Riley Spartz Books in Order

Riley Spartz is the kind of reporter who chases the story even when her boss would rather lead with fluff. In Julie Kramer's thriller series, Riley works as an investigative TV reporter for Channel 3 in the Twin Cities, where every murder, missing person, and on-air decision is tangled up with ratings. The books begin with Stalking Susan and carry that same mix of danger, deadlines, and media politics through Delivering Death.

Ratings matter here.

That newsroom setting is the engine of the series. Riley is not a detective with a badge. She's a reporter, which means she has to balance public service, competition, shaky sources, anxious police, and the very real need to keep her job. She wants the truth, but she also knows a strong story can save a career or wreck one. Kramer gets a lot of tension out of that push and pull, and it gives the books a sharp, lived-in feel.

Each book sends Riley into a different kind of case. Missing Mark starts with a never-worn wedding dress and turns into a missing-person investigation. Silencing Sam makes Riley the prime suspect after a gossip columnist is killed. Killing Kate leans into a creepy Midwestern legend with an angel-linked killer. Shunning Sarah brings her into an Amish community that does not want outside attention. Delivering Death opens with a package of human teeth and spirals into homicide and identity theft. The crimes change, but Riley's stubbornness never does.

Minnesota matters too.

These novels are rooted in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding region, and that sense of place is a big part of the appeal. Kramer uses local landmarks, weather, class tensions, and small-town rhythms without turning the books into travel brochures. The tone is fast, smart, and often darkly funny, but it also leaves room for grief, frustration, and the messiness of ordinary lives. Across the series, Riley keeps running into the same big question: what happens when the need to tell a story collides with the cost of living inside it?

The books are richer in order because Riley's personal and professional life keeps moving, but each mystery has its own hook and payoff. If you like crime fiction with a strong point of view, real newsroom texture, and a heroine who refuses to back off, Riley Spartz is easy to settle into. She feels less like a superhuman sleuth and more like a very human reporter trying to stay one step ahead of both killers and producers.