Crossing the Line Books in Order

Crossing the Line is one of Tessa Bailey’s darker, more suspense-flavored series, built around an off-the-books squad that pairs cops with criminals to take down worse criminals. The books are high on tension and high on heat, with morally gray characters who have to decide how far they’re willing to go for justice—and for love.

The prequel novella Riskier Business revisits Troy Bennett and Ruby Elliott after the events of His Risk to Take. Ruby is trying to stay on the straight and narrow after a lifetime of pool hustling, but one last offer from her con artist father pulls her back into danger. Troy, now NYPD, is torn between his instinct to control everything and his fear of hurting Ruby if he lets the darkest parts of himself out to play.

In Risking It All, former nurse Seraphina Newsom goes rogue when her brother’s murder investigation is written off as too dangerous. She joins the NYPD and infiltrates a Brooklyn crime ring on her own time, determined to find the ledger that will put the kingpin away. Bowen Driscol, reluctant heir to that criminal empire, is blackmailed into extracting the rogue cop before she gets killed. Their relationship, built on lies, lust, and shared fury at the system, forces both of them to question who the real villains are.

Up in Smoke follows Connor Bannon, a dishonorably discharged former SEAL who has been working muscle for his cousin’s operation. When he’s folded into the undercover squad, he’s suddenly on the side of the angels—but still very much himself. His match is Erin O’Dea, a brilliant, chaotic arsonist who hates authority and panics at the idea of confinement. Their dynamic is a careful balance of restraint and freedom, control and surrender, all while they navigate fires both literal and figurative.

In Boiling Point, consummate chameleon and con man Austin Shaw is forced to use his skills for the squad instead of against them. Polly Banks, a hacker chasing the criminal who destroyed her found family, has every reason to hate men like Austin. Their partnership drips with distrust and reluctant attraction, as each one has to decide whether to gamble their mission—and their heart—on someone with a history of deception.

The series closes with Raw Redemption, where disgraced cop Henrik Vance is obsessed with rescuing Ailish O’Kelly, the blind daughter of a ruthless crime boss. Henrik already lost his badge trying to save her once. When he crashes her fragile attempt at a new life, they’re both forced to confront addiction, betrayal, and the possibility that choosing each other could cost them everything.

Throughout Crossing the Line you’ll see cameos, overlapping cases, and a steady drumbeat of one question: can you build a future with someone who has seen—and done—the worst, and still believe you deserve a happy ending?