Lisa Scottoline Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

Lisa Scottoline is an American author known for fast, character-driven legal thrillers and later stand-alone suspense novels, plus a run of humorous nonfiction. Her bibliography is easiest to read if you treat it like three separate shelves: (1) the Philadelphia women-lawyers universe, (2) stand-alone thrillers, and (3) historical fiction and humor.

Start here (pick one “door”)

• Want an ongoing cast and law-firm continuity: start with Everywhere That Mary Went (Rosato & Associates #1).
• Want the newer, tighter “pair focus” legal line: start with Accused (Rosato & DiNunzio #1) (best after you’ve tried at least one Rosato & Associates book).
• Want a modern stand-alone thriller: start with After Anna or Someone Knows.
• Want historical fiction: start with Eternal.

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Shelf 1: The Philadelphia lawyers universe

Rosato & Associates (read in order)

These books introduce the all-women firm and build long-running friendships, rivalries, and professional history.

1. Everywhere That Mary Went: The firm’s world begins here, with Mary pulled into a case that defines the series’ tone.
2. Legal Tender: The legal danger expands, and the law-firm ensemble starts to feel like a true “home base.”
3. Rough Justice: The stakes sharpen around loyalty and ethics, and the series’ pace accelerates.
4. Mistaken Identity: Identity confusion drives the suspense, while the firm’s internal dynamics keep evolving.
5. Moment of Truth: A high-pressure case tests judgment and trust inside the team.
6. The Vendetta Defense: Personal motives collide with courtroom realities, pushing the cast into messier terrain.
7. Courting Trouble: The law-firm bonds matter as much as the case, so it lands best with prior context.
8. Dead Ringer: A deception-heavy setup plays off what you already know about the characters’ habits and blind spots.
9. Killer Smile: A darker legal threat hits closer to home for the firm and its allies.
10. Lady Killer: The series returns with later-era continuity and a more seasoned feel for the cast.
11. Think Twice: A continuity-forward entry that works best once you’ve built the full Rosato & Associates foundation.

Rosato & DiNunzio (read in order)

This is a spin-forward line spotlighting Bennie Rosato and Mary DiNunzio; it’s separate branding, but it’s still the same larger universe.

1. Accused: Launches the focused duo dynamic, friendship and legal jeopardy side by side.
2. Betrayed: A trust fracture becomes central, and the emotional continuity deepens.
3. Corrupted: Corruption pressure builds, and the series leans harder into personal cost.
4. Damaged: A case with sharper vulnerability themes that benefits from knowing the duo’s baseline.
5. Exposed: A reputational and legal squeeze where earlier character history matters.
6. Feared: Fear becomes both a legal tactic and a personal problem, tying together the run’s main themes.
7. Pigeon Tony’s Last Stand (short story): A shorter Rosato & DiNunzio entry, fun as an extra, not a required step.

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Shelf 2: Stand-alone thrillers (read in any order)

These are independent stories; order is purely your preference. If you want to watch her style shift over time, follow publication order.

Publication order (novels)

1. Final Appeal (1995): Early legal suspense that stands alone and shows her courtroom instincts from the start.
2. Running from the Law (1996): A solo legal-thriller setup built around flight, pressure, and consequences.
3. Devil’s Corner (2005): A stand-alone that pushes into sharper personal danger and wider stakes.
4. Dirty Blonde (2006): A stand-alone with a darker edge and a strong “what is the truth?” engine.
5. Daddy’s Girl (2007): A family-centered suspense novel where relationships are the real battleground.
6. Look Again (2009): A stand-alone driven by the terror of realizing something about your own life doesn’t add up.
7. Save Me (2011): A moral emergency becomes a long tail of repercussions.
8. Come Home (2012): A stand-alone rooted in history and reunion, where the past refuses to stay past.
9. Don’t Go (2013): A love-and-loss premise that turns into a tight mystery under emotional strain.
10. Keep Quiet (2014): A family secret detonates, and the suspense comes from how fast normal life collapses.
11. Every Fifteen Minutes (2015): A high-stakes psychological setup where time pressure is baked into the structure.
12. Most Wanted (2016): A trust-centered stand-alone where certainty becomes the first casualty.
13. One Perfect Lie (2017): A stand-alone built around social engineering and the damage a single lie can do.
14. After Anna (2018): A family story turns into an investigation of who can be believed.
15. Someone Knows (2019): A disappearance-driven thriller where personal history becomes the clue trail.
16. What Happened to the Bennetts (2022): A life-on-the-run premise shaped by family loyalty and relentless consequences.
17. The Truth About the Devlins (2024): A family crisis spirals into legal and moral danger with a tight focus on trust.
18. The Unraveling of Julia (2025): A psychological suspense novel built around unraveling identity, memory, and what’s been concealed.

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Shelf 3: Historical fiction (read in order)

These are not connected to the legal series or the stand-alone thrillers.

1. Eternal (2021): A sweeping historical novel that establishes the setting, stakes, and generational lens.
2. Loyalty (2023): Continues the historical direction with a new story emphasis, best read after Eternal if you want her historical arc in sequence.

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Humor nonfiction (Oldest to newest)

These are co-written, voice-forward essay collections and can be read in any order.

1. Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog (2009): The starting point for the mother–daughter humor voice in book form.
2. My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space (2010): Domestic life and change, told through short, punchy essays.
3. Best Friends, Occasional Enemies (2011): The relationship lens turns inward, with mother–daughter friction front and center.
4. Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim (2012): A lighter essay collection about coping, habits, and everyday absurdity.
5. Have a Nice Guilt Trip (2014): Guilt as a theme, family, expectations, and the stories we tell ourselves.
6. Does This Beach Make Me Look Fat? (2015): Body image, vacations, and comedy-of-errors living.
7. I’ve Got Sand in All the Wrong Places (2016): A continuation of the beach-life essay mode, built for quick reads.
8. I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool (2017): Humor rooted in anxiety, aging, and the realities of modern life.
9. I See Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses (2018): A later collection that keeps the same voice with a slightly more reflective tilt.

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Short publications and anthologies (Optional)

These are extras rather than essential reading-order items. If you’re collecting comprehensively, treat them as stand-alone appearances unless they’re explicitly part of Rosato & DiNunzio (like Pigeon Tony’s Last Stand).

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Recommended reading order (three practical routes)

Route A: “Series-first, minimal spoilers”

1. Rosato & Associates #1-#11 in order
2. Rosato & DiNunzio #1-#6 in order (+ the short story whenever)
3. Add stand-alone thrillers anywhere

Route B: “Modern stand-alone sampler”

1. After Anna → 2) Someone Knows → 3) What Happened to the Bennetts → 4) The Unraveling of Julia
   If you like the legal texture most, pivot to Rosato & Associates next.

Route C: “Historical shelf, then back to crime”

1. Eternal → 2) Loyalty
   Then start Rosato & Associates at Everywhere That Mary Went.

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FAQs

Do I have to read Rosato & DiNunzio after Rosato & Associates?

You can start with Accused, but the characters and friendships feel richer if you’ve read at least the early Rosato & Associates books first.

Are the stand-alone thrillers connected to the Rosato books?

No. They are separate continuities.

What’s the newest Lisa Scottoline novel right now?

As of this update, the newest listed novel is The Unraveling of Julia (2025).

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Conclusion

If you want the most “complete” Scottoline experience with the fewest continuity snags, begin with Everywhere That Mary Went and read the legal-universe books in order. If you prefer one-and-done suspense, pick any stand-alone, then circle back to the series if you want a long-running cast.