J. A. Jance Books in Order (J.P. Beaumont, Joanna Brady, Ali Reynolds, Walker Family)

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Judith Ann Jance is an American author who specializes in mystery novels, writing multiple series about different kinds of detectives. Jance received a degree in education from the University of Arizona and later earned a master’s degree in library science from the University of Hawaii. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked as a school librarian, a teacher, and a journalist. She is the recipient of several awards for her writing, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Anthony Award.

J.A. Jance is the author of several popular series of novels, including the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, the Ali Reynolds series, and the Walker Family series. Her books are known for their complex characters (whose paths sometimes cross) and storylines, and they often explore themes of crime, justice, and family.

How to read J. A. Jance’s Books in Order?

Reading J. A. Jance’s J.P. Beaumont Books in Order

His full name is Jonas Piedmont Beaumont–simply called Beau by his friends–and he is a sympathetic but flawed detective who, as the series progresses, puts his life back together piece by piece while catching violent killers. For more information, check out our article about the J.P. Beaumont series.

1. Until Proven Guilty (1985)
2. Injustice for All (1986)
3. Trial by Fury (1986)
4. Taking the Fifth (1987)
5. Improbable Cause (1987)
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 (1993)
11. Failure to Appear (1994)
12. Lying in Wait (1995)
13. Name Withheld (1997)
14. Breach of Duty (1999)
15. Birds of Prey (2002)
16. Partner in Crime (2003) – This is a crossover with the Joanna Brady series.
17. Long Time Gone (2005)
18. Justice Denied (2007)
19. Fire and Ice (2009) – This is a crossover with the Joanna Brady series.
20. Betrayal of Trust (2011)
21. Ring in the Dead (short story – 2013)
22. Second Watch (2013)
23. Stand Down (short story – 2015)
24. Dance of the Bones (2015) – This is a crossover with the Walker Family Series.
25. Still Dead (short story, 2017)
26. Proof of Life (2017)
27. Sins of the Fathers (2019)
28. Nothing to Lose (2022)

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Reading J. A. Jance’s Walker Family Mysteries in Order

1. Hour of the Hunter (1991) – The brilliant psychopath Andrew Carlisle spent only six years in prison for the brutal torture–murder of a young girl of the Tohono O’otham tribe. The testimony of Diana Ladd — a teacher on the reservation — put Carlisle behind bars, and now she can’t ignore the dark, mystical signs that say a predator has returned to prowl the Arizona desert. Because no matter where Diana and her young son hide . . . he will find them.
2. Kiss of the Bees (2001) – Twenty years ago, a darkness rose up out of the blistering heat of the Arizona desert and descended upon the Walker family of Tucson. A personified evil, a serial killer named Andrew Carlisle, brought blood and terror into their world, nearly murdering Diana Ladd Walker and her young son, Davy. Now, much has changed. The family has grown larger. And now that the psychopath Carlisle has died in prison, Brandon and Diana Walker believe that their long nightmare is finally over. They are wrong. The monster is dead, but his malevolence lives on . . . in another.
3. Day of the Dead (2004) – Former Sheriff Brandon Walker is a reluctant retiree. Golf just can’t replace the action and sense of purpose his job provided. When he’s invited to join The Last Chance Club to review and long-cold unsolved cases, he has no idea that the first case to cross his path will be one he may have botched as a young sheriff. And when the case from all those decades past becomes entangled with a current murder, it seems a serial killer with a very long and shocking track record may be back in business . . .

4. Queen of the Night (2010) – Every summer, in an event that is commemorated throughout the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Queen of the Night flower blooms in the Arizona desert. But one couple’s intended celebration is shattered by gunfire, the sole witness to the bloodshed a little girl who has lost the only family she’s ever known. To her rescue come Dr. Lani Walker, who sees the trauma of her own childhood reflected in her young patient, and Dan Pardee, an Iraq war veteran and member of an unorthodox border patrol unit called the Shadow Wolves. Joined by Pima County homicide investigator Brian Fellows, they must keep the child safe while tracking down a ruthless killer.
5. Dance of the Bones (2015) – This is a crossover with the J.P. Beaumont Series. Years ago, Amos Warren was gunned down out in the desert and Sheriff Brandon Walker made the arrest in the case. Now, the retired Walker is called in when the alleged killer, John Lassiter, refuses to accept a plea deal that would release him from prison with time served. Lassiter wants Brandon to find Amos’s “real” killer and clear his name. When Brandon discovers that there are links between Lassiter’s case and an unsolved case in Seattle, he comes to J.P. Beaumont for help.

Reading J. A. Jance’s Joanna Brady Books in Order

When drug dealers murdered her lawman husband, Joanna Brady vowed she would carry on his good work no matter what the cost. With grit, courage, and dogged determination, this mother challenged the status quo. as newly-elected Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, she must battle the prejudice and hostility of a mistrustful, male-dominated police force. For more information, visit our guide to the Joanna Brady series.

1. Desert Heat (1993)
2. Tombstone Courage (1995)
3. Shoot/Don’t Shoot (1996)
4. Dead to Rights (1997)
5. Skeleton Canyon (1998)
6. Rattlesnake Crossing (1998)
7. Outlaw Mountain (2000)
8. Devil’s Claw (2001)
9. Paradise Lost (2002)
10. Partner in Crime (2003) – This is a crossover with the J.P. Beaumont series.
11. Exit Wounds (2004)
12. Dead Wrong (2006)
13. Damage Control (2008)
14. Fire and Ice (2009) – This is another crossover with the J.P. Beaumont series.
15. Judgment Call (2012)
16. The Old Blue Line (novella – 2014)
17. Remains of Innocence (2014)
18. No Honor Among Thieves (short story – 2015)
19. Random Acts (novella – 2016) – Another Ali Reynolds/Joanna Brady crossover.
20. Downfall (2016)
21. Field of Bones (2018)
22. Missing and Endangered (2021)
23. Blessing of the Lost Girls (2023) – Feat. federal investigator Dan Pardee, Brandon Walker’s son-in-law.
    

Reading J. A. Jance’s Ali Reynolds Books in Order:

Everything began with a cheating husband and the ending of a high-profile broadcasting–because TV executives wanted a “younger face.” For Ali Reynolds, the need to leave LA in order to start again puts her on the path to becoming a detective. For more information, you may want to consult our article about the Ali Reynolds series.

1. Edge of Evil (2006)
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 (short story – 2014)
11. Cold Betrayal (2015)
12. No Honor Among Thieves (short story – 2015) – featuring Sheriff Joanna Brady.
13. Clawback (2016)
14. Random Acts (short story – 2016)
15. Man Overboard (2017)
16. Duel to the Death (2018)
17. The A List (2019)
18. Credible Threat (2020)
19. Unfinished Business (2021)
20. Collateral Damage (2023)

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Reading The Other Books by J. A. Jance

• After the Fire (1984) – Before she found fame as a bestselling mystery author, Judith Jance wrestled with the anguish of being married to an alcoholic. For years she channeled her pain into words, composing the poems in this moving volume, first published in 1984, a year before her debut novel.

If you like our article about the J. A. Jance reading order, don’t forget to bookmark it! You may also be interested in Karin Slaughter, Ann B. Ross.