Marie Force’s Fatal series is a collection of romantic novels. The Fatal series revolves around Sam Holland, a homicide detective. Her career is going in the wrong direction and she needs to get an important case. She soon meets Nick Cappuano, a politician’s chief of staff, when working on his boss’s murder case. The series could be seen as crime fiction. But the narrative with Sam and Nick that spans the series makes it romantic fiction.
Fatal Affair, the first installment in the Fatal series, was released in 2010. Sam Holland is a detective sergeant with the Washington DC Metro Police. She must look into the death of Senator John O’Connor. Sam has to collaborate with Nick Cappuano, a man she had a one-night stand with in the past. Sam must solve the case while more murders are discovered. She should do it without falling for her new colleague’s desires.
The series continues in the same vein, with the underlying story being romance. Sam investigates a never-ending series of murders. Nick pursues his political career, reaching the pinnacles of America’s political system.
Marie Force Fatal Series in order
Fatal
- Fatal Affair (2021)
- Fatal Justice (2021)
- Fatal Consequences (2021)
- Fatal Flaw (2021)
- Fatal Deception (2021)
- Fatal Mistake (2021)
- Fatal Jeopardy (2021)
- Fatal Scandal (2021)
- Fatal Frenzy (2021)
- Fatal Identity (2021)
- Fatal Threat (2021)
- Fatal Chaos (2021)
- Fatal Invasion (2021)
- Fatal Reckoning (2021)
- Fatal Accusation (2021)
- Fatal Fraud (2020)
Similar authors
Maddie James’s A Perfect Escape follows Megan Thomas trying to escape her past. She abandons Chicago and her mob-connected husband. She plans her getaway, but everything falls apart when she meets Smyth Parker.
M.S. Force’s Quantum Series features Flynn and Natalie’s story. Flynn and Natalie’s affair has it all—romance, passion, love, and paparazzi. But a weird murder could be their downfall.
See also: Tony Hillerman Books in Order.
Most recommended books
- Fatal Invasion (Fatal #13) (4.64 Goodreads score)
- Fatal Reckoning (Fatal #14) (4.64 Goodreads score)
- Fatal Chaos (Fatal #12) (4.57 Goodreads score)
- Fatal Frenzy (Fatal #9) (4.57 Goodreads score)
- Fatal Threat (Fatal #11) (4.55 Goodreads score)
Latest releases
The last book in the Fatal series is Fatal Fraud. It is the 16th book in the series and was released in 2020.
Book summaries
Fatal Affair (2021)
The perfect opportunity arises when Senator John O’Connor is found brutally murdered in his bed, and Sam is assigned to the case. Things get complicated when Sam has to team up with Nick Cappuano, O’Connor’s friend and chief of staff…and the man Sam had a memorable one-night stand with years earlier. Their sexual chemistry still sizzles, and Sam has to fight to stay focused on the case. Sleeping with a material witness is another mistake she can’t afford—especially when the bodies keep piling up.
Fatal Justice (2021)
Standing over the body of a Supreme Court nominee, Lieutenant Sam Holland is hip-deep in another high-profile murder case. That she was one of the last people to see Julian Sinclair alive only complicates things even more. With her relationship with Senator Nick Cappuano heating up, they’re attracting a lot of unwanted media attention and blinding flashbulbs. The pressure is on for Sam to find Sinclair’s killer, but a new lead in her father’s unsolved shooting puts her in unexpected danger. When long-buried secrets threaten to derail her relationship with Nick, Sam realizes that while justice can be blind, mixing romance with politics has the potential to be fatal.
Fatal Consequences (2021)
The murder of two members of the Capitol Cleaning Service might’ve been just another homicide investigation if one of them hadn’t been romantically involved with a married senator from Arizona. Lt. Sam Holland and her team are plunged into another complex case that at first seems routine. But as Sam tugs on the threads of the investigation she uncovers a deep, dark Washington secret that threatens the careers of some of the government’s highest-ranking officials. Racing to catch a killer before he can strike again, Sam and her fiancé, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, attempt to plan a wedding while her colleague Detective Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales faces life-changing news.
Fatal Flaw (2021)
Back from their honeymoon, Senator Nick Cappuano and D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland are ready for some normalcy after the whirlwind of their wedding, but someone has other plans for them. When Sam discovers wedding cards containing thinly veiled death threats, she’s not sure if she or Nick is the target. Already on edge, Sam and her team start investigating a series of baffling murders. The victims are well-liked with no known enemies, and the murders are carried out in a clean and efficient manner. Unable to find a clear motive for the deaths, she feels like she’s chasing her tail. With no obvious connection between the victims, Sam soon suspects that she may be the ultimate prize in the killer’s clever game. When the danger starts to hit a little too close to home, she has two goals: find the elusive murderer and manage to live long enough to enjoy her happily ever after.
