Iris Johansen Books in Order: Complete List + Eve Duncan

By Anna Marie CarrollThriller

The Iris Johansen books in order can look a little overwhelming at first because her bibliography crosses romance, romantic suspense, crime fiction, and several connected thriller series. If you’re here for her best-known work, I’d start with Eve Duncan and then move into Kendra Michaels, Catherine Ling, or the standalones.

I’ve split the lists below by series so you can find the right order without accidentally mixing up crossover books, short stories, shared-world titles, or older romance series.

Jump to:

Eve Duncan Books

Eve Duncan is the best place to start if you came to Iris Johansen through her thrillers. Eve is a forensic sculptor whose work is shaped by the loss of her daughter, Bonnie. She helps identify the dead and give families answers, but the heart of the series is Eve, Joe Quinn, Bonnie, and the people pulled into their world.

I’d read these in publication order. A lot of the books have their own case, but the relationships and bigger story build as you go. That’s especially true around the tighter stretches of the series, where several books follow one larger arc.

  1. The Face of Deception (1998)
  2. The Killing Game (1999)
  3. The Search (2000)
  4. Body of Lies (2002)
  5. Blind Alley (2004)
  6. Countdown (2005)
  7. Stalemate (2006)
  8. Quicksand (2008)
  9. Blood Game (2009)
  10. Eight Days to Live (2010)
  11. Chasing the Night (2010)
  12. Eve (2011)
  13. Quinn (2011)
  14. Bonnie (2011)
  15. Sleep No More (2012)
  16. Taking Eve (2013)
  17. Hunting Eve (2013)
  18. Silencing Eve (2013)
  19. Shadow Play (2015)
  20. Hide Away (2016)
  21. Night and Day (2016)
  22. Mind Game (2017)
  23. Shattered Mirror (2018)
  24. Dark Tribute (2019)
  25. Smokescreen (2019)
  26. The Persuasion (2020)
  27. The Bullet (2021)
  28. A Face to Die For (2022)
  29. Captive (2022)
  30. The Survivor (2023)
  31. The Death Mask (2025)

If you’re being extra complete, keep Dead Aim in mind after Body of Lies. It’s often treated as a standalone thriller, but some readers group it with Eve because it brushes against the same world.

Do you need to read Eve Duncan in order?

Yes, I would. You can understand many of the individual cases on their own, but Eve’s relationships and backstory carry through the series. Publication order is the easiest way to follow Bonnie, Joe, Catherine, and the crossover pieces without stepping on major reveals.

Kendra Michaels Books

Iris Johansen writes the Kendra Michaels series with her son, Roy Johansen. Kendra was blind earlier in life, and after surgery restored her sight, she developed an unusually sharp eye for detail. That makes her a valuable consultant when investigators run out of answers.

The series also shares space with the Eve Duncan world. Sleep No More is the big crossover title, while With Open Eyes is a short story. I’ve kept both in the list and marked them so you know what you’re getting.

  1. Close Your Eyes (2012)
  2. With Open Eyes (2012) (Short Story)
  3. Sleep No More (2012) (Crossover)
  4. Sight Unseen (2014)
  5. The Naked Eye (2015)
  6. Night Watch (2016)
  7. Look Behind You (2017)
  8. Double Blind (2018)
  9. Hindsight (2020)
  10. Blink of an Eye (2021)
  11. Killer View by Roy Johansen (2022)
  12. More Than Meets the Eye (2023)
  13. Flashback (2024)
  14. Wait and See (2026)

Other Iris Johansen Thriller Series

Outside Eve Duncan and Kendra Michaels, Johansen has several other thriller and romantic suspense series. Some are tightly connected to Eve’s world. Others stand on their own.

Wind Dancer

The Wind Dancer books mark Johansen’s move toward bigger suspense, historical intrigue, and romantic adventure. The series follows the Wind Dancer statue across different eras, from Renaissance Italy to modern danger.

