Lisa Gardner Books in Order
Lisa Gardner writes the kind of thrillers that keep you reading past midnight. Her books feature tough detectives, twisted killers, and victims who fight back. Over more than 25 years, she’s built several connected series, and her characters often cross over from one series to another.
That makes reading order important. This guide lists the Lisa Gardner books in order by series, plus her standalones and her newest release.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Author | Lisa Gardner |
| First thriller | The Perfect Husband (1997) |
| Best-known series | Detective D.D. Warren |
| Other series | FBI Profiler, Tessa Leoni, Frankie Elkin |
| Latest book | You’ll Be Sorry (2026) |
| Earlier pen name | Alicia Scott (romance novels) |
Who Is Lisa Gardner?
Lisa Gardner began her career writing romance novels under the name Alicia Scott. In 1997, she published her first thriller, The Perfect Husband, under her own name. It was a hit, and she never looked back. Gardner is known for deep research, often working with police and forensic experts to make her books feel real.
She lives in New Hampshire, which shows up as a setting in many of her stories.
How Lisa Gardner’s Series Connect
Gardner’s series share a universe. FBI agent Kimberly Quincy appears in the FBI Profiler books and later works with D.D. Warren. Flora Dane, a survivor, first shows up in the D.D. Warren books. Characters from the Tessa Leoni books also cross paths with D.D.
Because of this, many fans like to read the Lisa Gardner books in order of release.
Lisa Gardner Books in Order of Publication
| Year | Title | Series |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Perfect Husband | FBI Profiler |
| 1999 | The Other Daughter | Standalone |
| 2001 | The Third Victim | FBI Profiler |
| 2001 | The Next Accident | FBI Profiler |
| 2002 | The Survivors Club | Standalone |
| 2003 | The Killing Hour | FBI Profiler |
| 2005 | Alone | D.D. Warren |
| 2006 | Gone | FBI Profiler |
| 2007 | Hide | D.D. Warren |
| 2008 | Say Goodbye | FBI Profiler |
| 2009 | The Neighbor | D.D. Warren |
| 2010 | Live to Tell | D.D. Warren |
| 2011 | Love You More | D.D. Warren and Tessa Leoni |
| 2012 | Catch Me | D.D. Warren |
| 2013 | Touch & Go | Tessa Leoni |
| 2014 | Fear Nothing | D.D. Warren |
| 2015 | Crash & Burn | Tessa Leoni |
| 2016 | Find Her | D.D. Warren |
| 2017 | Right Behind You | FBI Profiler |
| 2018 | Look for Me | D.D. Warren |
| 2019 | Never Tell | D.D. Warren |
| 2020 | When You See Me | D.D. Warren |
| 2021 | Before She Disappeared | Frankie Elkin |
| 2022 | One Step Too Far | Frankie Elkin |
| 2024 | Still See You Everywhere | Frankie Elkin |
| 2026 | You’ll Be Sorry | New release |
Detective D.D. Warren Series
D.D. Warren is a sharp, stubborn Boston police detective. She’s the heart of Gardner’s most popular series.
| # | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alone | 2005 |
| 2 | Hide | 2007 |
| 3 | The Neighbor | 2009 |
| 4 | Live to Tell | 2010 |
| 5 | Love You More | 2011 |
| 6 | Catch Me | 2012 |
| 7 | Fear Nothing | 2014 |
| 8 | Find Her | 2016 |
| 9 | Look for Me | 2018 |
| 10 | Never Tell | 2019 |
| 11 | When You See Me | 2020 |
The Neighbor is often called one of her best. Find Her introduces Flora Dane, a kidnapping survivor who becomes a key part of later books.
