Where to Start Reading Alexandria Clarke
With a bibliography spanning over 120 books, Alexandria Clarke is one of the most prolific modern voices in cozy mystery, supernatural suspense, and post-apocalyptic fiction. Because of the sheer volume of her work, readers often feel overwhelmed. However, Clarke's books are highly structured into distinct series, many of which can be read independently.
Depending on your favorite genre, here are the best entry points into her literary world:
- For Cozy Mystery and Magic Fans: Start with Witch Myth: A Yew Hollow Cozy Mystery (2016). This series introduces Noelle Summers and a magical time-looped Christmas in a witchy small town, perfectly blending lighthearted humor with paranormal elements.
- For Haunted House Enthusiasts: Begin with The Haunting of Winchester Mansion (2019) or The Haunting of Abram Mansion (2019). These are standalone entries in her massive paranormal series.
- For Thriller and Kidnapping Mystery Lovers: Start with the Missed Connections series (2018) or the Carolina Caccia series (beginning with The Girl in the Snow in 2020) for darker, fast-paced psychological suspense.
- For Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fans: Dive into the EMP Survival in a Powerless World series, starting with Broken Lines (2014) or the spin-off Blackout: A Tale of Survival in a Powerless World (2017).
Understanding the Shared-Universe Collections
A significant portion of Alexandria Clarke's bibliography belongs to massive collaborative, shared-universe series. It is helpful to know how these are structured before you begin reading:
A Riveting Haunted House Mystery
This is a collaborative multi-author series featuring spooky standalone tales written by Clarke and other authors. In Clarke's contributions (spanning over 90 titles), each book focuses on a different haunted location, from abandoned schools and casino hotels to remote cabins and historic plantations. Because the stories are self-contained, you do not need to read them in a rigid order. However, readers generally choose between two pathways:
- Publication Order: Follows the order in which Clarke released the books, starting with The Haunting of Abram Mansion (2019) and The Haunting of Winchester Mansion (2019).
- Chronological Order: Rearranges the books based on the internal timeline of the universe. In this sequence, The Haunting of Bechdel Mansion (2019) is read first, while the popular The Haunting of Winchester Mansion is pushed to the 20th position.
A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery
Similar to her haunted house books, this is a fast-paced thriller project focused on small-town disappearances, kidnappings, and deep conspiracies. With over 60 titles under Clarke's belt, these books are also standalone-friendly. The series began in 2019 with The Abducted and has run through titles like The Twin Lakes Abduction (2022) and The Harvest Moon Abductions (2024).
EMP Survival in a Powerless World
An expansive, multi-author post-apocalyptic project that explores a world plunged into darkness after an electromagnetic pulse destroys the electrical grid. Clarke is a key contributor with over 80 books in this sequence, beginning with Broken Lines (2014) and extending to 2024 releases like Darkness Falls. These books focus on individual survival stories, homesteading, and human dynamics rather than high-tech military jargon.
The Cozy Witch Myth (Yew Hollow) Universe
For readers who prefer a warmer, magical tone, Clarke's Witch Myth series is highly recommended. Set in the mystical town of Yew Hollow, this series follows cozy witch mysteries. Unlike her thriller series, the Witch Myth books benefit from being read in publication order to track character relationships. The core series includes:
- Yew Hollow (2019)
- Wild Fire (2019)
- Witch Myth Christmas (2019)
- Siren Song (2019)
- Witches of The Wood (2019)
- Witching Hour (2019)
- Lost Magic (2019)
- Witch Way to Mount Hazel (2019)
Additionally, Clarke has released smaller subseries and boxsets within this universe, such as the Yew Hollow Cozy Mystery books (dating back to her debut in 2016) and A Yew Hollow Christmas books, which expand on the holiday-themed magic of the town.
Other Notable Series and Thrillers
If you want shorter, more focused series, Clarke has written several smaller collections that are easy to binge-watch in book format:
- Carolina Caccia (4 Books): A mystery thriller series following Carolina Caccia. Read in order: The Girl in the Snow (2020), The Girl With the Gift (2020), The Girl in the Woods (2020), and The Girl in the Cabin (2021).
- Jacqueline Frye (4 Books): Follows Jacqueline Frye through a web of secrets. Read in order: A Buried Past (2020), Buried Secrets (2020), Buried Lies (2020), and The Secrets That We See (2021).
- Calamity James Paranormal Mystery (2 Books): A paranormal detective series following a protagonist who can communicate with the deceased. Read If She Only Knew (2021) followed by The Darkest Secret (2021).
- The Impossible (2 Books): A brief foray into space opera and science fiction. Read The Impossible: Book 1- A Space Opera Adventure (2018) followed by The Impossible Book 2 (2018).
What to Know Before You Start
Because Alexandria Clarke writes at an exceptionally rapid pace, her series are designed for quick, entertaining reads. The tone across her catalog ranges from spooky and atmospheric (the haunted house novels) to tense and survival-focused (the EMP books) and lighthearted and magical (the witch mysteries). There is minimal complex continuity between the different collaborative brands, meaning you can jump between her haunted house mysteries and her dystopian EMP survival logs without losing the plot.