Margaret Maron Reading Order

28 books (1986–2015)

Margaret Maron edited 26 complete mystery and thriller anthologies published between 1986 and 2015, all of which should be read in publication order beginning with Tales of Terror. These collections feature various authors contributing short stories across the mystery genre, with titles like Beastly Tales, Sisters in Crime 2, A Woman's Eye, and Magnolias and Mayhem reflecting the diverse themes explored throughout the series. The final anthology was released in 2015, marking the conclusion of this extensive editorial project.

Start with Tales of Terror, the first of 26 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Tales of Terror 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Beastly Tales 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Sisters in Crime 2 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	A Woman's Eye 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Cat Crimes II 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Deadly Allies 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Partners in Crime 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Women of Mystery II 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Crown Crime Companion 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Funny Bones: 15 New Tales of Murder and Mayhem 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Vengeance is Hers 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Women of Mystery III 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Irreconcilable Differences 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Malice Domestic 8 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Mom, Apple Pie and Murder 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Magnolias and Mayhem 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Malice Domestic 10 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Mysterious Press Anniversary Anthology: Celebrating 25 Years 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Women Before the Bench 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Tar Heel Dead 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Crimes by Moonlight 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	A Study in Sherlock 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	27 Views of Raleigh 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Carolina Crimes 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Writes of Passage 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Manhattan Mayhem 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Murder Under the Oaks 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2012–2012)

Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott Short Stories collection comprises three mystery tales published together in 2012, featuring the author's beloved judge character in compact narrative form. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Bewreathed and continuing through Deborah's Judgement and With This Ring. These stories offer mystery enthusiasts a chance to revisit Maron's world in shorter installments than her full-length novels.

Start with Bewreathed and read in order.

20 books (1992–2015)

Margaret Maron's Judge Deborah Knott series comprises 20 mystery novels following a North Carolina judge as she navigates crime and justice in her region. Published between 1992 and 2015, the series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Bootlegger's Daughter. Each standalone mystery benefits from the character development and relationships established across the full arc of the series.

Start with Bootlegger's Daughter, the first of 20 books in the Judge Deborah Knott series.

#	Title
1	Bootlegger's Daughter 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Southern Discomfort 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Shooting at Loons 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Up Jumps the Devil 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Killer Market 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Home Fires 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Storm Track 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Uncommon Clay 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Slow Dollar 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	High Country Fall 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Rituals of the Season 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Winter's Child 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Hard Row 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Death's Half Acre 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Sand Sharks 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Christmas Mourning 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Three-Day Town 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Buzzard Table 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Designated Daughters 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Long Upon the Land 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1991–2002)

Margaret Maron's Short Stories/Novellas series consists of four mystery tales published between 1991 and 2002. The complete collection includes Deborah's Judgment, …That Married Dear Old Dad, Virgo in Sapphires, and The Dog That Didn't Bark, and should be read in publication order. These standalone stories showcase Maron's work in short fiction and novellas across the mystery and thriller genres.

Start with Deborah’s Judgment, the first of 4 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	Deborah’s Judgment 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	…That Married Dear Old Dad 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Virgo in Sapphires 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Dog That Didn’t Bark 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1997–2012)

Margaret Maron's Short Story Collections comprise four mystery and thriller volumes published between 1997 and 2012. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Shoveling Smoke, followed by Suitable for Hanging, Five Christmas Gifts - A Holiday Short Story Collection, and Postcards From the Mediterranean. Each collection offers standalone stories that can be enjoyed independently, though reading them sequentially provides the fullest experience of Maron's short fiction.

Start with Shoveling Smoke, the first of 4 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Shoveling Smoke 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Suitable for Hanging 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Five Christmas Gifts - A Holiday Short Story Collection 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Postcards From the Mediterranean 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

9 books (1981–2017)

Margaret Maron's Sigrid Harald series comprises nine mysteries published between 1981 and 2017, following a complete arc that should be read in publication order. Begin with One Coffee With and continue through Fugitive Colors and Take Out to experience the full evolution of this police procedural mystery series. The books are best enjoyed sequentially as they were released, tracking the development of detective Sigrid Harald across more than three decades of crime fiction.

Start with One Coffee With, the first of 9 books in the Sigrid Harald series.

#	Title
1	One Coffee With 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Death of a Butterfly 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Death in Blue Folders 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Right Jack 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Baby Doll Games 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Corpus Christmas 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Past Imperfect 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Fugitive Colors 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Take Out 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1985–2013)

Margaret Maron's three standalone mystery novels span nearly three decades, from Bloody Kin in 1985 through Last Lessons of Summer and Growth Marks, concluding in 2013. Each book functions as an independent story with its own characters and plot, so readers can approach them in any order, though publication sequence is recommended to experience Maron's evolving craft over time. This complete collection showcases the acclaimed author's work outside her longer-running series.

Start with Bloody Kin and read in order.

#	Title
1	Bloody Kin 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Last Lessons of Summer 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Growth Marks 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible