Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Rosary Girls | 2005 | Buy |
| The Skin Gods | 2006 | Buy |
| Broken Angels / Merciless | 2007 | Buy |
| Play Dead / Badlands | 2008 | Buy |
| The Echo Man | 2011 | Buy |
| The Killing Room | 2012 | Buy |
| The Stolen Ones | 2013 | Buy |
| The Doll Maker | 2014 | Buy |
| A Christmas Killing | 2014 | Buy |
| Shutter Man | 2015 | Buy |
The Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne series was written by Richard Montanari, a crime novelist from Cleveland, Ohio. Montanari started his career as a journalist, writing essays and reviews for publications like The Chicago Tribune and the Detroit Free Press, before turning to fiction. His debut novel Deviant Ways (1995) won the Online Mystery Award for Best First Mystery.
The series follows two Philadelphia homicide detectives across ten books. Jessica Balzano is a newer detective and single mother; Kevin Byrne is her experienced partner with a background in criminal psychology. Both are good at their jobs but carry personal baggage that bleeds into their cases. The books focus on serial killer investigations and are known for their dark, intense tone. The series ran from The Rosary Girls (2005) to Shutter Man (2015).