How to Read the Josie Corsino Mystery Series
Written by retired LAPD Captain Connie Dial, the Josie Corsino Mystery series is a standout in the police procedural genre. Because Connie Dial spent 27 years in the department—rising from one of the first female patrol officers in 1969 to commanding the Hollywood Division—every page of this series drips with authentic procedural detail, political maneuvering, and raw, street-level grit.
For readers looking to dive into Josie Corsino’s world, there is a key decision to make: should you read in the order the books were published, or follow Josie’s career chronologically? The series spans six novels, but two of them act as retro prequels, flashing back to Josie’s early days as an undercover operative in the 1970s and a narcotics detective in the 1980s.
The Recommended Starting Point: Publication Order
For most readers, we recommend starting with the first published book, Fallen Angels. Reading in publication order allows you to meet Josie as an experienced, street-smart LAPD Captain first. You get to understand her leadership style, her established relationships, and the personal struggles of her later career before going back in time to see how those experiences shaped her. It also aligns with the way the author developed the character's voice over time.
Josie Corsino Books in Publication Order
If you prefer to read the books as they were released to the public, here is the complete publication order. Note that while some database listings overlook the fourth book, there are indeed six novels in the official lineup:
- Fallen Angels (2012) – The debut novel introduces Captain Josie Corsino of the Hollywood Division. When the body of a troubled young starlet is found at a party house, Josie is pulled into a high-stakes investigation that exposes corruption within the police force and the city's political elite, all while her personal life is in turmoil.
- Dead Wrong (2013) – Josie must investigate one of her own sergeant's involvement in a fatal shooting. As she searches for the truth, she faces intense pushback from the department and threats to her own safety, testing her loyalties to the limit.
- Unnatural Murder (2014) – A complex and sensitive case involving the murder of a transgender individual in Hollywood forces Josie to navigate a web of secrets, identity, and prejudice, both on the streets and within the LAPD command.
- Set the Night on Fire (2016) – The series takes its first major chronological leap backward. Set in 1971, this prequel follows a young, unmarried Josie Corsino fresh out of the police academy as she goes undercover during a turbulent era of social change and street protests in Los Angeles.
- Warning Shots (2018) – Returning to the contemporary timeline, Josie faces a double threat: a serial killer targeting young gay men in Hollywood and a vengeful, disgruntled former officer out to destroy her career.
- The Snow Raven (2020) – The second prequel book flashes back to the drug-fueled 1980s. Josie works as a narcotics detective, battling powerful drug cartels, street-level dealers, and the internal corruption that threatens to compromise the entire division.
Josie Corsino Books in Chronological Order
If you want to experience Josie's career path in the sequence it actually happened, you can read the books chronologically. This reading order highlights her evolution from a rookie undercover officer to a hardened narcotics detective, and finally to a seasoned captain commanding the Hollywood Division:
- Set the Night on Fire (2016) – Set in 1971 (Rookie/Undercover era)
- The Snow Raven (2020) – Set in the 1980s (Narcotics Detective era)
- Fallen Angels (2012) – Contemporary (Hollywood Division Captain)
- Dead Wrong (2013) – Contemporary (Hollywood Division Captain)
- Unnatural Murder (2014) – Contemporary (Hollywood Division Captain)
- Warning Shots (2018) – Contemporary (Hollywood Division Captain)
What to Know Before You Start
The Josie Corsino series stands out because it avoids the stylized, superhero-like tropes of many modern crime novels. Instead, Connie Dial delivers a grounded, sometimes bureaucratic, but always intense look at policing. Because Dial was one of the first women patrol officers in the LAPD, Josie’s struggles with systemic gender bias and the "boys' club" mentality of the department are incredibly realistic and historically accurate.
Furthermore, Josie is a deeply human protagonist. She is not perfect; she struggles with a crumbling marriage, a troubled relationship with her son, and the emotional toll of carrying a badge. The supporting characters, such as the loyal Lieutenant Marge Bailey and the brilliant but erratic Detective Red Behan, feel like real people rather than simple plot devices. While the contemporary books can generally be read as standalones, reading them in sequence helps you appreciate the slow-burning development of Josie’s personal life and career struggles.