Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rosary Girls | 2005 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 2 | The Skin Gods | 2006 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 3 | Broken Angels / Merciless | 2007 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 4 | Play Dead / Badlands | 2008 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 5 | The Echo Man | 2011 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 6 | The Killing Room | 2012 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 7 | The Stolen Ones | 2013 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 8 | The Doll Maker | 2014 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 9 | A Christmas Killing | 2014 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
| 10 | Shutter Man | 2015 | Jessica Balzano / Kevin Byrne | Buy |
The Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne series is set in Philadelphia’s homicide division. Jessica is a newer detective trying to prove herself while raising a child on her own. Kevin, her partner, has years of experience and a sharp instinct for criminal psychology, but his personal life is just as messy as the cases they work.
The ten books run from The Rosary Girls (2005) through Shutter Man (2015). Each novel centers on a different investigation, usually involving serial killers with elaborate methods. Richard Montanari writes dark, tightly plotted procedurals, and the series became a Top Ten Sunday Times bestseller. The partnership between Jessica and Kevin holds the books together as they deal with both the violence of their cases and the toll it takes outside of work.