Christopher Rice Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Christopher Rice

Christopher Rice has built a diverse bibliography spanning several genres, making your starting point dependent on what style of story you prefer. Because his books range from supernatural action to contemporary romance, there is no single "correct" order to read his entire catalog. Instead, we recommend starting at the beginning of one of his primary reading paths:

• For Dark, Atmospheric Thrillers: Start with his debut novel, A Density of Souls (2000). Set in New Orleans, this gripping mystery put Rice on the map and serves as the perfect introduction to his moody, character-driven suspense.
• For Supernatural Suspense: Start with Bone Music (2018), the first book in his Burning Girl trilogy. This series is ideal for readers who enjoy high-stakes action, science fiction elements, and vigilante justice.
• For Erotic & Contemporary Romance: Start with Sapphire Sunset (2022), written under his pen name C. Travis Rice. This is the first entry in his highly popular, emotional, and steamy Sapphire Cove series.
• For Historical Horror & Adventure: Start with The Mummy or Ramses the Damned (1989) by Anne Rice, before moving on to the sequels Christopher co-authored with his mother, starting with Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra (2017).

The Burning Girl Series

The Burning Girl trilogy is Christopher Rice's premier supernatural thriller series. It follows Charlotte Rowe, a young woman who survived a horrific childhood event only to be drafted into a secret pharmaceutical experiment that gives her heightened, dangerous abilities. The books must be read in chronological order to follow the overarching storyline:

1. Bone Music (2018)
2. Blood Echo (2019)
3. Blood Victory (2020)

The Sapphire Cove Series (Written as C. Travis Rice)

Under the pen name C. Travis Rice, Christopher writes contemporary romance novels centered around a luxury resort in Southern California. These stories focus heavily on emotional queer romance, passion, and personal redemption. While each book features a different couple and can technically stand alone, they are best enjoyed in order of publication to track recurring characters:

1. Sapphire Sunset (2022)
2. Sapphire Spring (2022)
3. Sapphire Storm (2023)
4. Sapphire Dawn (2024)

Ramses the Damned (Co-Authored with Anne Rice)

Christopher collaborated with his legendary mother, Anne Rice, to expand her historical horror universe. While Anne wrote the first book solo in 1989, she and Christopher co-wrote the two modern sequels before her passing. You should read this trilogy in order:

1. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned (1989) – Written by Anne Rice only
2. Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra (2017) – Co-authored by Anne and Christopher Rice
3. Ramses the Damned: The Reign of Osiris (2022) – Co-authored by Anne and Christopher Rice

The Desire Exchange & Crossover Novellas

The Desire Exchange is an erotic romance series set around a high-end, secretive escort service. Christopher Rice published these titles as part of the 1001 Dark Nights novella collections. In addition to the core series, he wrote two major crossover novellas that connect his universe to other popular romance authors:

• The Flame (2014) – Desire Exchange Novella
• The Surrender Gate (2015) – Desire Exchange Novella
• Kiss the Flame (2015) – Desire Exchange Novella
• Desire & Ice (2016) – A MacKenzie Family novella. Though cataloged in databases alongside Liliana Hart's MacKenzie Family series, this romantic suspense story was written entirely by Christopher Rice as a guest contribution.
• Midnight Flame (2018) – A unique crossover novella co-written by Christopher Rice and Lara Adrian. It merges Adrian's Midnight Breed vampire romance universe (featuring Lucan Thorne) with Rice's Desire Exchange universe (featuring Lilliane).

Standalone Novels (In Publication Order)

If you prefer standalone stories that do not require committing to a series, Christopher Rice has written several highly acclaimed thrillers. These can be read in any order:

1. A Density of Souls (2000) – A New Orleans-set high school reunion mystery fraught with secrets and homophobia.
2. The Snow Garden (2002) – A collegiate murder mystery centering on a student-professor affair.
3. Light Before Day (2004) – A suspense thriller involving a journalist investigating a series of dark crimes in West Hollywood.
4. Blind Fall (2008) – A military-themed thriller following an Iraq War veteran trying to solve his captain's murder.
5. The Moonlit Earth (2011) – A globetrotting thriller focused on a family caught in the aftermath of a terrorist bombing.
6. The Heavens Rise (2013) – A supernatural thriller set in the swamps of Louisiana, exploring mind-control powers.
7. The Vines (2014) – A gothic thriller featuring a historical plantation haunted by a malevolent, sentient force.
8. Decimate (2022) – A psychological thriller about a family dealing with the dark aftermath of a near-death experience in the woods.

What to Know Before You Start: Travel Guide Caveats

When searching online databases, you will often see various travel guides (like the DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides or Independent Travellers Guides) listed under Christopher Rice's author page. Please note that these are database errors. These travel guides were written by different writers and editors who share the same name, and have no connection to the novelist Christopher Rice. You can safely ignore them when planning your fiction reading list.