Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Mistletoe Mysteries |
1989 |
Buy |
| Sisters in Crime 2 |
1990 |
Buy |
| Malice Domestic 1 |
1992 |
Buy |
| Women of Mystery II |
1994 |
Buy |
| Partners in Crime |
1994 |
Buy |
| The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1995 |
1996 |
Buy |
| Great Writers and Kids Write Mystery Stories |
1996 |
Buy |
| Vengeance is Hers |
1997 |
Buy |
| First Cases, Volume 2 |
1997 |
Buy |
| Mystery’s Most Wanted |
1997 |
Buy |
| AZ Murder Goes… Artful |
1997 |
Buy |
| Once Upon a Crime |
1998 |
Buy |
| Malice Domestic 7 |
1998 |
Buy |
| Tails of Wonder and Imagination |
2001 |
Buy |
| Murder, My Dear Watson |
2002 |
Buy |
| The Dark: New Ghost Stories |
2003 |
Buy |
| The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 4 |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction |
2004 |
Buy |
| Mr. President, Private Eye |
2004 |
Buy |
| The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 5 |
2004 |
Buy |
| Thou Shalt Not Kill |
2005 |
Buy |
| Transgressions |
2005 |
Buy |
| Transgressions, Vol. 3 |
2006 |
Buy |
| Transgressions, Vol. 4 |
2006 |
Buy |
| Poe: 19 New Tales of Suspense, Dark Fantasy, and Horror Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe |
2008 |
Buy |
| Blood Lite |
2008 |
Buy |
| The Monster’s Corner |
2011 |
Buy |
| 27 Views of Asheville: A Southern Mountain Town in Prose & Poetry |
2012 |
Buy |
| Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea |
2013 |
Buy |
Ballad Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| If Ever I Return |
1990 |
N/A |
| If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O |
1990 |
Buy |
| The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter |
1992 |
Buy |
| She Walks These Hills |
1994 |
Buy |
| The Rosewood Casket |
1996 |
Buy |
| The Ballad of Frankie Silver |
1997 |
Buy |
| The Songcatcher |
2001 |
Buy |
| Ghost Riders |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Devil Amongst the Lawyers |
2010 |
Buy |
| The Ballad of Tom Dooley |
2011 |
Buy |
| King’s Mountain |
2013 |
Buy |
| Nora Bonesteel’s Christmas Past |
2014 |
Buy |
| Prayers the Devil Answers |
2016 |
Buy |
| The Unquiet Grave |
2017 |
N/A |
Elizabeth MacPherson Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Sick of Shadows |
1984 |
Buy |
| Lovely in Her Bones |
1985 |
Buy |
| Highland Laddie Gone |
1986 |
Buy |
| Paying the Piper |
1988 |
Buy |
| The Windsor Knot |
1990 |
Buy |
| Missing Susan |
1991 |
Buy |
| MacPherson’s Lament |
1992 |
Buy |
| If I’d Killed Him When I Met Him… |
1995 |
Buy |
| The PMS Outlaws |
2000 |
Buy |
Jay Omega Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Bimbos of the Death Sun |
1987 |
Buy |
| Zombies of the Gene Pool |
1992 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Sharyn McCrumb’s Appalachia |
2011 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| A Wee Doch and Doris |
1989 |
Buy |
| The Luncheon |
1990 |
Buy |
| Remains to Be Seen |
1990 |
Buy |
| Happiness Is a Dead Poet |
1992 |
Buy |
| The Monster of Glarnis |
1994 |
Buy |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Our Separate Days |
1989 |
Buy |
| Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Other Stories |
1997 |
Buy |
| Fairy Tale Princesses of the Civil War |
2012 |
Buy |
| Old Land, Dark Land, Strange Land |
2017 |
Buy |
St. Dale Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| St. Dale |
2005 |
Buy |
| Once Around The Track |
2007 |
Buy |
| Faster Pastor |
2009 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Unquiet Grave |
2017 |
Buy |
Transgressions Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Transgressions |
2005 |
Buy |
| Keller’s Adjustment; Forever |
2006 |
N/A |
| The Ransome Women; The Things They Left Behind |
2005 |
N/A |
| Transgressions, Vol. 2 |
2006 |
Buy |
| Transgressions, Vol. 3 |
2006 |
Buy |
| Transgressions, Vol. 4 |
2006 |
Buy |
Sharyn McCrumb is an Appalachian author who has written across mystery, literary fiction, and regional history since the 1980s. Born in North Carolina and raised in the mountains of the rural South, she draws heavily on the landscape, music, and oral traditions of Appalachia. Her work ranges from lighthearted academic mysteries to serious literary explorations of Southern history and culture.
McCrumb’s career breaks into several distinct phases. Her early Elizabeth MacPherson novels are traditional mysteries with humor, while the Jay Omega books satirize science fiction fandom. Her later Ballad novels, beginning with If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O in 1990, are literary fiction that uses murder as a lens to examine Appalachian history. The Ballad series has won the New York Times notable book designation and multiple awards. She has also written about NASCAR culture in the St. Dale series.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Sharyn McCrumb written?
Sharyn McCrumb has written 74 books across ten series.
What was Sharyn McCrumb's first book?
Sharyn McCrumb’s first book is Sick of Shadows, published in 1984.
What is Sharyn McCrumb best known for?
McCrumb is best known for her Ballad novels, a series of literary mysteries set in the Appalachian mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. The series blends crime fiction with regional history, folklore, and music.