Where to Start Your Journey
For most readers, the absolute best place to start is with the book that launched Annelise Ryan's mystery-writing career: Working Stiff, the first novel in the Mattie Winston series. This book introduces you to her signature blend of detailed forensics, small-town Midwestern charm, and laugh-out-loud humor. If you prefer cryptids, folklore, and wilderness investigations, you can jump straight into the Monster Hunter Mysteries starting with A Death in Door County. Both entry points are highly welcoming to new readers, though starting at the beginning of each respective series is strongly recommended due to long-term character development and relationship progression.
The Mattie Winston Mysteries in Publication Order
The Mattie Winston series is Annelise Ryan's flagship work, following a cynical but caring registered nurse who pivots to become a deputy medical examiner in the fictional town of Sorenson, Wisconsin. Because Mattie's personal life, career struggles, and romance with detective Steve Hurley evolve significantly across the books, you should read these in order of publication:
- Working Stiff (2009) – Mattie leaves her cheating husband and stumbles into a new career as a deputy coroner, only to find her first major case involves her ex-husband's new lover.
- Scared Stiff (2010) – Mattie investigates a bizarre murder at a local haunted house attraction during Halloween.
- Frozen Stiff (2011) – A winter-themed mystery where a body is found frozen in a snowbank, revealing dark secrets within the Sorenson community.
- Lucky Stiff (2013) – A lottery ticket and a high-stakes murder case put Mattie in the crosshairs of a ruthless killer.
- Board Stiff (2014) – Mattie handles a murder case at a local resort, balancing forensic puzzles with her increasingly complicated personal life.
- Stiff Penalty (2015) – A high school football rivalry turns deadly, forcing Mattie to navigate teenage drama and small-town politics.
- Stiff Competition (2016) – A body is discovered during a local dog show, bringing chaotic energy and clever sleuthing to the forefront.
- Dead in the Water (2017) – A lakeside death leads Mattie into a web of local greed, family drama, and dangerous conspiracies.
- Dead Calm (2019) – Mattie balances a newborn baby and a double homicide case that hits close to home.
- Dead of Winter (2020) – A cold-weather mystery where Mattie must track down a killer operating during a brutal Wisconsin blizzard.
- Dead Ringer (2020) – A complex mystery involving identical twins, mistaken identities, and high forensic stakes.
- Dead Even (2021) – The twelfth installment, bringing Mattie's current story arc to a satisfying point as she balances family life and a grueling investigation.
Helping Hands Mysteries: The Mattie Winston Spin-Off
For readers who cannot get enough of the fictional town of Sorenson, Ryan wrote a short-lived but beloved spin-off series focusing on Hildy Schneider, a compassionate social worker at Sorenson General Hospital. These books exist in the exact same universe and timeline as the main Mattie Winston series, and familiar faces from Sorenson—including Mattie herself—frequently pop up in the background. They are best read after finishing the early Mattie Winston novels to fully appreciate the setting.
- Needled to Death (2019)
- Night Shift (2020)
The Monster Hunter Mysteries
Stepping away from Sorenson, Ryan launched the Monster Hunter Mysteries, featuring cryptozoologist Morgan Carter and her trusty rescue dog, Newt. Operating out of her Door County bookstore, Morgan is hired to investigate deaths that locals attribute to legendary cryptids, blending classic mystery investigations with folklore, lake monsters, and wilderness survival. These should be read in order:
- A Death in Door County (2022) – Morgan investigates mysterious deaths near Lake Michigan blamed on a legendary lake monster.
- Death in the Dark Woods (2023) – A search for Bigfoot in the thick forests of Wisconsin turns into a hunt for a human killer.
- Beast of the North Woods (2025) – Morgan looks into reports of a terrifying beast stalking campers and hikers.
- Monster in the Moonlight (2026) – The fourth case, involving local werewolf legends and moonlit crime scenes.
- Creature of the Night (Expected 2027) – The upcoming fifth installment in Morgan's ongoing cryptid-hunting adventures.
The Mack's Bar Mysteries (As Allyson K. Abbott)
Under the tongue-in-cheek pseudonym Allyson K. Abbott (a play on the acronym "A.K.A."), author Beth Amos penned a six-book cozy mystery series set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The series features Mackenzie "Mack" Dalton, a bar owner who utilizes her synesthesia—a neurological condition where her senses cross-wire, allowing her to "see" sounds or "taste" emotions—to solve crimes. This series is completely independent of the Mattie Winston universe and should be read in order of publication:
- Murder on the Rocks (2013)
- Murder with a Twist (2014)
- In the Drink (2015)
- Shots in the Dark (2016)
- A Toast to Murder (2017)
- Last Call (2018)
Chronological vs. Publication Order & Reading Advice
Because Annelise Ryan's series are written in strict chronological sequence, the publication order matches the internal timeline perfectly. There is no need to jump around the calendar. However, if you want to experience the complete Sorenson, Wisconsin universe, you can interlace the Helping Hands spin-off books with the main series. The ideal reading order for the Sorenson books is reading the Mattie Winston books 1 through 8, then reading the Helping Hands books alongside Mattie Winston books 9 and 10, as they share the same town dynamics and timeline. The Monster Hunter series and Mack's Bar series can be read entirely on their own, as they do not overlap with Mattie Winston's storylines.
What to Know Before You Start
Annelise Ryan is the pen name of Beth Amos, a real-life retired emergency room nurse from Wisconsin. This background is what makes her books stand out. Unlike many cozy mysteries where the sleuth operates on intuition alone, Mattie Winston's investigations are grounded in authentic, often gritty, forensic science and medical procedures. Ryan balances this realism with a lighthearted, comedic tone, drawing comparisons to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. All of her series are love letters to Wisconsin, featuring rich descriptions of Milwaukee, Door County, and fictional rural towns, making them perfect cozy reads for fans of regional settings.