Debra Webb is an American romantic suspense, mystery, and thriller author. Her catalog is large, with long-running Harlequin Intrigue series, darker crime-thriller arcs, legal suspense, and newer small-town mysteries.

The main thing to know is that there is no single Debra Webb universe that all readers must follow. Read each named series in order, and treat shared-world publisher titles as separate continuities unless you are intentionally following that publisher world.
Affiliate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Start Here
- For modern crime suspense, begin with Trust No One.
- For legal suspense, begin with The Last Lie Told.
- For Webb’s current small-town mystery line, begin with Deeper Than the Dead.
- For her long romantic suspense foundation, begin with Safe by His Side.
- For Faces of Evil, begin with Obsession and read straight through; that series is not a good place to skip around.
Devlin & Falco Books in Order
- Trust No One (2020): Opens the Devlin & Falco series with a tense investigation that establishes the partnership and the darker procedural direction of the trilogy.
- Gone Too Far (2021): Deepens the team dynamic as a new case pushes the investigators into more personal and dangerous territory.
- Can’t Go Back (2021): Concludes the trilogy’s main arc, making it strongest after the first two books.
Finley O’Sullivan Books in Order
- The Last Lie Told (2022): Introduces Finley O’Sullivan and sets up the legal-suspense framework that carries through the series.
- The Nature of Secrets (2023): Expands Finley’s world with another case built around hidden motives and unresolved personal pressure.
- All the Little Truths (2023): Continues Finley’s professional and personal arc, so it works best after the first two books.
Vera Boyett Books in Order
- Deeper Than the Dead (2024): Starts the Vera Boyett series with a small-town mystery that establishes Vera’s investigative role and local ties.
- Closer Than You Know (2025): Continues Vera’s story with another case rooted in danger close to home.
- Secrets You Can’t Keep (2025): Extends the series’ pattern of buried secrets and community-level suspense.
Faces of Evil Books in Order
Read Faces of Evil in publication order. The relationship arc and suspense reveals matter.
- Obsession (2012): Introduces Jess Harris and Dan Burnett, launching the central investigation-and-relationship thread.
- Impulse (2012): Keeps the series momentum moving as Jess faces a new threat while earlier tensions remain active.
- Power (2012): Raises the personal and professional stakes around Jess’s work.
- Rage (2013): Continues the escalating danger and reinforces why the series should be read in sequence.
- Revenge (2013): Pushes the continuing arc into more retaliatory, personal territory.
- Ruthless (2013): Tightens the pressure around Jess and Dan before the later books expand the fallout.
- Silence (2013): A prequel novella that is best read here for first-time readers, after the main characters are already established.
- Vicious (2013): Returns to the main sequence and moves the continuing threat forward.
- Vile (2014): Keeps the darker serial-suspense arc active as the series approaches its later turning points.
- The Face of Evil (2014): A short extra that belongs with the Faces of Evil material but is optional for the main arc.
- Heinous (2014): Continues the main numbered sequence and should not be read before the earlier novels.
- Depraved (2014): Carries the long-running arc into another high-pressure investigation.
- The Wedding (2014): A short extra tied to character continuity, best saved until after the surrounding books.
- The Dying Room (2015): Extends the series after the initial long arc and works best with full series context.
- Envy (2016): A later novella in the Faces of Evil world, best treated as optional after the core novels.
Faces of Evil: Private Eyes
- Dark Whispers (2016): Begins the Private Eyes spin-off with a related romantic suspense case.
- Still Waters (2016): Continues the spin-off and is best read after Dark Whispers.
Shades of Death Books in Order
- The Blackest Crimson (2016): A prequel lead-in that introduces the emotional and investigative ground for Bobbie Gentry’s series.
- No Darker Place (2017): Begins the main novel sequence and makes Bobbie’s trauma and pursuit central to the series.
- A Deeper Grave (2017): Continues Bobbie’s arc with another case that builds on the first full novel.
- The Coldest Fear (2017): Pushes the personal danger and investigative stakes further.
- The Longest Silence (2018): Closes the listed sequence and should be read after the earlier Shades of Death books.
Undertaker’s Daughter Books in Order
- The Undertaker’s Daughter (2018): A prequel novella that introduces Rowan Dupont and the family background behind the series.
- The Secrets We Bury (2019): Begins the main novel sequence with Rowan’s past and present colliding.
- The Lies We Tell (2019): Continues Rowan’s story as hidden history keeps shaping the investigation.
- The Darkness We Hide (2020): Brings the trilogy’s central threads into a later, darker confrontation.
