Born in Waco, Texas, Sandra Brown has become something of a mainstay in the romantic suspense genre, having written dozens of books over her 30+ year career.
While she has written close to 70 novels across her career, this article will give focus specifically on her romantic suspense novels – which while being stand alone novels in their own right, do have a specific reading order.
What Are Brown’s Novels About?
Generally speaking, there are certain themes within Brown’s writing that continually appear time and time again.
A key theme is hidden secrets and the pursuit of justice for past crimes that have long since been covered up.
This is true of her first mystery novel in the series, Best Kept Secrets, which focused on a district attorney’s assistant returning to their childhood hometown to solve the mystery of their mother’s rape 25 years prior.
The Definitive Reading Order
Of course, with any extensive back catalog of books, it can be difficult for new readers to know where to dive in.
This is why we have put together our definitive reading list for Sandra Brown’s mystery/romantic suspense novels.
After gaining renown as a lawyer, Alexandra Gaither returns to the rural Texas town of her childhood – the town where 25 years earlier her mother was violently raped and murdered by three men.
Following the crash of a plane bound for Dallas, TV journalist Avery Daniels was lucky to survive. Mauled by the accident, Avery undergoes plastic surgery.
As she recovers in the hospital, however, Avery soon discovers that Rutledge was the subject of an assassination attempt – a mystery she can only get to the bottom of by assuming the life of another woman.
Following a violent sexual assault from three local hoodlums, Jade Sperry abandons her life and moves away from the quiet southern town that raised her.
Now older and haunted by the events that ruined her life, Jade returns to her hometown seeking to expose the truth, attain justice, and put the past behind her for good.
Following the murder of a New Orleans televangelist, lingerie designer Claire Laurent finds herself in the frame after a public admonishment from the deceased gives her motive and a bad reputation.
The townsfolk are surprised when young doctor Lara Mallory opens her practice in the small town owned by Tackett Oil – especially following her involvement in a much-publicized scandal featuring the former white house hopeful Senator Clark Tackett.
A life-saving heart operation gives Cat Delaney a second chance – one she takes, moving from Hollywood to San Antonio, Texas, where she becomes the host of a successful children’s show.
However, when other transplant recipients start showing up murdered, Delaney must team up with her love interest Alex Pierce, whose experience as a police officer might just come in handy.
The life of reporter Barrie Travis gets turned upside down when she is asked to investigate the death of the first lady’s son – who as it turns out might not have been the victim of SIDs, but a planned murder by someone on the inside.
Fat Tuesday follows the troubled New Orleans cop Burke Basile, who after the death of his partner finds himself in an all-out war with a suave, silver-tongued lawyer who makes a living helping killers get away with murder.
After a largely sensationalized murder of a local tycoon rocks the town of Charleston, prosecutor Hammond Cross sees his chance to become the next big DA for the region.
However, as his investigation gets deeper, and more lies start to show up, Hammond has to choose between the truth and his own lofty ambitions.
After an unexpected change of plans puts tv reporter Tiel McCoy’s vacation off track, she finds herself in a desperate standoff between local police, and an unstable young couple who have taken hostages at a busy rest stop.
Pros
Tense
Nerve-racking
Action-packed
Cons
Slightly more boring than past novels
Themes: Negotiation, violence, crime, race against time
After renowned editor Maris Matherley-Reed travels to a remote southern island to meet a mysterious new author, she finds herself thrown into a world of grisly disappearances, violence, and lies.
Pros
Tense
Scary
Suspenseful
Dark
Cons
Slow burning
Themes: Isolation, vulnerability, darkness, the past, violence
Following jury duty, Dr. Rennie Newton finds herself the target of police suspicion and a deadly killer’s interest after her colleague turns up dead and her formerly private life falls wide open.
After late-night radio DJ Paris Gibson is targeted by a jilted lover who took her relationship advice, her world begins to come apart at the seams as the extent of his insidious revenge mission becomes more clear.
Following the death of her younger brother, Sayre Lynch returns to confront her corrupt father and her older brother, whose tyrannical control over a local industry town undoubtedly has something to do with her brother’s death.
After her car loses control in a blizzard and she hits stranger Ben Tierney, the two are forced to seek shelter from the storm.
However, after spending time with the stranger, Lilly Martin starts to wonder if this mysterious man is the one responsible for the various disappearances that have plagued the region of late.