  1. The Wind Dancer (1991)
  2. Storm Winds (1991)
  3. Reap the Wind (1991)
  4. Final Target (2001)

Hannah Bryson

Hannah Bryson is a marine architect pulled into danger when a job involving a decommissioned Soviet submarine turns deadly. Iris Johansen co-wrote these books with Roy Johansen.

  1. Silent Thunder (2008)
  2. Shadow Zone (2010)

Catherine Ling

Catherine Ling is a CIA operative with deep ties to the Eve Duncan world. She first teams up with Eve in Chasing the Night, then takes the lead in her own connected books.

Vendetta is Catherine’s book, but Eve readers may see it mentioned with Eve Duncan because it sits inside that broader world.

  1. Chasing the Night (2010)
  2. What Doesn’t Kill You (2012)
  3. Live to See Tomorrow (2014)
  4. Your Next Breath (2015)
  5. Vendetta (2018)

Alisa Flynn

Alisa Flynn is a CIA agent who goes rogue while trying to save kidnapped schoolgirls. This one leans into Johansen’s modern thriller side with a high-stakes rescue plot.

  1. Chaos (2020)

Logan Tanner

Logan Tanner is a professional gambler with a violent past. When that past catches up with him, he’s pulled into a dangerous fight involving the Russian mafia and a woman he’s trying to protect.

  1. High Stakes (2021)

Kira Drake

Kira Drake is a former search-and-rescue worker whose trained dog, Mack, helps pull her into an international manhunt after a bombing in Paris.

  1. On the Hunt (2024)

Iris Johansen Standalone Thrillers

These are Johansen’s standalone thrillers and suspense novels. You can read them whenever you want, though a few have light connections to characters or themes from her bigger thriller world.

  1. The Ugly Duckling (1996)
  2. Long After Midnight (1997)
  3. And Then You Die (1998)
  4. No One to Trust (2002)
  5. Dead Aim (2003)
  6. Fatal Tide (2003)
  7. Firestorm (2004)
  8. On the Run (2005)
  9. Killer Dreams (2006)
  10. Pandora’s Daughter (2007)
  11. Dark Summer (2008)
  12. Deadlock (2009)
  13. Storm Cycle (2009) (With Roy Johansen)
  14. The Perfect Witness (2014)
  15. No Easy Target (2017)

Iris Johansen Romance Series

Johansen started in romance before moving deeper into suspense and crime fiction. These earlier books are best grouped by series or shared world, since several of them overlap with larger romance lines.

Donovan Enterprises

  1. Stormy Vows (1983)
  2. Tempest at Sea (1983)

Reluctant Lark

  1. The Reluctant Lark (1983)
  2. The Bronzed Hawk (1983)

Sedikhan

For Sedikhan, I’d place the prequel first, then continue through the rest of the series.

  1. The Golden Barbarian (1991) (Prequel)
  2. The Golden Valkyrie (1984)
  3. The Trustworthy Redhead (1984)
  4. Capture the Rainbow (1984)
  5. Touch the Horizon (1984)
  6. A Summer Smile (1985)
  7. And the Desert Blooms (1986)
  8. Always (1986)
  9. Everlasting (1986)
  10. Til the End of Time (1986)
  11. The Last Bridge Home (1987)
  12. Across the River of Yesterday (1987)
  13. Star Light, Star Bright (1987)
  14. The Man from Half Moon Bay (1988)
  15. Blue Skies and Shining Promises (1988)
  16. Magnificent Folly (1989)
  17. Notorious (1990)
  18. A Tough Man to Tame (1991)

Clanad

The Clanad books overlap with Sedikhan-era romance, so I’m including them separately for readers who want that smaller sequence.

