Gregg Olsen books

Gregg Olsen is an American true crime writer and thriller novelist known for the Detective Megan Carpenter series, the Notorious USA books, and bestselling non-fiction like If You Tell (2019).

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Angry Eight 2023 Buy

Detective Megan Carpenter Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Snow Creek 2019 Buy
Water’s Edge 2020 Buy
Silent Ridge 2020 N/A
Silent Ridge / Dark Falls 2020 Buy
Stillwater Island 2021 N/A
Vanishing Point / Stillwater Island 2021 Buy
Cougar Point 2024 Buy
Final Victim 2025 Buy

Emily Kenyon Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Cold Dark Place 2007 Buy
Heart of Ice 2009 Buy

Nicole Foster Thriller Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Sound of Rain 2016 Buy
The Weight of Silence 2018 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Abandoned Prayers 1990 Buy
Bitter Almonds 1993 Buy
Cruel Deception / Mockingbird 1995 Buy
Starvation Heights 1997 Buy
The Confessions of an American Black Widow / Bitch on Wheels 1998 Buy
If Loving You Is Wrong 1999 Buy
The Deep Dark 2005 Buy
A Twisted Faith 2010 Buy
Bloody Sequins 2014 Buy
If I Can’t Have You: Obsession, Murder and a Mother’s Strange Disappearance 2014 Buy
Unnatural Causes 2014 Buy
The Amish Schoolhouse Murders 2014 Buy
The Unforgettable Fire 2014 Buy
A Killing in Amish Country 2016 Buy
If You Tell 2019 Buy
American Mother 2022 Buy
American Black Widow 2023 Buy
The Amish Wife 2024 Buy
Out of the Woods 2025 Buy
By the River’s Edge 2026 Buy

Notorious USA Series Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Death of a Cheerleader 2014 Buy
Evil at the Front Door 2014 Buy
Under the Light of the Moon 2014 Buy
Many Secrets, Many Graves 2014 Buy
Strangers in the Night 2014 Buy
Her Lover’s Wife 2014 Buy
Fundamental Love 2014 Buy
Overkill 2014 Buy
The Corridor Killer 2015 Buy
Shadows of Death 2015 Buy
A Complicated Woman 2015 Buy
Dead on Delivery 2016 Buy
Love Gone Wrong 2016 Buy
The Boy Who Fired The First Shot 2013 Buy
The Girl and the Horrors of Howard Avenue 2013 Buy
The Stranger and the World’s Bravest Little Girl 2013 Buy
Darkest Waters 2014 Buy
The Murder Game 2014 Buy
Crimes of the Century 2015 Buy
Garden State Thrill Killers 2015 Buy
Nightmare at Noon 2015 Buy
Kill Him Some More 2016 Buy
Dangerous Dozen 2017 Buy
Murder Alley 2017 Buy
Heartless 2018 Buy

Notorious USA, Oregon Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Stranger and the World’s Bravest Little Girl 2013 Buy
The Boy Who Fired The First Shot 2013 Buy
The Girl and the Horrors of Howard Avenue 2013 Buy

Port Gamble Chronicles / Empty Coffin Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Beneath Her Skin / Envy 2011 Buy
Inveja 2011 N/A
Dying to Be Her / Betrayal 2012 Buy

Sheriff Detective Kendall Stark Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Victim Six 2010 Buy
Closer than Blood 2011 Buy

St. Martin’s True Crime Library Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Abandoned Prayers 1990 Buy
Cruel Deception / Mockingbird 1995 Buy
Death Cruise 1996 Buy
Blood Will Tell 1996 Buy
Hot Blood 1996 Buy
Seeds of Evil 1997 Buy
Sleep My Little Dead 1997 Buy
Hush Little Babies 1997 Buy
The Vampire Killers 1998 Buy
Death in Texas 1999 Buy
Burned Alive 1999 Buy
Blood in the Sand 2000 Buy
The Surgeon’s Wife 2001 Buy
An Early Grave 2001 Buy
Murder In Hollywood 2001 Buy
A Deadly Affair 2001 Buy
Cries in the Desert 2002 Buy
Death of a Doctor 2002 Buy
Broken Vows 2002 Buy
Twisted 2003 Buy
The Stranger In My Bed 2003 Buy
Through the Window 2003 Buy
Angels of Death 2003 Buy
Love, Daddy 2003 Buy
Laci 2003 Buy
Out of Control 2004 Buy
Into the Water 2004 Buy
Over the Edge 2004 Buy
Written in Blood 2005 Buy
One Deadly Night 2005 Buy
Deadly Mistress 2005 Buy
The Officer’s Wife 2006 Buy
Darker Than Night 2006 Buy
If I Die… 2007 Buy
Deadly American Beauty 2007 Buy
A Family Cursed 2007 Buy
The Pastor’s Wife 2008 Buy
Perfect Beauty 2008 Buy
Never Seen Again 2008 Buy
House of Evil 2008 Buy
Bones in the Desert 2008 Buy
Beauty Sleep 2008 Buy
In the Middle of the Night 2009 Buy
Behind the Mask 2009 Buy
Desire Turned Deadly 2009 Buy
The Prom Night Murders 2009 Buy
Signed in Blood 2009 Buy
A Poisoned Passion 2009 Buy
One Dark Night 2010 Buy
Murder at Yale 2010 Buy
Playing With Fire 2010 Buy
In the Arms of Evil 2010 Buy
Dead But Not Forgotten 2010 Buy
Cold as Ice 2010 Buy
Love Hurts 2010 Buy
Blood in the Snow 2011 Buy
The Dating Game Killer 2011 Buy
Dying for Love 2011 Buy
Her Deadly Web 2012 Buy
The Prince of Paradise 2012 Buy
See How Much You Love Me 2014 Buy
Crazy for You 2015 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Wicked Snow 1995 Buy
Fear Collector 2011 Buy
Shocking True Story 2013 Buy
The Last Thing She Ever Did 2018 Buy
Lying Next to Me 2019 Buy
The Hive 2021 Buy
I Know Where You Live 2022 Buy

Vengeance Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Girl on the Run / Run 2014 Buy
Girls on Film 2014 Buy
The Boy She Left Behind 2017 Buy

Waterman and Stark Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Bone Box 2012 Buy
Victim Six 2010 Buy
The Girl in the Woods 2014 Buy
Closer than Blood 2011 Buy
Just Try To Stop Me 2016 Buy
Now That She’s Gone 2015 Buy

Gregg Olsen is an American author who writes both true crime non-fiction and crime fiction thrillers. He began with Abandoned Prayers in 1990 and has since published over 140 books. His non-fiction work covers real criminal cases, from Starvation Heights (1997) about a fasting cure sanitarium to If You Tell (2019), the story of a mother who tortured her children, which became one of the bestselling true crime books in recent years.

His fiction includes the Detective Megan Carpenter series, which started with Snow Creek in 2019 and has grown to eight books. The earlier Emily Kenyon and Sheriff Detective Kendall Stark series also feature Pacific Northwest settings and female law enforcement protagonists. The Notorious USA series collects over 25 true crime stories organized by region. Olsen has also contributed to the St. Martin’s True Crime Library with dozens of entries covering cases across the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Gregg Olsen written?

Gregg Olsen has written 144 books across thirteen series.

What was Gregg Olsen's first book?

Gregg Olsen’s first book is Abandoned Prayers, published in 1990.

What is Gregg Olsen best known for?

Olsen is best known for his true crime writing, particularly If You Tell (2019), which became a major bestseller. His Detective Megan Carpenter thriller series and the Notorious USA true crime books are also widely read.

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