Where to Start
For the complete experience, you should begin with the prequel short story, Dark Journey. This prequel sets the emotional groundwork for Detective Charli Cross's career and her haunting past. If you prefer to jump straight into full-length novels, start with Dark Purpose, the first official book in the main series. Because the overarching mystery of Charli's personal trauma develops across the books, reading them in order is highly recommended.
Charli Cross Publication Order
The series is co-authored by Mary Stone and Donna Berdel and follows a straightforward publication timeline from 2021 to 2025:
- Dark Purpose (2021)
- Dark Greed (2021)
- Dark Power (2021)
- Dark Malice (2022)
- Dark Silence (2022)
- Dark Obsession (2022)
- Dark Bet (2023)
- Dark Mask (2024)
- Dark Suspicion (2024)
- Dark Conclusion (2025)
The Ellie Kline Connection
The Charli Cross series is a spin-off of Mary Stone's popular Ellie Kline series. Both series take place in a shared universe, with Ellie solving cases in Charleston, South Carolina, while Charli operates in Savannah, Georgia. Although you do not need to read the Ellie Kline series to understand Charli's cases, readers of both will enjoy Easter eggs, recurring references, and the shared law-enforcement atmosphere between the two series.
Chronological vs. Publication Order
Since the prequel novella Dark Journey was released to build anticipation for the series, reading order is simple. Read the prequel first, followed by the ten main novels in order. This chronological layout matches the publication sequence, ensuring you watch Charli's partnership with Detective Matthew Church develop naturally from their very first cases to the final resolution in Dark Conclusion.