Helen Warwick Books in Order

The Helen Warwick series follows a woman who thought retirement would mean time with her family. Helen is fifty-five, highly trained, and formerly a CIA assassin. Her adult children do not know the full truth about the work that kept her away for much of their lives.

Retirement does not take.

In Second Shot, Helen is trying to reconnect with her family when hired killers attack her son's home. Old enemies, intelligence connections, and a serial killer who turns murder into a spectacle draw her back into the life she hoped was behind her. Helen's skills are still sharp, but the case also forces her to face the personal damage left by decades of secrecy.

Double Tap raises the danger when an apparent sniper attack targets Helen's son, Mitch, during his campaign for district attorney in Washington, D.C. Helen returns to the CIA's orbit to hunt Scorpius, a dangerous adversary with deep institutional connections.

These are straight thrillers, not romantic suspense. Their hook is Helen herself: a mother and grandmother-aged former operative whose experience is an advantage, even if her enemies expect her to be overlooked. She can be practical, ruthless, protective, and unexpectedly funny.

Start with Second Shot, then read Double Tap. The second book continues threats and relationships established in the first, so this is a series best read in order.