Jeff Abbott Books in Order
Jeff Abbott is an American bestselling mystery and thriller author best known for the Sam Capra series, who has won the Agatha Award, the Macavity Award, and the International Thriller Writers Award for novels ranging from small-town Texas mystery to international spy fiction and standalone psychological suspense thrillers. His debut, Do Unto Others, won both the Agatha Award and the Macavity Award. Over the years, he switched between writing Texas mysteries, international espionage, and standalone psychological/domestic suspense.
This page lists all Jeff Abbott books in order, including the Jordan Poteet series, the Whit Mosley series, the Sam Capra series, and his standalone novels.
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Latest Jeff Abbott Books
Where to Start with Jeff Abbott
→ New to Jeff Abbott? Start with Adrenaline if you want his modern thrillers. It begins the Sam Capra series, the author’s best-known series.
→ Prefer his Texas mystery early books? Start with Do Unto Others, the first Jordan Poteet book and the novel that won both the Agatha and Macavity Awards.
→ Want a darker Gulf Coast crime series? Start with A Kiss Gone Bad, the first Whit Mosley novel, with a Texas judge/coroner who gets in volved in murder investigations.
→ Prefer standalone suspense? Try Blame or The Three Beths if you want the author’s later domestic-suspense novels, where the is again closer to home.
Jordan Poteet Series (Books in Order)
The Jordan Poteet series follows former book editor Jordan Poteet, who moves back to his small hometown of Mirabeau, Texas, to take care of his mother and run the local library, and while doing so, he keeps stumbling into murder. The series, a more traditional mystery borders on cozy-mystery, with a much lighter tone than his next series. Do Unto Others, the first book, won both the Agatha Award and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel.
- Do Unto Others, 1994
- The Only Good Yankee, 1995
- Promises of Home, 1996
- Distant Blood, 1996
Whit Mosley Series (Books in Order)
The Whit Mosley series follows rookie judge and coroner Whit Mosley living and working in a small Gulf Coast county in Texas, who investigates crime with local police detective Claudia Salazar and a mysterious fishing guide named Gooch. It is a Southern noir mystery with Black Jack Point and Cut and Run being nominated for the Edgar Award. The series is darker than Jordan Prateet, with more danger and a stronger Gulf Coast feel.
- A Kiss Gone Bad, 2001
- Black Jack Point, 2002
- Cut and Run, 2003
Sam Capra Series (Books in Order)
The Sam Capra series follows young CIA agent Sam Capra whose life falls apart when a bomb in London destroys his office, and his pregnant wife disappears. He is framed and then cleared for the attack, but then he is let go from the CIA. This gives him the chance to work undercover to hunt for those who took his family, using a bar network he owns in cities around the world. The series is a fast-paced international spy thriller, very different from Jeff Abbott’s previous series, however, the personal ordeal Sam is going through is an equal part of the series. In Traitor’s Dance, Sam is settled in a quiet Austin town with his teenage son, which the author mentioned to be a deliberate series restart after several standalone novels.
- Adrenaline, 2010
- Sam Capra’s Last Chance, (short story) 2012
- The Last Minute, 2011
- Downfall, 2013
- Inside Man, 2014
- The First Order, 2016
- Traitor’s Dance, 2022
Standalone Novels
- Panic, 2005
- Fear, 2006
- Collision, 2008 (titled Run in the UK)
- Trust Me, 2009
- No Rest for the Dead, 2011 (co-authored with David Baldacci, Sandra Brown, Jeff Lindsay, Tess Gerritsen, Peter James, J A Jance, Raymond Khoury, John Lescroart, Kathy Reichs, Jonathan Santlofer, Lisa Scottoline)
- Blame, 2017
- The Three Beths, 2018
- Never Ask Me, 2020
- An Ambush of Widows, 2021
- January and July, 2026
Short Story Anthologies
- Magnolias and Mayhem, 2000
- …And the Dying is Easy, 2001
- High Stakes, 2003
- The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 5, 2004
- The Best American Mystery Stories 2004, 2004
- Greatest Hits, 2005
- Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part, 2006
- These Guns for Hire, 2006
- Damn Near Dead, 2006
- A Hell of a Woman, 2007
- Death’s Excellent Vacation, 2010
- Robot Uprisings, 2014
- Dead Ends, 2017
Jeff Abbott Biography
Jeff Abbott is an American bestselling author with over 20 novels published to date, best known for the Sam Capra spy thriller series.
Official website: jeffabbott.com
Jeff Abbott was born in 1963 and grew up in Dallas, Texas, a background which shows clearly in his first two series. He graduated from Rice University with a degree in History and English, and then worked in advertising as a creative director before he became a full-time author.
His debut novel, Do Unto Others, published in 1994, was the first in the Jordan Poteet series and won both the Agatha Award and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel, which is unusual for a debut novel. It introduced Jordan Prateet, a former book editor who returns to his Texas hometown and becomes the local librarian. Both of his early two series, Jordan Prateet and Whit Mosley are set in Texas, the second set around a Gulf Coast Texas judge and coroner. Black Jack Point and Cut and Run both became Edgar Award nominees.
He launched the Sam Capra series in 2011 with Adrenaline, which was a Summer Reads pick on both the Today Show and Good Morning America, and an Amazon Best Book of the Month. The Last Minute won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original. Sam Capra is a CIA agent whose life completely changes after a bombing in London and his wife’s disappearance, and this changes the trajectory of Jeff Abbott’s series into a much darker thriller genre.
Three of his novels, Adrenaline, Panic, and Collision, are being developed for film.
In addition to his series, Jeff Abbott has also written several standalone psychological thrillers including Panic, Fear, Collision, Trust Me, Blame, The Three Beths, Never Ask Me, An Ambush of Widows, and January and July, set mostly in and around suburban Austin. These books often feature ordinary people who live under pressure due to buried secrets that come back to haunt them or destroy their comfortable lives.
Jeff Abbott currently lives in Austin, Texas with his two sons and his wife, where he is a full-time writer.
Jeff Abbott Awards and Honors
Awards
- Do Unto Others – Agatha Award for Best First Novel (1994)
- Do Unto Others – Macavity Award for Best First Novel (1995)
- The Last Minute – ITW Award for Best Original Paperback novel (2012)
Nominations and Shortlists:
- Do Unto Others – Dilys Award for Best Book (1995)
- A Kiss Gone Bad – Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (2002)
- Black Jack Point – Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original (2003)
- Black Jack Point – Barry Award for Best Paperback Original (2003)
- Black Jack Point – Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original (2003)
- Cut and Run – Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original (2004)
- Bet on Red – Edgar Award for Best Short Story (2004)
- Collision – Barry Award for Best Thriller (2009)
Is there a book after The First Order???
Yes, Traitor’s Dance
Read the whole Sam Capra series including The First Order. Is there more coming or a follow up to the last book? Does he take the job offer and what about Mila, August and others?