New Orleans Books in Order
Part ofLisa Jackson Books in OrderBrowse the New Orleans series by Lisa Jackson in order, with short summaries, series background, and tips on where to start with Bentz and Montoya.
Last updated: January 12, 2026
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Publication Order
17 books
The Last Sinner
by Lisa Jackson
2023
Detectives](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGYV7ZKM%22,%22description%22:%22Detectives) Bentz and Montoya face a case with chilling religious overtones and a killer who wants to be remembered. As the clues tighten, they realize the last sinner may be the one planning the next murder.
Never Die Alone
by Lisa Jackson
2015
A](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P53BXPI%22,%22description%22:%22A) killer targets victims who think they’re safe, and the clues point to someone who hides in plain sight. As the investigation tightens, the message is clear: no one should expect to survive, and some people never die alone.
Never Die Alone
by Lisa Jackson
2015
Devious
by Lisa Jackson
2011
Detectives](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073GVM8S%22,%22description%22:%22Detectives) Bentz and Montoya chase a killer whose crimes feel staged to send a message. As the investigation tightens, Bentz is forced to revisit painful history, and every clue points to someone who enjoys control.
Devious
by Lisa Jackson
2011
Malice
by Lisa Jackson
2009
Detective](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031W1EO0%22,%22description%22:%22Detective) Rick Bentz is pulled into a case that echoes an old nightmare, and the evidence points to someone who knows him too well. With Reuben Montoya at his side, Bentz races to stop a killer driven by malice and memory.
Malice
by Lisa Jackson
2009
Lost Souls
by Lisa Jackson
2008
Detectives](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UFP6A8%22,%22description%22:%22Detectives) Bentz and Montoya investigate a case that blurs the line between the living and the dead, with clues that feel deliberately staged. As the body count rises, they’re forced to confront a killer who loves control.
Lost Souls
by Lisa Jackson
2008
Absolute Fear
by Lisa Jackson
2007
A](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003LO1TZW%22,%22description%22:%22A) killer’s pattern points to a terrifying plan, and the investigators following it realize they may be running out of time. As fear spreads, absolute certainty becomes impossible, and one wrong assumption could be fatal.
Absolute Fear
by Lisa Jackson
2007
Shiver
by Lisa Jackson
2006
Detectives](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037TPMRW%22,%22description%22:%22Detectives) Bentz and Montoya face a case that reaches back into a past investigation and refuses to stay closed. As bodies appear and fear spreads, Bentz realizes the killer may be finishing an old, unfinished story.
Shiver
by Lisa Jackson
2006
Cold Blooded
by Lisa Jackson
2002
Bentz](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXUXUK8%22,%22description%22:%22Bentz) and Montoya return to the hunt as a new string of murders points to a predator who knows how to get inside his victims’ lives. The closer they get, the more the killer seems focused on Bentz himself.
Cold Blooded
by Lisa Jackson
2002
Hot Blooded
by Lisa Jackson
2001
Detective](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SLPWBSA%22,%22description%22:%22Detective) Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya chase a killer whose crimes feel personal, and whose taunts won’t stop. As the case tightens, Bentz is forced to face old guilt and a threat that won’t stay in the past.
Hot Blooded
by Lisa Jackson
2001
Series background & context
Lisa Jackson’s New Orleans series is her signature blend of police-procedural momentum and full-throttle psychological suspense. The books follow detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya as they work cases that keep circling back to obsession, identity, and the ways a killer can use a city’s history as camouflage.
In these stories, the past isn’t background noise. It’s the motive.
New Orleans matters in these novels. The heat, the fog, the old neighborhoods and dark water, all of it adds to the sense that danger can hide in plain sight. Even when the story moves beyond the city limits, the atmosphere stays heavy, like the air before a storm.
The series opens with Hot Blooded, which throws Bentz and Montoya into a case tied to a string of violent deaths and a chilling voice on the phone. From there, titles like Cold Blooded and Shiver keep the pressure on, mixing investigation with personal fallout as the detectives realize they’re not just chasing crimes, they’re being watched.
Bentz is often the emotional center, a cop with a history that won’t stay buried. Montoya is the steady counterweight, sharp, skeptical, and willing to push when Bentz wants to go it alone. Their partnership is a big part of the appeal, because the books treat trust as something you build case by case, especially when the evidence points somewhere nobody wants to look.
Each novel delivers its own central mystery, but the series rewards readers who stick around. Relationships shift. Old mistakes resurface. Witnesses from earlier cases show up with new information, or with reasons to lie. That slow accumulation gives the later books extra punch.
The later entries broaden the mythology without losing the pace. Malice, Devious, and Never Die Alone keep the body count high and the clues slippery, while The Last Sinner brings back old guilt in a way that forces Bentz to question everything he thought he understood about a past investigation.
If you like long-running crime series where the setting is as vivid as the villain, this is a great place to start with Jackson. Read in order if you want the strongest character continuity and callbacks. If you jump in at a later book, you’ll still get a complete case, but you may miss some of the emotional history that makes the stakes feel sharper.
Edited by
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