If you’re looking for the Lisa Jackson books in order, it’s good to know that her backlist has a few very different sides. Jackson has long-running suspense series, standalone thrillers, romantic suspense, older category romances, medieval romances, short fiction, anthologies, and plenty of reprinted bind-ups.
We’ll cover every book from every series and genre, plus help you figure out how to read through Jackson’s full bibliography.
Jump to:
- Where to Start with Lisa Jackson
- Lisa Jackson Books by Series
- Other Lisa Jackson Series
- Lisa Jackson Standalone Books
- Lisa Jackson Short Stories, Anthologies, and Omnibus Editions
- Who Is Lisa Jackson?
Where to Start with Lisa Jackson
For most thriller readers, I’d start with Hot Blooded, the first New Orleans book, or Left to Die, the first Alvarez and Pescoli book. Those give you Jackson’s more recognizable suspense style without dropping you into the older romance backlist first.
If you want Savannah-style Southern Gothic suspense, start with The Night Before. If you want to see Jackson from the beginning, start with A Twist of Fate, but expect the early books to lean much more romance than serial-killer thriller.
Lisa Jackson Books by Series
Jackson’s connected series are where reading order matters most. The New Orleans, Alvarez and Pescoli, Savannah, Northwest, Wicked, and Cahills books all build around recurring characters, settings, or family connections, so I’d read those in order.
New Orleans Books
The New Orleans books follow detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya through a string of serial-killer cases, personal threats, and dangerous investigations. This is one of the best places to start if you want Jackson’s romantic suspense and thriller side.
- Hot Blooded (2001)
- Cold Blooded (2002)
- Shiver (2006)
- Absolute Fear (2007)
- Lost Souls (2008)
- Malice (2009)
- Devious (2011)
- Never Die Alone (2015)
- The Last Sinner (2023)
Alvarez & Pescoli Books
This series is also known as the Montana “To Die” series. It follows detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli in Grizzly Falls, Montana, where the cases are cold, brutal, and very much in Jackson’s thriller lane.
- 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 (2016)
- Willing to Die (2019)
Savannah Books
The Savannah books follow crime reporter Nikki Gillette and detective Pierce Reed through Southern Gothic mysteries full of secrets, old crimes, and dangerous family history.
- The Night Before (2003)
- The Morning After (2004)
- Tell Me (2013)
- The Third Grave (2021)
- Not What It Seems (2026)
Northwest Books
The Northwest books are connected suspense novels set around Oregon and Hollywood. Each book has its own central story, but the later book makes more sense if you’ve already read the first two.
- Deep Freeze (2005)
- Fatal Burn (2006)
- After She’s Gone (2015)
Wicked Books
Jackson wrote the Wicked books with her sister Nancy Bush. These lean into psychic suspense, with the Colony tying the books together underneath the murder and danger.
- Wicked Game (2009) (with Nancy Bush)
- Wicked Lies (2011) (with Nancy Bush)
- Something Wicked (2012) (with Nancy Bush)
- Wicked Ways (2013) (with Nancy Bush)
- Wicked Dreams (2022) (with Nancy Bush)
Other Lisa Jackson Series
San Francisco / The Cahills Books
The Cahills books are romantic suspense novels built around a wealthy San Francisco family, buried secrets, and danger that keeps circling back to the people closest to them.
- If She Only Knew (2000)
- Almost Dead (2007)
- You Betrayed Me (2020)
The McCaffertys Books
The McCaffertys books follow the McCafferty siblings through romance, family tension, and the mystery around their father’s accident. I’d read these in order because the family story carries across the series.
Wyoming Books
The Wyoming books are collaborative suspense novels from Lisa Jackson, Nancy Bush, and Rosalind Noonan. These work best if you want another multi-author suspense thread after the bigger Jackson series.
- Sinister (2013) (with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan)
- Ominous (2017) (with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan)
Historical Trilogy Books
Jackson originally published this medieval romance trilogy under the name Susan Lynn Crose. It’s a very different corner of her backlist, with warriors, danger, and romance in medieval Wales.
- Enchantress (1993) as Susan Lynn Crose
- Kiss of the Moon (1994) as Susan Lynn Crose
- Outlaw (1995) as Susan Lynn Crose
Medieval Trilogy Books
This is another medieval romance trilogy, separate from the earlier Susan Lynn Crose titles. I’d read these in order if you want Jackson’s historical-romance side.
- Impostress (2003)
- Temptress (2005)
- Sorceress (2007)
Dark Jewels Books
The Dark Jewels trilogy stays in Jackson’s historical romance lane. The books are connected by mood and setting more than by the modern thriller style readers may know her for now.
- Dark Ruby (1998)
- Dark Emerald (1999)
- Dark Sapphire (2000)
Abandoned Books
Abandoned is a later bind-up of two earlier romantic suspense novels. The original titles are the two books listed here: Sail Away and Million Dollar Baby.
- Sail Away (1991)
- Million Dollar Baby (1992)
Maverick Books
The Maverick books are romance titles with several alternate names, so retailer pages can get confusing fast. I’ve used the main title first, then noted the common alternate titles after it.
- Forbidden Secrets (1992) also published as Dangerous Revelations and He’s a Bad Boy
- Point of Mercy (1993) also published as Breathless Innocence and He’s Just a Cowboy
- First Love (1993) also published as He’s the Rich Boy
- Tender Absolution (1994) also published as He’s My Soldier Boy
Love Letters Books
The Love Letters books are connected category romances. The first three were later collected in Revenge, while D Is for Dani’s Baby was later collected in Ruthless.
