Author guide

Jennifer Lynn Barnes Books in Order

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of young adult novels. She is a Fulbright Scholar with advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science, and received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2012. She has also taught psychology and professional writing at the University of Oklahoma. Barnes published her first novel at nineteen and writes mystery, thriller, paranormal, science-fiction, and fantasy fiction for young adults.

young adult fictionmysterythrillerfantasyscience fiction

Catalog record updated August 25, 2026.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes's Newest Book

The Gilded Blade

novel · First published 2026

ALL GAMES MUST COME TO AN END. In the stunning finale to the global phenomenon of the Inheritance Games Saga (over 6 million copies sold!), discover danger, riches, romance--and the staggering answers to long-brewing mysteries. All games must come to an end. In this series-shattering conclusion, everyone is a player, long-held secrets are unveiled, precious threads are unraveled, and impossible mysteries are solved. In the grandest of games, there is so much to win--money, love, power, revenge--but there is also everything to lose. The truth will be revealed in #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Lynn Barnes' most masterful puzzle yet.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

The Inheritance Games

The most accessible entry to Barnes's puzzle-box mystery fiction and the beginning of the Inheritance Games saga.

The Naturals

The first book in her acclaimed FBI profiling thriller series.

Read in order

Books by series

novel-series · completed

The Golden Series

A paranormal young adult series set at Emory High, where social status and supernatural abilities collide.

Series guide →

1
Golden
Book 1 · novel · 2006
2
Platinum
Book 2 · novel · 2007

Among the Goldens at Emory High, Lilah Covington is Platinum - the hottest of the hot. She's popular, beautiful, and much smarter than she looks. But most importantly to Lilah, she's in complete control of her own destiny - if only…

novel-series · completed

Bailey Morgan

A paranormal young adult series about girls whose temporary tattoos grant supernatural powers.

Series guide →

1
Tattoo
Book 1 · novel · 2007

Bailey Morgan isn't the type of girl who shows a lot of skin, but somehow, she ends up in a dressing room at the mall with her friend Delia applying a temporary tattoo to her lower back. Never one to suffer fashion doubt, trendsetter…
2
Fate
Book 2 · novel · 2009

For the past two years, Bailey Morgan has lived a double life: high school student by day, ancient mystical being by night. As the third Fate, Bailey literally controls the fate of the world, but as Plain Old Bailey, her life is falling…

novel-series · completed

The Squad

A young adult espionage series in which a high-school cheer squad serves as a covert government team.

Series guide →

1
Perfect Cover
Book 1 · novel · 2008

Bayport High operates like any other high school - jocks at the top, outsiders at the bottom, and everyone else in between. Enter Toby Klein, a sophomore computer hacker who doesn't play well with others. She has zero school spirit, a…
2
Killer Spirit
Book 2 · novel · 2008

Saying Toby Klein is an unlikely cheerleader is like saying Paris Hilton might be into guys - understatement of the year. But the varsity squad at Bayport High gives new meaning to the phrase All-American, and Toby's double life as a…

novel-series · completed

Raised by Wolves

A young adult werewolf series about Bryn, a human adopted into a wolf pack.

Series guide →

1
Raised by Wolves
Book 1 · novel · 2010

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse…
2
Trial by Fire
Book 2 · novel · 2011

Bryn is finally settling into her position as alpha of the Cedar Ridge Pack - or at least, her own version of what it means to be alpha when you're a human leading a band of werewolves. Then she finds a teenage boy bleeding on her front…
3
Taken by Storm
Book 3 · novel · 2012

In the eye of a storm stands Bryn, the alpha of the Cedar Ridge werewolf pack. She is young. Female. Human. Physically weaker than any werewolf, she could never survive a battle with another alpha, the strongest, fiercest, and canniest of…

novel-series · ongoing

The Naturals

A young adult crime-thriller series about teenagers recruited by the FBI for exceptional profiling abilities.

Series guide →

1
The Naturals
Book 1 · novel · 2013

"Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But, it's not a skill that she's ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they've begun a classified program that uses exceptional…
2
Killer Instinct
Book 2 · novel · 2014

A chilling copycat killer has the Naturals in his crosshairs in this exhilarating crime thriller from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Inheritance Games. Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for…
3
All In
Book 3 · novel · 2015

Three casinos. Three bodies. Three days. After a string of brutal murders in Las Vegas, Cassie Hobbes and the Naturals are called in to investigate. But even with the team's unique profiling talents, these murders seem baffling: unlike…
4
Bad Blood
Book 4 · novel · 2016

When Cassie Hobbes joined the FBI's Naturals program, she had one goal: uncover the truth about her mother's murder. But now, everything Cassie thought she knew about what happened that night has been called into question. Her mother is…
5
Twelve
Book 4.5 · novella · 2017 Optional

Cassie Hobbes has been working with the FBI since she was a teenager. Now twenty-three years old, she and her fellow Naturals have taken over running the program that taught them everything they know. As a unit, they're responsible for…

novel-series · completed

The Fixer

A young adult political-thriller series about Tess Kendrick, a high-school fixer in Washington, D.C.

Series guide →

1
The Fixer
Book 1 · novel · 2015
2
The Long Game
Book 2 · novel · 2016

novel-series · completed

The Debutantes

A Southern-gothic young adult mystery series about Sawyer Taft's initiation into debutante society and the secretive White Gloves.

Series guide →

1
Little White Lies
Book 1 · novel · 2018

Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would…
2
Deadly Little Scandals
Book 2 · novel · 2019

Reluctant debutante Sawyer Taft joined Southern high society for one reason and one reason alone: to identify and locate her biological father. But the answers Sawyer found during her debutante year only left her with more questions and…

saga · completed

The Inheritance Games Saga

An umbrella saga of puzzle-filled mysteries, romance, and family secrets surrounding the Hawthorne fortune.

