All Joanna Brady Books in Order – J.A. Jance Reading Guide

There are currently 22 books in the Joanna Brady Mysteries series written by J.A. Jance. These books are exciting and suspenseful, and we’ve put all of them in order so that you can read them with ease.

The Author Behind Joanna Brady Books

J.A. Jance knew she wanted to be a writer ever since she read the first Wizard of Oz book in second grade. Jance attended the University of Arizona, and despite her interest in the Creative Writing program, the professor didn’t think a woman belonged in the class. So Jance ended up being an English teacher, but that didn’t diminish her dream of one day becoming a writer.

In 1982, after divorcing her first husband who also didn’t believe she could be a writer, Jance started writing. Lo and behold, her first novel, Until Proven Guilty, came out in 1985. This was the first novel in her popular series about J.P. Beaumont. Jance started writing Joanna Brady novels in 1993, and as of right now, she has written 22 stories in that series alone. 

Jance now lives with her second husband and doesn’t plan to stop writing anytime soon. Her Joanna Brady novels feature mystery, suspense, and excitement, and are perfect for people who like a bit of a thrill. 

All Joanna Brady Books In Order

Desert Heat (1993)

When lawman Andy Brady dies of a gunshot wound, other police officers are quick to assume that he was a dirty man who died of suicide. But Andy’s wife, Joanna Brady, knows that this death was not self-inflicted. 

Desert Heat follows Joanna Brady on her hunt to find the killer and clear her husband’s name.

Tombstone Courage (1994)

Now that Joanna is the Sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, she has to deal with the hostilities of the male-dominated police force toward her as a woman. But Joanna won’t back down, and she has a new mystery on her hands.

Tombstone Courage brings us along as Joanna solves two homicides that are connected in many ways, including generations of family secrets and greed.

Shoot Don’t Shoot (1995)

Shoot Don’t Shoot follows Joanna through another mystery, and this time she is in Phoenix for police training. A prisoner has been accused of killing his estranged wife and nobody believes in his innocence—except Joanna.

A horrible person is lurking, and it’s up to Joanna alone to find the serial killer and hold them responsible. But the job proves dangerous, and soon Joanna fears for her and her daughter.

Dead To Rights (1996)

A year after drunkenly killing a woman on her nineteenth wedding anniversary, the murdering motorist is killed. Everyone thinks it must’ve been the woman’s husband out for revenge, but Joanna Brady isn’t so convinced.

Dead To Rights is the story of the case as Joanna follows clues and finds herself in the middle of danger.

Skeleton Canyon (1997)

When teenager Bree O’Brien goes to Skeleton Canyon with her boyfriend, she ends up dead. Joanna Brady knows how it feels to lose someone to violence, and she empathizes with the boyfriend. But when the O’Brien family believes that the boyfriend is responsible for Bree’s death, Joanna doesn’t know what to think.

Skeleton Canyon brings us along on another mystery, following Joanna as she uncovers secrets about the O’Brien family and what went on that fateful night.

Rattlesnake Crossing (1998)

Rattlesnake Crossing follows the case of a dead gun dealer. People suspect Alton Hosfield, a rancher who hates the federal government and the laws interfering with his independent lifestyle. 

But the truth seems to be deeper than that, and it’s up to Joanna Brady to find out what really happened, even if it’s affecting her personal life.

Outlaw Mountain (1999)

When an elderly widow is found dead, it seems obvious that the culprits would be the teens who drove the widow’s car across the Mexican border. But Joanna Brady doesn’t believe in obvious solutions, and she knows that not everything is so simple.

Outlaw Mountain is a story of family drama, gossip, and mystery as Sheriff Brady works to stop the madness.

Devil’s Claw (2000)

Devil’s Claw follows Joanna Brady through her chaotic life as she prepares to get married and juggles work and a preteen daughter. When Joanna’s neighbor, Clayton, dies, Joanna is shocked and upset. To make matters more complicated, Clayton’s daughter is accusing the Sherrif’s department of covering up the possibility of murder. 

But then another case catches Joanna’s attention. A mother with a missing fifteen-year-old daughter has recently been shot. Joanna gets caught up in the two cases, going down a twisted path of hostile and hateful families.

Paradise Lost (2001)

When Joanna Brady’s daughter, Jenny, goes on a girl scout campout, the last thing she expects is to stumble upon a dead body while in the woods with her friend Dora. After hearing about the incident, Joanna is concerned for Jenny and the trauma she may have after finding the body.

But things get much more sinister when Dora is murdered. Joanna is forced to wonder if the killer is murdering potential witnesses…and if Jenny might be next.

Paradise Lost is the ninth book in the Joanna Brady Mysteries, and it’s filled with suspense.

Partner In Crime (2002)

When an artist from the West Coast is found dead in Arizona, the Washington State Attorney General’s office doesn’t think that a woman should be solving the case. So they send Detective Beaumont to help Sheriff Joanna Brady, and she isn’t exactly thrilled by his arrival.

