Linda Castillo Reading Order

21 books (2003–2004)

The Family Secrets series is a 21-book mystery and thriller anthology compiled between 2003 and 2004. This complete series features contributions from multiple authors including Linda Castillo, Maggie Shayne, Anne Marie Winston, and others, with each book offering standalone stories connected by the overarching Family Secrets theme. Readers should follow the publication order beginning with A Verdict of Love to experience the full collection as intended.

Start with A Verdict of Love(By: Jenna Mills), the first of 21 books in the Family Secrets series.

#	Title
1	A Verdict of Love(By: Jenna Mills) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Broken Silence(By: Maggie Shayne,Eileen Wilks,Anne Marie Winston) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Enemy Mind(By: Maggie Shayne) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Her Beautiful Assassin(By: Virginia Kantra) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Pyramid of Lies(By: Anne Marie Winston) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Billionaire Drifter(By: Beverly Bird) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Bluewater Affair(By: Cindy Gerard) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Cinderella Mission(By: Catherine Mann) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Impossible Alliance(By: Candace Irvin) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Phoenix Encounter / Secret Encounter 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Player(By: Evelyn Vaughn) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Uncharted Waters 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Blind Attraction / The Parker Project(By: Joan Elliott Pickart) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Blind Attraction(By: Myrna Mackenzie) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Check Mate(By: Beverly Barton) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Close Quarters(By: Judith Lyons) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Fever(By: Linda Winstead Jones) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Racing Hearts(By: Lilian Darcy) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Ripple Effect(By: Vickie Taylor) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Insider(By: Ingrid Weaver) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Parker Project(By: Joan Elliott Pickart) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2001–2002)

Linda Castillo's completed High Country Heroes trilogy spans 2001 to 2002 and should be read in publication order beginning with A Hero To Hold, followed by A Cry in the Night and Just A Little Bit Dangerous. This three-book series blends mystery and literary fiction elements within the mountain setting that gives the series its name.

Start with A Hero To Hold and read in order.

#	Title
1	A Hero To Hold 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Cry in the Night 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Just A Little Bit Dangerous 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

18 books (2009–2027)

The Kate Burkholder series is an ongoing mystery and thriller collection spanning 17 books published between 2009 and 2025, with two additional titles forthcoming. These novels follow a police chief in an Amish community as she navigates complex crimes and personal secrets. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Sworn to Silence and progressing through the most recent installments including An Evil Heart and beyond.

Start with Sworn to Silence, the first of 17 books in the Kate Burkholder series.

#	Title
1	Sworn to Silence 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Pray for Silence 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Breaking Silence 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Gone Missing 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Her Last Breath 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Dead Will Tell 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	After the Storm 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Among the Wicked 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Down a Dark Road 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	A Gathering of Secrets 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Shamed 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Outsider 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Fallen 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Hidden One 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	An Evil Heart 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Burning 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Rage 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Betrayed 2027Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

12 books (2013–2026)

Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series comprises 12 books published between 2013 and 2026, with the series ongoing. These mystery and thriller novellas should be read in publication order, beginning with Long Lost. The series features the same protagonist across interconnected short-form stories that expand the world of Castillo's Kate Burkholder universe.

Start with Long Lost, the first of 12 books in the Kate Burkholder Short Stories/Novellas series.

1 book (2021–2021)

#	Title
1	A Simple Murder 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2007–2007)

The Lights Out series is a complete mystery and thriller collection comprising five books published in 2007. These interconnected stories should be read in publication order, beginning with A Baby Before Dawn and concluding with Safe Before Dawn. The series features contributions from multiple authors including Linda Castillo, Rita Herron, Jessica Andersen, and Rebecca York, creating a multi-perspective narrative across the standalone yet connected entries.

Start with A Baby Before Dawn, the first of 5 books in the Lights Out series.

#	Title
1	A Baby Before Dawn 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Anything for His Son(By: Rita Herron) 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Meet Me at Midnight(By: Jessica Andersen) 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Royal Lockdown(By: Rebecca York) 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Safe Before Dawn 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2005–2007)

Linda Castillo's Operation: Midnight series comprises five complete novels published between 2005 and 2007, blending mystery and thriller elements with literary fiction. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Operation: Midnight Escape and continuing through Operation: Midnight Tango, Operation: Midnight Guardian, Operation: Midnight Rendezvous, and concluding with Operation: Midnight Cowboy. Each book builds on the previous installments, making sequential reading essential for maximum enjoyment of the story arc.

Start with Operation: Midnight Escape, the first of 5 books in the Operation: Midnight series.

#	Title
1	Operation: Midnight Escape 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Operation: Midnight Tango 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Operation: Midnight Guardian 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Operation: Midnight Rendezvous 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Operation: Midnight Cowboy 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

13 books (2000–2007)

Linda Castillo published 13 standalone mystery and thriller novels between 2000 and 2007, with the series now complete. Each book can be read independently, though readers interested in following Castillo's work chronologically should begin with Remember the Night and proceed through publication order, which includes titles such as Cops And Lovers?, Lay Down the Law, The Perfect Victim, Midnight Run, The Shadow Side, Uncharted Waters, Fade To Red, Dead Reckoning, Depth Perception, A Whisper in the Dark, In the Dead of Night, and Overkill. These works showcase Castillo's blend of mystery, thriller, and literary fiction elements across her early career.

Start with Remember the Night, the first of 13 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Remember the Night 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Cops And ... Lovers? 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Lay Down the Law 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Perfect Victim 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Midnight Run 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Shadow Side 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Uncharted Waters 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Fade To Red 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Dead Reckoning 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Depth Perception 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	A Whisper in the Dark 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	In the Dead of Night 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Overkill 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible