Taylor Jackson Books in Order
Part ofJ T Ellison Books in OrderFind the Taylor Jackson novels by J.T. Ellison in order, with plot overviews, series background, and suggestions on the best reading order for this Nashville‑set homicide‑detective series.
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Taylor Jackson books in publication order
12 books
All the Pretty Girls
by J.T. Ellison
2007
Nashville homicide detective Taylor Jackson and FBI profiler John Baldwin join forces when a serial killer's trail reaches her city. An ambitious reporter's involvement complicates their hunt for a murderer leaving gruesome reminders of earlier victims.
14
by J.T. Ellison
2008
Four new murders reproduce the signature of Nashville's long-dormant Snow White Killer. Lieutenant Taylor Jackson suspects a copycat studying notorious crimes, and must determine how the new killings connect to the city's unresolved past.
Judas Kiss
by J.T. Ellison
2008
Taylor Jackson investigates a pregnant woman's brutal murder, initially suspecting her husband. Evidence of a trafficking network complicates the case, while private videos expose Taylor to public humiliation and threaten her career as she pursues the wider conspiracy.
The Cold Room
by J.T. Ellison
2010
A serial killer targeting young women in America and Europe brings Nashville detective Taylor Jackson together with FBI profiler John Baldwin and Scotland Yard's Memphis Highsmythe. Their investigation is complicated by personal tensions as they track the elusive murderer.
The Immortals
by J.T. Ellison
2010
Eight Nashville teenagers are found dead on Halloween, their bodies marked with occult symbols. Newly reinstated Lieutenant Taylor Jackson investigates the apparent ritual killings while public fear and anger threaten to overwhelm a city desperate for answers.
Slices of Night
by Alex Kava
2011
This collaborative novella follows three investigators in three cities, all circling the same elusive predator. In Alex Kava’s section, FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell hunts a killer targeting homeless people in Omaha, racing to catch him before he slips away to claim another victim elsewhere.
So Close the Hand of Death
by J.T. Ellison
2011
Murders imitating notorious American serial killers signal the return of the Pretender and his followers. Taylor Jackson prepares for another confrontation, but protecting her loved ones leaves her isolated as the killings strain police and FBI resources.
Where All the Dead Lie
by J.T. Ellison
2011
Unable to speak after a violent confrontation, Taylor Jackson retreats to a Scottish castle to recover. Disturbing events, traumatic memories, and medication undermine her sense of reality as she struggles to distinguish haunting from a living threat.
Blood Sugar Baby
by J.T. Ellison
2015
A prominent Nashville resident's body is discovered after a protest, followed by another victim with matching wounds. Taylor Jackson follows evidence of a traveling killer whose earlier crimes suggest he has repeatedly evaded capture elsewhere.
Field of Graves
by J.T. Ellison
2015
A serial killer seeking to stage an apocalypse terrorizes Nashville. This prequel follows Lieutenant Taylor Jackson and FBI profiler John Baldwin as they meet and investigate ritual murders while coping with the damage left by their own pasts.
Whiteout
by J.T. Ellison
2015
Taylor Jackson attends an intelligence conference in place of John Baldwin when a blizzard traps everyone at a Chesapeake Bay hotel. Missing guests and a murdered attendee reveal an assassin among the spies, with outside assistance impossible.
The Wolves Come at Night
by J.T. Ellison
2023
A country singer’s murder shakes Nashville, then the college student who witnessed it disappears. Taylor Jackson follows the crimes beyond the music industry into a dangerous conspiracy, where a vengeful assassin threatens her career and moral certainty.
Series background & context
The Taylor Jackson series centers on a Nashville homicide lieutenant who has built her reputation on going after the kinds of killers most detectives hope never to meet. Set against a city known for music and nightlife, the books show Taylor working the other Nashville, the one defined by crime scenes, autopsy suites and long, sleepless shifts.
In the early novels, Taylor and her team hunt a serial killer who leaves severed hands as calling cards, then face a murderer who seems to be copying an infamous case from her past. Later entries introduce art‑obsessed predators, cult‑tinged crimes and offenders who treat the city as their personal stage. Ellison uses these investigations to explore not just the mechanics of a case file, but also how media attention, politics and public fear shape what a detective is allowed to do.
Taylor’s personal life is deeply entwined with her work. She is engaged to, and later partnered with, FBI profiler John Baldwin, and their relationship threads through the series as both a source of strength and a point of tension. Friends and colleagues in the homicide squad form a second family around her, but one that is constantly under strain from burnout, trauma and the knowledge that any call could be the one that goes bad.
The series makes strong use of Nashville itself. Scenes move from crime scenes along the river to high‑end neighborhoods, honky‑tonks and backstage corridors, reinforcing the sense that violence can erupt anywhere, even in places tourists associate with music and good times. The city’s blend of Southern tradition and rapid growth gives Taylor plenty of fault lines to navigate.
At its core, this is a character‑driven police procedural. Readers spend as much time inside Taylor’s head as they do parsing clues, watching her deal with command decisions, bad press, political pressure and her own doubts. The tone is dark but not hopeless, with just enough humor and camaraderie to keep the books from feeling bleak.
You can begin with the original first novel, All the Pretty Girls, or with the later prequel Field of Graves, which shows how Taylor and Baldwin first crossed paths. Reading in order lets you watch the squad evolve and gives extra weight to the cases that come back to haunt them, but each book also tells a complete story for readers who prefer to jump straight to whichever premise grabs them most.
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