Katia Lief Books In Order

Publication Order of Karin Schaeffer Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Katia Lief is a best-selling American author of psychological, crime fiction books and literary fiction. She was born in France and relocated to her parents’ home in the United States on the East Coast where she spent her childhood. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and went back to Paris, and returned to the United States after a couple of months to start her publishing job in New York City. She is popularly known as the author of Karin Schaeffer series.
She became a published author in 1993 after her standalone novel Peculiar Politics was published. The book was later re-issued in 2005 as Peculiar Politics: Love, Sex & the Wrong Bride. In 2004, she published a novel Five Days in Summer using the pen name Kate Pepper. She has been writing as Katia Lief since 2010.

You Are Next

You are next is book one novel in Karin Schaeffer series written by Katia Lief. It is a wild roller coaster adventure of a serial killer victim and her efforts to start hunting instead of being hunted.

When everyone in retired police detective Karin Schaffer family is killed, she no longer wants to live anymore. She feels emptiness and loneliness and feels that death would be the best option available. Both her beloved husband and daughter were killed by JPP popularly known as The Domino Killer because he would leave dominos at the crime scene as a clue about his next victim. The domino killer tortures Schaffer and keeps her on the move while trying to figure out his next move to catch him.

It is not long before the Domino killer is arrested and sent to prison, but now the questions that remain are, who kidnapped her niece? Is she still alive? With the dominos left at the crime scene as a clue and The Domino Killer now behind bars, it is a race against time for Schaffer to find out if the domino killer has a partner or if it is a copy cat killer on the loose.

The first series installment is an interesting read, one that’s hard to put down. The main character is Karin Schaffer who finds herself hunted by a serial killer who has murdered several families including hers. She might have missed the Domino clues before; will she miss them this time round?

The narrative is well written; there are lots of flash backs to the deaths of Schaffer husband and daughter, the escape of the killer, court case, and how she managed to stay alive for the twelve months, she promised her shrink. The tension in this novel builds up well, (for example at the point when she comes face to face with the Domino Killer). The descriptions in the narrative are brilliantly done such that you will find yourself imagining and forming images at the back of your mind from the descriptions given.

You are Next also features other characters that are well fleshed out, and each of the character plays a crucial role. The killers are creepy, and the pain that they inflict on their victims is so immense such that it will stick on your thoughts long after you read the final page. The reasons behind their actions are never clear, but this is expected since that even the motives of a serial killer are on rare occasions understood even in real life.

The theme of friendship and family is briefly touched on in this novel. For example, you will find that Karin family is supportive of her even though they too face their trauma. Then there is Mac who stands out, he has been a good friend to Karin for decades, and when danger draws close to her again, we find him being more close to her. Having Mac as a part of Karin Schaffer healing adds bits of romance to this tale.

Next Time You See Me

Just when Karin thought that she had left all her horrific past behind her, she finds herself tossed to the scene of a brutal murder that put the family that she just started in trouble. In this second installment, Karin has a new family; she’s a new husband, a baby, and a career that she loves. The nightmares from the previous novel are completely gone, and her life is back to normal enjoying it to the fullest.

However, as the wedding anniversary approaches, her good life starts getting sour. Her husband’s parents are murdered in a brutal massacre where his beloved brother is the main suspect. Mac’s grief begins to take control over his life as he tries to investigate the person who killed his parents.
As Karin waits for her man during their anniversary dinner, Mac disappears without a single trace. Not before long that his car is found in the river and Mac’s shoe is found wedged on the gas pedal. Karin continues to investigate her husband disappearance and discovers that there is more about her husband than she thought she knew.

She finds out that Mac had troubles at work and also finds a purchase for an expensive jewelry that she knew nothing about. The rumors are that Mac is dead, but for Karin, she does not believe, and while on a trip to Miami, she spots someone who resembles Mac. Now with information from a private investigator who is guiding her, she makes a trip back to Miami a journey that sparks a series of events that ends up with a gun pointing at her head. Is the man that she saw her husband?

The second book in Karin Schaffer is full of twist and turns that move the pace of the story a bit faster. When everything in life seems to be going well for Karin, something else strikes and puts her in mortal danger. But thankfully Karin is not a coward, she is a smart woman who is ready to sacrifice herself for the people who mean the world in her life, and she will fight for what’s right rather than hiding in the corner. H

elping to keep the narrative at a steady pace are some characters from the first novel, one of them being Mac. It is revealed that he is not the perfect man everyone thought in the first book, as he hides secrets from everyone including his wife. If you love fast paced novels that are action packed, then Karin Schaffer is an ideal series for you.