- A Is for Always (1994)
- B Is for Baby (1994)
- C Is for Cowboy (1994)
- D Is for Dani’s Baby (1995)
Forever Family Books
The Forever Family books follow three sisters in Bittersweet, Oregon. These are lighter contemporary romances compared with Jackson’s later suspense series.
- A Family Kind of Guy (1998)
- A Family Kind of Gal (1998) also published as A Family Kind of Girl
- A Family Kind of Wedding (1998)
Shared-World Romance Books
Jackson also contributed individual books and stories to shared romance worlds written by multiple authors. You don’t need these for her main suspense series, but they’re worth noting if you want her full bibliography.
- Devil’s Gambit (1985) (Dangerous to Love USA)
- Yesterday’s Lies (1986) (Western Lovers)
- Renegade Son (1987) (Born in the USA)
- With No Regrets (1990) (Western Lovers)
- Double Exposure (1990) (Babies & Bachelors USA)
- A Husband to Remember (1993) (That Special Woman!)
- All I Want from Santa (1995) (Holiday Elopements)
- The Millionaire and the Cowgirl (1996) (Fortune’s Children)
- Angel Baby (1998) (Fortune’s Children)
- Lone Stallion’s Lady (2000) (Montana Mavericks: Wed in Whitehorn)
Lisa Jackson Standalone Books
These are Jackson’s standalone novels and single-title releases. Some are early romances, some are romantic suspense, and some are darker thrillers. Pay close attention to the alternate-title notes here, because a few of these books have been reissued more than once.
- A Twist of Fate (1983)
- Dark Side of the Moon (1984)
- The Shadow of Time (1984)
- Gypsy Wind (1984)
- Pirate’s Gold (1984)
- A Dangerous Precedent (1985)
- Innocent by Association (1985)
- Midnight Sun (1985)
- Zachary’s Law (1986)
- Mystic (1986)
- One Man’s Love (1986)
- Snowbound (1987)
- Summer Rain (1987)
- The Brass Ring (1988)
- Hurricane Force (1988)
- In Honor’s Shadow (1988)
- Aftermath (1989)
- Tender Trap (1989)
- His Bride to Be (1990)
- Mystery Man (1991)
- Obsession (1991)
- See How She Dies (1994) also published as Treasures
- Final Scream (1995) also published as Intimacies
- Running Scared (1995) also published as Wishes
- Whispers (1996)
- Twice Kissed (1998)
- Unspoken (1999)
- Wild and Wicked (2002)
- Most Likely to Die (2007) with Beverly Barton and Wendy Corsi Staub
- Risky Business (2009)
- Without Mercy (2010)
- You Don’t Want to Know (2012)
- Close to Home (2014)
- You Will Pay (2017)
- One Last Breath (2018) with Nancy Bush
- Liar, Liar (2018)
- Paranoid (2019)
- Last Girl Standing (2020) with Nancy Bush
- The Girl Who Survived (2022)
- Our Little Secret (2024)
- It Happened on the Lake (2025)
Lisa Jackson Short Stories, Anthologies, and Omnibus Editions
This is where Jackson’s bibliography gets messy. These books are short stories, anthology appearances, collections, or bind-ups of earlier work. I wouldn’t count them as separate new novels, but they’re useful to know about if you’re trying to be complete.
- The Man from Pine Mountain (1993) (Short Story)
- Left for Dead (1984) (Collection)
- ‘Tis the Season (1997) (Anthology)
- A Fortune’s Children Christmas (1998) (Anthology)
- Slow Heat (2001) (Anthology)
- Santa Baby (2002) (Anthology)
- Deck the Halls (2004) (Anthology)
- Kiss Me Again (2005) (Anthology)
- Thriller 2 (2009) (Anthology; includes Vintage Death)
- Beach Season (2012) (Anthology)
- Secrets and Lies (2012) (Omnibus/Anthology Edition)
- Rumors (2012) (Omnibus Edition)
- Confessions (2012) (Omnibus Edition)
- Disclosure (2012) (Omnibus Edition)
- Summer Days (2014) (Anthology)
- Our First Christmas (2014) (Anthology)
- MatchUp (2017) (Anthology; includes “Deserves to Be Dead” with John Sandford)
- Revenge (2016) (Omnibus Edition)
- Ruthless (2018) (Omnibus Edition)
- Santa’s on His Way (2018) (Anthology)
- Backlash (2019) (Omnibus Edition)
- Envious (2020) (Omnibus Edition)
- Distrust (2021) (Omnibus Edition)
- Afraid (2022) (Anthology)
- Getting Even (2023) (Omnibus Edition)
- Don’t Be Scared (2024) (Omnibus Edition)
- Retribution (2024) (Reissued Story)
- Under the Mistletoe (2025) (Short Story)
- You’ll Find Out (2025) (Omnibus Edition)
Who Is Lisa Jackson?
Lisa Jackson is a bestselling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, contemporary romance, and historical romance. She’s especially known for recurring suspense series like New Orleans, Alvarez and Pescoli, Savannah, Northwest, Wicked, San Francisco, and The McCaffertys.
Jackson also writes as Susan Lynn Crose for some of her medieval romance work, and she has co-written several books with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. That’s part of why her bibliography can look confusing at first glance.
I’d start with the thriller series if that’s what brought you here, then go backward into the romance and early standalones once you want the full backlist.
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.
One thought on “Lisa Jackson Books in Order: Complete Book & Series Guide”
Thank you so much for your lists and synopses. When an author writes so many books, in such a variety of genres. it’s difficult to follow those that interest you. You’ve helped so much, and this reader appreciates all the effort you put into doing this – THANK YOU !