How to Read the Kylie Hatfield Books
The Kylie Hatfield series, co-authored by Mary Stone and Bella Cross, is a complete five-book mystery series with an additional prequel short story. Because the series follows a continuous character arc for its protagonist, a developing romance, and evolving professional stakes, it is highly recommended to read the books in chronological order.
Here is the recommended reading sequence:
- Deadly Beginnings (2019) – Prequel short story that introduces Kylie's aspirations and her dog, Vader.
- Deadly Act (July 2019) – The first full-length novel where Kylie takes on her first official case.
- Deadly Lies (August 2019) – Follows Kylie as she investigates family secrets and embezzlement.
- Deadly Games (September 2019) – Focuses on Kylie's personal search for her long-lost father.
- Deadly Dreams (October 2019) – Kylie and Linc face a predator in the wilderness.
- Deadly Silence (November 2019) – The final book, addressing high stakes, family choices, and missing persons.
A Closer Look at the Books
Deadly Beginnings (Prequel)
Published in 2019, this short story serves as the entry point to the series. We meet Kylie Hatfield, a spirited office assistant at Starr Investigations who is desperate to prove she has what it takes to be a licensed private investigator. She also adopts Vader, an unruly and giant Newfoundland dog who becomes her loyal companion. Reading this prequel provides excellent context for Kylie’s drive and her initial dynamic with the local training community.
Deadly Act (Book 1)
In the official debut novel, Kylie gets her big break at Starr Investigations when a client named Jessica Hilyard vanishes. Kylie is determined to find her, even if it means stepping out from behind her desk and directly into the path of a serial killer. During the investigation, she crosses paths with Linc Coulter, a former military search-and-rescue dog trainer, who helps her train Vader and becomes a central romantic interest.
Deadly Lies (Book 2)
Kylie's second case takes a domestic turn when an elderly woman asks her to investigate suspicions of embezzlement within her own family. What begins as a financial dispute quickly spirals into a dark web of lies, betrayal, and eventually, murder. Kylie must navigate small-town secrets where everyone is a suspect.
Deadly Games (Book 3)
The stakes become deeply personal in the third installment. Kylie turns her investigative skills toward her own family history to track down her long-lost father. Her search leads her into a dangerous web involving the mob, forcing her to decide how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth about her heritage.
Deadly Dreams (Book 4)
Now officially engaged to Linc, Kylie is looking forward to the future. However, danger strikes when search-and-rescue responders vanish in the wilderness. Kylie and Linc must work together, using their combined tracking and investigative skills to hunt down a ruthless predator before they become the next victims.
Deadly Silence (Book 5)
The fifth and final book wraps up the main series. Just as Kylie is dealing with a major life development—a surprise pregnancy test—she is pulled into a chilling case involving murdered mothers and missing infants. Kylie and Linc must put everything on the line to stop a killer and secure their own future.
The Sky Stryker Connection & Crossovers
Fans of Mary Stone and Bella Cross will be delighted to know that the Kylie Hatfield series is part of a larger, interconnected universe. After the conclusion of her own series, Kylie Hatfield (now Kylie Hatfield Coulter) appears as a recurring character in the co-authored Sky Stryker series, which is an FBI thriller focused on fashion industry mysteries in New York City.
In the Sky Stryker narrative, the protagonist Sky Stryker meets Kylie and Linc in Asheville, North Carolina, where they collaborate on a high-stakes case involving a child-trafficking ring. Following these events, Kylie agrees to be the subject of a book Sky is writing about private investigators, titled Behind the Shadows. Reading the Sky Stryker series is a fantastic way to see how Kylie and Linc’s lives progress after the events of Deadly Silence.
Reader Advice & What to Know Before You Start
The Kylie Hatfield books are relatively short, fast-paced mysteries, all published in quick succession throughout 2019. The series is best described as a hybrid of a cozy mystery and a thriller: it features the charm of a North Carolina mountain town and the humor of an energetic dog sidekick, but the crimes themselves—including serial killers and trafficking—are darker than what is typically found in traditional cozy mysteries.
While each book resolves its central mystery, the character development and relationship between Kylie and Linc span the entire series. Because of this, reading them out of order is not recommended as it will spoil major romantic milestones and career developments. You can obtain the prequel, Deadly Beginnings, directly via Mary Stone's official website newsletter as a free entry point to the series.