Karen Rose Books in Order – Complete List

New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose’s books fall under the umbrella of the Romantic Suspense books series. However, they can be further classified based on their location (Chicago, North Carolina, Cincinnati, etc). In addition, she also has a new series apart from her main set of novels set in San Diego.

Here are all the Karen Rose books in order of publication, chronology, and location in separate series.

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All of Karen Rose’s books take place in the same universe and are connected. However, they are separated into series by their location. The location-based series are listed further down.

Chicago Books in Publication Order

1. Don’t Tell, 2003
2. Have You Seen Her?, 2004
3. I’m Watching You, 2004
4. Nothing to Fear, 2005
5. You Can’t Hide, 2006
6. Count to Ten, 2007

St. Petersburg Books in Publication Order

This is a novella that was initially included in an anthology called Hot Pursuit in 2004. The novella, set in St. Petersburg, was reissued separately in 2014.

1. Dirty Secrets, 2004

Philadelphia / Atlanta Books in Publication Order

Aka the Daniel Vartanian Series

1. Die For Me, 2007
2. Scream For Me, 2008
3. Kill For Me, 2009
4. White Pickett Fence, 2024

Minneapolis Books in Publication Order

1. I Can See You, 2009
2. Silent Scream, 2010

Baltimore Books in Publication Order

1. You Belong To Me, 2011
2. No One Left To Tell, 2012
3. Did You Miss Me?, 2012
4. Broken Silence (#3.5), 2013
5. Watch Your Back, 2013
6. Monster in the Closet, 2017
7. Death is Not Enough, 2018

Cincinnati Books in Publication Order

1. Closer Than You Think, 2014
2. Alone in the Dark, 2015
3. Every Dark Corner, 2016
4. Edge of Darkness, 2017
5. Into the Dark, 2019

Sacramento Books in Publication Order

1. Say You’re Sorry, 2019
2. Say No More, 2020
3. Say Goodbye, 2021

New Orleans Books in Publication Order

1. Quarter to Midnight, 2022
2. Beneath Dark Waters, 2023
3. Buried Too Deep, 2024
4. Knife in the Back, 2025

San Diego Case Files Books in Publication Order

1. Cold Blooded Liar, 2023
2. Cheater, 2024
3. Dead Man’s List, 2025
4. Family Lies, 2026

Standalone Novels in Publication Order

• The One Who Walked Away, 2026

Anthologies

• Hot Pursuit (includes Dirty Secrets), 2004 (with Annie Soloman, and Carla Cassidy)

Karen Rose Biography

Internationally bestselling author Karen Rose was born Karen Rose Hafer in 1964 in Baltimore, Maryland. She grew up in a small town outside of Washington D.C.

When she was 17, she met her future husband with whom she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio right after graduating from the University of Maryland. She graduated with a major in chemical engineering.

Later, Karen worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, while also working as a high school chemistry and physics teacher. At some point, she changed her career and started writing books.

First, she wrote romance novels, but soon she changed directions and began writing books in the romantic suspense genre. This could give her more freedom in tackling complex characters and plotlines.

She published her debut suspense novel, Don’t Tell, in July 2003. Readers and critics immediately well received it, and it soon established Karen Rose as a rising star in the romantic thriller genre. After Don’t Tell, Karen Rose wrote and published several other novels, including Have You Seen Her? and I’m Watching You, both of which became international bestsellers.

This is also the first book of the author’s huge Romantic Suspense series. This is the actual name of the series with books spread into mini-series across the same universe.

Her stories are full of intense action, a serial killer or two, and even steamy romance. All her books are set in the same universe and are only split into multiple series based on their location.

Her books are considered romantic thrillers and suspense, a genre that I enjoy reading when I want to pick up something lighter than the hardcore thrillers and crime mysteries I usually spend my time with.

Edge of Darkness is my favorite book in the Cincinnati series. The two main characters are Adam Kimble, a homicide detective, and Meredith Fallon, a child psychologist. The two had a short relationship in the past. Now, when they met again, they discovered that their feelings for each other were just as strong as before.

Meredith works with sexually abused children. While out celebrating her success with a patient, there is an attempt on her life, but she is unharmed. While trying to figure out who shot her, Adam is there for her, wanting nothing more than protect her with his life.

Both Meredith and Adam are “damaged goods” (some of the previous Cincinnati books go more in-depth into it) and, somehow, they manage to have deep feelings for each other. These feelings might just be what saves them both.

In addition, in 2023, Karen Rose started a new San Diego series, which features homicide detective Kit McKittrick and the kind-hearted psychologist who treats court-ordered clients, Sam Reeves. The series has currently two books.

Despite her success, Karen Rose is challenging herself to better her craft from book to book. She has a strong attention to detail, and she does in-depth research for each of her stories. Often she spends months doing research on topics and places for any of her books.

Having read pretty much all of the Karen Rose novels (except for the last one and a novella), I can safely say yes, it’s best to read the Karen Rose novels in the proper order. The reason is that several characters appear in various novels, and they don’t always correspond to the location/book setting.

If you read them out of order, you might find yourself lacking a few background details that make reading the books much more entertaining.

Sure, you can read them as you get them as well, but your enjoyment will not be as full, simply because some books nicely wrap up events that have taken place in previous books in the various location series (e.g. the Baltimore series, etc).

Classifying Karen Rose’s books in reading order is not as easy as it seems, because various characters appear in several novels, and there are also place relationships between books.

For example, some of the books are set in Minneapolis, others in Baltimore, and yet others in Atlanta, Cincinnati, St. Petersburg, and Chicago.

As for characters, many recurring ones pop in and out of books in different sub-series, such as Ethan Buchanan, psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli and her brother Detective Vito Ciccotelli, Special Agent Steven Thatcher, Dana Dupinsky Buchanan, Detective Mia Mitchell, David Hunter, Detective Abe Reagan, and ASA Kristen Mayhew, to name just a few.

I think the best way to classify the books is based on the location/setting. In addition, the books are listed in chronological order, with the publication date listed in brackets at the end.

The first book that is not part of a series but a standalone novel is The One Who Walked Away, to be published in 2026.

Besides writing, New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose is a strong advocate for literacy and education. Over the years, she has been involved in several activities to promote literacy and reading among children and adults. She also regularly participates in speaking events that promote such causes. Karen Rose is one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. I’ve been reading her books ever since I came across her first novel, Don’t Tell, back in 2003 when I got hooked on her stories.

A former high school teacher of physics and chemistry turned bestselling author, Karen lives in Florida with her husband, their two children, and the family cat, Bella.

Karen Rose Awards and Nominations

• I’m Watching You – RITA Award for best romantic suspense, in 2005
• Die for Me – RT Reviewers Choice Award for best romantic suspense, in 2007
• Kill for Me – RT Reviewers Choice Award for Contemporary Mystery, 2009
• Silent Scream – RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense, 2011

Her books have been so far translated into over 20 languages and have been featured on various bestseller lists, including the New York Times, USA Today, London’s Sunday Times, and Germany’s Der Spiegel.