Keith Houghton Books in Order
Browse Keith Houghton’s books in order, with short summaries, series reading guides, thriller background, and clear help choosing the right place to start.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
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Keith Houghton books in publication order
12 books
Killing Hope
by Keith Houghton
2011
After his wife’s murder, LAPD detective Gabe Quinn returns to work only to face a repeat killer bent on breaking him. As killings spread from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Gabe is drawn into a deadly personal game.
Crossing Lines
by Keith Houghton
2012
Former LAPD detective Gabe Quinn is hunting the killers who ruined his life when a mutilated body appears on a Florida beach. The case becomes a desperate race to save a woman from Gabe’s returning nemesis.
Taking Liberty
by Keith Houghton
2013
Imprisoned for the attempted murder of a federal agent, Gabe Quinn sees a chance to make amends when a grisly new case forces his release. To prove himself and stop the killer, he must face the consequences of his past.
No Coming Back
by Keith Houghton
2015
Eighteen years after his girlfriend vanished, Jake Olson returns to his snowy hometown to find her killer. A body at frozen Hangman Falls reignites old hatred, and Jake’s search exposes secrets that powerful people want buried.
Before You Leap
by Keith Houghton
2016
Talk therapist Greg Cole thought he had escaped the trauma of his twin sister’s murder. When her convicted killer is released with a solid alibi, Greg becomes a suspect and must question memories that may be hiding the truth.
Chasing Fame
by Keith Houghton
2017
During Oscar weekend, LAPD detective Gabe Quinn investigates the murder of a Hollywood starlet. When another aspiring actor is killed and footage appears online, Gabe realizes the murderer wants fame as much as blood.
Crash
by Keith Houghton
2018
Jed Allen wakes at a New York desk with no memory of who he is, only clues that he is an architect with a missing girlfriend. A bloodied dress and a serial-killer investigation make his lost past terrifyingly urgent.
A Place Called Fear
by Keith Houghton
2019
Maggie Novak’s New Year takes a dark turn when her missing detective colleague dies in alarming circumstances. With the homicide squad under threat and secrets spreading through the department, she must learn who is targeting the cops.
Don't Even Breathe
by Keith Houghton
2019
Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak investigates a burned body that seems tied to a school friend who died in a fire twenty years earlier. To stop a new killer, she must confront a cruel teenage prank and the guilt she has carried ever since.
The Other Child
by Keith Houghton
2020
Detective Maggie Novak investigates the stabbing of a beloved judge during Valentine’s weekend. As his spotless reputation starts to crack and a witness vanishes, Maggie uncovers a family secret that may put a child in danger.
Her Only Regret
by Keith Houghton
2021
When a young woman is found dead at a Florida island party spot, Detective Maggie Novak doubts the accidental-drowning story. Digging into Christie Coleman’s secretive life and risky relationships, Maggie must find the killer before more evidence disappears.
Toledo Blend
by Keith Houghton
2022
As a Louisiana town prepares to honor country star Lauren McKinney ten years after her murder, police chief Mitch Brockette faces a fresh killing. The new case tears open old wounds and raises a chilling question: was the wrong person convicted?
Where to start with Keith Houghton
For the Gabe Quinn story from the beginning: Chasing Fame → Killing Hope → Crossing Lines → Taking Liberty
For Florida police procedurals: Don’t Even Breathe → A Place Called Fear → The Other Child → Her Only Regret
For an amnesia-driven standalone: Crash
For past-haunted psychological mysteries: Before You Leap → No Coming Back
Keith Houghton sub-series and character series
Gabe Quinn books in order
Explore this seriesMaggie Novak books in order
Explore this seriesStandalone Keith Houghton books
Author bio
Keith Houghton is an English writer of crime and psychological thrillers. He describes himself as a Lancashire lad, and he grew up reading encyclopedias, an early habit that fits someone who now builds plots around clues, hidden connections, and people with plenty to hide.
Writing started young. At thirteen, Houghton began an epic space opera called Hisk, and by eighteen he had completed a full-length sword-and-sorcery fantasy novel, The Well of Magic. He also wrote drama screenplays and three comedy plays for the stage, including one that was produced by an English theatre company.
For years, writing shared space with other interests. In the mid-2000s, he ran an international online gaming community centered on Halo and Battlefield 2. He left that work in 2008 to focus on a new novel, Killing Hope, a decision that set the direction for the books that followed.
That was the turn.
Published in 2011, Killing Hope introduced LAPD detective Gabe Quinn, a damaged investigator pulled into a case that reaches from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Houghton continued Quinn’s story in Crossing Lines and Taking Liberty, then later wrote the prequel novella Chasing Fame. The books combine murder investigations, personal grudges, and a lead character whose work is never neatly separated from his losses.
He later introduced Florida homicide detective Maggie Novak in Don’t Even Breathe. The Maggie novels, including A Place Called Fear, The Other Child, and Her Only Regret, stay close to the practical work of an investigation while making each case personal for their detective. Houghton also writes standalones such as No Coming Back, Before You Leap, and Crash, where memory, guilt, and uncertain identity become as dangerous as the crime itself.
His stories often return to contrasts: good people making bad calls, bad people finding reasons for what they do, and characters forced to choose between what feels right and what keeps them safe. He likes science fiction as a reader and rock music as a listener, but his published fiction has largely found its home in crime, suspense, and psychological mystery.
Houghton’s books have reached readers in several countries, including Italy and Turkey. He now lives in a small town in northwest England with his wife, Lynn, and enjoys time with his family and five granddaughters when he is not writing.
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