Katia Lief Books in Order
Katia Lief is an American crime and psychological thriller author whose books move between serial-killer suspense, missing-person cases, domestic suspense, and her newer psychological thrillers about women whose lives have already gone badly off course. She has also published under several names. Her early literary fiction appeared as Katia Spiegelman, several suspense novels were published as Kate Pepper, the Searchers books were written as Karen Ellis, and her Karin Schaeffer and Invisible Woman series use the Katia Lief name, which is also the name on her recent work.
Her books often start with the main character’s ordinary life already falling apart. Former detective Karin Schaeffer is trying to survive after a serial killer destroys her family, FBI agent Elsa Myers is called into missing-child cases while she is also dealing with her own past, and Joni Ackerman, in the new Invisible Woman series, is older, angry, and is dealing with past relationships gone wrong.
This page lists all Katia Lief books in order, including the Karin Schaeffer series, the Invisible Woman series, the Searchers series written as Karen Ellis, standalone novels, novellas, short stories, anthologies, and books published under earlier pen names.
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Where to Start with Katia Lief
→ New to Katia Lief’s crime/suspense books? Start with You Are Next (Karin Schaeffer #1) if you want the former-detective series and the Domino Killer case that begins Karin’s story.
→ Want the darker FBI/missing-person version written as Karen Ellis? Start with A Map of the Dark (Searchers #1), which introduces FBI agent Elsa Myers and NYPD detective Lex Cole.
→ Prefer the newer literary psychological thrillers? Start with Invisible Woman before Women Like Us, because Joni Ackerman’s story continues from the first book.
→ The Karin Schaeffer, Searchers, and Invisible Woman books are independent from each other. You do not need to read one series before starting another.
Karin Schaeffer Series (Books in Order)
The Karin Schaeffer series follows former New Jersey homicide detective Karin Schaeffer after serial killer Martin Price, known as the Domino Killer, murders her husband and daughter and leaves Karin trying to protect the family she still has left. The series starts with that personal disaster, so Karin’s grief, her relationship with former partner Mac MacLeary, and the pressure of missing-person and serial-crime investigations are all inside the same story.
The Domino Killer is a short prequel that shows the family murders that start Karin’s arc. Read it as the #0.5 entry before You Are Next if you want to see the internal timeline first. The novels themselves are best read in order because Karin and Mac’s personal story changes from book to book.
- The Domino Killer, 2013
- You Are Next, 2010
- Next Time You See Me, 2010 (also titled Hide and Seek)
- Vanishing Girls, 2012 (also titled The 12th Victim)
- The Gift, 2012
- The Money Kill, 2013 (also titled Dead Rich)
Invisible Woman Series (Books in Order)
The Invisible Woman series follows former filmmaker Joni Ackerman, a woman who was once in the Hollywood film world and then slowly disappeared after getting married, becoming a mother, and after her husband became a public figure. In Invisible Woman, the #MeToo era forces Joni to face an old secret involving her friend Val, her own marriage, and the choices she made years before.
Women Like Us continues Joni’s story five years later, after her life has changed again. Now she is running Sunny Day Productions with her daughter and Val. This series should be read in order because the second book follows directly after the first.
- Invisible Woman, 2024
- Women Like Us, 2025
Searchers Series (Books in Order)
The Searchers series follows FBI agent Elsa Myers and NYPD detective Lex Cole through missing-person cases in New York. The first book, A Map of the Dark, begins with Elsa getting involved in the search for a missing teenage girl from Queens while her father is dying, so the investigation keeps uncovering buried family secrets as it proceeds.
Last Night focuses more on Lex Cole as he searches for a missing Brooklyn teenager, while Elsa returns as a friend and adviser. The books are best read in order, as A Map of the Dark introduces Elsa, Lex, and the series background, though each book has its own main case.
Writing as Karen Ellis
- A Map of the Dark, 2018
- Last Night, 2019
Standalone Novels
- Soul Catcher, 1990 (writing as Katia Spiegelman)
- Peculiar Politics, 1993 (writing as Katia Spiegelman)
- Five Days in Summer, 2004 (also titled Five Days to Die) (writing as Kate Pepper)
- Seven Minutes to Noon, 2005 (writing as Kate Pepper)
- One Cold Night, 2006 (writing as Kate Pepper)
- Here She Lies, 2007
- Love, Sex & the Wrong Bride, 2011
- The Rise and Fall of Rocky Love, 2011
- Soul Catcher, 2011
- Waterbury, 2011
- Names of the Dead, 2013
- House of a Thousand Eyes, 2021
Novellas and Short Stories
- Heartbeat, 2012
- The Beautiful Years, 2016
- The Orchid Grower, 2017
Short Story Anthologies
- Suspense Magazine, September 2010, 2010
- Ice Cold, 2014 (edited by Raymond Benson and Jeffery Deaver)
Katia Lief Biography
Katia Lief is an American author and fiction-writing teacher whose work includes crime novels, psychological thrillers, literary novels, a novella, and short stories.
Official website: katialief.com.
Katia Lief was born in France to American parents and grew up along the East Coast. She enrolled at Simon’s Rock Early College at fifteen, later graduated from Sarah Lawrence College, spent time in Paris, and then returned to New York. She got a job in publishing, and then several other jobs as an assistant and a freelancer. Next, she earned her master’s degree in literature and creative writing. At some point, she also worked as a secretary at Simon & Schuster publishing house. She has also taught fiction writing as a part-time faculty member at The New School in Manhattan since 1992.
Her publication history includes several pseudonyms. She first published literary novels under the name Katia Spiegelman, then used the pseudonym Kate Pepper for several suspense novels, including Five Days in Summer, One Cold Night, and Here She Lies. As Katia Lief, she became known to many crime readers through the Karin Schaeffer series, starting with You Are Next. Later, she used the name Karen Ellis for the Searchers series, beginning with A Map of the Dark.
Her more recent books under the Katia Lief name, which is her married name, include Invisible Woman and its follow-up Women Like Us, both published by Grove Atlantic. These books move closer to literary psychological thriller genre, with women’s friendships, marriage, ambition, anger, and old secrets carrying as much weight as the crimes themselves.
Katia Lief lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Katia Lief Awards and Honors
Nominations and Shortlists
- The Money Kill – Mary Higgins Clark Award (2014)
- The Orchid Grower – Derringer Award for Best Long Story (2016)
