Kathy Lockheart writes romantic suspense, dark romance, and suspenseful contemporary romance. Her books often pair high-risk danger with protective, morally gray heroes and relationship-driven suspense.
Her bibliography is easiest to understand by continuity type. Secrets and the City and Sinners and Saints are connected standalone series, while Vendetta Duet and Cross Duet are two-book arcs that should be read in order.
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The best starting point for most readers is Deadly Illusion. It begins the earliest main series and gives the cleanest introduction to Lockheart’s mix of romance, danger, secrets, and emotional stakes.
Quick Reading Order
Read Kathy Lockheart in this order if you want the smoothest full-bibliography path:
- Secrets and the City
- Vendetta Duet
- Cross Duet
- Sinners and Saints
This keeps the standalone series together, preserves the duet reveals, and avoids jumping into book two of any cliffhanger arc.
Secrets and the City Books in Order
Secrets and the City is a connected standalone romantic suspense series. Each book follows a different main couple, but reading in order gives the best background for the recurring tone, setting, and danger.
- Deadly Illusion (2021): A woman hiding from violence finds protection with MMA fighter Damian, but his own secrets make safety more complicated than it first appears.
- Fatal Cure (2022): A revenge-driven investigation into narcotics criminals turns personal when the heroine discovers the enemy may be much closer than expected.
- Lethal Justice (2022): A hostage situation becomes a dangerous romance when a crime leader is ordered to kill the woman he is starting to protect.
- Grave Deception (2023): An attempted murder at the Chicago River pulls a police detective into a case where the victim’s closest circle may be hiding motives.
Vendetta Duet Books in Order
The Vendetta Duet is one continuous two-book story. Do not read Silent Vendetta first, because Secret Vendetta sets up the central mystery, obsession, and cliffhanger.
- Secret Vendetta (2023): Luna is marked by violence and watched by a masked Vigilante, while Hunter tries to protect her from a revenge plot that ends unresolved.
- Silent Vendetta (2023): Luna’s story continues as the Vigilante’s identity, motives, and dangerous connection to her are brought to their conclusion.
Cross Duet Books in Order
The Cross Duet is another two-book arc. It follows Grayson Lockwood, who is connected to Hunter from Vendetta Duet, so Vendetta is useful background even though Cross can be read separately.
- Crossfire (2024): Grayson is sent to kill Ivy, but the mission turns into a prisoner-protector romance as he questions whether she is truly guilty.
- Crossover (2024): Grayson and Ivy’s story continues after the first book’s cliffhanger, pushing the conspiracy, family danger, and emotional fallout to resolution.
Sinners and Saints Books in Order
Sinners and Saints is a connected standalone series. Each book has its own couple and happy ending, but the group dynamic works better in publication order.
- Crash (2025): A medical crisis places the heroine in the care of Dr. Blake Morrison, her brother’s best friend, as her symptoms begin to look deliberately caused.
- Power (2025): A private revenge list, a one-night stand, and a new CEO collide in a forbidden workplace romance built around secrets and corporate danger.
- Bound (2025): Axel Pierce proposes a fake engagement to his business rival and best friend’s sister, turning a corporate crisis into a forced-proximity romance.
- Doubt (2026): Faith is charged with murder after waking near a body with no memory, and defense attorney Ryker Kincaid risks everything to prove she is innocent.
- Trust (2026): Prison nurse Harper draws the attention of inmate Knox Blackwood, whose protective instincts threaten his chance at freedom when her abusive ex enters the prison.
Recommended Kathy Lockheart Reading Order
For a full read-through, use this order:
- Deadly Illusion
- Fatal Cure
- Lethal Justice
- Grave Deception
- Secret Vendetta
- Silent Vendetta
- Crossfire
- Crossover
- Crash
- Power
- Bound
- Doubt
- Trust
This is the best balance for new readers. It keeps each series intact, places the connected Lockwood material in a sensible order, and saves the newer Sinners and Saints run for the final stretch.
Can You Read Kathy Lockheart Out of Order?
You can read some of her books out of order, but not all of them.
Secrets and the City can be read as standalones, though publication order is cleaner.
Sinners and Saints can also be read by couple, but the group and friendship context builds across the series.
Vendetta Duet and Cross Duet should not be split. Each duet has a first book and a concluding book, so reading book two first will spoil or weaken the main suspense arc.
Collections and Box Sets
These are optional formats, not separate required novels.
- The Lies We Tell (2023): A collection format for the first two Secrets and the City books, useful if you want Deadly Illusion and Fatal Cure together.
- The Truths We Hide (2023): A collection format for Lethal Justice and Grave Deception, covering books three and four of Secrets and the City.
- Secrets For the Holidays (2024): A listed Secrets and the City collection item that should be treated as optional unless you are collecting related editions.
Separate Editions
Tödliche Obsession appears to be a German-language edition connected to Deadly Illusion. Treat it as an alternate-language edition, not as a separate main-series installment.
Latest Kathy Lockheart Book
The latest confirmed Kathy Lockheart novel is Trust, book five in Sinners and Saints, published on April 29, 2026.
No later primary Kathy Lockheart novel was reliably confirmed during this update.
FAQs
What Kathy Lockheart book should I read first?
Start with Deadly Illusion. It begins Secrets and the City and gives the clearest entry into Lockheart’s romantic suspense style.
Are Kathy Lockheart’s books connected?
Yes, but the connection level changes by series. Some books are connected standalones, while Vendetta Duet and Cross Duet are strict two-book arcs.
Does Secret Vendetta end on a cliffhanger?
Yes. Read Secret Vendetta and Silent Vendetta together.
Should I read Vendetta Duet before Cross Duet?
Yes, that is the better order. Cross Duet follows Grayson Lockwood, who is connected to Hunter from Vendetta Duet.
Can I start with Crash?
Yes. Crash is the best starting point if you only want to read Sinners and Saints.
Are the collections required?
No. The collections are alternate formats for existing material and are not extra required books.
Conclusion
The best Kathy Lockheart reading order is to begin with Deadly Illusion, finish Secrets and the City, then read Vendetta Duet, Cross Duet, and Sinners and Saints in order.
Readers who only want the newer standalone series can start with Crash. Readers choosing the darker duet route should begin with Secret Vendetta and continue directly to Silent Vendetta.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.