Winchester, Tennessee Books in Order
These are connected Harlequin Intrigue romantic suspense novels. Publication order is the safest route.
- In Self Defense (2019): Opens the Winchester, Tennessee sequence with a local danger case and the setting’s suspense tone.
- The Dark Woods (2019): Builds on the Winchester setting with a case tied to isolation and threat.
- The Stranger Next Door (2019): Uses proximity and suspicion to keep the series grounded in neighborhood-level suspense.
- The Safest Lies (2019): Centers the story on deception and protection, continuing the Winchester pattern.
- Witness Protection Widow (2020): Adds witness-protection danger to the Winchester framework.
- Before He Vanished (2020): Turns the sequence toward disappearance and unresolved threat.
- The Bone Room (2021): Concludes the listed Winchester run with a darker mystery-driven case.
Lookout Mountain Mystery Books in Order
- Disappearance in Dread Hollow (2023): Starts the Lookout Mountain run with a disappearance case and a contained Harlequin Intrigue setup.
- Murder at Sunset Rock (2023): Continues the mountain mystery setting with a murder investigation.
- A Place to Hide (2024): Uses refuge and pursuit as the central suspense engine.
- Whispering Winds Widows (2024): Keeps the series in the same regional mystery lane with another danger-focused case.
- Peril in Piney Woods (2024): Extends the Lookout Mountain sequence and is best read after the earlier entries.
Colby Agency Books in Order
The Colby Agency is Webb’s major romantic suspense world. Many books have self-contained cases, but publication order keeps the agency history and recurring framework clear.
- Safe by His Side (2000): Introduces the Colby Agency world and is the best starting point for Webb’s long romantic suspense catalog.
- The Bodyguard’s Baby (2001): Continues the early Colby setup with a protection case built around family danger.
- Protective Custody (2001): Keeps the agency focus on guarded witnesses, threat assessment, and romantic suspense.
- Solitary Soldier (2002): Adds a military-flavored protection story to the early Colby run.
- Personal Protector (2002): Uses close protection as the main suspense-and-romance structure.
- Physical Evidence (2002): Moves the agency into evidence-driven danger and investigative pressure.
- The Marriage Prescription (2002): Blends the Colby world with a marriage-centered romantic suspense setup.
- Contract Bride (2002): Uses a marriage arrangement as the entry point for danger and protection.
- Undercover Wife (2003): Starts the Colby Specialists stretch with undercover domestic suspense.
- Her Hidden Truth (2003): Keeps the Specialists thread moving through concealed identity and hidden history.
- Guardian of the Night (2003): Continues the Specialists era with a guardian-protector framework.
- Her Secret Alibi (2003): Centers the case on suspicion, alibi, and personal risk.
- Keeping Baby Safe (2003): Returns to the series’ family-protection pattern.
- Guarding the Heiress (2003): Uses wealth, inheritance, and targeted danger as the suspense setup.
- Cries in the Night (2004): Brings a darker threat into the Colby case structure.
- Striking Distance (2004): Keeps the agency in active pursuit-and-protection mode.
- Romancing the Tycoon (2004): Blends business-world danger with the Colby romantic suspense formula.
- Agent Cowboy (2004): Adds a cowboy-themed agent case to the broader Colby lineup.
- Situation: Out of Control (2004): Begins the Internal Affairs pair and increases internal agency pressure.
- Full Exposure (2004): Completes the Internal Affairs pair with a higher-risk Colby case.
- Back to the Beginning (2005): A commonly listed Colby extra, useful for readers who want the broader agency background.
- Colby Conspiracy (2005): Re-centers the agency around conspiracy-level danger.
- Investigating 101 (2006): Starts the New Recruits subset with a training-and-case structure.
- Raw Talent (2006): Continues the New Recruits thread and develops newer Colby personnel.
- The Hidden Heir (2006): Uses inheritance and identity as the suspense hook.
- A Colby Christmas (2006): Brings the agency into a holiday suspense case.
- A Soldier’s Oath (2007): Adds duty, military history, and personal promise to the agency formula.
- Hostage Situation (2007): Centers the suspense on captivity and urgent rescue.
- Colby vs. Colby (2007): Turns the series inward with a title that signals agency-family conflict.
- Colby Rebuilt (2007): Repositions the agency after earlier upheaval.
- Guardian Angel (2008): Returns to the protector premise with a guardian-focused case.
- Identity Unknown (2008): Uses unknown identity and danger as the core suspense structure.
- Small-Town Secrets (2009): Takes Colby suspense into a small-town secrets framework.
- The Bride’s Secrets (2009): Builds the case around wedding, identity, and hidden danger.
