Judith A. Barrett
Clean Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, and Mysteries with Dark Twists
Best-selling author Judith A. Barrett writes clean suspense fiction that blends the tension of thrillers and mysteries with emotional depth and romantic elements, without explicit content. Known for dark twists, unforgettable characters, and small-town settings where secrets rarely stay buried, her stories deliver page-turning suspense that keeps readers coming back for more.
Find Your Starting Point
Not sure where to begin? Choose the kind of story you’re in the mood for. Each series offers a complete experience with its own tone, characters, and twists.
If you enjoy browsing in person, think of this as my online book table. Pick the story that speaks to you.
Maggie Sloan Thriller Series
Dark, fast-paced thrillers featuring vigilante justice, hidden crimes, and a librarian who refuses to look away.
Start with: The Librarian
Maggie exposes long-hidden crimes. Her goal: make them pay. The killers are desperate. Maggie must die.
Jenna Ross Thriller Series
Romantic suspense set in small-town Georgia, where intuition, secrets, and danger collide at a quiet inn.
Start with: Elusive Embezzler
Jenna’s intuition draws her into dangerous investigations at the Peach Blossom Retreat, where secrets refuse to stay buried.
Grid Down Survival Series
A small-town survival thriller series where ordinary people face extraordinary choices after society begins to unravel. Set in familiar communities forced to adapt, these stories blend suspense, resilience, and dark twists as survival tests loyalty, courage, and morality.
Start with: Danger in the Clouds: A Small-Town Survival Thriller
Major Dave Elliot’s quiet farm life ends when a cyberattack triggers economic collapse. To save his granddaughter and the nation, he must expose the conspiracy behind it.
Donut Lady Cozy Mystery Series
Cozy mysteries with charm, humor, and just enough danger hiding behind the frosting.
Start with: Sweet Deal Sealed
Fresh out of prison, the Donut Lady hopes to start over in a small town, but her shadows, nightmares, and relentless killers have other plans.
Riley Malloy Mystery Series
Character-driven small-town mysteries with heart, humor, and an unusual perspective that changes everything.
Start with: Tagged by Death
Vet tech Riley Malloy’s gift for understanding animals makes her the last person criminals want on their trail.
Wren and Rascal Haunted Campground Mysteries
A cozy mystery series set at a haunted campground where ghosts, secrets, and small-town trouble keep life anything but quiet. Blending humor, mystery, and a touch of the supernatural, each story follows Wren and Rascal as they uncover the truth behind crimes that refuse to stay buried.
Start here: Bloodshed in the Badlands
Wren’s new job with a travel magazine takes her to haunted campgrounds across America. With her loyal dog Rascal, she unearths chilling truths the killers want buried.
Love, Lies, and Alibis
A seasonal romantic suspense series where holidays and celebrations become the backdrop for danger, deception, and unexpected love. Each standalone story delivers the emotional tension, mystery, and dark twists Judith A. Barrett readers expect.
Perfect for readers who enjoy suspense first, with romance woven into the danger.
Start here: Deadly Luck: A St. Patrick’s Day Romantic Suspense
In a small town where everyone knows everyone, secrets should be hard to keep. But some hide in plain sight.
Jazz Age Mystery
A standalone mystery set in the roaring twenties where the whiskey flows freely, and the mob are the good guys.
A complete Jazz Age mystery for readers who love a touch of vintage glamor with their suspense.
Start here: Speakeasy Secrets
Murder and mayhem mingle with moonshine in this glittering mystery set in the 1920s.
Series or Serial?
What is a Series vs a Serial?
A book series has a complete story in each book, typically with the same major character solving a fresh problem or mystery at the end of each book.
By contrast, each book in a serial is an episode and ends on a cliffhanger. The problem or mystery isn’t solved until the end of the last book.
Why Readers Love Series
Even though the story ends with the last page in the book, readers have grown to love the characters, setting, and sense of belonging, and are ready for another adventure in the now-familiar world.
Each new book invites readers back into the world to solve a new problem or mystery with a beloved, long-time friend.
Why I Write Series
Stories are like life. What happens next?
My characters and I are always ready for another challenge, another discovery, another step toward redemption or truth. Writing in series lets me explore their lives and the worlds they inhabit in greater depth, creating the ongoing connections that keep both writer and reader turning the page.
Each series challenges a not-your-typical character in a unique world where secrets linger, courage is tested, and hope always finds a way.
For Authors & Creatives
Turn the page on book sales and hit the road.
Have Books will Travel
A practical guide based on real-world experience selling books at festivals and live events, designed for authors who want to connect directly with readers.
Learn More: Have Books Will Travel
Judith A. Barrett - Author 