P.J. Parrish Books In Order – Louis Kincaid Series
At a Glance
P.J. Parrish is a pseudonym that two sisters Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols use as an alias for their books. The author duo is most popular for their Louis Kincaid crime mystery series, featuring the biracial Michican-based police detective, who eventually becomes a private detective.
Here are the P.J. Parrish books in order for their popular series of crime fiction mystery thriller novels, and their standalone books.
New P.J. Parrish Books

Louis Kincaid Series In Order of Publication
- Dark Of The Moon (#1), 1999
- Dead of Winter (#2), 2001
- Paint It Black (#3), 2002
- Thicker Than Water (#4), 2003
- Island of Bones (#5), 2004
- A Killing Rain (#6), 2005
- Unquiet Grave (#7), 2006
- A Thousand Bones (#8), 2007
- South of Hell (#9), 2008
- The Little Death (#10), 2010
- Claw Back (#10.5), 2012
- Heart of Ice (#11), 2013
- The Damage Done (#12), 2018
Harold Middleton Series in Order of Publication
The books in the series P.J. Parrish also contributed to
- The Chopin Manuscript, 2008
- The Copper Bracelet, 2010
Anthologies in Order of Publication
- Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part: New Stories about Love, Lust, and Murder, 2006
- Detroit Noir, 2007 (part of the Akashik Noir books)
- Edgar & Shamus Go Golden, 2022
Standalone Novels in Order of Publication
- The Killing Song, 2011
- She’s Not There, 2015
Louis Kincaid Books Overview
Dark of the Moon (2000): This is the first book in the series by P J Parrish, in which Kincaid investigates a murder in the small town of Black River Falls, Florida. As he delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of secrets and lies that could put him in danger.
Dead of Winter (2001): In this book, Kincaid travels to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to investigate the disappearance of a wealthy heiress. As he searches for answers, he must also confront his own troubled past.
Paint It Black (2002): Kincaid returns to his hometown of Detroit to solve a series of murders that seem to be linked to his own past. As he delves deeper into the case, he finds himself in danger and must confront his own demons.
Thicker Than Water (2003): In this book, Kincaid investigates the murder of a wealthy businessman in Palm Beach, Florida. As he uncovers secrets about the victim’s family, he realizes that the case is more complicated than he initially thought.
Island of Bones (2004): Kincaid travels to the Florida Keys to investigate the disappearance of a young woman. As he searches for answers, he uncovers a conspiracy involving a wealthy family with a dark past.
A Killing Rain (2006): Kincaid is hired to investigate the murder of a young woman in New Orleans. As he delves deeper into the case, he discovers a link between the victim and a series of unsolved murders.
An Unquiet Grave (2007): In this book, police detective Kincaid returns to Michigan to investigate the murder of a young woman. As he uncovers secrets about the victim’s family, he realizes that the case is more complicated than he initially thought.
A Thousand Bones (2009): Kincaid investigates the disappearance of a teenage girl in the Florida panhandle. As he searches for answers, he uncovers a web of secrets and lies that could put him in danger.
South of Hell (2014): Kincaid returns to Florida to investigate the murder of a young woman. As he delves deeper into the case, he discovers a link to a group of wealthy businessmen with a dark secret.
The Little Death (2015): In this book, Kincaid is investigating the murder of a wealthy woman in Florida. As he digs deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of secrets and lies involving the victim’s family and business associates.
Heart of Ice (2017): Kincaid travels to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to investigate the murder of a local woman. As he uncovers clues, he realizes that the case is connected to a series of unsolved murders from years earlier.
The Damage Bone (2018): In the, so far, last P J Parrish book for her popular detective, Kincaid returns to his hometown of Detroit to investigate the murder of a young woman. As he delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a web of corruption and cover-ups involving local law enforcement.
P.J. Parrish Biography – About The Authors
The New York Times bestselling author and Edgar-nominee P.J. Parrish is the pseudonym used by the writing team of sisters Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. They have written a series of mystery novels featuring Louis Kincaid, a biracial detective who solves mysteries and crimes.
Kelly Nichols loved writing from a very young age. At the age of 10 she wrote a few pages crime thriller with her only critic being her father. When she was in junior high, she was writing crime stories in her spiral journals.
She graduated from the Northern Michigan University, after which she moved to Arizona, followed by Last Vegas where she worked in the gaming industry as a blackjack dealer and later a human resource manager at a casino. She spent 20 years doing everything but writing, however the itch to put words on paper remained. She started writing the first Louis Kincaid on her own, however soon she teamed up with her sister and finished the book together.
She lives in Houghton Lake, Michigan where she is collaborating with her sister on new books.
Kristy Montee had also a knack for writing from her early childhood. Her first short story under the title The Cat Who Understood, was written whens he was in the 8th grade.
She attended the Eastern Michigan University where she got a teaching degree, following which she worked as a journalist in Michigan and then in Fort Lauderdale, working as a assistant managing editor at the Sun Sentinel, where she ended up writing all sorts of things and jumping from a police reporter to a ballet critic, and everything else in between.
After a few career hickups, she decided to follow her dream of becoming an author, so she left the newspaper industry and started writing books.
Her first 4 novels were in the romance genre, which she soon found boring. She really found true self in the mystery genre, when she start working together with her sister on their first series.
The Harold Middleton series is co-authored by 15 of the world’s greatest thriller writers, including P.J. Parrish as well.
P.J. Parrish Awards Winners and Nominees
Over the years, the author duo received the following awards for their novels:
- Anthony Awards Best Paperback original nominee in 2006 for A Killing Rain
- Shamus Awards Best Paperback original winner in 2007 for Unquiet Grave
- Anthony Awards Best Paperback original winner in 2008 for A Thousand Bones
- Anthony Awards Best Paperback original nominee in 2009 for South of Hell
- Shamus Awards Best Paperback original winner in 2014 for Heart of Ice