J.A. Jance Books in Order: Complete Series Guide

By T.L. BransonMystery

The tricky part about reading J.A. Jance books in order is that her series overlap more than you might expect. J.P. Beaumont, Joanna Brady, Ali Reynolds, and the Walker Family books each have their own rhythm, but there are also crossovers and novellas that can make the order a little more complicated.

I’d recommend reading Jance by series first, then circle back to the poetry, short stories, collections, and anthology pieces if you’re interest in those sorts of things.

Jump to:

J.P. Beaumont Books

J.P. Beaumont is Jance’s Seattle detective, and his books launched her mystery career. I’d read Beau in order because his personal life, career, and sobriety carry more weight as the series goes on.

  1. Until Proven Guilty (1985)
  2. Injustice for All (1986)
  3. Trial by Fury (1986)
  4. Taking the Fifth (1987)
  5. Improbable Cause (1988)
  6. A More Perfect Union (1988)
  7. Dismissed with Prejudice (1989)
  8. Minor in Possession (1990)
  9. Payment in Kind (1991)
  10. Without Due Process (1992)
  11. Failure to Appear (1993)
  12. Lying in Wait (1994)
  13. Name Withheld (1996)
  14. Breach of Duty (1999)
  15. Birds of Prey (2001)
  16. Partner in Crime (2002) (Joanna Brady Crossover)
  17. Long Time Gone (2005)
  18. Justice Denied (2007)
  19. Fire and Ice (2009) (Joanna Brady Crossover)
  20. Betrayal of Trust (2011)
  21. Ring in the Dead (2013) (Novella)
  22. Second Watch (2013)
  23. Stand Down (2015) (Novella)
  24. Dance of the Bones (2015) (Walker Family Crossover)
  25. Still Dead (2017) (Novella)
  26. Proof of Life (2017)
  27. Sins of the Fathers (2019)
  28. Nothing to Lose (2022)
  29. Girls’ Night Out (2024) (Short Story)
  30. Den of Iniquity (2024)
  31. The Taken Ones (2026)

Joanna Brady Books

Joanna Brady’s books are set in Cochise County, Arizona, where Joanna steps into law enforcement after her husband’s death. I’d read this series in order because Joanna’s personal life and career are so tightly connected.

  1. Desert Heat (1993)
  2. Tombstone Courage (1995)
  3. Shoot Don’t Shoot (1995)
  4. Dead to Rights (1997)
  5. Skeleton Canyon (1997)
  6. Rattlesnake Crossing (1998)
  7. Outlaw Mountain (1999)
  8. Devil’s Claw (2001)
  9. Paradise Lost (2001)
  10. Partner in Crime (2002) (J.P. Beaumont Crossover)
  11. Exit Wounds (2003)
  12. Dead Wrong (2006)
  13. Damage Control (2008)
  14. Fire and Ice (2009) (J.P. Beaumont Crossover)
  15. Judgment Call (2012)
  16. The Old Blue Line (2014) (Novella)
  17. Remains of Innocence (2014)
  18. No Honor Among Thieves (2015) (Novella) (Ali Reynolds Crossover)
  19. Random Acts (2016) (Novella) (Ali Reynolds Crossover)
  20. Downfall (2016)
  21. Field of Bones (2018)
  22. Missing and Endangered (2021)
  23. Blessing of the Lost Girls (2023) (Walker Family Crossover)
  24. The Girl from Devil’s Lake (2025)

Ali Reynolds Books

Ali Reynolds starts as a former TV journalist trying to rebuild her life, then gets pulled into murder, cybercrime, and high-stakes investigations. Her books feel different from Beaumont and Brady, but I’d still read them in publication order because Ali’s life changes a lot as the series goes on.

  1. Edge of Evil (2005)
  2. Web of Evil (2007)
  3. Hand of Evil (2007)
  4. Cruel Intent (2008)
  5. Trial by Fire (2009)
  6. Fatal Error (2011)
  7. Left for Dead (2012)
  8. Deadly Stakes (2013)
  9. Moving Target (2014)
  10. A Last Goodbye (2014) (Novella)
  11. Cold Betrayal (2015)
  12. No Honor Among Thieves (2015) (Novella) (Joanna Brady Crossover)
  13. Clawback (2016)
  14. Random Acts (2016) (Novella) (Joanna Brady Crossover)
  15. Man Overboard (2017)
  16. Duel to the Death (2018)
  17. The A List (2019)
  18. Taking the Veil (2019) (Short Story) (Eric Van Lustbader MatchUp)
  19. Credible Threat (2020)
  20. Unfinished Business (2021)
  21. Collateral Damage (2023)
  22. OverKill (2025)

Other J.A. Jance Series

Walker Family Mysteries

The Walker Family mysteries lean into Arizona history, family wounds, and consequences that carry across generations. They also connect back to J.P. Beaumont and Joanna Brady, so the crossover notes are worth paying attention to.

  1. Hour of the Hunter (1991)
  2. Kiss of the Bees (1993)
  3. Day of the Dead (2004)
  4. Queen of the Night (2010)
  5. Dance of the Bones (2015) (J.P. Beaumont Crossover)
  6. Blessing of the Lost Girls (2023) (Joanna Brady Crossover)

J.A. Jance Poetry, Short Stories & Collections

Most readers can save these for later. Jance also has poetry, short fiction, and collections, and I’d treat them as bonus reading unless you’re trying to read absolutely everything.

  1. After the Fire: A Memoir in Poetry and Prose (1984) (Poetry / Non-Fiction)
  2. The Case of the London Cabbie (2006) (Short Story in Bark M for Murder)
  3. The J.A. Jance Casebook (2011) (Short Story Collection)

J.A. Jance Anthologies & Contributions

These anthology and multi-author pieces are more of a completionist lane than a starting point. I’d read the main series first, then come back here if you want the broader Jance checklist.

  1. Midnight Louie’s Pet Detectives (1998) (Anthology)
  2. The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 1 (2000) (Anthology)
  3. The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 2 (2000) (Anthology)
  4. Naked Came the Phoenix (2001) (Serial Novel)
  5. The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 3 (2002) (Anthology)
  6. The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 4 (2003) (Anthology)
  7. The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 5 (2004) (Anthology)
  8. Bark M for Murder (2006) (Anthology)
  9. No Rest for the Dead (2011) (Serial Novel)
  10. MatchUp (2017) (Anthology)

Who Is J.A. Jance?

J.A. Jance is the pen name of Judith Ann Jance, an American mystery and thriller writer best known for the J.P. Beaumont, Joanna Brady, Ali Reynolds, and Walker Family books. Her stories move between Seattle and Arizona, and the crossover books are part of what makes her reading order a little more tangled than a simple one-series author.

I don’t think Jance is an author where you have to start with one universal book. Pick the series that sounds best, then read that series in order. That’s where her long-running character work pays off most.

Looking for similar books in order?

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

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