Sophie Medina Books in Order

The Sophie Medina books are mystery-thrillers built around an international photojournalist who is used to being near power, but not protected by it. In Multiple Exposure, Sophie returns to Washington after years in London when her husband, Nick, disappears and is later accused of murder and betrayal. That opening tells you a lot about the series: the danger is personal, the politics are real, and trust is always shaky.

Sophie is a strong lead because she does not move through these stories like a cop or a spy. She moves through them like a reporter with a camera. She watches people closely, notices what falls just outside the frame, and understands how public performance can hide private damage. That makes her a natural guide through embassies, charity galas, monastery gardens, court-adjacent scandals, and homes where very rich people keep dangerous secrets. The suspense feels grounded because Sophie's tools are attention, persistence, and nerve.

Washington is the home base, but the books never feel boxed in.

Crosby uses the capital well, not just the monuments and grand rooms, but the mix of privilege, ambition, old networks, and quiet fear underneath them. The series also reaches outward to London, Russia, and the wider international world Sophie knows from her work. Her cases touch espionage, stolen art, environmental history, church connections, and the kind of political damage that can spread far beyond one victim. Sophie often finds herself among people with money, status, or official power, but she never fully belongs to that world, which keeps the tension alive.

These books move faster than the wine mysteries.

In Ghost Image, Sophie follows the murder of a friar into a hunt tied to a valuable botanical secret. In Blow Up, the death of a Supreme Court justice and the murder of a homeless friend pull her into something that could shake the highest court. In Dodge and Burn, art theft and a newly discovered half-brother turn a murder investigation into a deeply personal trap. Each book has its own central case, but together they build a fuller picture of Sophie's loyalties, grief, and ability to keep going when the ground under her shifts.

If you like smart heroines, high-stakes mysteries, and settings where history and politics matter, this series is easy to sink into. The tone is more thriller than cozy, but Crosby still leaves room for character, friendship, and the human cost of secrets. Start with Multiple Exposure if you can, because Sophie's backstory carries forward, then read in order to watch the pressure around her keep rising.