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Cole Baxter Books in Order

See Cole Baxter books in order, with quick summaries, series notes, and easy starting points for his psychological thrillers, including Carrie Blake.

Last updated: July 4, 2026

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42 books

Stolen Son

by Cole Baxter

2018

Ten years after surviving a kidnapping and waking from a coma, Annabeth is trying to protect her vulnerable son and move on. Then the texts start, and soon Gregory is gone.

Before She's Gone

by Cole Baxter

2019

Jacob and Amanda Corey seem to have a perfect Long Island marriage, until a family suicide rips open the past. As long-buried secrets surface, both of them are forced to face how much of their life has been a lie.

She's Missing

by Cole Baxter

2019

Ellen arrives at a remote bed and breakfast with her baby and a man pretending to be her husband, desperate to stay hidden. When the baby vanishes, the police start asking who she really is and what followed her there.

What She Forgot

by Cole Baxter

2019

After a car accident kills two people, Hannah wakes with no memory of her life, her husband, or her daughters. The more inconsistencies she notices around her, the less she believes the story she has been told.

Did He Do It

by Cole Baxter

2020

Arielle wakes to find her husband murdered, and the obvious suspect is the troubled artist who had been working in their home. But as memories return and doubt grows, the easy answer starts to look dangerously wrong.

Follow You

by Cole Baxter

2020

After a drunken night with a stranger, struggling writer Dale expects never to see Chelsea again. Instead she becomes a terrifying presence in his life, leaving him hunted, paranoid, and unsure which enemy is closing in.

Perfect Obsession

by Cole Baxter

2020

Ani thinks wealthy Julian Wade is the answer to all her problems, especially because he never asks about her past. But Julian knows far more than he should, and his interest in her is anything but innocent.

Prime Suspect

by Cole Baxter

2020

Laurie runs from her violent husband to save her life, only to be dragged back when he dies in an arson fire. As suspicion falls on her, she teams up with a private investigator to uncover who really lit the match.

The Perfect Nanny

by Cole Baxter

2020

After surrogacy gives them the son they longed for, Michael and Cynthia's family life starts to unravel around their troubled boy. Their gifted new nanny seems like a miracle, until the perfect arrangement turns sinister.

Trust a Stranger

by Cole Baxter

2020

Lonely and newly separated from her abusive husband, Mary is grateful when a glamorous older woman takes her under her wing. Then her husband turns up dead, and Mary's new friendship starts to look like a trap.

What Happened Last Night

by Cole Baxter

2020

When a teenage mistress turns up dead, LAPD detective Jamie Del Rey faces two perfect suspects, the cheating husband and the furious wife. Both claim they remember nothing, which only makes the truth more dangerous.

Deadly Truth

by Cole Baxter

2021

NYPD detectives Carrie Blake and Tom Elway are drawn into a vigilante murder case that points straight at Carrie's family. As loyalty, revenge, and a terrifying drug collide, the truth gets dangerously close to home.

Finding The Other Woman

by Cole Baxter

2021

Amelia lost four years of memories in the crash that killed her father, and her husband insists the past is best left buried. But when another woman's name slips out in his sleep, Amelia starts digging anyway.

Going Insane

by Cole Baxter

2021

Occult novelist Brandy Lawson inherits an isolated farmhouse tied to the cult she escaped long ago. Strange events make her question her sanity, her marriage, and whether the real threat is in the house or inside her own mind.

Panic Pond

by Cole Baxter

2021

Detective Amber Smith goes undercover at a gas station after a costly break-in rattles Liars Island. Class bias, local grudges, and a town full of secrets make a simple case much harder to solve.

What She Witnessed

by Cole Baxter

2021

Kelly has already fought to clear her name once, and now her troubled teenage son thinks he may have killed his missing girlfriend. To save him, she must face suspicious police and a ruthless mother-in-law with no conscience.

Deadly Justice

by Cole Baxter

2022

Carrie Blake and Tom Elway go undercover as a wealthy couple in a high-tech Manhattan tower to catch a killer hiding among the city's richest residents. The deeper they dig, the more depraved and dangerous the case becomes.

I Won't Let You Go

by Cole Baxter

2022

After discovering her boyfriend is cheating, Emily ends up stranded on a lonely highway with no signal and no safe ride home. The stranger who keeps offering help knows too much, and he refuses to leave her alone.

