Riley Paige Books in Order

Where to Start with the Riley Paige Series

Special Agent Riley Paige is the crown jewel of Blake Pierce's extensive mystery catalog. As a brilliant yet deeply traumatized Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) profiler for the FBI, Riley's life is a non-stop rollercoaster of hunting serial killers while fighting her own psychological demons. To get the most out of her intense character arc, you have two primary reading paths to choose from: Publication Order or Chronological Order.

Option 1: Publication Order (Recommended)

For most readers, starting with the book that launched Blake Pierce's career, Once Gone (2015), is the best choice. Reading the books in the order they were published allows you to experience Riley's character development, her professional progression, and the slowly unraveling mystery of her past traumas exactly as the author intended. The prequel series, The Making of Riley Paige, was written after the main series was already well-established, meaning it contains callbacks and context that are much more satisfying if you are already familiar with the adult Riley Paige.

Option 2: Chronological Order

If you prefer to follow Riley’s life story linearly from her college days to her peak years in the FBI, you should start with the prequel series. Watching (2018) begins when Riley is a 22-year-old psychology student at clean-cut Georgetown University, long before she officially joins the FBI. After completing the six-book prequel series, you would then read the short story novella Once Solved (Book 0.5) before diving into the main novel series starting with Once Gone.

The Main Riley Paige Mystery Series in Publication Order

The core of the series details Riley’s most high-stakes cases in the FBI's BAU. The novels are fast-paced procedurals filled with dark psychological profiling, ticking-clock tension, and heavy focus on Riley's personal struggles with PTSD and family dynamics. Here is the complete list of the main series novels in publication order:

1. Once Gone (2015) – Riley is recalled to duty after a traumatic encounter to investigate a series of gruesome murders in rural Virginia.
2. Once Taken (2016) – Riley hunts a killer who chains his victims, while she struggles with the paranoia that her past abductor is watching her.
3. Once Craved (2016) – A serial killer targeting prostitutes leads Riley into the dark underbelly of the city.
4. Once Lured (2016) – Victims are found styled like window mannequins, forcing Riley to decode a highly bizarre signature.
5. Once Hunted (2016) – When a series of coordinates leads to bodies in the wilderness, Riley must track a killer playing a deadly game.
6. Once Pined (2016) – Riley investigates a series of missing women in upstate New York who are found dead and wrapped in bizarre materials.
7. Once Forsaken (2017) – A killer leaving victims in historic settings forces Riley to research local folklore and histories.
8. Once Cold (2017) – Riley is sent to a freezing, remote location to stop a killer targeting isolated residents.
9. Once Stalked (2017) – The BAU tracks a predator who preys on suburban housewives, hitting close to home for Riley.
10. Once Lost (2017) – Riley goes up against a killer who targets travellers along interstate highways.
11. Once Buried (2017) – A serial killer who buries victims alive challenges Riley's claustrophobic fears.
12. Once Bound (2018) – Tied to a case involving dark, ritualistic elements, Riley struggles to separate her personal life from the horror.
13. Once Trapped (2018) – Riley faces a genius manipulator who sets elaborate death traps for his victims.
14. Once Dormant (2018) – A cold case serial killer resurfaces, forcing Riley to re-evaluate evidence from a decade ago.
15. Once Shunned (2019) – Ostracized by parts of the bureau, Riley must work on the margins to stop a killer hiding in plain sight.
16. Once Missed (2019) – A killer who collects dining chairs as trophies leads Riley on a disturbing, highly personal hunt.
17. Once Chosen (2020) – Riley deals with a killer targeting specific, seemingly unconnected women, leading to a shocking connection.
18. Once Silenced (2025) – Riley faces a quiet, calculating killer who targets victims without leaving physical evidence.
19. Once Marked (2025) – A series of branded victims sends Riley into a subculture of hidden symbols and secret societies.
20. Once Broken (2025) – Pushed to her absolute limits, Riley must piece together a killer's motive before her own psyche shatters.
21. Once Feared (2025) – Riley tracks a predator who uses his victims' deepest phobias against them.
22. Once Forgotten (2025) – Memory loss and unreliable witnesses complicate a high-profile investigation.
23. Once Vanished (2026) – A string of disappearances from a secure facility challenges Riley's trust in the system.
24. Once Followed (2026) – Riley finds herself the target of a brilliant stalker who documents her every move.
25. Once Hidden (2026) – The search for a cloaked killer operating in the shadows of an urban center.
26. Once Haunted (2026) – Haunted by past failures, Riley tackles a killer whose methods mirror an unsolved case from her early career.
27. Once Judged (2026) – A final, dramatic showdown where Riley's ethics and sanity are tested to their limits.

The Prequel Series: The Making of Riley Paige

To understand how Riley became the legendary profiler she is, Blake Pierce wrote a dedicated prequel series. These six books trace her origin story from a college student to her first days at the FBI academy, detailing the initial traumas that forged her intense determination and psychological instability. They should be read in chronological order:

1. Watching (2018) – 22-year-old psychology student Riley Paige is targeted by a serial killer on her campus, sparking her interest in profiling.
2. Waiting (2018) – Riley enters the FBI Academy at Quantico, trying to prove herself while dealing with the trauma of her past.
3. Luring (2019) – As a trainee, Riley gets her first taste of field work and realizes the dark mental cost of entering a killer's mind.
4. Taking (2019) – Riley works alongside seasoned agents, struggling to balance her training with her personal relationships.
5. Stalking (2019) – Riley faces a stalker within the academy circles, testing her newly developed profiling skills.
6. Killing (2020) – The final prequel entry, showing Riley's graduation and the first official case that seals her reputation as a rising star in the BAU.

The Companion Novella: Once Solved

Published in 2020, Once Solved is designated as Book 0.5 in the series. This novella serves as a bridge between the prequel era and the main series. At this point, Riley is a veteran FBI agent who is taking a temporary break from active cases to teach recruits at Quantico. Struggling with severe PTSD, the short story focuses on her internal struggle: should she retire to protect her family and mental health, or is she destined to return to the field? It offers excellent psychological context immediately before the events of Once Gone.

What to Know Before You Start

Blake Pierce's thrillers are famous for their lightning-fast pace, short chapters, and heavy reliance on suspenseful cliffhangers. While each book features a self-contained serial killer case that is resolved by the final page, the overarching personal storyline—including Riley’s deteriorating mental health, her relationship with her daughter Jilly, and her battle with her nemesis—unfolds continuously across the books. For this reason, reading them out of order is not recommended, as you will spoil major life-altering developments for Riley and her family. Finally, although Blake Pierce has written other FBI series (such as the Ella Dark or Jessie Hunt series), they do not cross over with Riley Paige, meaning you can focus entirely on Riley's books without worrying about outside reading material.