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Kendra Michaels (Roy Johansen) Books in Order

Part ofRoy Johansen Books in Order

See the Kendra Michaels books by Roy Johansen and Iris Johansen in order, with quick summaries, series background, and an easy guide to where to start.

Last updated: June 7, 2026

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Kendra Michaels (Roy Johansen) books in publication order

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13 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

Killer View

by Roy Johansen

2022

Private investigator Jessie Mercado takes a missing-person case tied to a company that helps wealthy clients prepare for prison. As witnesses die and secrets pile up, Jessie and Kendra Michaels uncover a lethal conspiracy.

11

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.

12

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.

13
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.

Kendra Michaels (Roy Johansen) books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "With Open Eyes"

    With Open Eyes

    by Roy Johansen

    2012Kendra Michaels, Book 2
  2. Book cover for "Killer View"

    Killer View

    by Roy Johansen

    2022Kendra Michaels, Book 10
  3. Book cover for "More Than Meets the Eye"

    More Than Meets the Eye

    by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen

    2023Kendra Michaels, Book 11
  4. Book cover for "Flashback"

    Flashback

    by Roy Johansen

    2024Kendra Michaels, Book 12
  5. Book cover for "Wait and See"

    Wait and See

    by Roy Johansen

    2026Kendra Michaels, Book 13

Series background & context

Kendra Michaels is one of those thriller leads whose whole way of seeing the world changes the story. Blind for the first twenty years of her life, she learned to rely on sound, smell, touch, rhythm, and tiny shifts in other people that most of us would never notice. After a revolutionary surgery restores her sight, she builds a life as a music therapist in Southern California. But by the time Close Your Eyes begins, law enforcement has already figured out that Kendra notices things nobody else does.

She is not a cop, and that matters. Kendra does not love rules, procedure, or being told to stay in her lane. She helps because she is good at it, not because she wants a badge. That gives the series a nice edge. The books often start with a baffling crime, a missing person, or a killer who seems to be one move ahead, then let Kendra pick at the small details until the whole thing starts to come apart.

Kendra notices everything.

That gift is what drives the series, but it is also what puts her in danger. Once she spots the clue everyone else missed, she stops being an observer and becomes part of the case. In Sight Unseen, The Naked Eye, Night Watch, and Hindsight, the mysteries do not stay safely at a distance for long. They bend back toward Kendra's past, her surgery, the school for the blind that shaped her, and the people she cares about.

The recurring cast helps a lot. Adam Lynch brings espionage skills, manipulation, and a constant question about how far he is willing to go. Jessie Mercado adds a tougher, more physical energy, and later books such as Killer View give her a bigger share of the spotlight. Around them are federal agents, friends, former colleagues, and the occasional skeptic who learns very quickly that Kendra is usually seeing more than anyone in the room.

The tone is high-stakes thriller, but the books are also puzzle stories. You get serial killers, conspiracies, abductions, chase scenes, and professional predators, yet the real pleasure is watching Kendra build an answer from scraps that look meaningless to everyone else. The setting often starts in San Diego or elsewhere in Southern California, then widens as the cases do.

If you like smart investigators, recurring allies, and fast suspense with a strong central voice, this series is easy to fall into. Start with Close Your Eyes for Kendra's full introduction, then move forward through Sight Unseen, The Naked Eye, Night Watch, and the later run from Hindsight to Wait and See. The plots get bigger, but the appeal stays the same: sharp observation, real momentum, and a heroine who never stops paying attention.

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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