- His Secret Life (2009): Centers on deception and private history inside the Colby world.
- Christmas Past (2009): A Colby short story in a holiday anthology, optional for main-series continuity.
- First Night (2009): Returns to a full Colby Intrigue case after the holiday short.
- Colby Lockdown (2010): Uses containment and immediate threat as the suspense engine.
- Colby Justice (2010): Focuses on justice, investigation, and agency action.
- Colby Control (2010): Continues the rapid 2010 Colby sequence with control and danger as the driving tension.
- Colby Velocity (2010): Keeps the series moving through a fast-paced agency case.
- Colby Brass (2010): Brings the agency leadership structure into focus.
- Colby Core (2010): Centers the Colby identity and core team at this point in the series.
- Missing (2011): Starts The New Equalizers subset with a disappearance-driven case.
- Damaged (2011): Continues The New Equalizers thread with a wounded-character suspense setup.
- Broken (2011): Completes the New Equalizers trio and should be read after Missing and Damaged.
- Classified (2011): Moves the Colby Agency into classified information and hidden operations.
- Decoded (2011): Follows Classified with another secrets-and-intelligence driven case.
- Colby Law (2012): Brings legal and procedural pressure into the Colby world.
- High Noon (2012): Uses a showdown-style setup inside the agency continuity.
- Colby Roundup (2012): A companion-style Colby entry that works best after the long first run.
- Bridal Armor (2013): Adds wedding-centered danger to the later Colby sequence.
- Ready, Aim…I Do! (2013): Continues the later Specialists-era Colby material with a marriage-and-danger setup.
- Would-Be Christmas Wedding (2013): A holiday Colby story that closes this listed stretch of the original series.
Specialists: Heroes Next Door Books in Order
Co-written with Regan Black and connected to the Colby/Specialists side of Webb’s romantic suspense work.
- The Hunk Next Door (2014): Opens the Heroes Next Door subset with a neighbor-based romantic suspense setup.
- Heart of a Hero (2015): Continues the subset with a hero-protector case.
- To Honor and To Protect (2015): Keeps the focus on duty, protection, and personal risk.
- Her Undercover Defender (2015): Concludes the listed set with an undercover protection story.
Colby Agency: Family Secrets Books in Order
Co-written with Regan Black.
- Gunning for the Groom (2016): Starts the Family Secrets branch with wedding danger and Colby-style protection.
- Heavy Artillery Husband (2016): Continues the branch with a high-force romantic suspense premise.
- Investigating Christmas (2016): Brings the Family Secrets thread into a holiday investigation.
Colby Agency: Sexi-ER Books in Order
- Finding the Edge (2018): Starts the Sexi-ER branch with medical-adjacent danger and Colby agency suspense.
- Sin and Bone (2018): Continues the branch with a darker case and higher personal risk.
- Body of Evidence (2018): Completes the Sexi-ER trio with evidence-centered suspense.
Colby Agency: The Next Generation Books in Order
This is a later branch of the Colby world. New readers can start here, but longtime readers will recognize more agency background.
- A Colby Christmas Rescue (2024): Opens the Next Generation branch with a holiday rescue case.
- Alibi for Murder (2025): Continues the new Colby era with a murder case built around questions of innocence and proof.
- Memory of Murder (2025): Adds memory, suspicion, and personal uncertainty to the Next Generation arc.
- Witness to Murder (2025): Keeps the branch focused on direct danger and witness protection.
- The Husband’s Secret (2026): Continues the Next Generation line with a domestic-secret premise.
- The Bride’s Betrayal (2026): Follows with another marriage-centered suspense case.
- The Missing Couple (2026): Extends the branch with a disappearance case involving two missing people.
Less / Dark and Dangerous Books in Order
This trilogy has appeared under multiple titles. Check alternate titles before buying.
- Clint / Traceless / The Ten Year Lie (2007): Opens the trilogy with a past crime and a long-hidden truth driving the suspense.
- Ryan / Nameless (2008): Continues the trilogy with identity, danger, and unresolved personal history.
- Carson / Faceless / The Fatal Confidant (2008): Completes the trilogy with another identity-driven suspense case.
Secrets & Lies Books in Order
- Everywhere She Turns / Lost in the Dark (2009): Begins the connected pair with danger closing in around the heroine’s past and present.
- Anywhere She Runs / The Drowning Season (2010): Continues the pair with another flight-from-danger suspense setup.
Jackie Mercer Books in Order
- Dirty (2011): Introduces Jackie Mercer in a grittier suspense line separate from Webb’s Colby work.
- Low Down (2012): Continues Jackie Mercer’s story in a shorter listed follow-up.