  1. The Lady and the Unicorn (1983)
  2. Across the River of Yesterday (1987)
  3. The Last Bridge Home (1987)
  4. Star Light, Star Bright (1987)
  5. Magnificent Folly (1989)
  6. A Tough Man to Tame (1991)

Louis Benoit

  1. The Trustworthy Redhead (1984)
  2. The Spellbinder (1987)

Santa Flores

  1. No Red Roses (1984)
  2. Return to Santa Flores (1984)

Beau Landry / White Satin

  1. White Satin (1985)
  2. Blue Velvet (1985)
  3. And the Desert Blooms (1986)

The Delaneys

The Delaneys is a shared romance world with books by Iris Johansen, Kay Hooper, and Fayrene Preston. If you only want Johansen’s entries, I’ve marked those in the list.

  1. Rafe, The Maverick by Kay Hooper (1986)
  2. York, The Renegade by Iris Johansen (1986)
  3. Burke, The Kingpin by Fayrene Preston (1986)
  4. Adelaide, The Enchantress by Kay Hooper (1987)
  5. Matilda, The Adventuress by Iris Johansen (1987)
  6. Sydney, The Temptress by Fayrene Preston (1987)
  7. This Fierce Splendor by Iris Johansen (1988)
  8. Golden Flames by Kay Hooper (1988)
  9. Wild Silver by Iris Johansen (1988)
  10. Copper Fire by Fayrene Preston (1988)
  11. Velvet Lightning by Kay Hooper (1988)
  12. Satin Ice by Iris Johansen (1988)
  13. Silken Thunder by Fayrene Preston (1988)
  14. The Delaney Christmas Carol by Kay Hooper (1992)

The Shamrock Trinity

  1. Rafe, The Maverick (1986)
  2. York, The Renegade (1986)
  3. Burke, The Kingpin (1986)

Delaneys of Killaroo

  1. Adelaide, The Enchantress (1987)
  2. Matilda, The Adventuress (1987)
  3. Sydney, The Temptress (1987)

Lion’s Bride

  1. Lion’s Bride (1996)
  2. The Treasure (2008)

Iris Johansen Standalone Romance Books

These romance novels stand apart from Johansen’s longer series. You can read them in any order, though publication order is always the easiest way to watch an author’s style change over time.

  1. The Forever Dream (1985)
  2. Strong, Hot Winds (1988)
  3. Wicked Jake Darcy (1989)
  4. One Touch of Topaz (1990)
  5. Tender Savage (1990)
  6. An Unexpected Song (1990)
  7. Winter Bride (1992)
  8. The Tiger Prince (1992)
  9. Star-Spangled Bride (1993)
  10. The Magnificent Rogue (1993)
  11. Midnight Warrior (1994)
  12. The Beloved Scoundrel (1994)
  13. Dark Rider (1995)

Who is Iris Johansen?

Iris Johansen is an American author who began writing romance before shifting into suspense, thrillers, and crime fiction. Her best-known work is the Eve Duncan series, which follows a forensic sculptor pulled into dangerous investigations and deeply personal cases.

Johansen has also written with her son, Roy Johansen, especially on the Kendra Michaels books. Roy is an Edgar Award-winning author, and Johansen’s daughter, Tamara, has worked with her as a research assistant.

On her website, Johansen says she was drawn to romance because she loved happy-ever-after endings, but she eventually wanted to challenge herself with darker and more suspenseful stories. That shift led to the thriller side of her career and to Eve Duncan.

Johansen lives in Florida and Georgia.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.

2 thoughts on “Iris Johansen Books in Order: Complete List + Eve Duncan”

  1. Love Iris Johansen Books! I have read 4 in about two weeks and looking forward to another! I am completely hooked!

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  2. I have read 3 books written by Iris Johnson and was hooked!! I decided to start the beginning of the Eve Duncan series. Total page turners!!! I can’t wait to get the entire collection of ALL books , have 18, need 12 more. Then I’ll be searching for for the next few series. Iris is an incredible author and I’m so happy to have found her stories!!

    Reply

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