Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell
thriller
Series · thriller
Kathryn Dance
The Kathryn Dance series by Jeffery Deaver has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Sleeping Doll (2007). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is Solitude Creek.
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2007
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Thriller
- Last checked
Start here: The Sleeping Doll (2007) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Sleeping Doll
The Sleeping Doll is the novel that opens Jeffery Deaver's Kathryn Dance series, published in 2007. It's followed here by Roadside Crosses. It's the natural place to begin the series, which has continued since 2007.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Sleeping Doll - Book 2:
Roadside Crosses
Roadside Crosses is by Jeffery Deaver, the second novel in the Kathryn Dance series, published in 2009. In the reading order it follows The Sleeping Doll and precedes XO.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Roadside Crosses - Book 3:
XO
XO is the Kathryn Dance series' third entry, a novel by Jeffery Deaver, published in 2012, at 468 pages. In the reading order it follows Roadside Crosses and precedes Solitude Creek. It's a direct crossover with Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme, who appears substantially in the book; it's catalogued here as Kathryn Dance #3 rather than duplicated under Lincoln Rhyme.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of XO - Book 4:
Solitude Creek
Solitude Creek is the fourth book in Kathryn Dance, by Jeffery Deaver, published in May 2015. It follows XO as the most recent entry in the series so far.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Solitude Creek
About the Kathryn Dance series
Kathryn Dance is a California Bureau of Investigation agent and kinesics expert — a specialist in reading body language and interrogation who solves cases less through forensic science than through watching how people lie. Jeffery Deaver introduced her as a supporting character in the Lincoln Rhyme novel The Cold Moon before spinning her into her own series with The Sleeping Doll in 2007, giving him a protagonist whose investigative method is the deliberate inverse of Rhyme's: Dance works through human psychology and live interviews rather than physical evidence and a lab.
Set against the Monterey, California coastline rather than Rhyme's New York, the series follows Dance through cases involving cult leaders, and a killer who orchestrates crimes through viral internet content in XO, which also features a substantial Lincoln Rhyme crossover appearance. Deaver's trademark late-book twist endings and meticulous procedural research carry over from the Rhyme books, filtered through Dance's behavioral-analysis lens. Fans of the Lincoln Rhyme series who want the same puzzle-box plotting from a different investigative angle are the natural audience.
Frequently asked questions
How many Kathryn Dance books are there?
Four novels: The Sleeping Doll (2007), Roadside Crosses (2009), XO (2012) and Solitude Creek (2015).
What order should I read the Kathryn Dance books in?
Publication order, starting with The Sleeping Doll. Dance also appears earlier as a supporting character in the Lincoln Rhyme novel The Cold Moon (2006).
Does the Kathryn Dance series connect to Lincoln Rhyme?
Yes. Dance debuts as a supporting character in The Cold Moon, and Lincoln Rhyme makes a substantial crossover appearance in XO (2012).
Is there a new Kathryn Dance book coming?
No new entry has been announced since Solitude Creek (2015).
If you like the Kathryn Dance series
Reading order last verified .