Housewife Assassin Books in Order

How to Read the Housewife Assassin Series

The Housewife Assassin series by Josie Brown is a long-running saga that blends suburban domestic humor, romantic suspense, and high-stakes espionage. The series follows Donna Stone, a suburban mom who discovers that her late husband was a secret agent, leading her to be recruited by Acme Industries. Because the books follow a continuous character arc—particularly the evolution of Donna's relationship with her handsome partner Jack Craig, the growing children, and the overarching mystery of her husband Carl's death—readers should follow the series in order.

We highly recommend reading the books in their publication order. This ensures that you experience the character growth and plot twists exactly as the author intended. Below is the complete guide to the main series, prequels, and related works to keep your reading journey on track.

The Official Publication Order

Here is the full list of the Housewife Assassin books in order of release, including their original publication years. Josie Brown has written both full-length novels and holiday-themed novellas that fit directly into this chronology:

1. The Housewife Assassin's Handbook (2011) - The essential starting point where Donna Stone first enters the world of Acme Industries after her husband Carl's death.
2. The Housewife Assassin's Guide to Gracious Killing (2012) - Donna tackles her first major international threat while juggling school drop-offs and PTA drama.
3. The Housewife Assassin's Killer Christmas Tips (2012) - A festive holiday novella that introduces seasonal stakes and domestic chaos.
4. The Housewife Assassin's Relationship Survival Guide (2013) - Donna balances her evolving romantic chemistry with Jack Craig while neutralizing a biochemical weapon.
5. The Housewife Assassin's Vacation to Die for (2013) - A tropical mission on a resort island that blends vacation relaxation with deadly bioterrorist threats.
6. The Housewife Assassin's Recipes for Disaster (2013) - A culinary espionage thriller where Donna must thwart a global poisoning plot.
7. The Housewife Assassin's Hollywood Scream Play (2014) - Donna goes undercover on a movie set to protect a high-profile Hollywood star.
8. The Housewife Assassin's Killer App (2014) - Silicon Valley gets a taste of domestic espionage as Donna tracks a brilliant cyber hacker.
9. The Housewife Assassin's Hostage Hosting Tips (2014) - Donna is forced to handle dangerous hostage negotiations while maintaining her perfect suburban home.
10. The Housewife Assassin's Tips for Weddings, Weapons, and Warfare (2015) - A chaotic blend of wedding planning, family drama, and high-stakes combat operations.
11. The Housewife Assassin's Husband Hunting Hints (2016) - Donna uncovers startling secrets and new clues surrounding the death of her husband, Carl.
12. The Housewife Assassin's Ghost Protocol (2016) - A tense installment where Donna is forced to go completely off the grid to protect her children.
13. The Housewife Assassin's Terrorist TV Guide (2016) - Donna confronts media manipulation and high-tech threats aimed at national broadcast systems.
14. The Housewife Assassin's Garden of Deadly Delights (2016) - A dangerous mission involving botanical toxins and an elusive environmental terrorist.
15. The Housewife Assassin's Deadly Dossier (2016) - Officially indexed as Book 15, this installment is a full-length prequel detailing the backstory of Carl's death and Donna's recruitment.
16. The Housewife Assassin's Greatest Hits (2017) - Donna faces a collection of her most dangerous past enemies seeking personal retribution.
17. The Housewife Assassin's Fourth Estate Sale (2018) - A journalist threatens to expose Acme Industries, forcing Donna to run damage control.
18. The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (2018) - A high-rolling mission set in the casinos of Las Vegas involving undercover heists.
19. The Housewife Assassin's Horrorscope (2018) - Donna tracks an assassin who uses astrological signs to choose their next targets.
20. The Housewife Assassin's White House Keeping Seal of Approval (2020) - Donna travels to Washington D.C. to clean up political corruption and high-level conspiracies.
21. The Housewife Assassin's Assassination Vacation Planner (2020) - Donna's attempt at a family vacation goes awry when international operatives target her family.
22. The Housewife Assassin's Antisocial Media Tips (2022) - Espionage in the digital age, focusing on cyber warfare, deep fakes, and social media manipulation.
23. The Housewife Assassin's Manners, Missiles, and Mayhem (2022) - Donna navigates high-society etiquette while preventing a black-market weapons deal.
24. The Housewife Assassin's Underwater Assets (2024) - A deep-sea recovery mission that puts Donna's survival and diving skills to the test.
25. The Housewife Assassin's Deep State Deep Fake Bake-Off (2024) - Donna participates in a national baking competition that serves as a front for a political conspiracy.

Chronological Order vs. Publication Order: The 'Deadly Dossier' Dilemma

The primary point of discussion regarding the reading order is The Housewife Assassin's Deadly Dossier. While it was published in 2016 as the 15th book, it is chronologically a prequel (Book 0.5) that details the tragic death of Carl Stone and Donna's initial introduction to the espionage world.

Readers who prefer chronological order can start with Deadly Dossier to understand the entire backstory before reading The Housewife Assassin's Handbook. However, reading it in publication order (after Book 14) is highly recommended. The mysteries surrounding Carl's death and Jack Craig's background are built up deliberately over the first fourteen books; reading the prequel first will spoil several major twists and character revelations that make the early books so compelling.

Spin-Offs, Co-Authors, and Potential Confusions

Josie Brown is the sole author of the Housewife Assassin series. Although she has collaborated on non-fiction books in the past, all novels in this espionage series are written entirely by her. There are no official spin-offs focusing on other agents of Acme Industries, meaning the core list represents the entire fictional universe.

Readers should also be careful not to confuse Josie Brown's fictional series with a non-fiction book titled Housewife Assassin written by Geri Spieler. Spieler's book is a true-crime biography about Sara Jane Moore, the woman who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. Aside from the similar name and the theme of a housewife leading a double life, it has absolutely no connection to Donna Stone's fictional adventures.

What to Know Before You Start

If you are new to the series, expect a fast-paced, lighthearted, and humorous tone. Josie Brown combines elements of classic chick lit (reminiscent of Bridget Jones's Diary) with theatrical spy tropes. Each chapter begins with a tongue-in-cheek domestic 'tip' that relates to the upcoming mission, adding a dark comedic edge to Donna's dual life as a mother and a killer.

While the plots are highly entertaining, they are heavily serialized. Reading the books out of order will make it difficult to follow the romantic tension and the evolving state of Donna's family, so sticking to the numbered list is the best path to enjoying this cozy spy saga.