J. A. Jance Books in Order

J.A. Jance is an American mystery author best known for three long-running series set in the American Southwest and Pacific Northwest: the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and the Ali Reynolds series. She has published over 80 novels since 1985 and she often appears on the New York Times bestseller list, placing her in the top tier of American crime fiction. In 2018, Strand Magazine recognized her career with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

This page lists all J.A. Jance books in order, including the J.P. Beaumont, Joanna Brady, Ali Reynolds, and Walker Family series, standalone novels, and short story anthologies. The Beaumont and Brady series cross over in two novels, and the Walker Family books is also part of the shared universe.

Latest J. A. Jance Books

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

J. P. Beaumont Series (Books in Order)

Reading Order

The J.P. Beaumont series follows Seattle homicide detective J.P. Beaumont (Jonas Piedmont Beaumont, also known as Beau), who works cases that become personal for him, where he often does thing that go beyond a standard police investigation. He is a recovering alcoholic with a past as a womanizing cop, who has reformed and become a sober private investigator who also works as a special investigator for the D.A.’s office. The series is set primarily in Seattle and takes place over four decades during his career, from active duty until he later works with the Washington State Special Homicide Investigation Team.

1. Until Proven Guilty, 1985
2. Injustice for All, 1986
3. Trial by Fury, 1986
4. Taking the Fifth, 1988
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, 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
17. Long Time Gone, 2005
18. Justice Denied, 2007
19. Fire and Ice, 2009
20. Betrayal of Trust, 2011
21. Ring in the Dead, 2013
22. Second Watch, 2013
23. Stand Down, 2015
24. Dance of the Bones, 2015
25. Still Dead, 2017
26. Proof of Life, 2017
27. Sins of the Fathers, 2019
28. Nothing to Lose, 2022
29. Girls’ Night Out, 2024
30. Den of Iniquity, 2024
31. The Taken Ones, 2026

Walker Family Mysteries (Books in Order)

The Walker Family series follows retired Pima County Sheriff Brandon Walker and his wife Diana Ladd, an Anglo family with deep ties to the Tohono O’odham people of southern Arizona. The series is strongly influenced by J..a. Jance’s years working on the Tohono O’odham reservation, and there are traces of Indigenous tradition, legend, and history through its plots. Dance of the Bones (#5) also features J.P. Beaumont. Blessing of the Lost Girls (#6) crosses with the Joanna Brady series.

Reading Order

1. Hour of the Hunter, 1991
2. Kiss of the Bees, 1993
3. Day of the Dead, 2005
4. Queen of the Night, 2010
5. Dance of the Bones, 2015

Joanna Brady Series (Books in Order)

The Joanna Brady series follows Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady, based in Bisbee, Arizona. It is the same small Arizona border town where J. A. Jance also grew up. Joanna takes over as sheriff after the murder of her husband, a situation that takes place in the early books, during which she develops both as a law enforcement officer and a single mother. It runs parallel to the Beaumont series in timeline and crosses over with it in Partner in Crime (Beaumont #16 / Brady #10) and Fire and Ice (Beaumont #19 / Brady #14).

Reading Order

1. Desert Heat, 1993
2. Tombstone Courage, 1994
3. Shoot Don’t Shoot, 1995
4. Dead to Rights, 1996
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
11. Exit Wounds, 2003
12. Dead Wrong, 2006
13. Damage Control, 2008
14. Fire and Ice, 2009
15. Judgment Call, 2012
16. The Old Blue Line, 2014
17. Remains of Innocence, 2014
18. No Honor Among Thieves, 2015
19. Random Acts, 2016
20. Downfall, 2016
21. Field of Bone, 2018
22. Missing and Endangered, 2021
23. Blessing of the Lost Girls, 2023
24. The Girl from Devil’s Lake, 2025

Ali Reynolds Series (Books in Order)

The Ali Reynolds series follows former Los Angeles TV news anchor Ali Reynolds, in her mid-forties who, after losing her job, returns to her hometown of Sedona, Arizona, and starts investigating murders. Initially, she is a traditional amateur sleuth, but as Ali builds a cybersecurity business, High Noon Enterprises, with her husband B. Simpson, the later books involve investigating tech-based crimes, including cyberbullying, AI, genetic manipulation.

