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Kendra Michaels Books in Order

Part ofIris Johansen Books in Order

Explore the Kendra Michaels series by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen with books in order, short summaries, and background on her unusual crime-solving skills.

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Kendra Michaels books in publication order

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12 books

1

Close Your Eyes

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2012

Once blind, music therapist Kendra Michaels uses extraordinary sensory observation to aid investigators. When former FBI agent Adam Lynch says her ex, Jeff Stedler, has vanished while pursuing a serial killer, Kendra is drawn into a murder case that exposes a dangerous conspiracy.

2

With Open Eyes

by Roy Johansen

2012

In this short Kendra Michaels story, a mentor asks for help after her fiancé disappears. Kendra follows the trail into a secret that powerful people want buried.

3

Sight Unseen

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2014

Kendra Michaels, once blind and now unusually perceptive, recognizes that an apparent traffic accident on San Diego’s Cabrillo Bridge is murder. As killings echo cases she previously helped solve, Kendra becomes the focus of a killer determined to turn her own expertise against her.

4

The Naked Eye

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2015

FBI and CIA consultant Kendra Michaels suspects that serial killer Eric Colby survived his reported execution. When a reporter’s murder yields evidence against her, Kendra must prove the killer lives, clear her name, and stop a foe who is turning the investigation against her.

5

Night Watch

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2016

Kendra Michaels, whose restored sight and sharpened senses made her a sought-after investigator, is drawn back to the Night Watch Project when Dr. Charles Waldridge vanishes. Working with Adam Lynch, she uncovers murdered researchers and a threat tied to the operation that changed her life.

6

Look Behind You

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2017

Kendra Michaels assists the FBI after a San Diego serial killer leaves apparently random objects at murder scenes. The evidence points to older unsolved crimes and a killer determined to challenge Kendra, placing the investigators themselves in the line of fire.

7

Double Blind

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2018

Kendra Michaels becomes involved when a murdered woman near her home leaves an envelope addressed to Kendra containing a wedding video. After the bride disappears, Kendra, Adam Lynch, and private investigator Jessie Mercado pursue a killer whose scheme reaches into corporate and legal power.

8

Hindsight

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2020

Formerly blind investigator Kendra Michaels returns to the school where she grew up after two staff members are murdered. As she applies her unusually sharp senses to the case, she uncovers a dangerous secret that puts both the school and herself at risk.

9

Blink of an Eye

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2021

Investigator Kendra Michaels leads the search when superstar Delilah Winter is kidnapped during a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Drawing on her exceptional powers of observation, Kendra and former bodyguard Jessie Mercado race to locate the singer as the case grows deadlier.

10

More Than Meets the Eye

by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

2023

A serial killer dies in an explosion while leading police to a burial site, then murders in his style keep happening. Kendra Michaels teams with the only survivor of his attacks to find the partner still at work.

11

Flashback

by Roy Johansen

2024

Two sisters disappear while hunting the truth about the long-ago serial killer who murdered their mother. Kendra Michaels follows their cold-case clues and may end up drawing the killer back into the open.

12
New

Wait and See

by Roy Johansen

2026

A cryptic message tells Kendra Michaels that Adam Lynch is in serious trouble and can trust almost no one. Following the clues to London, Kendra and Jessie Mercado uncover a secret worth killing for.

Series background & context

The Kendra Michaels series follows a music therapist whose powers of observation make her valuable to law enforcement. Written by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen, the thrillers begin with a woman who was born blind and gained her sight through experimental surgery at twenty. The listening, smelling, and attention to detail she developed before that operation remain part of how she understands the world. Those skills bring her into investigations that can threaten the ordinary life she would rather keep.

Kendra doesn't need to be looking for trouble to notice it.

Her work helping people through music therapy gives her a life apart from criminal investigation. The FBI and other agencies, however, recognize that she can draw conclusions from details most people overlook. A sound, scent, or small physical trace may reveal something that a more obvious piece of evidence doesn't. The series builds suspense around that gap between what a scene seems to show and what Kendra can infer from being there.

In Close Your Eyes, former FBI agent Adam Lynch asks for her help. Kendra initially wants to stay out of his case, until she learns that her former partner, Agent Jeff Stedler, is missing and may have encountered a serial killer. A professional request becomes personal, giving her a reason to enter the investigation despite her reluctance. Lynch also becomes part of the recurring tension between her wish for independence and the dangerous work that repeatedly reaches into her life.

Sight Unseen gives a clear example of how the series uses Kendra's perception. She recognizes that an apparent traffic accident on San Diego's Cabrillo Bridge is actually a murder scene. As further deaths occur, details begin to echo investigations she has handled before. Someone seems to be using her earlier cases as a pattern, transforming her success at detecting crime into something a killer can exploit. Her past work becomes a threat to her present safety and to the people around her.

San Diego provides an important base, with familiar streets and institutions becoming places where an ordinary event can conceal a violent purpose. The cases don't stay safely at a distance from Kendra's relationships. Her connections with Lynch and others add emotional pressure to her decisions, while the killers' awareness of her abilities can place her directly in their sights. The central question is often whether noticing the truth will give her enough time to act on it.

These are crime thrillers with action and an ongoing romantic tension, built around close observation rather than a supernatural explanation for Kendra's talent. Close Your Eyes introduces her involvement with Lynch and the investigative world. Following the novels in order lets readers see how that involvement expands, while each new case gives her senses another dangerous puzzle to solve.

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 shape MRB and its growth.

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