Enter the world of Harriet Blue
Your guide to the James Patterson series.
If you’re one of the many already engrossed in the Harriet Blue detective series by prolific author James Patterson and Australian crime fiction master Candice Fox, then you already know the stage is set for “Liar Liar,” the third in the book series, out now.
But perhaps you’re just getting starting on the series.
Or maybe you made a New Year’s resolution to read more books and chose this thriller to kick off your year.
Or maybe you picked up this book out of order and want some background.
If any of those describes you, we have a guide to the series.
That includes a fifth book you might not know about and the latest on the release date for the fourth book in the Harriet Blue series.
Who is Harriet Blue?
The main character in “Never Never,” “Fifty Fifty” and now “Liar Liar” was introduced in a short, 176-page “BookShots” novel that precedes the Harriet Blue series.
The series is set in Australia. According to Blue herself, “I’m an experienced hunter of humans. ... My job gives me access to crime alerts. ...
“I can tag a person’s file and get a notification every time they’re brought in, even if their original charge never stuck.”
Blue grew up in the foster system in Australia with her brother, Sam, who also is her best friend, since they were “practically toddlers.”
Both siblings have a history of bad behavior – including a history of fighting at school and bouncing among hopeful adoptive parents and group homes.
Not a fan of institutions, Blue is the lone female member of a Sydney sex crimes squad, brought in by the police chief, who is both her boxing coach and father figure.
What is the Harriet Blue series order?
The BookShots story – “Black & Blue” – is a prequel not officially included in the four-part series but functions as an introduction to the hard-charging Australian detective Harriet Blue.
In the book, college women are showing up dead, and she’s pushing to solve the Georges River Killer case, “most savage serial killer in our nation’s history.”
While “Black & Blue” introduces Harriet – or Harry, as some call her – it also tells the story of the thrilling case she chases before the series begins.
Published: Dec. 6, 2016. “Never Never” is Book 1.
After her brother is accused of a series of gruesome murders, Harriet is transferred to another department while the media circus descends at home. She’s thrown into a case in the Australian outback, where the disappearance of a worker in a remote mine is just the beginning.
Published: Jan. 16, 2017. “Fifty Fifty” is Book 2.
Sam Blue is on trial for murder, but the only person who believes he is innocent is Harriet.
Meanwhile, a diary turns up with a plot to kill an entire small town – and time is of the essence for Harriet, Sam and a mysterious person who holds the key to the truth about Sam’s case.
Published: Feb. 19, 2018. “Liar Liar” is Book 3.
Harriet Blue is on the run, and a known killer is on the hunt. In this book, out now, the Sydney police are chasing one of their own, and Harry’s freedom is at stake.
Published Jan. 13. “Hush Hush” is Book 4.
The fourth book in the series has Harriet solving a case in order to earn her freedom – and a woman and her child’s lives also are at stake.
There are plans for at least one more book,
according to co-author Fox, so readers can look forward to the Australian detective saga continuing.
When will the fourth book in the Harriet Blue series publish?
You may see a May 2019 date on an Amazon listing for the book, but that’s not accurate. Current plans, according to the publisher, have “Hush Hush” scheduled for publication in fall 2020.