best romances of 2014.

Beth McMullen writes middle grade mysteries that combine adventure and humor, and Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls is among the listed series. Sally Sin and Lola Benko, Treasure Hunter are the other two. McMullen has published ten novels with traditional publishers and lives in Northern California. A Little Bit of Sin (2011) is the earliest catalogued title, Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls dates from 2017, and Secret of the Storm (2022) is the newest.

Sarah J. Maas, born March 5, 1986, is an American fantasy author known for three series: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City. The catalogue holds 45 books dated 2012 to 2027, starting in 2012 with The Assassin and the Pirate Lord and Throne of Glass, then Crown of Midnight in 2013. A Court of Splintered Harmony (2026) is the newest release, and A Court of Forgotten Melody is scheduled for 2027. Subjects across the books include fairies, assassins, magic, courts and courtiers, and romance. By 2024 Maas had sold more than 75 million copies, with translations in 40 languages.

Rhys Bowen is the name Janet Quin-Harkin publishes adult mystery novels under; Quin-Harkin was born in Bath, Somerset, in September 1941. The catalogue gathers 171 books, opening with Peter Penny's Dance (1976) and reaching Vanished in the Crowd (2026), with A Whiff of Scandal dated 2027. Molly Murphy, Her Royal Spyness and Constable Evans are the mystery series listed, alongside teen series carrying the Janet Quin-Harkin byline such as Heartbreak Cafe, Sugar and Spice and The Boyfriend Club. Catalogue subjects run to detective and mystery stories, women private investigators, historical mystery, aristocracy and children's fiction.

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.

Regency England is where Andrea Penrose sets her work, split between historical mystery and historical romance. Wrexford and Sloane is the current mystery series, preceded by the Lady Arianna Hadley books. Penrose has also published as Andrea Pickens, for the Intrepid Heroines, Merlin's Maidens, Lessons in Love, Scandalous Secrets and Dangerous Liaisons series, and as Cara Elliott for Circle of Sin and Lords of Midnight. The catalogue reaches 51 titles from The Defiant Governess (1997) to The Price of Paradise.

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.

Paul Doherty writes historical mysteries set largely in England, with 127 books catalogued from The Death of a King (1985) to The Meadows of Murder (2026). Recurring detectives include Hugh Corbett, Brother Athelstan, Kathryn Swinbrooke and Amerotke. Other series cover the Canterbury Tales Mysteries, Ancient Rome, Egyptian Mysteries, Nicholas Segalla, Mathilde of Westminster, Margaret Beaufort and Vlad Drakulya. Satan in St Mary's (1986) and Spy in Chancery (1988) are among the early titles.

Shana Galen is the pen name of Shane Bolks, an American author of historical romance and chick lit born in 1972. Seventy books are catalogued, from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Men I've Dated (2005) to Golden Kingdom (2026). Regency London, the nobility, courtesans and marriage supply the subjects, across series including Lord and Lady Spy, Covent Garden Cubs, Jewels of the Ton, Sons of the Revolution and Heiress Hunters.

Alyssa Cole

25 books• 5 series

Alyssa Cole, born in 1982, is an American novelist who works across historical, contemporary, science fiction, mystery and thriller registers. Her characters carry a wide range of professions, from Civil War spies to present-day epidemiologists, and her romances cover both straight and gay relationships. The Loyal League follows Black agents during the Civil War; Reluctant Royals and Runaway Royals handle the contemporary side. Twenty-five books span 2014 to 2024, from Eagle's Heart to One of Us Knows.

Gayle Lynds, born 1945, is an American author, former journalist and editor, called the Queen of Espionage Fiction for spy thrillers. Lynds co-founded International Thriller Writers. The Liz Sansborough and Judd Ryder & Eva Blake series appear in the catalogue with standalone novels, and Masquerade (1996), Mosaic (1998) and The Coil (2000) are among the titles. Women spies, assassins, conspiracies and intelligence services appear in the subjects.

Evelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Ward-Thomas (1926–2018), a British writer born in the Lambeth district of London. Historical novels came first, Imperial Highness (1953), Anne Boleyn (1957), Victoria (1958), Elizabeth (1960) and Charles The King (1961), and espionage thrillers followed, the Davina Graham series among them. Thirty-nine books are catalogued through Bloodstones (1994), and the work has been translated into at least 19 languages. The Tamarind Seed (1971) was filmed in 1974, with Julie Andrews as Judith Farrow.

Spies run through Gina Robinson's romantic suspense: the recorded subjects name the Central Intelligence Agency, undercover operations, women spies and terrorism, alongside married couples. The catalogue holds 56 books dated 2004 to 2021, from Spy Candy (2004) to Loves Billionaires and Weddings (2021). Agent Ex, Spy Camp, Switched at Marriage, Duke Society, Billionaire Duke, Jet City Kilt and Jet City Matchmaker are among the series under the Robinson name. No title in this listing carries a date after 2021.

Birds name the early novels of Margaret Duffy: A Murder of Crows (1987), Death of a Raven, Brass Eagle, Who Killed Cock Robin?, Rook-Shoot, Gallows Bird. Two series carry the catalogue, one following the writer Ingrid Langley and the intelligence officer Patrick Gillard, the other the police officer Joanna McKenzie, both set in Britain. 30 books span 1987 to The Not Quite Perfect Murderer in 2021, at a median of 288 pages.

Glenda Larke

13 books• 4 series

Glenda Larke writes fantasy across four series: Isles of Glory, Mirage Makers, Stormlord and Forsaken Lands. The 13 catalogued books begin with Havenstar (1999) and end with The Fall of the Dagger (2016). The Aware, Gilfeather, Heart of the Mirage, The Last Stormlord and Stormlord's Exile are among them. Subject tags include magic, wizards, thieves, deserts and women spies. Larke, born Glenyce Larke, is an Australian writer, and the median book runs to 477 pages.

Jason Matthews (1951-2021) was an American espionage novelist and a former CIA officer. Matthews wrote three books, forming one trilogy: Red Sparrow (2013), Palace of Treason (2015) and The Kremlin's Candidate (2018). Dominika Egorova and Nathaniel Nash carry the story across all three, which turn on Russian intelligence, women spies, extortion and an American presidential election. The novels are long, near 470 pages each, and the sequence closed in 2018.