Nikki Latrelle Racing Mystery Books in Order

Where to Start the Nikki Latrelle Series

If you love fast-paced mysteries, authentic horse racing details, and a gritty, determined heroine, Sasscer Hill's Nikki Latrelle Racing Mystery series is the perfect ticket. Written by a former amateur jockey and horse breeder, the series captures the intense adrenaline and dark underbelly of American racetracks.

For the best reading experience, you have two primary options depending on your preference: starting with the publication order or diving straight into the chronological timeline. Here is how they compare:

• The Publication Order (Recommended for Newcomers): Start with the Agatha and Macavity award-nominated novel Full Mortality (2010). This introduces you to Nikki at nineteen, fighting for her place in a tough industry. It builds the core cast and establishes the stakes beautifully.
• The Chronological Order (Recommended for Completionists): Start with the prequel novella Racing from Evil (2016). This short, fast-paced story takes you back to Nikki's childhood at age thirteen, explaining how she escaped a troubled home and found refuge at Baltimore's Pimlico Racetrack.

Nikki Latrelle Books in Publication Order

Following the books in the order they were published lets you see Sasscer Hill's development as an author. Below is the complete publication order of the series:

1. Full Mortality (2010)
2. Steamroller (2011) – A short story/novella
3. Racing from Death (2012)
4. The Sea Horse Trade (2013)
5. Game (2013) – A short story (originally published in 2007)
6. Racing from Evil (2016) – A prequel novella
7. Shooting Star (2021)

Chronological Reading Order: The Complete Storyline

If you prefer to follow Nikki's life from her runaway childhood to her career as a professional jockey, follow this chronological order. Note that the short story "Game" can be skipped in this timeline, as its events were rewritten and expanded to become Chapter 3 of the debut novel, Full Mortality.

1. Racing from Evil (2016) – Prequel Novella. At thirteen years old, Nikki flees an abusive stepfather and runs to Pimlico Racetrack, where she discovers her love for thoroughbreds and begins her journey.
2. Full Mortality (2010) – Novel 1. Now nineteen, Nikki gets her first big break riding a stakes-race favorite, only for the horse to be murdered in an insurance scam.
3. Steamroller (2011) – Short Story. Ruled off Laurel Park for a crime she didn't commit, Nikki ends up at a seedy training track where she must stand up to a dangerous bully to protect a young groom.
4. Racing from Death (2012) – Novel 2. Set at Colonial Downs in Virginia, Nikki goes up against a sociopath who is poisoning jockeys with dangerous diet cocktails.
5. The Sea Horse Trade (2013) – Novel 3. Set at Gulfstream Park in Florida, Nikki witnesses the murder of a girl with a distinct seahorse tattoo, uncovering a dark human trafficking and drug ring.
6. Shooting Star (2021) – Novel 4. Nikki goes undercover at Santa Anita Racetrack in California on a chaotic Hollywood movie set, exposing corruption and track safety hazards.

What to Know Before You Start

Sasscer Hill's writing stands out because it is grounded in real experience. Unlike many mystery writers who research their settings from afar, Hill spent years breeding and training thoroughbreds, and she galloped horses as an amateur jockey. Her family lineage even traces back to Samuel Ogle, a colonial governor who helped pioneer horse racing in North America. This background ensures that the technical details of riding, track life, and horse care are accurate and vivid.

The tone of the series sits comfortably between cozy mysteries and thriller territory. While there is plenty of suspense, corruption, and crime, the books avoid excessive gore, placing their focus instead on Nikki's courage, loyalty, and deep bond with the horses. If you are a fan of Dick Francis but want a modern, female-fronted American equivalent, Nikki Latrelle is exactly what you are looking for.

Detailed Book-by-Book Breakdown

Racing from Evil (Prequel Novella, 2016)

This 25,000-word prequel novella is crucial for understanding Nikki's grit and resilience. After her mother's sudden death, thirteen-year-old Nikki escapes an assault by her predatory stepfather. She runs away to the streets of Baltimore and finds sanctuary at Pimlico Racetrack. Here, she meets the trainers, grooms, and horses that will shape her life, setting the stage for her future career as an amateur detective and professional jockey.

Full Mortality (Book 1, 2010)

The novel that started it all introduces nineteen-year-old Nikki Latrelle at Maryland's Laurel Park. Her dream of riding a stakes race favorite is shattered when the horse is killed. Refusing to accept the official explanation, Nikki investigates and gets dragged into a lethal web of insurance fraud, corruption, and murder. The book earned nominations for both the Agatha Award and the Macavity Award for Best First Novel.

Steamroller (Short Story, 2011)

This quick-read story bridges the gap between the first and second novels. When Nikki is unfairly ruled off Laurel Park, she takes a job at a rundown training track. There, she encounters a brutal bully who is terrorizing a young groom. Unable to stand by and watch, Nikki uses her signature determination to intervene, proving that she fights just as hard for people as she does for horses.

Racing from Death (Book 2, 2012)

The action moves to Colonial Downs in Virginia. Nikki is riding high until she discovers a dangerous trend: jockeys are falling ill from a suspicious diet cocktail. When her close friend Lorna gets mixed up with a drug-peddling bad boy, Nikki must navigate a treacherous landscape to save her friend and expose a sociopathic killer.

The Sea Horse Trade (Book 3, 2013)

Set at Gulfstream Park in Florida, this installment takes a darker turn. While working at the track, Nikki witnesses a young girl's murder. The only clue is a striking seahorse tattoo on the victim. Her investigation leads her away from the racetrack and into a dangerous underworld of human trafficking and narcotics.

Shooting Star (Book 4, 2021)

After a long hiatus, Nikki returned in 2021's Shooting Star. The setting shifts to the glitz of Southern California's Santa Anita Racetrack. Nikki goes undercover on a movie set to protect the equine actors, only to discover that Hollywood corruption is just as deadly as the scams on the East Coast tracks.

Sasscer Hill's Other Equestrian Mysteries

If you finish the Nikki Latrelle books and want more high-stakes racing mysteries, Sasscer Hill has another excellent series. Her Fia McKee series (beginning with the 2017 novel Flamingo Road) follows a former Baltimore police officer who works undercover for the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau. While there is no official crossover between Fia McKee and Nikki Latrelle, both series share the same rich, authentic equestrian details and fast-paced suspense. Notably, Flamingo Road won the prestigious Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award in 2018.