Fatal Deception (2021)
The wife of the White House deputy chief of staff has been beaten to death, and their one-year-old daughter is missing. D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland is in charge of the murder investigation, but she’s forced to collaborate with Special Victims Unit detectives as well as thorn-in-her-side FBI Special Agent Avery Hill. Then, a cold case of her father’s resurrects old hurts—a distraction Sam cannot afford. As Sam’s investigation heats up, so does Nick’s political career—and the heat carries over to their bedroom. Will Sam put the pieces together in time to catch a killer and find the baby, or will ambition, greed and lies prove fatal?
Fatal Mistake (2021)
A critical error. A Cinderella season cut short. A star player murdered. D.C. is recovering from angry riots after one player’s mistake blew the D.C. Federals’ chance at the World Series, and Lt. Sam Holland is determined to unravel the twisted web of motives behind the star center fielder’s death. Was it a disgruntled fan, a spurned lover or a furious teammate? While Sam digs through clues, her husband, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, fights for his political life in the final days of his reelection campaign as financial irregularities threaten his future. It’s a distraction Nick can ill afford with Sam in the midst of another high-profile murder investigation and both of them trying to help their adopted son, Scotty, cope with the murder of a ball player he admired. Determined to bring the killer to justice, Sam must root out the truth before another mistake proves fatal.
Fatal Jeopardy (2021)
Washington, D.C. Police Lieutenant Sam Holland and her husband, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano, have been looking forward to a quiet Thanksgiving with their son. But any thoughts of a restful holiday are dashed when Sam and Nick return home to a gruesome scene: her seventeen-year-old niece Brooke, barely conscious and covered in blood on their front stoop. With lines between personal and professional blurring in this emotionally charged, deeply personal case, Sam is relying on Nick more than ever for support. But when suspicious images from the night in question appear on social media, Sam begins to wonder if her niece is telling her everything she knows about what really happened. And when Nick questions her tactics—and her ethics—as she races against the clock, Sam will need to decide how far she’s willing to go to prove Brooke is a victim, not a murderer.
Fatal Scandal (2021)
As a new year dawns in the capital city, dual scandals rock the Metropolitan Police Department—and Lieutenant Sam Holland is right in the middle of them. Chief Farnsworth is catching heat for the way he handled a recent homicide investigation, and Detective Gonzales is accused of failing to disclose an earlier connection to the judge who decided his custody hearing. When Gonzo’s fight for his child turns deadly and he has a shaky alibi, Sam must defend two of her closest colleagues. All while her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, settles into his new office at the White House. Nick begins to wonder if the president is using him for a political boost, and his worries mount over a complication in the plans to adopt Scotty at a time when Sam is being put through the wringer by the always-rabid D.C. press corps. As the evidence against Gonzo piles up, Sam suspects someone is gunning for her—and her team.
Fatal Frenzy (2021)
Inauguration day is almost here… Lieutenant Sam Holland is on medical leave, recovering from an attack that shook her to the core. With no case to distract her, she’s trying to stay busy—even voluntarily meeting with her new White House staff. But it’s not enough to keep the horrific memories at bay, and her family is worried, especially her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano. Nick is dealing with his own demons where his wife’s safety is concerned, losing night after night of sleep as he takes steps to ensure what happened that day will never happen again. The pressure is building inside the Cappuanos’ marriage, and something’s got to give before Nick takes the oath of office. A series of knife attacks in the midst of inauguration madness has the District on edge, and when the case strikes shockingly close to home, Sam returns to help hunt down a heartless killer. In a case full of ugly twists and turns, Sam will have to confront her past and find her strength again…before it’s too late.
Fatal Identity (2021)
Every family has its secrets… As the first anniversary of her marriage to Vice President Nick Cappuano approaches, Lieutenant Sam Holland is dreaming of Bora Bora—sun, sand and a desperately needed break from the DC grind. But real life has a way of intervening, and Sam soon finds herself taking on one of the most perplexing cases of her career.Government worker Josh Hamilton begs Sam to investigate his shocking claim that his parents stole him from another family thirty years ago. More complicated still, his “father” is none other than the FBI director. When a member of Josh’s family is brutally murdered, Sam begins to question how deep the cover-up goes. Is it possible the revered director was part of a baby-napping ring and others involved are also targets? With a killer intent on deadly revenge and her team still reeling from a devastating loss, Sam’s plate is full—and when Nick and their son, Scotty, take ill, is her dream of a tropical anniversary celebration in peril, too?
