Jean Heller Books In Order

Publication Order of Deuce Mora Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Jean Heller is an American former investigative journalist and American author. She made her name as the journalist who broke the news of the Tuskegee Syphilis study in 1972. In 1990, she was in the limelight once again when she reported on the inaccurate claims of an Iraqi mobilization on the border with Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. Over her decades-long career, she has worked in many publications as an editor, projects reporter, and investigative reporter. Some of the publications she has worked with include the St Petersburg Times, The Associated Press, New York Newsday, and The Cox Newspapers. For her work, she has won many awards including the Polk Award, the Worth Bingham Prize, and a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize.

Heller was just eight years old and in the third grade when she began writing stories. It was during this time that she became interested in science fiction and science in general. As such, she decided to pen a novel about people who flee to the center of the earth, running away from alien invaders coming from a foreign universe. Back then, Jean Heller did not have much in terms of an education in science and hence when she got her characters to their new homes, she was at a loss for what to do with them. Later on, she learned that it was very hot at the center of the Earth which meant that her story was not viable. But she would grow from that dissapointment to publish her debut novel in 1993, even as she still worked in the news media. Published in 1993, Maximum Impaxct which is still one of her highest-rated stories tells the story of a deadly plane crash and the cover-up that followed. Heller now has more than half a dozen titles to her name. What keeps her writing is her love for thrillers and of course, the success that she has had with her books.

As for her career in the news media, she got her start working with the Associated Press. Jean Heller loved slogging through the dusty and dull documents, interviewing people, sometimes getting thrown out of place, and separating truth from fiction. She also loved how she had to sit with a bunch of files and write words in the right order since when it came together, it provided just the right amount of satisfaction to make one forget all the days of frustration and the lonely nights trying to piece it all together. Initially, she loved it all and she had gained much notoriety after breaking some major stories. However she would come to hate her job since at some point, she felt that the news profession had strayed from its ethical roots. Most publications had shifted to allowing or even encouraging journalists to inject their agendas or opinions into their work. It was due to this shift that she decided to leave the new media after spending more than three decades working as a journalist.

Jean Heller’s most popular series of novels is the Deuce Mora series which she debuted with the publishing of The Someday File in 2014. Mora the lead is a female sleuth, known for her athletic, tough, and fiery nature, even though she is also known for having a conscience. In this story, she discovers like many that have gone on before her that you have to be tough when dealing with organized crime. She was looking for a human interest story in a Chicago suburb when she met an aging mobster named Vinnie Colangelo who is regretting the life he has lived. Vinnie is hinting that he has access to some big secrets and that somebody is willing to kill to keep the secrets buried. The crimes go back over six decades and her story soon turns into an action-packed mystery and she finds herself in the middle of a storm of reprisals and threats from a corrupt government and the mob. To make things even worse, she is also dealing with editors who are frightened of losing subscribers and having to answer to lawsuits.

Jean Heller comes back with a bang in the second novel of the Deuce Mora series. In this one, Deuce Mora who is known for never shying away from a fight is handed a very intriguing case. This time around, she finds herself on the wrong side of the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA. While she is out on a hike, Deuce stumbles upon a human bone and it is not long before they unearth a massive burial field that could be connected to an international conspiracy and a human trafficking ring. Like a dog with a bone, the meticulous detective finds a treasure trove of information only to find herself face-to-face with the Feds. They insist she stop trying to tell the story and that they are working on stopping the human trafficking. It is a bigger story than what Vinnie Colangelo gave her and for once, she has her editor behind her. Since the story involves children from her city who are being kidnapped and killed, things have become very personal.

Burning Rage by Jean Heller is a red-hot piece of work set in Chicago. Deuce Mora has had quite a rough year and after working on two harrowing investigations, she has vowed to never work on such action-packed stories anymore. But then she hears about a fire in the city and her instinct tells her that something is wrong and that she has to investigate. There has been a series of devastating fires that have taken out some of the city’s most-known landmarks, killed scores of people, and destroyed millions in property value. Entire streets are going up in flames and everyone suspects terrorism. Following a cryptic tip from her boyfriend who is an arson investigator, Deuce goes after the arsonist. Meanwhile, they have put their relationship on hold since it could endanger his job and reputation if his superiors believe he had anything to do with the information she had obtained about the arson. But she has all the company she needs as Colter the FBI agent who is her old adversary had put a tail on her. His involvement only strengthens her belief that the fires could be a result of Jihadist terrorism, even if no group has come forth to claim it.