The Betrayal

by Cole Baxter

2022

Erin flees her violent past for a remote island, hoping for peace. Instead she finds a pushy new admirer, news that her ex is out of prison, and a killer loose in a community hiding a far deadlier secret.

The Night Nurse

by Cole Baxter

2022

Laura returns home to care for her widowed father, whose dementia is getting worse by the day. The nurse and her brother seem like a blessing, until accidents pile up and the old man starts saying he is being poisoned.

The Perfect Cheerleader

by Cole Baxter

2022

At Sherman Oaks High, Bea Ardent rules through fear, money, and cruelty. When a warm, popular transfer student threatens her crown, Bea's campaign to stay on top turns vicious and dangerous.

The Perfect Suitor

by Cole Baxter

2022

Still grieving her husband three years later, Charlene slowly opens her heart to the charming Samuel. But when his behavior turns strange, she starts to fear the perfect new man in her life may have chosen her for darker reasons.

The Perfect Surrogate

by Cole Baxter

2022

Widowed single mom Carrie thinks a surrogacy deal with a glamorous Hollywood couple will save her life. Instead she lands in a luxurious prison with a controlling mother, a predatory father, and danger closing in.

I Will Find You

by Cole Baxter

2023

Maria has rebuilt her life with a wealthy new husband and every reason to keep the past buried. Then the dangerous man who once helped her escape tracks her down and demands that she kill again.

The Couple Next Door

by Cole Baxter

2023

Successful defense lawyer Amber Dennis has money, status, and a promising new relationship, until threatening emails start landing in her inbox. The stalker wants revenge, and they may be far closer than Amber realizes.

The Doppelganger

by Cole Baxter

2023

On a tropical family holiday, Emmeline's troubled husband vanishes into the forest after a terrible argument. When he comes back, everyone welcomes him, but Emmeline is certain the man standing there is not really Jeffrey.

The Hollow Husband

by Cole Baxter

2023

Stella thinks she has finally found the perfect man in wealthy, polished David. But once she becomes pregnant and a serial killer starts targeting men around town, she begins to fear her husband may be hiding something monstrous.

The Lost Son

by Cole Baxter

2023

Meg wakes from a coma to learn her ten-year-old son supposedly died in the blast that shattered her life. Refusing to accept the official story, she follows the trail into San Francisco's criminal underworld.

The Patient

by Cole Baxter

2023

Released from a mental institution after serving time for a murder he cannot remember, James is sent to live under house arrest in his late father's home. Hallucinations, missing objects, and buried memories make him doubt everything.

Don't Open The Door

by Cole Baxter

2024

Samson lets two stranded young women into his house for what seems like a harmless favor. He wakes to blackmail, ruin, and a missing memory, then decides to hunt down the women who destroyed his life.

Her Secret Revenge

by Cole Baxter

2024

After catching her husband with his mistress, a devastated wife joins forces with the other betrayed spouse to get revenge. Their plan starts as a scare tactic, then spins into something far more deadly.

Her Simple Request

by Cole Baxter

2024

Daniel rescues a woman named Carlotta from a violent attack and gets pulled into the wreckage that follows. When the justice system fails her and she asks for an unthinkable favor, his past and his conscience collide.

His Secret Child

by Cole Baxter

2024

At her father's funeral, Rose meets a woman claiming to be his hidden daughter and her half sister. The family embraces Ava, but Rose sees shifting stories, dangerous manipulation, and the possibility that her father's death was no accident.

The Anniversary

by Cole Baxter

2024

A romantic anniversary dinner ends with a hospital bed, a dead stranger, and a husband insisting his wife was driving. She knows he is lying, but proving why he framed her may cost even more.

The Doctor's Secret

by Cole Baxter

2024

City coroner Stacy Lewis refuses to believe her fiance is a serial killer, even when the detective on the case, her ex, is certain of it. Then more women disappear, and her loyalty becomes a deadly gamble.

The Lawyer’s Game

by Cole Baxter

2024

A cocky tech mogul heads to a snowbound ski retreat expecting flirtation and easy fun. Instead he finds himself trapped inside a mock courtroom game that turns into a brutal reckoning with his own secrets.

The Perfect Daughter

by Cole Baxter

2024

Recovering from a suicide attempt, Christa agrees to welcome her husband's newly discovered daughter into their home. Jewel seems almost too perfect, and soon Christa's marriage, sanity, and safety all begin to fray.