Pros
Good character study
Tense throughout
Good use of limited narrative space
Cons
Slow burning
Less eventful
Themes: Isolation, good vs evil, deception, vulnerability
After Georgia detective Duncan Hatcher is called to the scene of a burglary, wherein the trophy wife of a local judge has shot the intruder, he soon starts to suspect that everything is not as clear cut as it seems.
Following his release from prison, disgraced football star Griff Burkett finds himself in a twisting conspiracy involving a wealthy, corrupt couple, and a former rival who seems determined to send him back to prison.
Pros
Unique character study
Unique plot
Well written
Tense
Cons
Somewhat far fetched
Slower burning
Themes: Love, loss, justice, race against time, violence
After finding herself in bed with a now-deceased star detective, newswoman Britt Shelley tries desperately to recover her memories of what happened and clear her name for good.
Pros
Tense
Mysterious
Interesting story premise
Cons
Somewhat cliched
Themes: Murder, corruption, memory, death, race against time
Following the death of a millionaire, and the widespread condemnation of his nephew, renowned lawyer Derek Mitchell is brought into the fold to smooth things over.
However, he soon finds himself in a web of secrets where nothing is quite what it seems.
After Ella Baron allows the mysterious Mr. Rainwater into her Texas boarding house, she soon finds that the hardships of the depression-era dust bowl are not the only problems that can befall someone.
When a deranged stalker tries to murder her daughter, Carole King is forced to reconnect with her estranged husband Dodge Hanley, whose skills as a private investigator might just help keep them all safe.
When she and her young daughter are taken hostage by a suspected killer, Honor Gillette starts to wonder whether the man is indeed guilty, and whether or not the conspiracy surrounding her family is indeed true.
Pros
Tense
Good character study
Solid mystery
Good dialogue
Cons
Some weaker elements
Themes: Conspiracy, corruption, race against time, deception, family
After successful crime author, Bellamy Lyston is targeted by a determined stalker, the truth regarding her most famous novel comes to light – exposing her own childhood memories of her sister’s murder, and a dangerous tornado that left her terrified of storms throughout her life.
PTSD-ridden battlefield correspondent Dawson Scott finds himself at the center of a twisting conspiracy when he is contracted by the FBI to investigate the murder of the son of known terrorists.
Pros
Tense
Gritty
Suspenseful
Plenty of drama
Rich character development
Cons
Slow at times
Themes: Murder, war, corruption, terror, politics, trauma
After a marital argument causes Emory Charbonneau to run out into the woods to get some air, she soon becomes lost and presumed dead – all while her unwitting husband finds himself the subject of a police investigation.
Following the death of his wife, Crawford Hunt goes off the rails – an act that sees him hurting his career and losing his daughter.
However, when a masked gunman attacks judge Holly Spencer during his custody hearing, his heroic actions mark the start of a chain of events that will change things forever.
After journalist Kerra Bailey attempts to track down Major Franklin Trapper – a local hero who saved civilians from a bomb attempt some years prior – she finds herself uncovering corrupt officials, secrets, and lies – all of which point to a different version of events that weren’t reported on by the media.
Pros
Tension throughout
Mysterious
Unique storyline
Interesting characters
Cons
Slow burning
Themes: Corruption, deception, justice, violence, terror
When freight pilot Rye Mallett’s plane is sabotaged and he crashes onto the runway, he becomes obsessed with the mysterious black box he was tasked with delivering, and the shadowy figures at the heart of the whole conspiracy.
FBI agent Drex Easton finds his world turned upside down as he goes above and beyond to investigate what really happened surrounding a famed career conman and the series of missing wealthy widows he managed to swindle along the way.
After an elaborate heist involving her father didn’t go to plan, Arden Maxwell found herself growing up without a father, as the man she had always called ‘dad’ disappeared without a trace.
However, as she tries looking for answers, she finds herself the target of her father’s former co-conspirators who are still waiting for their piece of the action.
Set in the 1920s, Blind Tiger sees cowboy-turned-soldier Thatcher Hutton return home from the war with hopes of returning to his old life.
However, when a local woman goes missing, and Thatcher is presumed the culprit, he finds himself thrown into a world of murder, lies, moonshine, and mystery.
After quarterback Zach Bridger learns that his estranged wife has been placed on life support and that he has power of attorney, he can’t handle the weight of the decision.
However, when her attacker is released from prison pending a retrial, Zach wrestles with letting justice take its course, or taking matters into his own hands.
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