Bone Deep Books in Order
- Bone Deep (2013): Opens the Bone Deep sequence with a darker, more compact suspense setup.
- Bone Cold (2014): Continues the sequence with another danger-centered case.
- Bone Echo (2024): Returns to the Bone Deep line after a long gap and should be read after the first two books.
Enforcers Books in Order
- John Doe on Her Doorstep (2005): Opens The Enforcers with an identity mystery and immediate danger.
- Executive Bodyguard (2005): Continues the set with a high-level protection assignment.
- The Man of Her Dreams (2005): Follows with another romantic suspense case inside the Enforcers framework.
- Whispers in the Dark (2017): A later-listed Enforcers entry, best read after the original three.
Silent Weapon Books in Order
- Silent Weapon (2005): Starts the two-book sequence with a covert-threat suspense premise.
- Silent Reckoning (2005): Follows directly as the second Silent Weapon title.
Shared-World and Publisher Continuity Titles
These books belong to multi-author lines or publisher continuities. They are not required for Debra Webb’s main series.
- Special Assignment, Baby (2001): A Montana Confidential / Men in Uniform title, separate from Webb’s main continuities.
- The Doctor Wore Boots (2002): A Trading Places title with its own publisher-line context.
- Nobody’s Baby (2003): A Forrester Square title, best treated as separate continuity.
- Justice (2004): An Athena Force title, part of a multi-author continuity.
- Tremors (2005): A Code Red title, separate from the Colby and thriller series.
- Urban Sensation (2005): An Eclipse title with publisher-world placement rather than Webb-series placement.
- Danger Zone (2007): A NASCAR-themed romantic suspense title in its own shared line.
- Motive: Secret Baby (2008): A Curse of Raven’s Cliff title and not part of a Webb-only series.
- Secrets in Four Corners (2008): A Kenner County Crime Unit title with shared-line continuity.
- The Dead Girl (2018): A Breakdown series contribution and separate from Webb’s main mystery runs.
- No Looking Back (2018): A Breakdown short story, optional unless following that shared world.
- Dirty Down Low (2018): A Thriller 3 / Love Is Murder contribution, separate from Jackie Mercer despite the similar crime-suspense tone.
- Frozen Ground (2019): A Stormwatch title, best treated as a standalone shared-world suspense.
- The Lie (2020): A Behind Closed Doors: Family Secrets title, separate from Webb’s main series.
Brotherhood Protectors World Books
Co-written with Regan Black.
- Dylan / Against the Wall (2014): A Brotherhood Protectors World title with an alternate-title listing.
- Mike / Too Far Gone (2015): Continues Webb and Black’s Brotherhood Protectors contributions.
- Nathan / Nothing to Lose (2015): Completes the listed trio of Brotherhood Protectors World entries.
Standalone Novels in Publication Order
- Up Close (1999): Webb’s first listed novel and a standalone romance/suspense entry.
- Tempting Trace (1999): An early standalone that belongs to her pre-Colby publication period.
- Home Free (2000): An early Kensington Precious Gems title later associated with reissue material.
- Here to Stay (2000): A standalone romance title from Webb’s earliest publishing phase.
- Keeping Kennedy (2000): An early standalone with later reissue visibility.
- Longwalker’s Child (2001): A standalone Harlequin American title outside the Colby Agency.
- Dying to Play (2005): A standalone suspense title from the mid-2000s part of Webb’s catalog.
- Person of Interest (2006): A standalone intrigue title built around suspicion and investigation.
- Vows of Silence (2006): A standalone suspense title later reissued in special-release formats.
- Never Happened (2006): A standalone later connected to the reissue title What She Doesn’t See.
- Past Sins (2006): A standalone suspense novel centered on past wrongdoing and present danger.
- Staying Alive (2007): A Silhouette Bombshell-era title with action-suspense positioning.
- Out-Foxxed (2007): A standalone special-release title outside Webb’s main series.
- Find Me / Deep Dark Truth / Come Find Me (2008): A standalone suspense novel with multiple later title listings.
- The Back-Up Plan (2013): A standalone suspense title from Webb’s Pink House Press period.
- See Her Die (2013): A standalone reissue connected to earlier material listed as Whispers in the Night.
- See Him Die (2015): A standalone suspense entry with a title that pairs thematically with See Her Die.
- What She Doesn’t See (2015): A reissue of Never Happened, so readers should avoid buying both as separate stories.
- Marriage Confidential (2017): A romantic suspense standalone co-written with Regan Black.
- Reluctant Hero (2017): A co-written romantic suspense title with a protector-hero setup.