Reading Order

1. Edge of Evil, 2005
2. Web of Evil, 2007
3. Hand of Evil, 2007
4. Cruel Intent, 2009
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
11. Cold Betrayal, 2015
12. No Honor Among Thieves, 2015
13. Clawback, 2016
14. Random Acts, 2016
15. Man Overboard, 2017
16. Duel To Death, 2018
17. The A List, 2019
18. Credible Threat, 2020
19. Unfinished Business, 2021
20. Collateral Damage, 2023
21. OverKill, 2025

Standalone Novels

• Naked Came the Phoenix, 2001
• No Rest for the Dead, 2011

Novellas / Stories

• Taking the Veil, 2018 (with Eric Van Lustbader)

Short Story Collections and Anthologies

• Cat Crimes, 1991
• Partners in Crime, 1994
• The Mysterious West, 1994 (edited by Tony Hillerman)
• The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Fourth Annual Edition, 1995
• Vengeance is Hers, 1997
• Midnight Louie’s Pet Detectives, 1998
• Murder on Route 66, 1999
• The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories, 2000
• After the Fire: A Memoir in Poetry and Prose, 2001 (poetry collection)
• First Cases 4, 2002
• A Moment on the Edge, 2002 (edited by Elizabeth George)
• Dangerous Women, 2004
• Bark M for Murder, 2006
• The Deadly Bride and 21 of the Year’s Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Volume II, 2006
• Suspense Magazine January 2010, 2010
• The J. A. Jance Casebook, 2011
• The Mystery Writers: Interviews and Advice, 2012
• Mystery Writers of America Presents Ice Cold: Tales of Intrigue from the Cold War, 2014 (edited by Jeffery Deaver)
• MatchUp, 2017 (edited by Lee Child)

Nonfiction Books

• Writer in the Library: 41 Writers Reveal How They Use Libraries to Develop Their Skill, Craft & Careers, 2008

J.A. Jance Biography

J.A. Jance is an American mystery author who wrote four series and over 80 novels. Her full name is Judith Ann Jance, and she publishes under her initials, originally at her publisher’s request, who said that a female author writing a male detective protagonist would be harder to sell.
Official website: jajanceauthor.com

Born October 27, 1944, in Watertown, South Dakota, J. A. Jance grew up in Bisbee, Arizona, the border town that later became the setting for her Joanna Brady series. In 1962 she graduated from Bisbee High School, from where she received a scholarship allowing her to attend the University of Arizona. She was the first in her family to attend a four-year college, graduating from the University of Arizona in 1966 with a degree in English and Secondary Education. Next she got a master’s in library science in 1970. She taught high school English and worked for five years as a K–12 librarian at the Indian Oasis School District on the Tohono O’odham reservation, an experience that influenced the Walker Family series.

Her ambitions to write were frustrated for years, first by a university creative writing program that wouldn’t admit women, then by a first marriage to an alcoholic who ignored her aspirations. After her divorce and her ex-husband’s death, she began writing between 4 and 7 a.m. while working full-time as an insurance salesperson and raising two children alone. Until Proven Guilty, the first J.P. Beaumont novel, was published in 1985. She has been publishing books ever since and currently lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.

J.A Jance Awards and Honors

Awards

• Without Due Process – American Mystery Award (1992)
• Failure to Appear – American Mystery Award (1993)
• Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, University of Arizona (2000)
• Strand Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award (2018)

Nominations and Shortlists

• Trial by Fury – Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (1987)
• Hour of the Hunter – Dilys Award for Best Book (1992)
• Dance of the Bones – Shamus Award for Best P.I. Novel (2016)

Readers Also Like

Brian FreemanC. J. BoxCraig JohnsonDavid BaldacciLinda CastilloLisa Gardner