Victoria Christopher Murray Standalone Novels books in order

Victoria Christopher Murray's standalone novels span over two decades of African American fiction, from Joy (2002) to Harlem Rhapsody (2025), including the bestselling The Personal Librarian.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Joy 2002 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
2 Grown Folks Business 2003 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
3 Truth Be Told 2004 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
4 The Ex Files About Four Women and Faith 2007 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
5 The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil 2011 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
6 Destiny’s Divas 2012 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
7 Never Say Never 2013 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
8 Forever an Ex 2014 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
9 Touched by an Angel 2014 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
10 Stand Your Ground 2015 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
11 It Should’ve Been Me 2016 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
12 If Only For One Night 2018 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
13 The Personal Librarian 2021 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
14 The First Ladies 2023 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy
15 Harlem Rhapsody 2025 Victoria Christopher Murray Buy

Victoria Christopher Murray has published fifteen standalone novels between 2002 and 2025. Her early standalones, including Joy (2002), Grown Folks Business (2003), and Truth Be Told (2004), established her voice in contemporary African American fiction with a faith-based perspective. The Ex Files About Four Women and Faith (2007) and The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil (2011) continued in this vein, building her readership through the 2000s and early 2010s.

Her most commercially successful standalone is The Personal Librarian (2021), a historical novel co-written with Marie Benedict. Based on the real life of Belle da Costa Greene, who served as J.P. Morgan’s personal librarian while hiding her African American heritage, the book became a bestseller and reached a wider audience than Murray’s earlier work. She followed it with The First Ladies (2023), another collaboration with Benedict, and her most recent novel, Harlem Rhapsody (2025). Stand Your Ground (2015) is also notable for its engagement with social issues, marking a shift toward weightier subject matter within her standalone catalog.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Victoria Christopher Murray Standalone Novels series?

There are fifteen books in the Victoria Christopher Murray Standalone Novels series, published between 2002 and 2025.

What is the first book in the Victoria Christopher Murray Standalone Novels series?

The first book in the Victoria Christopher Murray Standalone Novels series is Joy, published in 2002.

Which Victoria Christopher Murray standalone novel should I read first?

The Personal Librarian (2021), co-authored with Marie Benedict, is her most widely read standalone and a strong starting point. For readers who prefer faith-centered contemporary fiction, Stand Your Ground (2015) or Grown Folks Business (2003) are also good choices.

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