Below is the complete list of Janet Evanovich’s Hot/Cate Madigan books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Hot/Cate Madigan Books in Publication Order
- Hot Stuff (2007)
Hot Stuff was published in 2007 and is listed as book #1 in the Hot/Cate Madigan series.
About Hot/Cate Madigan
Janet Evanovich’s Hot/Cate Madigan series is one of the shortest branches of her bibliography, consisting of Hot Stuff, a romantic comedy mystery written with Leanne Banks. Although it is sometimes grouped as a series because it was introduced with that expectation, it stands mainly as a single Cate Madigan novel. That makes it different from Evanovich’s long-running Stephanie Plum books, the Full/Max Holt collaborations, or the Fox and O’Hare adventures, where recurring casts and multiple cases define the reading experience.
Cate Madigan is a Boston native from a large Irish family, and her life is already crowded before romance or danger enters the picture. She is studying for a teaching degree by day and working nights as a bartender in Boston’s South End, a setup that immediately places her in a busy, urban, working-life environment rather than the suburban New Jersey world most associated with Evanovich. Cate is practical, overloaded, and determined not to be distracted by men, marriage, or emotional complications she does not have time to manage.
The main complication is Kellen McBride, an ex-cop who starts appearing at Cate’s bar with more than casual interest. Kellen has the kind of charm and mystery that suits Evanovich’s romantic-comedy style, but his presence also brings the story into suspense territory. Cate’s apartment is ransacked, her roommate disappears, and a large bullmastiff named Beast becomes part of the chaos. From that point, the novel moves through a familiar Evanovich blend: romantic sparks, danger that keeps escalating, eccentric supporting characters, and a heroine whose ordinary life becomes suddenly and absurdly complicated.
The book’s appeal comes from its loose, comic energy. Cate is not a bounty hunter, investigator, or professional crime-solver. She is a woman with school, work, family pressure, and financial limits, suddenly pulled into a situation that requires help from a man she would rather not need. That makes the romance and mystery elements feel closely connected. Kellen is both attraction and assistance, which creates the kind of push-pull dynamic Evanovich often enjoys: the heroine wants independence, the hero keeps proving useful, and the circumstances give them no clean way to avoid each other.
Because Hot Stuff was written with Leanne Banks, it leans more strongly into romantic comedy than some of Evanovich’s mystery-heavy work. Banks’ romance background fits the tone, while Evanovich’s voice comes through in the pace, comic exaggeration, and taste for colorful characters. The result is not a dense crime novel or a major series arc, but a breezy romantic caper with danger, flirtation, family noise, and enough mystery to keep the plot moving.
Hot/Cate Madigan is best understood as a standalone-style romantic mystery rather than a fully developed multi-book series. Readers expecting the scale of Stephanie Plum may find it much smaller, but that compactness is also part of its identity. It captures a lighter side of Evanovich’s storytelling: a capable but overextended heroine, a charming ex-cop with secrets, a messy Boston backdrop, and a romantic adventure that turns Cate’s already hectic life into something far more unpredictable.