Melinda Leigh Books in Order (Updated February 24, 2026)

Melinda Leigh writes crime-forward romantic suspense in several distinct series lanes. Some are tightly continuous (best read in sequence), while others are shared-world collaborations where you can follow just the titles credited to her without getting lost.

If you want to avoid character/backstory spoilers, the key is simple: pick one series and stay in order inside it.

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Fast Pick Guide

If you want her biggest, most consistent long-form arc:
Read Morgan Dane in order.

If you want a modern small-town sheriff procedural with momentum:
Read Bree Taggert in order (with the prequel short story placed early).

If you want a short trilogy that finishes cleanly:
Read Scarlet Falls in order.

If you want earlier romantic suspense (lighter continuity pressure):
Try She Can… in order (with the short story slotted where it belongs).

If you want co-authored, episodic cases in shared settings:
Choose Widow’s Island or the Rogue novella lines, then follow the internal sequence.

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Books in Publication Order by Series

Bree Taggert

1. Cross Her Heart (2020): A newly appointed sheriff is pulled into a brutal case that collides with old trauma, forcing her to lead while still learning who she can trust.
2. See Her Die (2020): The next investigation tightens around Bree’s circle, raising the stakes as the threat stops feeling distant and starts feeling targeted.
3. Drown Her Sorrows (2021): A case with deep local roots turns relentless, and the pressure tests Bree’s judgment on both the job and the people closest to her.
4. Right Behind Her (2021): A fast-moving hunt keeps Bree reactive, where one wrong assumption can put the wrong person in danger.
5. Her Second Death (2021) [Short story]: A prequel case that shows Bree before the series launch, clarifying what she carries into her new life.
6. Dead Against Her (2022): A fresh crime exposes patterns the town wants ignored, and Bree has to push harder than is comfortable to get answers.
7. Lie to Her (2023): A deception-heavy case forces Bree to sort truth from strategy, while relationship tensions refuse to stay off the record.
8. Catch Her Death (2023): The investigation turns into a sprint, as Bree’s choices narrow and the cost of being wrong spikes.
9. On Her Watch (2024): A new threat builds under routine surfaces, and Bree has to spot the danger before it becomes irreversible.
10. Track Her Down (2025): A pursuit-driven case escalates quickly, demanding coordination and nerve when the trail won’t stay straight.
11. Beyond Her Reach (2025): A dangerous situation pushes past normal limits, forcing Bree to act before the case closes in on the people she’s trying to protect.
12. Kill For Her (2027) [Announced]: A future series entry; treat as upcoming until release.

Safest entry: Cross Her Heart (2020).
Where the prequel goes: after Book 4 is a clean spot, or anytime after Book 1 if you prefer context early.

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Morgan Dane

1. Say You’re Sorry (2017): Attorney Morgan Dane takes a case others want finished, and every step forward exposes why the truth was easier to bury.
2. Her Last Goodbye (2017): A disappearance with family pressure points forces Morgan to balance legal strategy with a search that won’t wait for court schedules.
3. Bones Don’t Lie (2018): The evidence turns personal and morally messy, pushing Morgan and her investigator to decide what “justice” really costs.
4. What I’ve Done (2018): A case built on competing versions of the same night tests Morgan’s instincts when certainty becomes the rarest resource.
5. Secrets Never Die (2019): The past comes back with leverage, and Morgan has to protect her client while staying ahead of someone rewriting the narrative.
6. Save Your Breath (2019): A high-stakes case compresses the timeline, forcing hard choices when delay itself becomes dangerous.

Safest entry: Say You’re Sorry (2017).
Continuity note: the professional partnership and family setup gain weight across the series, so staying in order pays off.

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Olivia Cruz

1. You Can Tell Me (2026) [Announced]: The first title in a new series lane; best treated as a fresh starting point once released.

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Scarlet Falls

1. Hour of Need (2014): A shocking crime pulls a local attorney into a dangerous investigation where the personal and professional risks keep colliding.
2. Minutes to Kill (2015): A second case widens the threat field, tightening the pressure as danger spreads beyond the obvious suspects.
3. Seconds to Live (2016): The trilogy’s escalation peaks, forcing decisive action when the margin for error disappears.

Best experience: read straight through in order.