Deadly Feud

by Cole Baxter

2025

A rash of deadly overdoses pulls Carrie Blake and Tom Elway into New York's rave scene and a vicious political family feud. At the center is a new designer drug, a rising body count, and powerful people willing to bury the truth.

Deadly Lie

by Cole Baxter

2025

When Manhattan elites start dying inside their own high-security homes, Carrie Blake and Tom Elway face a killer who seems to control the game. A hacker, a tech mogul, and a direct threat to Carrie raise the stakes fast.

The Obsession Pact

by Cole Baxter

2025

Blanche is trapped in a loveless marriage to a controlling congressman, so an affair feels like her only taste of freedom. Then her lover turns obsessive, and escape becomes a fight for survival.

The Other Woman's Secret

by Cole Baxter

2025

Detective Kyle Wallace cannot ignore his ex when she says her powerful husband is dangerous and she needs help. But once Kyle starts digging, a murder throws suspicion everywhere and puts them both in deeper peril.

The Woman At The Door

by Cole Baxter

2025

Powerful CEO David Evans thinks he can control any situation, until a seductive stranger enters his life and his mansion becomes a trap. As his health and authority crumble, he realizes she is not acting alone.

Where should I start?

If you want the signature memory-and-secrets thrillers: What She ForgotFinding The Other WomanThe Perfect Suitor
If you want police procedural suspense: Deadly TruthDeadly JusticeDeadly FeudDeadly Lie
If you want domestic danger and relationship drama: The Night NurseThe AnniversaryHer Secret Revenge
If you want to start at the beginning: Stolen SonBefore She's GoneShe's Missing

Author bio

Cole Baxter writes psychological thrillers built around pressure, bad choices, and last-minute reveals. He grew up in New York, and in the short public notes attached to his books he has said the crime around him there helped push him toward suspense fiction. That background shows in the work. Even when the stories move to quiet suburbs, islands, or luxury high-rises, danger never feels far away.

His fiction career started with Stolen Son in 2018. That debut already carried many of the things that would become familiar in later books: a missing child, buried trauma, and a protagonist forced to dig through lies while the clock runs down. It was the first step in what quickly became a very busy run of suspense novels.

Then the books came fast.

Over the next several years, Baxter built a large backlist of standalone thrillers and a smaller detective series. Books like What She Forgot, Finding The Other Woman, and The Perfect Suitor lean hard into memory loss, unstable relationships, and the uneasy feeling that the person closest to you may be hiding the worst secret. Readers who pick him up for the first time usually know what they are getting: short chapters, immediate jeopardy, and a final stretch that likes to pull the rug out from under everybody.

He is also a notably prolific writer. Newer titles such as The Anniversary, Her Secret Revenge, His Secret Child, and The Perfect Daughter show the same interest in marriages under strain, families built on secrets, and characters who discover the truth only after their lives have already started to crack. Baxter does not spend much time warming up. He tends to throw his characters into trouble early and keep tightening the screws.

A lot of his stories begin with a simple, everyday setup. A woman wakes after an accident. A grieving spouse meets someone new. A family hires help. A stranger offers kindness. Then the danger starts to spread. In The Night Nurse, The Hollow Husband, and Don't Open The Door, ordinary domestic life turns threatening in a hurry. He likes characters who are already vulnerable before the main plot even fully kicks in, which gives many of his books that cornered, breathless feeling.

He also writes crime fiction that moves more like a police procedural. The Detective Carrie Blake novels pair Carrie Blake with Tom Elway as they work brutal cases in New York. Those books, beginning with Deadly Truth, still have Baxter's taste for twists, but they spend more time on investigation, uneasy partnership, and the cost of chasing violent people for a living. They add a darker city-crime thread to a bibliography that is otherwise heavy on domestic suspense.

One thing links almost all of his work: mistrust. Baxter returns again and again to false identities, blackmail, obsession, coercive relationships, and the fear that memory itself may not be reliable. His settings vary, from Manhattan towers to isolated islands to polished homes that look perfectly safe from the street, but the emotional landscape stays pretty consistent. Someone knows more than they are saying. Someone is being watched. Someone is about to make a very bad decision.

Outside fiction, Baxter has also been described as a practicing primary care physician, which adds an interesting extra note to his career. It may help explain why his books are often so interested in bodies under stress, fragile minds, and the blurry line between care and control.

He keeps a fairly low public profile.

But the books tell you plenty. If you like psychological suspense driven by secrets, manipulation, and sharp end-of-book turns, Cole Baxter has made a habit of delivering exactly that.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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