Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Possessions | 1984 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 2 | Private Affairs | 1986 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 3 | Inheritance | 1988 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 4 | Ruling Passion | 1990 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 5 | Sleeping Beauty | 1991 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 6 | Acts of Love | 1991 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 7 | Pot of Gold | 1993 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 8 | A Certain Smile | 1999 | Judith Michael | Buy |
| 9 | The Real Mother | 2005 | Judith Michael | Buy |
The Judith Michael standalone novels span two decades of consistent output, from Possessions in 1984 to The Real Mother in 2005. The books typically center on a female protagonist facing a significant personal crisis – the discovery of a secret, the end of a marriage, a professional betrayal – and follow her as she rebuilds her life. The settings tend toward the prosperous: New York publishing houses, European hotels, Seattle theater companies.
Inheritance (1988) is set in the hotel industry and follows a young woman whose past catches up with her after she builds a new identity. Sleeping Beauty (1991) deals with a family’s reckoning with buried abuse, marking a slightly darker turn in the duo’s work. Acts of Love (1997) returns to more romantic territory and centers on a theater director and a famous actress conducting a long-distance relationship through letters.
The standalone novels appeal to readers who enjoy the Judith Michael voice – emotionally generous, plot-driven, interested in the texture of professional life – but want self-contained stories rather than a series. They can be read in any order, and each provides a complete story with its own resolution.