- There Once Was a Child / What Goes Around (2018): A standalone with an alternate title, so edition checking matters.
- Shadows of the Past (2018): A standalone suspense title tied to past secrets rather than a named Webb series.
- When You Come Back (2019): A standalone thriller centered on return, memory, and unresolved danger.
- No Way Back (2026): A 2026 standalone listing; readers should check editions because Webb’s catalog includes several reissues and alternate titles.
- The Woman I’ve Become (2026): A 2026 standalone listing and not currently part of a named Webb series.
Novellas and Short Stories
These are optional unless you are completing a specific series or anthology path.
- Basic Instincts (2011): A short-form reissue connected to Webb’s early Precious Gems material.
- Going to the Chapel (2011): A short romance/suspense piece best treated as optional.
- Free Falling (2011): A short-form reissue associated with earlier standalone material.
- Taming GI Jane (2011): A short-form reissue of One Good Man material.
- Little Girl Lost (2013): A short story that stands outside the major series order.
- The Traitor (2013): A short suspense piece also associated with earlier anthology publication.
- Operation Second Honeymoon (2014): A Colby Agency short story, optional but best read after some Colby familiarity.
Chronological Order
A full Debra Webb chronological order is not useful because her books span separate series, publisher worlds, and retitled editions.
Use chronology only where it clearly helps:
Read The Blackest Crimson before No Darker Place in Shades of Death.
Read The Undertaker’s Daughter before The Secrets We Bury if you want Rowan Dupont’s background first.
Read Silence after book six in Faces of Evil for a first read, even though it is a prequel.
For Colby Agency, Devlin & Falco, Finley O’Sullivan, Vera Boyett, Winchester, Lookout Mountain, and most other sequences, publication order is the better reading order.
Recommended Reading Order for New Readers
For most new readers, the best path is not a full publication-order crawl from 1999 onward. Start with one lane.
Modern thriller lane:
- Trust No One (2020): The cleanest entry point for Webb’s modern investigative suspense style.
- Gone Too Far (2021): Continues the partnership and raises the case pressure.
- Can’t Go Back (2021): Finishes the Devlin & Falco trilogy arc.
Legal suspense lane:
- The Last Lie Told (2022): Introduces Finley O’Sullivan and her legal-thriller world.
- The Nature of Secrets (2023): Expands the legal and personal stakes.
- All the Little Truths (2023): Completes the currently listed Finley sequence.
Current mystery lane:
- Deeper Than the Dead (2024): Starts Vera Boyett’s small-town mystery series.
- Closer Than You Know (2025): Keeps Vera’s investigative arc moving.
- Secrets You Can’t Keep (2025): Continues the active Vera Boyett line.
After that, choose Obsession for darker long-arc suspense or Safe by His Side for the Colby Agency world.
Latest Release Status
As of this update, the Vera Boyett series has three listed books: Deeper Than the Dead, Closer Than You Know, and Secrets You Can’t Keep.
Colby Agency: The Next Generation is continuing in 2026 with The Husband’s Secret, The Bride’s Betrayal, and The Missing Couple.
Several Webb books have alternate titles or reissue titles. Before buying, check especially for Find Me / Deep Dark Truth / Come Find Me, Never Happened / What She Doesn’t See, There Once Was a Child / What Goes Around, Everywhere She Turns / Lost in the Dark, Anywhere She Runs / The Drowning Season, and the Less trilogy title variants.
FAQs
Do I need to read all Debra Webb books in one master order?
No. Her bibliography contains separate series, standalones, and shared-world titles. Pick a series and read that series in order.
What Debra Webb book should I read first?
Start with Trust No One for modern crime suspense, The Last Lie Told for legal suspense, Deeper Than the Dead for Vera Boyett, or Safe by His Side for Colby Agency.
Is Faces of Evil standalone?
No. Faces of Evil has a continuing character and suspense arc. Start with Obsession.
Are the Colby Agency books standalone?
Many Colby books have self-contained cases, but publication order is still best because the agency setting and recurring structure build over time.
Are the 2026 Debra Webb books all new stories?
Not all Webb listings around this period are simple new-story entries because her catalog includes reissues and alternate titles. Check the title history before purchasing.
Should I read the novellas?
Read series novellas when they are tied to a series you are already following. Otherwise, they are optional.
Conclusion
The safest Debra Webb reading order is series-by-series publication order.
Begin with Trust No One for the most accessible modern thriller path. Begin with The Last Lie Told for legal suspense. Begin with Deeper Than the Dead for Vera Boyett. Begin with Safe by His Side for Colby Agency. For Faces of Evil, start with Obsession and do not skip ahead.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