FBI Profiler Series
These books follow retired FBI profiler Pierce Quincy and his partner, Rainie Conner. Later books bring in Quincy’s daughter, Kimberly.
| # | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Perfect Husband | 1997 |
| 2 | The Third Victim | 2001 |
| 3 | The Next Accident | 2001 |
| 4 | The Killing Hour | 2003 |
| 5 | Gone | 2006 |
| 6 | Say Goodbye | 2008 |
| 7 | Right Behind You | 2017 |
Tessa Leoni Series
Tessa Leoni is a former Massachusetts state trooper who becomes a private investigator.
| # | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Love You More | 2011 |
| 2 | Touch & Go | 2013 |
| 3 | Crash & Burn | 2015 |
Frankie Elkin Series
Frankie Elkin is a recovering alcoholic who travels the country searching for missing people the police have given up on. This series has a different, more personal feel.
| # | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Before She Disappeared | 2021 |
| 2 | One Step Too Far | 2022 |
| 3 | Still See You Everywhere | 2024 |
Standalone Novels
- The Other Daughter (1999): A woman learns her father may have been a serial killer.
- The Survivors Club (2002): Three women who survived a rapist work together when he’s killed.
The Newest Book: You’ll Be Sorry
Gardner’s 2026 novel, You’ll Be Sorry, follows newlyweds Raquel and Theo Collins, who each have secrets. They take over a lodge in a remote New Hampshire town where a family of six vanished 30 years earlier. When a stray dog digs up a skeleton, the couple and new police chief Amanda Grady must uncover the truth. The trade paperback came out on August 4, 2026.
Where Should You Start?
There are a few good ways to approach the Lisa Gardner books:
- Start with Alone if you want the D.D. Warren series, her most popular.
- Start with The Perfect Husband if you want to read in publication order.
- Start with Before She Disappeared for a fresh series with a unique hero.
- Try The Neighbor or Find Her if you just want one great thriller.
Romance Novels as Alicia Scott
Before her thrillers, Gardner wrote more than a dozen romance novels as Alicia Scott in the 1990s. These are very different from her later work. Most fans skip them, but completists may want to track them down.
Why Readers Love Lisa Gardner
Gardner writes strong female leads who are smart, flawed, and brave. Her plots twist in surprising ways, and her research makes the police work feel real. She also gives victims a voice, showing how crime affects people long after the case closes.
Tips for Reading Her Books
- Watch for crossovers. Kimberly Quincy, Flora Dane, and Tessa Leoni show up in each other’s series.
- Read the D.D. Warren books in order. Her personal life changes a lot across the series.
- Don’t skip Find Her. It sets up much of what follows.
- Try the audiobooks. Many fans enjoy them on long drives.
A Simple Reading Plan
If you want the full experience, read the Lisa Gardner books in order of release, using the main table above. This way, crossovers and returning characters make the most sense. If you’d rather focus on one hero, pick a series and read only those books first.
Many fans start with the D.D. Warren books, then go back to the FBI Profiler books. Others read the Lisa Gardner books in order from The Perfect Husband onward and never look back.
How Many Books Has She Written?
Counting her thrillers, Lisa Gardner has more than 25 novels under her own name, plus her early romances as Alicia Scott. Following the Lisa Gardner books in order gives you a clear view of how her style grew from tense romantic suspense to dark, layered crime fiction.
Readers who finish all the Lisa Gardner books in order often move on to authors like Karin Slaughter and Tess Gerritsen.
Final Thoughts
The Lisa Gardner books in order cover more than 25 years of gripping crime fiction. From the FBI Profiler books to D.D. Warren, Tessa Leoni, and Frankie Elkin, her series are full of strong heroes and dark mysteries. Whether you read by series or by release date, you’ll find plenty of twists along the way.
With You’ll Be Sorry out in 2026, Lisa Gardner keeps finding new ways to surprise readers.
Key Takeaways
- The Lisa Gardner books in order start with The Perfect Husband (1997), her first thriller.
- Her most popular series stars Boston detective D.D. Warren and has 11 books.
- The FBI Profiler series has seven books, and the Tessa Leoni series has three.
- The Frankie Elkin series includes three books, the latest being Still See You Everywhere (2024).
- Her series share characters, so reading by release date helps.
- Her 2026 novel, You’ll Be Sorry, is set at a New Hampshire lodge with a dark past.
- Lisa Gardner also wrote romance novels in the 1990s under the name Alicia Scott.
