Ellery Hathaway Books in Order

The Recommended Reading Order for Ellery Hathaway

The Ellery Hathaway series is a highly serialized psychological thriller saga. Because each installment builds directly on the emotional growth, relationship dynamics, and career progression of the characters, you should read these books in their exact publication order. Chronological and publication orders are identical, making the reading path straightforward.

1. The Vanishing Season (2017) – Ellery Hathaway is working as a small-town police officer in Woodbury, Massachusetts, under a assumed identity. She is secretly the sole survivor of the notorious serial killer Francis Michael Coben, who abducted her when she was fourteen. When people start disappearing from her town around her birthday, she suspects the killer or a copycat has found her. Desperate, she contacts Reed Markham, the FBI agent who rescued her from Coben's closet years ago.
2. No Mercy (2019) – Following a controversial shooting, Ellery is placed on involuntary leave from the Woodbury police force. Forced into group therapy for victims of violent crime, she is dragged into two new mysteries: a potential police cover-up involving a past arson case and a terrifying, elusive rapist who is targeting local women. She once again teams up with Reed Markham to navigate the fallout of her trauma and find justice.
3. All the Best Lies (2020) – The narrative lens shifts focus toward FBI profiler Reed Markham. Haunted by the unsolved cold-case murder of his mother, Camilla, who was killed when he was just an infant, Reed receives shocking news about his true parentage. He enlists Ellery to travel with him to Las Vegas to dig into the past, uncovering a web of dangerous secrets and old sins that someone will kill to keep buried.
4. Every Waking Hour (2021) – Attempting to move forward, Ellery becomes a rookie detective with the Boston Police Department. But her hopes for a normal life and a stable relationship with Reed are shattered when a twelve-year-old girl named Chloe Lockhart vanishes from a crowded street fair while under her watch. The investigation forces Ellery to confront the dark secrets of a wealthy family and use her own perspective as a survivor to track down the missing child.
5. Last Seen Alive (2022) – The ultimate confrontation arrives. Francis Michael Coben, the serial killer who abducted Ellery when she was a child, is now on death row. He offers to reveal the final resting places of his other victims, but on one condition: he will only speak directly to Ellery. When a fresh body appears displaying Coben's signature style, Ellery and Reed must face the monster in his cell to determine if he is orchestrating crimes from behind bars or if a deadly copycat is on the loose.

Why You Must Read This Series in Order

Unlike some police procedurals where the main characters remain static and the cases are entirely standalone, the Ellery Hathaway series is deeply character-driven. Reading the books out of order will ruin the overarching narrative arc. Here is why following the order is essential:

• Ellery’s Career Journey: Ellery begins the series as a cautious local cop in a sleepy town, goes on forced leave, works as an unofficial investigator, and eventually joins the Boston Police Department as a rookie detective. Seeing her struggle and grow professionally is a major highlight of the series.
• The Evolution of Reed and Ellery: The bond between Ellery and Reed Markham is complex. He is her childhood savior, a professional collaborator, and a romantic interest. Their relationship shifts from mentor and survivor to equal partners, a slow-burn progression that only makes sense if read sequentially.
• The Shadow of Francis Coben: The trauma of Ellery's abduction by Coben isn't just a backstory gimmick; it shapes her psychological landscape. The series builds toward a definitive reckoning with Coben in Last Seen Alive, which serves as a thematic bookend to the events of The Vanishing Season.

What to Know Before You Start

Before diving into Joanna Schaffhausen’s novels, readers should prepare for a dark, intense, and emotionally raw journey. If you enjoy authors like Karin Slaughter, Tami Hoag, or Lisa Gardner, this series will fit perfectly on your bookshelf. The books deal heavily with the psychological aftermath of violent crime, focusing on survival and the scars left behind rather than just the mechanics of the police investigation.

The series officially spans five novels published between 2017 and 2022. While the publisher has not formally cancelled the franchise, Joanna Schaffhausen has indicated in interviews and reader Q&As that the series is functionally complete. She has noted that she has no immediate plans for a sixth book unless there is a major resurgence in interest, such as a television or film adaptation. Therefore, readers can dive into these five books knowing they receive a complete, satisfying character arc that wraps up major storylines by the end of Last Seen Alive.

Spin-offs and Other Works

If you finish the Ellery Hathaway books and are looking for more of Joanna Schaffhausen’s gripping storytelling, she has written another highly acclaimed crime fiction series featuring Chicago PD Detective Annalisa Vega. The Vega series includes Gone for Good, Long Gone, and Dead and Gone.

However, readers should note that there is no crossover between the Ellery Hathaway series and the Annalisa Vega series. Schaffhausen deliberately set the Vega books in Chicago to differentiate them from the Massachusetts-based Ellery Hathaway series, and the two storylines exist in separate narrative universes with no shared characters or events.