V.S. Kemanis Books In Order

Publication Order of Dana Hargrove Books

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of An Unsettling Reads Anthology Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

V.S. Kemanis is a popular American writer of thriller, mystery, crime fiction, and suspense stories. She specializes in writing legal mysteries and is particularly famous for creating the character of prosecutor Dana Hargrave, the chief protagonist who features in her mystery series of the same name. Kemanis claims to have enjoyed her varied and exciting careers in the arts and law fields over the years. An attorney by profession, she has served as a criminal prosecutor throughout the country. She has worked for many state and county agencies, where she has indulged in arguments of criminal appeals for the defense and prosecution. Kemanis’ law career has also allowed him to conduct civil litigations of complex natures and work for appellate courts and judges. Most recently, she was seen in the role of appellate decisions’ supervising editor. In the field of arts, Kemanis has managed to establish herself as an accomplished dancer. She is an expert in modern jazz, contemporary styles, and classical ballet. Kemanis has taken up performing, teaching, and choreographing roles in Colorado, New York, and California.

As a writer, Kemanis has penned several short fictions that have been published in various literary journals, anthologies, and magazines including The Best Laid Plans, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, and The Crooked Road, among many others. In 2019, she won the Eric Hoffer Award for her short fiction collection called Your Pick: Selected Stories. This prestigious award was followed by a nomination for the Montaigne Medal in the same year. Author Kemanis is a proud member of the MWA. She hopes to continue writing mind-blowing mysteries in the times to come and present them to her supportive and kind fans. Her depiction of Dana Hargrave as a prosecutor who juggles her family’s competing demands with her high-powered professional law career, just like herself, was much appreciated by critics worldwide. This character received excellent reviews for its portrayal and the intriguing mysteries set around her. Kemanis felt humbled to know that many of her fellow writers have praised her work and said nice words on various literary platforms. It helped to make her career as a writer more successful and popular.

Author Kemanis was brought up in California’s East Bay Area. She, her parents, and her 6 amazing siblings grew up around passionate discussions about social issues, music, politics, and theater. The family always had raucous, intellectual, and stimulating meal times. Kemanis’ parents mostly held fun gathering in their house that included their full family, some interesting guests, professors, university students, actors, musicians, and artists. Kemanis liked growing up in such an environment. Later, she joined California University, Berkeley, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in the subject of Sociology. It was followed by a Juris Doctor degree from Boulder’s Colorado University Law School. Immediately after that, Kemanis began working as a lawyer. She worked hard for years to turn her career into a success and established herself among the prominent prosecutors of her time.

Years later, a time came in her life when she thought about using her experience in the form of intriguing stories and share them with the world. It led her to create Dana Hargrave’s character and develop stories revolving around her. Kemanis’ expertise in the legal field made it easy for her to develop legal thrillers with Dana Hargrave at the center. As of now, Kemanis wants to continue writing stories about Dana Hargrave and go on with that for as long as she can. She resides in New York and serves as a board member of MWA’s New York chapter. Kemanis spends most of her free time writing novels and sharing relaxing time with her family.

The Dana Hargrave series written by author V.S. Kemanis began in 2012. She has added multiple titles to this series so far and all of them have achieved global success. Kemanis has set this series through the late 1980s to the early 2000s. Some essential characters created by her for this series include Melanie, Neal, Evan Goodhue, Anneke, Travis, etc. The stories are mostly set in Manhattan and New York City. The series’ debut book is entitled ‘Thursday’s List’. It was released in 2012 by Opus Nine Books. This novel opens by introducing Dana Hargrave as a newly appointed prosecutor. After just a few months on the job, she finds herself in a situation where she has to make the impossible decision of choosing between personal relationships and her career. Soon after, Dana is asked to join an investigating team working to take down the infamous Cali Cartel and their illegal money laundering business and cocaine trafficking. She does not like this assignment because the only work that she is given is to analyze bank records.

Dana thinks just because she is the junior-most team member, others think she is not capable of handling a big case like this. But, she is determined to prove her worth. When her superiors continue to keep her out of their loop, she decides to take matters into her own hands and succeeds in connecting the dots that lead her to find important clues. As the investigation continues, Dana begins to face the heat as she is thrust into the living nightmare of blood, retribution, and greed involving the Cartel. The second volume of this series is called ‘Homicide Chart’. It was also published by the Opus Nine publication in 2014. This novel is set in 1994. It is mentioned that the rate of murder is on the rise in New York City and the caseload is piling up on Dana Hargrave’s desk with each passing day. Being a top prosecutor in the DA’s office, she is asked to remain available round the clock and get called to murder scenes.

While her career demands her full dedication, she is also required to fulfill her duties as a mother. Dana seems worried about the caregiver she has appointed to look after her 2-year-old son. And when she thought that things couldn’t get any worse, she learns that a witness has come out of nowhere to spoil her airtight trial against a notorious gang member. In the middle of all this, Dana receives gets called to a crime scene late at night and is plunged into a murder investigation that puts her loved ones in danger. Dana begins to feel that she is in a dilemma of conscience and heart. No matter what choice she makes, she is forced to question it in the very next moment. A time comes when she starts to think she has made a big mistake by becoming a prosecutor. However, her dedication keeps her going and helps to lighten the load on her shoulders, thereby, allowing her to give more time to her personal relationships.