Echoes from the Past Books in Order

The Recommended Reading Order for Echoes from the Past

Irina Shapiro’s Echoes from the Past series is best read in publication order. While each book presents a self-contained historical mystery that is solved by the end of the volume, the contemporary storyline follows a strict chronological progression. Over the course of the series, protagonist Dr. Quinn Allenby navigates life-altering personal changes—including her relationship with her partner (and eventual husband) Gabe, her pregnancy, the birth and raising of her children, and a desperate search for her missing twin sister, Jo.

To fully appreciate the emotional weight of Quinn's personal growth and the unfolding mysteries of her own lineage, follow this reading path:

1. The Lovers (2017)
2. The Forgotten (2018)
3. The Unforgiven (2018)
4. The Forsaken (2018)
5. The Unseen (2018)
6. The Condemned (2019)
7. The Betrayed (2019)
8. The Broken (2019)
9. The Lost (2020)

Publication Order vs. Chronological Order

Because the series utilizes a dual-timeline structure, a purely chronological reading order is virtually impossible. Each novel alternates between the modern day (spanning roughly 2013 to the late 2010s) and a specific historical era. Trying to read the books chronologically based on their historical settings would result in a fragmented and confusing experience, completely scrambling Quinn's character development and family secrets.

For context, here is how the historical timelines scatter across the centuries:

• 15th Century (1462): The Forsaken (follows a novice during the Wars of the Roses)
• 16th Century (1588): The Betrayed (follows a shipwrecked Spanish Armada soldier in Ireland)
• 17th Century (1620 & 1665): The Condemned (Jamestown colonial bride) and The Lovers (plague-ridden London)
• 18th/19th Century (1858): The Unforgiven (antebellum New Orleans plantation)
• 20th Century (1917 & 1955): The Unseen (Russian Revolution refugees in London) and The Broken (post-war London)

Reading in publication order ensures that you experience the historical stories exactly as Quinn uncovers them, preserving the suspense and narrative pacing intended by Shapiro.

Detailed Book-by-Book Breakdown

1. The Lovers (2017)

In the series opener, we meet Dr. Quinn Allenby, an archaeologist who hides a psychic gift: holding an object belonging to the dead triggers vivid, involuntary visions of their lives. When she is called to investigate a plague-era burial trench in London, she touches an artifact that connects her to Elise de Lesseps, a 17th-century woman trapped in a marriage to a cruel lord. In the present, Quinn meets Gabe, beginning a central romance for the series.

2. The Forgotten (2018)

Quinn investigates a medieval leper cemetery where she uncovers the skeletal remains of a mother and child buried together. Through her psychic visions, she is pulled back to a medieval priory, unraveling a heartbreaking tale of isolation, devotion, and secrets that the church tried to bury forever.

3. The Unforgiven (2018)

Set partly in present-day New Orleans and partly in 1858, this installment sees a pregnant Quinn filming for her television show. Upon touching an antique ivory fan, she is pulled into the tragic life of Madeline Besson, a young girl isolated at the Arabella Plantation. The mystery deepens as Quinn realizes Madeline is one of her own ancestors, and someone in the present is willing to kill to keep those family secrets hidden.

4. The Forsaken (2018)

When skeletal remains, a sword, and an amber rosary are discovered beneath the floorboards of Gabe’s ancestral home, Quinn is drawn into the year 1462. Her visions follow Catherine Dancy, a novice forced to flee her priory during the Wars of the Roses. Meanwhile, Quinn uncovers a shocking secret about her own birth parentage.

5. The Unseen (2018)

A skeleton sealed behind a wardrobe in a Belgravia mansion points Quinn to the 1917 Russian Revolution. Touching a delicate Fabergé necklace reveals the plight of Valentina Kalinina, a Russian aristocrat who fled Bolshevik rebels to seek sanctuary in London, only to find herself at the mercy of a dangerous cousin. In the present, Quinn's family life faces a mounting crisis.

6. The Condemned (2019)

Quinn is called to Cornwall to examine a cave burial containing the coffin of a young woman and a newborn. She connects with the spirit of Mary Wilby in 1620, who fled an abusive uncle to sail to Jamestown as a colonial bride, only to find her new husband harbor deadly secrets. In the modern timeline, Quinn’s twin sister Jo goes missing, throwing her personal life into chaos.

7. The Betrayed (2019)

While investigating a crucified skeleton in Ireland, Quinn discovers a protective hamsa charm. Her visions reveal the story of Rafael de Silva, a Spanish Armada soldier shipwrecked in Catholic Ireland in 1588 who must hide his identity from advancing English forces. Quinn continues to search for her sister Jo amid tense family dynamics.

8. The Broken (2019)

The discovery of infant remains in an elderly couple's garden leads Quinn to 1955 London. A pewter brooch links the remains to Helen Brent, a nurse whose romance with a patient named David Edevane leads to a devastating secret. Quinn must navigate her own feelings of betrayal and the complex realities of family bonds.

9. The Lost (2020)

In the final installment of the series, a skeleton is found entangled in the roots of an ancient oak at a friend's manor. A tarnished silver ring pulls Quinn into the life of Jocelyn, a woman caught in a web of 17th-century espionage and betrayal during the English Civil War. This final mystery helps resolve the overarching storylines of Quinn's family and psychic legacy.

What to Know Before You Start

Irina Shapiro’s series is perfect for fans of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander or Susanna Kearsley’s dual-timeline mysteries, but it leans more toward cozy mystery and emotional drama than epic historical fantasy. The romance between Quinn and Gabe is a steady, comforting anchor throughout the series rather than a high-drama focus.

Readers should be prepared for heavy emotional themes. Because Quinn investigates graves and skeletal remains, the historical threads often touch on tragedy, injustice, plague, war, and domestic abuse. However, Shapiro balances these darker themes with a sense of justice, as Quinn’s gift allows her to give a voice to the forgotten dead, ensuring their true stories are finally told.