Line of Duty Books in Order

The Line of Duty books are where Tessa Bailey first staked her claim as a writer of dirty-talking, soft-hearted cops. Set between Chicago and New York, the series follows a loose-knit group of officers and the civilians who knock them sideways, mixing high heat with genuine emotional stakes.

It all starts with Protecting What’s His, where Nashville waitress Ginger Peet steals a bag of drug money to give herself and her younger sister a fresh start in Chicago. Their new apartment comes with a complication: Derek Tyler, a possessive, overworked homicide lieutenant who lives across the hall. Ginger is on the run and doesn’t trust authority; Derek lives for rules and control. Their collision is loud, sexy, and ultimately about learning that safety isn’t just something you provide for others—it’s something you deserve yourself.

Subsequent stories spin off to other officers in Derek’s orbit. His Risk to Take pairs Chicago homicide cop Troy Bennett, still grieving the loss of his partner, with Ruby Elliott, a whip-smart pool hustler who has spent her life skating the edge of the law. She’s trouble, he’s sworn off chaos, and yet they can’t stay away from each other—even when Ruby’s dangerous past tangles with one of Troy’s cases.

In Officer Off Limits, kindergarten teacher Story Brooks has just been jilted when she flies to New York to care for her estranged father, a legendary NYPD hostage negotiator. There she meets Daniel, her dad’s protégée, who has been strictly warned not to go near her. Their forbidden, deeply tender romance blends gallows humor with the pressure of life-and-death calls.

Asking For Trouble throws together Brent, a rough explosives cop with a chip on his shoulder, and Hayden, a polished society event planner who wants nothing to do with him—except that their best friends are getting married and keep forcing them into each other’s orbit. What starts as insults and one-upmanship slides into some of the dirtiest, most vulnerable encounters in the series.

The final book, Staking His Claim, follows sniper Matt Donovan, a man who believes he’s too dark for anything soft, and Lucy, his best friend’s younger sister, who tricks him into a cross-country road trip. Their dynamic explores possessiveness, trust, and what happens when the “good girl” sees right through the hero’s armor.

Taken together, Line of Duty reads like a connected friend group growing up on the job. You’ll see familiar faces pop in and out, crimes to be solved, and a city backdrop that feels lived-in. Most of all, you’ll get cops who talk tough, love harder, and have to learn that vulnerability is not a liability—it’s the whole point.