Looking for Lesley Kara’s books in order of publication? Look no further!
Lesley Kara burst onto the thriller scene with a startling debut novel set in a British seaside community and quickly made a name for herself as an aficionado of the psychological thriller.
She has followed her bestseller success with three more gripping, suspense-filled standalone novels, putting complex female protagonists at the centre and lacing each story with secrets that gradually unfold.
For a fresh, contemporary, immersive read, Lesley Kara has you covered.
Lesley Kara books in order:
1. The Rumour (2019)
When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back…
Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.
Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.
So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?
2. Who Did You Tell? (2020)
Someone knows Astrid’s darkest secret. And they’re going to have fun with it…
It’s been 192 days, seven hours and fifteen minutes since her last drink. Now Astrid is trying to turn her life around.
Having reluctantly moved back in with her mother, in a quiet seaside town away from the temptations and painful memories of her life before, Astrid is focusing on her recovery. She’s going to meetings. Confessing her misdeeds. Making amends to those she’s wronged.
But someone knows exactly what Astrid is running from. And they won’t stop until she learns that some mistakes can’t be corrected.
Some mistakes, you have to pay for.
3. The Dare (2021)
Come on. You’ll be fine. It’s only a game.
Lizzie has no memory of the accident in which her best friend Alice died as a teenager. And it was an accident. Wasn’t it?
Alice’s friends and relatives suspect Lizzie was to blame, but Lizzie knows that can’t be true. She would never have hurt Alice.
Twelve years on, unpacking boxes in the new home she shares with her fiancé, Lizzie is finally beginning to feel like she can move on with her life. But someone has other ideas…
4. The Apartment Upstairs (2022)
Scarlett’s aunt lived – and was brutally murdered – in the flat upstairs. But Scarlett is determined that life should return to some kind of normal, even if that means living with just a ceiling between her and the scene of such a devastating crime. After all, this is her home. She’s safe here. Isn’t she?
Dee is busy balancing her job as a funeral director with organising an event to mark the disappearance of her best friend, ten years ago. So she’s got enough on her plate without worrying about the threatening messages that are appearing on her company’s Facebook page.
When Scarlett approaches Dee about planning her aunt’s funeral, an unexpected link between them emerges. Together, the two women could uncover secrets that have long been buried. Even while someone wants to stop them digging…
It’s only ever that girl until it’s someone you know.
5. The Other Tenant (2025)
Marlow has always lived in unusual places. But when she accepts a position as a live-in property guardian, she finds herself moving somewhere she swore she’d never return to. Right from the start, she knows it’s a terrible mistake. The elegant Victorian school is due to be turned into luxury apartments, but its eerie, empty corridors are full of Marlow’s worst memories.
And now something sinister is happening on the site. One of the other tenants has disappeared without warning, and Marlow suspects that the nine other guardians know far more than they’re letting on. She’s determined to find out what happened to the missing woman – but which of these strangers can she trust? And can she uncover the truth before her own past catches up with her?
6. Troublemaker (2026)
Storm used to be just like her name. Wild and strong. A force to be reckoned with. But ever since her younger brother was killed in a violent mugging, she has led a very different life: quiet and cautious, seeing danger everywhere. Storm’s tendency to panic has resulted in several false alarms, so when she witnesses a murder with uncanny similarities to the way her brother was killed, and yet no body is found and no one is reported missing, the police don’t take her seriously.
But Storm knows what she saw. And the murder is only the start – the killer will stop at nothing to keep Storm quiet. But how can she solve the murder and stay out of danger when no one believes her?
There you have it – all Lesley Kara books in order of publication! How many have you read? Let us know in the comments below…
I’ve read all books! Well written
Read all of them! Roll on January 2026
The best one was who did you tell! Followed by the date.
I’ve read all Lesleyd books except for who did you tell!
Loved them and just want her to write more!Best writer ever!
I have read the Dare, The Rumour and Who did you tell? and enjoyed all three. Couldn’t put them down and had to read until the gripping end.
Just finished the dare.
I couldn’t like , or feel empathy or sympathy for Lizzie, but could and did with Catherine.
A good read and and an interesting subject , epilepsy is very rarely used as a subject or part of the plot in a novel .