Steven James Books in Order – Complete List

Steven James is a bestselling author known for his psychological thrillers, crime novels, and his series, including the Patrick Bowers Files books, Jevin Banks thriller series, the Travis Brock series, and the Blur Trilogy books, along with his latest Rift young adult horror trilogy.

Here are the Steven James books in order for his fiction and non-fiction works. The novels are listed in publication order with a note if the reading order is different.

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Patrick Bowers Files Books in Publication Order

1. The Pawn, 2007
2. The Rook, 2008
3. The Knight, 2009
4. The Bishop, 2010
5. The Queen, 2011
6. Opening Moves, 2012 (prequel story)
7. The King, 2013
8. Checkmate, 2014

The Bowers Files: The New York Years (Prequel Series)

1. Every Crooked Path, 2015
2. Every Deadly Kiss, 2017
3. Every Wicked Man, 2018

Travis Brock Series in Publication Order

1. Broker of Lies, 2023
2. Fatal Domain, 2024

The Jevin Banks Experience Books in Publication Order

1. Placebo, 2012
2. Singularity, 2013

Blur Trilogy in Publication Order

1. Blur, 2014
2. Fury, 2015
3. Curse, 2016

Rift Trilogy in Publication Order

1. Rift, 2024

 Standalone Novels in Publication Order

• Quest for Celestia, 2006
• Synapse, 2019

Short Story Collections and Anthologies in Publication Order

• Never the Same, 2005
• Suspense Magazine January 2010, 2010
• Suspense Magazine September 2012, 2012
• Cold-Blooded: Killer Nashville Noir, 2006
• ASPCA Kids: Pet Rescue Club: Bailey the Wonder Dog, 2018 (Book #8 in the Pet Rescue Club Series)

Plays in Publication Order

Non Fiction Books About Writing

Religious Non-Fiction Books

Steven James Biography – About the Author

Born in Wisconsin in 1969, Steven James moved to Tennessee, where he earned a Master of Arts in Storytelling from the East Tennessee State University in 1997. He lives with his wife and three daughters in the Smoky Mountains’ foothills.

Even though he started his writing career later than most other authors, over the last 10 years he wrote close to 20 books, anthologies and short stories.

In 2000, he published his first book, and between 2001 and 2009, he wrote books in the Christian The Steven James Storytelling Library series which also includes Crazy & Creative Bible Stories for Preteens, and 30 Old Testament Interactive Stories for Young Children.

In 2007 he became popular with his first crime novel, The Pawn, which became the first in the Bower Files series. Since then, Steven has mostly written criminal mysteries or psychological thriller novels.

The author is one of the seven Master CraftFest instructors at ThrillerFest, which is an event organized in North America for training aspiring suspense writers into professional writers of novel writing. Many writers in the genre mentioned the author for inspiring them and turning them into great book writers.

Suspense Magazine said that he has set a new standard in suspense writing, while Publishers Weekly called him a master storyteller at the top of his game.

Steven James received the Christy Award three times, among several other awards and recognitions.

The Bower Files are his most popular books. They include 11 psychological thriller novels that follow FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers.

Broker of Lies, his latest fiction novel, the first in the Travis Brock books, was released in April 2023, while Fast Domain, the second book in the series, was released in 2024. In the same year, Steven James started a new young adult horror trilogy, Rift.

Over the last 20 years, Steven James taught writing and storytelling in many countries. His book on teaching fiction writing, Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules, won a 2015 Storytelling World Award and was recognized as one of the year’s best resources for storytellers.

Troubleshooting Your Novel, also won a Storytelling World Award. Both books were published by Writer’s Digest Books. Here are all the awards and nominations he received for his works.

Steven James is also a dedicated writing instructor. Over the years, he’s held several writing workshops and seminars to help writers hone their craft. In 2025, he is set to hold additional workshops as well, including:

Storytelling Keys Leadership Summit (April 8-10, 2025), which is held in Johnson City, Tennessee. This particular event focuses on the power of storytelling and what are its applications across various fields for business leader.

Novel Writing Intensive (November 2025), an in-depth retreat in Nashville, Tennessee with Steven James and Robert Dugoni, which is focusing on writers at all levels, “offers comprehensive instruction, manuscript critiques, and personalized consultations.”

In addition, the author holds a regular podcast titled The Story Blender Podcast, which talks about intricacies of storytelling and features interviews with various authors, screenwriters, and other storytellers.

Steven James Awards and Nominations

• Every Wicked Man – Christy Award for Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, 2019
• Every Wicked Man – International Book Award for best Mystery/Suspense, 2018
• Troubleshooting Your Novel – Storytelling World Award, 2018
• Story Trumps Structure – Storytelling World Award, 2015
• The Queen – ECPA Book of the Year – Fiction, 2012
• The Queen – Retailers Choice Awards Finalist, 2012
• The Queen – Christy Award – Suspense, 2012
• The Queen – International Thriller Award Finalist for Best Original Paperback, 2012
• The Queen – Library Journal’s One of the Best Christian Fiction Books, 2011
• The Bishop – Christy Award – Suspense, 2011
• The Bishop – INSPY Award – Mystery/Thriller, 2011
• The Knight – INSPY Award – Thriller/Suspense, 2011
• The Bishop – Suspense Magazine Book of the Year, 2010
• The Bishop – RT Book Reviews Best Inspirational Suspense, 2010
• The Bishop – The Christian Manifesto’s Lime Award, 2010
• The Knight – The Suspense Zone Book of the Month, November 2009
• The Knight – Suspense Magazine Top 10 Books of 2009
• The Knight – The Christian Manifesto’s Lime Award – Best Fiction, 2009
• The Rook – Christy Award – Suspense, 2009
• The Rook – The Suspense Zone Book of the Month, November 2009
• The Pawn – Best Crime Thriller Christy Award, Finalist, 2008
• The Pawn – A Peek At My Bookshelf, 2007