Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock Paper Tiger | 2010 | Lisa Brackmann | Buy |
| 2 | Hour of the Rat | 2013 | Lisa Brackmann | Buy |
| 3 | Dragon Day | 2015 | Lisa Brackmann | Buy |
The Ellie McEnroe series by Lisa Brackmann is set in modern-day China and follows Ellie, an Iraq War veteran trying to build a new life in Beijing. In Rock Paper Tiger (2010), Ellie is drawn into a conspiracy involving a missing friend, the Chinese art underground, and a shadowy network of spies. Her PTSD and her tendency to make reckless decisions keep the tension high, and the portrait of contemporary Beijing gives the book a texture that most thrillers set in China lack.
Hour of the Rat (2013) sends Ellie to the Chinese countryside to search for a missing environmental activist, while Dragon Day (2015) brings her back to Beijing as she becomes entangled with a billionaire’s family and Chinese politics at the highest levels. Rock Paper Tiger was named one of Amazon’s Top 100 Books of the Year, and both sequels were shortlisted for major mystery awards.