Partner In Crime follows the two detectives who reluctantly work together to solve a mystery. And when things turn deadly, their only option is to trust one another if they want to make it out alive.

Exit Wounds (2003)

When a woman who lives alone with her pack of dogs is shot, she’s not the only one who dies. Her dogs are trapped inside the home, and they end up dead from the heat.

Exit Wounds has many twists and turns as Joanna Brady solves the case, figuring out who killed that woman and why.

Dead Wrong (2006)

Dead Wrong follows Joanna Brady, who is expecting her second child any day, as she solves two mysteries. 

An ex-con who confessed to murdering his pregnant wife is found dead in the desert. Then, an officer in Joanna’s town is murdered while on an unauthorized stakeout. Sheriff Brady has her hands full, but she’s determined to solve these mysteries and seek justice.

Damage Control (2008)

Damage Control brings forth a new mystery when an elderly couple drives their car off a cliff. After their bodies are retrieved, two trash bags containing human remains are found just miles away.

Joanna may have a newborn baby, a teenage daughter, a husband, and a mother to deal with…but what’s one more case to add to the list?

Fire and Ice (2009)

Fire and Ice brings back the detective duo Beaumont and Brady in an unforgettable mystery. A breakthrough in Beaumont’s case on a series of murders causes him to look to Brady for help. And as the two detectives realize how their cases intertwine, it’s only a matter of time before the mysteries are solved. 

Judgment Call (2012)

When Joanna Brady’s daughter, Jenny, stumbles upon yet another body, Joanna realizes that it may be hard to protect Jenny from the outside world. 

Judgment Call follows Joanna Brady as she digs into the hidden past of Jenny’s high school principal and uncovers the reason for her death.

The Old Blue Line (2014)

Seven years ago, Butch Dixon lost everything he had to his ex-wife, and now he’s started over running a bar and grill in Arizona. But when two cops show up after all these years claiming that Butch has killed his ex-wife, he knows she is going to ruin him again…this time from her grave.

The Old Blue Line follows Butch’s story, and when Joanna Brady shows up at his bar, things change for good.

Remains Of Innocence (2014)

In Remains Of Innocence, Liza Machett finds an incredibly large sum of money in her dying mother’s home while cleaning it out. Liza embarks on a journey to figure out where the money came from, and it leads her directly to Cochise County, where Sheriff Joanna Brady is solving her own mystery.

A family friend of Joanna’s has been found dead, and she’s determined to find out what happened. And when Liza shows up with her money mystery, Joanna is left to find out if the two cases are connected.

No Honor Among Thieves (2015)

No Honor Among Thieves is a crossover between the Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds novels. When a semi-truck driver gets shot multiple times, his truck crashes, spilling out tons of boxes of Legos. 

Joanna Brady gets on top of the case immediately, and since Ali Reynolds has been tracking the legos, the two quickly begin working together to find out who was behind the attack—and why.

Random Acts (2016)

Joanna Brady is up for reelection as Sheriff, this time with a third child on the way, and her oldest is about to leave for college. When Joanna is woken up to a phone call in the middle of the night and learns that her mother and stepfather’s RV has crashed, she is suspicious.

Random Acts follows Joanna through her personal life as she also tries to figure out what happened with the RV. Luckily she gets a call from Ali Reynolds with some helpful information, and soon the two detectives are uncovering unexpected clues.

Downfall (2016)

In Downfall, Sheriff Joanna Brady is still burdened with many changes in her personal life as yet another mystery lands in her lap. This time, two women have fallen off a peak called Geronimo and died. 

Joanna has to find out if this was a murder/suicide type of situation or a double homicide. And if it was a homicide, she needs to solve it quickly if the murderer is looking for another victim.

Field of Bones (2018)

Sheriff Joanna Brady has recently given birth and is looking forward to a long maternity leave with her new child. But things seem to always come to Joanna when she least expects it, and a serial homicide case has just surfaced in Cochise County.

Joanna Brady can’t just sit back and ignore it, and soon she is back in the field doing the investigative work herself. 

Field of Bones is set against the desert backdrop that has become well known in the Joanna Brady novels, following the detective as she miraculously solves yet another bone-chilling mystery.

Missing and Endangered (2020)

When Jenny Brady starts her sophomore year at the University of Arizona, she almost immediately becomes a big sister to her roommate, Beth. Beth is a homeschooled 16-year-old freshman who is finally getting some freedom, and Jenny worries about Beth’s recklessness. 

When Beth vanishes, Jenny quickly alerts all of the authorities, including her mom, Joanna Brady. Luckily Beth is found, but Jenny’s worries don’t go away. Jenny brings Beth to the Brady house for Christmas break, where Joanna is working on a sensitive case involving an officer shooting and two young children.

Missing and Endangered follows the stories of Beth, Jenny, and Joanna as they all try to navigate their lives together.

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