Jessica Balzano is the lead detective in Richard Montanari’s ten-book crime series set in Philadelphia. When she first appears in The Rosary Girls, she is a relatively new addition to the homicide unit, still finding her footing among seasoned investigators. What sets her apart early on is her refusal to be intimidated by the brutal nature of the cases she catches or by the politics of the department.
As a single mother, Jessica carries the weight of her home life into every investigation. The books don’t brush past this. She worries about her kids while working crime scenes, struggles with childcare logistics during long shifts, and feels the pull between her duty to the victims on her caseload and her responsibility to her own family. That tension gives her character a grounded quality that runs through the entire series.
Her partnership with Kevin Byrne is the backbone of the books. Kevin has been working homicide for years, and he has an unsettling ability to get inside the heads of the people he hunts. Jessica is more methodical, more by-the-book, and their different approaches create friction that also makes them effective together. Over ten novels, from The Rosary Girls to The Stolen Ones, the two detectives face increasingly disturbing cases while their professional trust deepens into genuine loyalty.
Reading Order
See the complete Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne reading order for all books in the series.