Yet another in a series of questions asked me at in-person book events.

I have 30-plus works published: novels, novellas, novelettes, and short story collections. Those works collectively span nearly 50 years of time and history, and they were published not in chronological order.

Why?

Because it depended on when a manuscript was ready for publication. Many of my current works had their beginnings in the 1980s and 1990s, when I held a full-time job. Without exception, they all had to be put aside for the job that paid the bills. So, when I retired to write for me, I concentrated on finishing a standalone novel that took place in early 2001. I started that novel in 2001, but then things happened that year. I didn’t pick that manuscript up again until nearly 10 years later.

Seeing how many books I have, people often ask me, “Where do I start?”

That’s not an easy question to answer. I can recall when each book was published but often not the when of its content.

So, I sat down Monday morning and figured out what that chronological order would be, and here you are:

Books in Chronological Order

For My Country – takes place 1957 – 2020; published in 2024

Love Death – takes place 1958 – 1989; published in 2021

Taking Her Bows – takes place 1961 – 2026; published in 2024

A Spy’s Legacy – takes place 1963 – 2003; published in 2024

The Devil Passed By – takes place in 1979; published in 2025

Dateline: Belgrade – takes place in the 1990s

The Yellow Scarf – takes place in 1992-1993; published in 2015

A Perfect Hatred (Series) – takes place 1993 – 1995 with an epilogue in 2001; published 2018 – 2020

My Noble Enemy – takes place in 1999; published in 2015

Self-Inflicted Wounds (Series) – takes place 2000 – 2003; published originally in 2020, updated 2025 – 2026

Old Love Does Not Rust – takes place 2001; published in 2022

A War of Deception (Debut Novel) – takes place in early 2001; published in 2017

Meeting the Enemy (Series) – takes place 2001 – 2004; published in 2022 – 2023

Every Day is a Test – takes place 2013 – 2017; published in 2025

Enemies Domestic (Series) – takes place 2014 – 2024; publication starts in 2026

A Face in the Crowd – takes place 2016; published in 2017

A Change for the Better – takes place in 2017; published in 2020

Short Story Collections

Each collection spans several years, with the stories usually in chronological order, and they tie into most of the novels and series:

Blood Vengeance, published 2012

Spy Flash – a collection of espionage flash fiction, published 2012

The Better Spy – a novel in stories, published 2015

Spy Flash II – a collection of full-length espionage stories, published 2016

Spy Flash III: The Moscow Rules – a collection of short stories based on the CIA’s Moscow Rules, published in 2021

Quintet – a collection of the reader magnets associated with the series, A Perfect Hatred, plus a bonus story, published in 2022

Prologues – a collection of the reader magnets associated with the series, Meeting the Enemy

Which Way Should I Go?

In my reading, obviously not my writing, I’m a linear person. Series where I have a clear idea that the books are chronological appeal to me. I don’t have to guess the when or the sequence. Again, my publishing schedule for my own writing is certainly not linear, though it was logical. Some of my manuscripts were in better shape than others, so I focused on those first.

If you’re most interested in either the back stories of the characters or the historical events portrayed, start with A Spy’s Legacy. If that doesn’t matter to you, go by the publication date for each.

Or read them in whatever sequence suits you. I’m easy that way.

Definitely let me know which way works for you.