Katy Hays books

Katy Hays is an American author with a background in art history who writes literary thrillers set against the world of museums, rare artifacts, and academic rivalries.
Author · Literary Thriller · Suspense · Literary Fiction

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Cloisters 2022 Buy
Saltwater 2025 Buy

Katy Hays made her fiction debut with The Cloisters (2022), a literary thriller set inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cloisters branch in upper Manhattan. The novel follows a young woman who lands a summer research position at the museum, only to find herself drawn into a dangerous world of Renaissance tarot, academic ambition, and dark secrets among the staff. Hays’s background in art history gives the book a specificity and authenticity that sets it apart from typical suspense fiction.

Her second novel, Saltwater (2025), continues her pattern of placing characters in atmospheric, pressure-cooker settings where the past refuses to stay buried. With two books published between 2022 and 2025, Katy Hays has established herself as a writer who pairs suspenseful plotting with a deep appreciation for art, history, and the shadowy corners of institutional life.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Katy Hays written?

Katy Hays has written two books in one series.

What was Katy Hays's first book?

Katy Hays’s first book is The Cloisters, published in 2022.

What role does art history play in Katy Hays's novels?

Hays draws heavily on her academic background in art history to build her stories. The Cloisters (2022) is set at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval branch and involves Renaissance-era tarot cards, while her other work similarly uses cultural artifacts and institutions as settings that drive the plot forward.

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