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She Can… (and related short story)

1. She Can Run (2011): A woman on the run fights to stay invisible, but the danger follows closely enough to turn survival into strategy.
2. She Can Tell (2012): A new threat exposes how little safety a small town can offer when secrets travel faster than help.
3. She Can Scream (2013): The suspense tightens into a more direct confrontation, pushing the cast into riskier choices with fewer safe exits.
4. She Can Hide (2014): Hiding stops working, and the stakes shift from escape to stopping what’s coming next.
5. He Can Fall (2014) [Short story]: A short bridge piece that fits best after Book 4, adding context without changing the main arc.
6. She Can Kill (2015): The series closes with a sharper, more decisive endgame where the remaining threats finally have to be faced head-on.

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Midnight Novels

1. Midnight Exposure (2012): A high-risk attraction meets a dangerous mystery, forcing the leads to act before the situation spirals out of control.
2. Midnight Sacrifice (2013): A new case deepens the danger, where protection requires compromises nobody wants to admit.
3. Midnight Betrayal (2014): Trust fractures under pressure, and the threat grows sharper when loyalties shift mid-investigation.
4. Midnight Obsession (2017): The tension turns more intimate and more urgent, as the case forces action without perfect certainty.

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Co-Authored Shared-World Novellas

These are best treated as their own mini-sequences. You can read the entire set in order, or read only the entries credited to Melinda Leigh and still follow the throughline.

Rogue River Novellas (co-authored)

1. On Her Father’s Grave (2014): A first case sets the shared setting and tone, establishing the investigative rhythm.
2. Gone to Her Grave (2014): The danger sharpens as a new case builds on the shared world’s early foundations.
3. Her Grave Secrets (2014): The mystery widens, and the pattern becomes harder to dismiss as coincidence.
4. Walking on Her Grave (2014): The sequence lands with a final push that ties the mini-arc together.

Rogue Winter Novellas (co-authored)

1. Tracks of Her Tears (2015): A winter investigation forces hard decisions when the environment becomes part of the threat.
2. Dead in Her Tracks (2015): The second entry accelerates the hunt, tightening the stakes to a fast conclusion.

Rogue Vows Novellas (co-authored)

1. Death and Her Devotion (2016): A dangerous case tests loyalty under pressure in a relationship-forward setup.
2. Burned by Her Devotion (2016): The follow-up raises the cost of trust, with consequences that can’t be politely avoided.

Rogue Justice Novellas (co-authored)

1. Twisted Truth (2017): A case driven by hidden motives forces the investigators to challenge what they think they know.
2. Truth Be Told (2017): The second entry pays off the tension, where revealing the truth creates new fallout.

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Widow’s Island Novellas (co-authored)

Read in order for the cleanest continuity, especially as recurring relationships and the island’s ongoing tensions accumulate.

1. Close to the Bone (2018): The shared setting locks in, establishing the investigative core and the island’s long memory.
2. A Bone to Pick (2018): A new case tightens personal stakes, forcing sharper calls under scrutiny.
3. Whisper of Bones (2019): The mystery turns more layered, and the island’s secrets prove stubbornly connected.
4. Bred in the Bone (2019): The pressure escalates as the pattern becomes harder to deny and riskier to confront.
5. Below the Bones (2020): The danger broadens, stretching resources and patience at the same time.
6. A Broken Bone (2020): A fresh rupture forces decisive action, with the cost of delay rising quickly.
7. Buried Bones (2021): Hidden history becomes actionable, pulling the present into a confrontation with the past.
8. The Lost Bones (2021): The investigation narrows, with answers tied to what the island refuses to say out loud.
9. Bone Deep (2022): The threat deepens into something more structural, not just personal.
10. The Wrong Bones (2022): A case built on misdirection forces a final recalibration of what the team thinks is true.

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Standalone Novel

1. Echo Road (2024): A fresh cast and setting deliver a self-contained suspense story where the danger grows from what people won’t say.

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Recommended Reading Order Rules

Rule 1: Don’t mix series if you’re reading for character growth.
Pick one lane (Morgan Dane or Bree Taggert) and finish it before hopping.

Rule 2: Publication order inside each series is the spoiler-safe default.
That’s where relationship shifts and backstory reveals land as intended.

Rule 3: Use co-authored novellas as “between novels” palate cleansers.
They’re ideal when you want a complete case without committing to a long arc.

The cleanest starter plan (minimal decision-making)

1. Say You’re Sorry (2017) → continue through Morgan Dane Book 6
2. Cross Her Heart (2020) → continue through Beyond Her Reach (2025)
3. Hour of Need (2014) → finish Scarlet Falls
4. Echo Road (2024) anytime

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Latest Release Status

Most recent released title (as of February 24, 2026):

• Beyond Her Reach (September 16, 2025)

Next scheduled release:

• You Can Tell Me (May 12, 2026)

Further announced:

• Kill For Her (January 12, 2027)