Lisa Jackson has written tons of bestselling novels mixing romance and suspense genres. Check out some of her mysteries and let your heart race with Speechify.

How to read Lisa Jackson’s books in order

Lisa Jackson is an American writer of romantic novels and thrillers, often mixing the two genres. She’s penned a number of book series since the early ’80s, and they all merit a careful reading in a structured order. Let’s explore where to start.

Lisa Jackson: romantic suspense novelist

Lisa Jackson was born in 1952 in Oregon, and her writing career took off in the early ’80s when she published her debut novel A Twist of Fate at the age of 31. Since then, she’s written over seventy-five bestselling novels in the mystery, thriller, and romantic suspense genres. Jackson is mostly known for her serialized works, such as the Savannah, New Orleans, Dark Jewels, Forever Family, McCaffertys, and Maverick series, but she’s published dozens of standalone novels. Her work has been noted for her masterful way of making romantic feelings, ulterior motives, and every character’s actions culminate in a crescendo of suspenseful and horrifying crimes. Her work has made it to various bestselling charts in magazines such as New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly, and she’s been shortlisted for numerous awards, some of which she’s won, for example, the RITA award.

New Orleans series

The New Orleans series with detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya is likely Jackson’s most well-known series. It features seven novels, each featuring believable characters put in situations that will make every thriller fan sit on the edge of their seat.

• Hot Blooded (2001)
• Cold Blooded (2002)
• Shiver (2007)
• Absolute Fear (2008)
• Lost Souls (2009)
• Malice (2010)
• Devious (2012)
• Never Die Alone (2015)

Montana To-Die series

The To-Die series centers on detectives Regan Pescoli and Selena Alvarez, a pair of female operatives from Montana introduced as they’re chasing a kidnapper who leaves women to die in the woods. From there, the series evolves, and the hunters become the hunted as they navigate their personal relationships and face their duty.

• Left to Die (2008)
• Chosen to Die (2009)
• Born to Die (2011)
• Afraid to Die (2012)
• Ready to Die (2013)
• Deserves to Die (2014)
• Expecting to Die (2017)
• Willing to Die (2019)

Savannah series

The Savannah series features four books centered on detectives Pierce Reed and Sylvie Morrisette trying to combat a series of murders in Savannah. When an innocent woman and Reed’s love interest falls in danger, the investigation becomes personal — and more suspenseful.

• The Night Before (2003)
• The Morning After (2004)
• Tell Me (2013)
• The Third Grave (2021)

San Francisco series

The three San Francisco books all take place in the San Fran area and follow the Cahills, a family targeted by a serial killer. It’s up to detective Anthony Paterno to protect them and figure out who’s got them in their scope and why.

• If She Only Knew (2000)
• Almost Dead (2007)
• You Betrayed Me (2020)

West Coast series

The West Coast series features three books. The first one follows the story of an actress trying to escape the drama that’s started to characterize her life, and the other two see some minor characters from the first novel take the spotlight.

• Deep Freeze (2005)
• Fatal Burn (2006)
• After She’s Gone (2015)

Other series

In addition to those described above, Jackson has written several other book series, more or less in the same vein.

Maverick series

• He’s a Bad Boy (1993)
• He’s Just a Cowboy (1993)
• He’s the Rich Boy (1993)
• He’s My Soldier Boy (1994)

Forever Family series

• A Family Kind of Girl (1999)
• A Family Kind of Guy (1999)
• A Family Kind of Wedding (1999)

McCaffertys series

• Thorne (2000)
• Matt (2001)
• Slade (2002)
• Best-Kept Lies (2004)
• Randi (2007)

Medieval Trilogy

• Impostress (2003)
• Temptress (2004)
• Sorceress (2007)

Wicked Series (co-authored by Nancy Bush)

• Wicked Game (2009)
• Wicked Lies (2011)
• Something Wicked (2013)
• Wicked Ways (2014)

Note that Wicked Dreams (2022) does not belong to this series.

Love Letters series

• A Is for Always (1994)
• B Is for Baby (1994)
• C Is for Cowboy (1994)
• D Is for Dani’s Baby (1995)

Standalone novels

Jackson is as prolific an author of standalone novels as she is of serialized ones. If you want to check out her writing style without too much commitment, you can read some of the following works:

• A Twist of Fate (1983)
• Dark Side of the Moon (1984)
• Gypsy Wind (1984)
• Pirate’s Gold (1984)
• Shadow of Time (1984)
• Devil’s Gambit (1985)
• Dangerous Precedent (1985)
• Tears of Pride (1985)
• Innocent by Association (1985)
• Midnight Sun (1985)
• Yesterday’s Lies (1986)
• Zachary’s Law (1986)
• Mystic (1986)
• One Man’s Love (1986)
• Renegade Son (1987)
• Snowbound (1987)
• Summer Rain (1987)
• Hurricane Force (1988)
• In Honor’s Shadow (1988)
• Aftermath (1989)
• Tender Trap (1989)
• His Bride to Be (1990)
• With No Regrets (1990)
• Double Exposure (1990)
• Mystery Man (1991)
• Obsession (1991)
• Million Dollar Baby (1992)
• Sail Away (1992)
• A Husband to Remember (1993)
• Treasures (1994) (also known as See How She Dies)
• Intimacies (1995)
• Wishes (1995)
• Whispers (1996)
• The Millionaire and the Cowgirl (1996)
• New Year’s Daddy (1996)
• Twice Kissed (1998)
• Unspoken (1999)
• Lone Stallion’s Lady (2000)
• Wild and Wicked (2002)
• See How She Dies (2004)
• Final Scream (2005)
• Twice Kissed (2006)
• Missing (2008)
• Chosen to Die (2009)
• Running Scared (2010)
• Sweet Revenge (2010)
• Without Mercy (2010)
• You Don’t Want To Know (2012)
• Confessions (2012)
• Close to Home (2014)
• You Will Pay (2017)
• One Last Breath (2018, with Nancy Bush)
• The Girl Who Survived (2022)

Lisa Jackson has also co-authored some omnibus editions with authors such as Best-Kept Lies with Jennifer Greene and Most Likely to Die with Beverly Barton and Wendy Corsi Staub. She’s also working on another series called The Colony with Nancy Bush.

Ways to read or listen to the books

Jackson is a bestselling author, having sold millions of copies worldwide, both alone and as a co-author. Her works are available in paperback, electronic, and audiobook format and can be bought from all major book retailers or ordered through her official website, where they are all listed and organized into series.

Lisa Jackson audiobooks

If you can’t afford to spend so much time reading, you can opt for audiobooks, the most convenient and enjoyable way to read on the go. Jackson’s books are available on various audiobook platforms.

Listen to Lisa Jackson audiobooks with Speechify

For the most immersive experience, however, you can check out Speechify Audiobooks, a new audiobook service with thousands of romance, mystery, and thriller titles by authors such as Lisa Jackson, C.J. Box, Ann Cleeves, Rosalind Noonan, and other Amazon and New York Times best-selling authors. The app is available on multiple devices and is easy to use. The audio quality is superb, and the first premium title is free, so be sure to download the Speechify Audiobooks app today.