Series guide →

1
The Inheritance Games
Book 1 · novel · 2020

"But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why—or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move…
2
The Hawthorne Legacy
Book 2 · novel · 2021

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions—including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a…
3
The Final Gambit
Book 3 · novel · 2022

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting…
4
The Brothers Hawthorne
Book 4 · novel · 2023

Four brothers. Two missions. One explosive read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes returns to the world of her #1 bestselling Inheritance Games trilogy, and the stakes have never been higher. Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his…
5
Games Untold
Book 5 · collection · 2024 Optional

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the…
6
The Grandest Game
Book 6 · novel · 2024

Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game…
7
Glorious Rivals
Book 7 · novel · 2025

Seven players arrived on Hawthorne Island, each with their own secrets and motivations to win the Grandest Game. Millions are at stake, but so are hearts—and lives. The players now must race to win the game, solve myriad mysteries, and…
8
The Same Backward as Forward
Book 8 · novel · 2025 Optional

You’ve fallen in love with the Hawthorne brothers, now discover the love story of the lost scion of Hawthorne House. Read Hannah’s side of the story, then flip the book over to experience their love anew through Toby’s eyes in this…
9
The Gilded Blade
Book 9 · novel · 2026

ALL GAMES MUST COME TO AN END. In the stunning finale to the global phenomenon of the Inheritance Games Saga (over 6 million copies sold!), discover danger, riches, romance--and the staggering answers to long-brewing mysteries. All games…

novel-series · completed

The Inheritance Games

The original mystery series following Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne family.

Series guide →

1
The Inheritance Games
Book 1 · novel · 2020

"But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why—or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move…
2
The Hawthorne Legacy
Book 2 · novel · 2021

The Inheritance Games ended with a bombshell, and now heiress Avery Grambs has to pick up the pieces and find the man who might hold the answers to all of her questions—including why Tobias Hawthorne left his entire fortune to Avery, a…
3
The Final Gambit
Book 3 · novel · 2022

To inherit billions, all Avery Kylie Grambs has to do is survive a few more weeks living in Hawthorne House. The paparazzi are dogging her every step. Financial pressures are building. Danger is a fact of life. And the only thing getting…
4
The Brothers Hawthorne
Book 4 · novel · 2023

Four brothers. Two missions. One explosive read. Jennifer Lynn Barnes returns to the world of her #1 bestselling Inheritance Games trilogy, and the stakes have never been higher. Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his…
5
Games Untold
Book 5 · collection · 2024 Optional

An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the…

novel-series · completed

The Grandest Game

A spin-off series in the Inheritance Games world about a high-stakes competition created by Avery Grambs and the Hawthorne brothers.

Series guide →

1
The Grandest Game
Book 1 · novel · 2024

Welcome to the Grandest Game, an annual competition run by billionaire Avery Grambs and the four infamous Hawthorne brothers, whose family fortune she inherited. Designed to give anyone a shot at fame and fortune, this year’s game…
2
Glorious Rivals
Book 2 · novel · 2025

Seven players arrived on Hawthorne Island, each with their own secrets and motivations to win the Grandest Game. Millions are at stake, but so are hearts—and lives. The players now must race to win the game, solve myriad mysteries, and…
3
The Gilded Blade
Book 3 · novel · 2026

ALL GAMES MUST COME TO AN END. In the stunning finale to the global phenomenon of the Inheritance Games Saga (over 6 million copies sold!), discover danger, riches, romance--and the staggering answers to long-brewing mysteries. All games…

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

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Novels (3)

Every Other Day
novel · 2011

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She argues with her father. She's human. And then every day in between... she's something else entirely. Though she still looks like…
Nobody
novel · 2013

Fifteen-year-old Claire Ryan has always felt invisible, always lived beyond people's notice, which causes trouble when she instantly connects with seventeen-year-old Nix, who really can become invisible and has been sent to assassinate her.
The Lovely and the Lost
novel · 2019

Kira Bennett’s earliest memories are of living alone and wild in the woods. She has no idea how long she was on her own or what she had to do to survive, but she remembers the moment that Cady Bennett and one of her search-and-rescue dogs…

Frequently asked questions about Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Who is Jennifer Lynn Barnes?

Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a young adult novelist who also researches the psychology of fandom and the cognitive science of fiction. She is an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma with appointments in psychology and professional writing.

Source: jenniferlynnbarnes.com (opens in a new tab)

What is Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s academic background?

Barnes holds advanced degrees in psychology, psychiatry, and cognitive science. She studied at Cambridge University as a Fulbright Scholar and received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2012.

Sources: jenniferlynnbarnes.com (opens in a new tab)bloomsbury.com (opens in a new tab)

When did Jennifer Lynn Barnes begin her writing career?

Barnes wrote her first published novel at nineteen and sold her first five books while still in college. She began writing seriously as a teenager and sold her debut shortly before her twenty-first birthday.

Sources: jenniferlynnbarnes.com (opens in a new tab)jenniferlynnbarnes.com (opens in a new tab)

What influences Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s writing?

Barnes often starts with a supernatural or fantastical concept and connects it to an aspect of teenage experience. She has also cited mythology, fairy tales, ghost stories, and books such as Matilda as influences.

Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)jenniferlynnbarnes.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards and honors has Jennifer Lynn Barnes received?

The Naturals was selected for the American Library Association’s 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults list, and The Hawthorne Legacy was included in YALSA’s 2022 Teens’ Top Ten. Bloomsbury also identifies Barnes as a #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Sources: ala.org (opens in a new tab)ala.org (opens in a new tab)bloomsbury.com (opens in a new tab)