Morgan Dane Books In Order

Publication Order of Morgan Dane Books

The name ‘Morgan Dane’ refers to a series of suspense thriller novels written by Melinda Leigh. The books follow the exploits of a lawyer who returns to her hometown after a tragedy and takes up PI work.

+The Story
Morgan Dane, the protagonist of the Morgan Dane series, was a prosecutor. And she was pretty good at her job. Morgan lived to put bad guys away. But then her husband went to Iraq and died, and Morgan’s life shattered.

Stranded with three growing kids, the heroine was compelled to return to Scarlett Falls, her hometown. She moved in with her father and attempted to start over, becoming a defense attorney and putting her mind to the task of defending the innocent.

The transition required some work. After a lifetime spent on the offensive, Morgan had to learn to step back, to take the defensive position, a change that required her to apply far greater ingenuity.

Yet Morgan more than met the challenge. But then, just as her new life started to coalesce into a semblance of normalcy, Morgan Dane’s eighteen-year-old babysitter met a gruesome end.

All eyes turned to Nick, a local boy. But Morgan had a history with Nick and she refused to believe that he had the capacity to commit murder. So when his mother came to Morgan and asked her to help clear Nick’s name, the lawyer jumped at the opportunity to do her part in giving Nick his freedom.

And rather than sitting on her laurels, preparing court documents and waiting for the prosecutors to make their case, Morgan chose to take a proactive approach by venturing out into the field and investigating the case she knew the police was neglecting because they thought they had their man.

But it did not take Morgan long to realize that she was out of her depth. So she reached out to Lance Kruger, a private detective with a keen mind. Lance was a police officer. Then a bullet to the leg forced him to re-evaluate his entire life.

Forced to find a new purpose, Lance was fortunate to discover a mentor in Lincoln Sharp, a private investigator who not only taught Lance everything he knows about PI work but also gave him a job at his firm.

Lance was happy to lend Morgan his services, unaware that the lawyer’s prodding had made them both the target of a killer.

The Morgan Dane series tells Morgan and Lance’s story. The author would encourage you to read this series in the order the books were published. Each novel can actually stand on its own.

Readers are always introduced to a new case with new antagonists, victims, and clues that must be explored and investigated. And one doesn’t need to understand the events of previous novels to appreciate the mysteries that appear in later books.

That being said, all the Morgan Dane novels feature the same protagonists, namely: Morgan and Lance.
And each book goes to great lengths to delve into its protagonists’ lives, unraveling their backstories, revealing their skeletons and giving them opportunities to grow. As such, one is unlikely to appreciate or fully comprehend the decisions Morgan and Lance make and the changes their personalities and lives undertake if they do not take the time to understand the origins of both characters.

The Morgan Dane series is somewhat typical of the suspense thriller genre. You have a pair of detectives matching wits with killers, kidnappers, and criminals. Though, the presence of a character like Morgan allows a few changes to manifest.

For one thing, because Morgan is an amateur detective, some time is spent following the heroine as she adapts to the rigors of PI work. Emphasis is also placed on the victims and the suspects.

Morgan not only works to prove her clients’ innocence out in the field where she sifts through clues and solves puzzles to find the true culprits of each novel’s crimes but she also works within the legal arena to defend them from prosecution.

There is an aspect of romance to these books. By the time reader’s meet Morgan, her husband has been dead for over two years. And the heroine has struggled to move on. All that changes when she meets Lance.

The pair knew one another in college. Back then, they clearly harbored feelings for one another. Those feelings manifest when they meet again all these years later. And because Morgan is a widow, there is nothing keeping them from getting together.

However, they both have issues and they spend these books working them out. The Morgan Dane series has been criticized for boasting such a slow pace. The author takes a lot of time setting up her mysteries. Some readers have complained that they grow bored as they wait for things to happen.

+The Author
Melinda Leigh is a Wall Street Journal Bestselling American author. She started in banking before her children came into play and she realized that she needed an outlet to relieve the stress. That was how writing came into the picture.

+Say You’re Sorry
Everyone loved Tessa. So when she was murdered, the community of Scarlet Falls rose up in arms. All eyes turned to Nick who was immediately fingered out as the prime suspect.

But Morgan wasn’t so sure. She came back home to Scarlet Falls after her husband died in Iraq. A former prosecutor, she knew Nick and she couldn’t believe that the local boy would commit murder.

So when his mother came calling, she was more than happy to help, calling upon the services of Lance Kruger, a former police officer. Morgan had no idea that her investigations would uncover secrets that would rock their community.

+Her Last Goodbye
When Chelsea Clark, a young mother, vanishes, none of her friends and family can believe that she simply ran away. She would never abandon her children. Naturally, everyone thinks her husband did something to her.

But Morgan isn’t convinced. As a single mother, she sympathizes with the grieving family. So calls upon Lance Kruger once again. They team up to find Chelsea, hoping against all hope that she is still alive.

Morgan does not expect her actions to make her the target of a predator.