Fatal Threat (2021)
With a killer on the loose, it’s the worst time to be on lockdown… It’s another day at the office for Washington Metro Police Lieutenant Sam Holland when a body surfaces off the shores of the Anacostia River. Before Sam can sink her teeth into the new case, Secret Service agents seize her from the crime scene. A threat has been made against her family, and nobody will tell her anything—including the whereabouts of her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano. This isn’t the first time the couple’s lives have been at risk, but when a bombshell from Sam’s past returns to haunt her, she can’t help but wonder if there’s a connection. With a ruthless killer out for vengeance, and Nick struggling to maintain his reputation after secrets from his own past are revealed, Sam tries to tie the threat to a murder that can’t possibly be a coincidence. And she has to get it done before her husband’s career is irrevocably damaged…
Fatal Chaos (2021)
First the calm. Then the storm… Escaping D.C. during the dog days of summer is one of the smartest moves Washington Metro Police Lieutenant Sam Holland ever made. Beach walks aren’t quite as romantic with the Secret Service in tow, but Sam and her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, cherish the chance to recharge and reconnect—especially with a scandal swirling around the administration. No sooner are they back home than a fatal drive-by shooting sets the city on edge. The teenage victim is barely older than Sam and Nick’s son, Scotty. As more deaths follow, Sam and her team play beat the clock to stop the ruthless killers. With Nick facing his greatest challenge—one that could drastically change all their lives and even end Sam’s career—will the mounting pressure deepen or damage their bond?
Fatal Invasion (2021)
First the fire, then the heat… A brutal home invasion. Two small, traumatized survivors who may have witnessed the horror. Lieutenant Sam Holland has never worked a case quite like this one, in which her eye-witnesses are five-year-old twins. But when Sam steps up in a big way for them, she risks her heart as much as her career. While Sam and her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, go to battle in more ways than one for her tiny witnesses, her colleague Sergeant Tommy “Gonzo” Gonzales battles his own demons. Months of unbearable grief and despair come to a head in an unimaginable way that threatens Gonzo’s status with the department and his relationship with his fiancée, Christina. With trouble both at MPD headquarters and on the case, Sam struggles to keep her priorities straight at home and at work while trying not to lose her heart to her latest crime victims.
Fatal Reckoning (2021)
When tragedy strikes, a cold case suddenly turns hot—and deadly. A peaceful morning is shattered when Washington Metro Police lieutenant Sam Holland’s beloved father succumbs to injuries from an unsolved shooting while on duty four years ago. As the community rallies around Sam and her family, one thing becomes crystal clear: her father’s death has turned the unsolved case into a homicide—and it’s on her to bring her father’s killer to justice. But the case has been cold for years…until an anonymous tip that’s too shocking to believe leads Sam down a dark and dangerous path. Her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, knows if she can’t solve this case, it will haunt her for the rest of her life. She’ll need the strength of their bond to pull her out of the darkness before it’s too late, because as the missing pieces rapidly fall into place, Sam realizes the truth might just break her all the same—and that her father’s killer isn’t done yet…
Fatal Accusation (2021)
A deadly serious affair… The story breaks as Metro PD lieutenant Sam Holland attends a dinner party with her husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano: President Nelson is accused of having an affair. More shocking still, campaign staffer Tara Weber claims the president fathered her newborn son—while the First Lady was undergoing secret cancer treatment. When a high-profile murder case hits Sam’s desk, she’s shocked to uncover a connection to the presidential scandal. With the department caught up in its own internal scandals, and the chief’s job hanging by a thread, Sam questions who she can trust as her team uncovers information that clouds an already-murky case. And with calls for the president to resign getting louder by the minute, Sam needs to close this case before she finds herself living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Fatal Fraud (2020)
A dangerous truth revealed… A prominent member of the D.C. community has been murdered, pulling Lieutenant Sam Holland into yet another high-stakes homicide investigation that has her trying to connect the dots between a dead woman and the friends and family who’d turned against her right before her untimely death. With numerous scandals still fresh within the department’s ranks, Sam is under more than the usual amount of pressure on the job. All the while, Sam’s husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, faces mounting calls to declare his intention to run for president in the coming election, leaving the second couple feeling the strain at home—and on the job as the family endures the first holidays without their beloved patriarch, Skip Holland. As always, when things become too hot to handle on the job, Sam and Nick turn to each other for solace in the storm.
