Anni Taylor Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Anni Taylor

For readers new to Anni Taylor’s work, the absolute best place to start is with the Tallman's Valley Detectives series. Starting with the award-winning One Last Child, this series showcases her signature style: high-stakes police procedurals blended with deep psychological suspense, set against the backdrop of Australia's Blue Mountains. If you prefer standalone thrillers, her debut novel The Game You Played or the wilderness-themed Stranger in the Woods offer excellent, self-contained suspense rides that do not require any prior reading.

The Critical Clarification: Anni Taylor vs. Annie Taylor

Before diving into the reading lists, it is crucial to untangle a common literary mix-up. The author featured in this guide is Anni Taylor, an Australian thriller novelist based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, who also writes Young Adult Gothic horror under the pen name Anya Allyn. She is frequently confused with Annie Taylor (sometimes writing as A.M. Taylor), a UK-based writer and copywriter from South London who wrote the psychological thrillers The Truth About Her and If You Didn't Kill Her. Ensure you are looking for the Australian author when tracking down the Tallman's Valley series!

Tallman's Valley Detectives Reading Order

This series follows a dedicated team of homicide and missing-persons investigators led by the experienced 64-year-old Senior Detective Sergeant Kate Wakeland. While each book tackles a separate, self-contained mystery, they follow a continuous timeline of Kate's life, career, and personal struggles. Reading them in publication order is highly recommended to fully appreciate the character development.

1. One Last Child (2020): The series debut introduces Kate Wakeland as she investigates the sudden reappearance of a young girl who went missing three years earlier in a rugged wilderness area, only to find she is now mute.
2. The Lullaby Man (2020): Kate tackles a cold case involving a mysterious figure known as the Lullaby Man, linked to a series of abductions in a tight-knit mountain community.
3. The Silent Town (2021): The detectives search for a missing young woman in an isolated town where the locals refuse to cooperate, raising the stakes and the tension.
4. The Burning Rooms (2024): The team faces their most claustrophobic and personal case yet, unraveling secrets hidden behind closed doors.

Standalone Thrillers (As Anni Taylor)

If you enjoy fast-paced mysteries without the commitment of a series, these standalone psychological thrillers are perfect. They can be read in any order:

• The Game You Played (2016): Her debut novel, set in Sydney, follows a desperate mother who receives cryptic, rhyming messages after her two-year-old son goes missing from a playground.
• The Six (2017): A dark thriller about a woman struggling with gambling debt who travels to a remote Greek island for a high-stakes self-help challenge, only to realize the participants are being hunted.
• Stranger in the Woods (2018): Set in the isolated Scottish Highlands, this atmospheric story follows a photographer who is hired by a couple whose daughter tragically died in a woodland playhouse.
• Poison Orchids (2019): Co-authored with bestselling thriller writer Sarah A. Denzil, this book tells the story of two backpackers working on a remote mango farm under an enigmatic chemist, which ends in violence and conflicting testimonies.
• Birds in Flight (2023): A sister-focused mystery about a travel writer who returns to Australia from the US after her mother's backpack is found in the everglades, 24 years after her disappearance.

The Young Adult Novels (As Anya Allyn)

Writing under the pseudonym Anya Allyn, Taylor explores dark fantasy, Gothic horror, and paranormal mysteries. The highlight of this side of her catalog is the Dark Carousel series, which features a group of teens trapped in a bizarre, doll-house-like subterranean prison.

Dark Carousel Series Order

1. Dollhouse (2012): Introduces the secret tunnels where girls are forced to dress and behave like dolls.
2. Paper Dolls (2017): Continues the dark, atmospheric escape attempt.
3. Marionette (2017): Focuses on the escalating control of their captors.
4. Music Box (2017): The dramatic conclusion to the series' central mystery.

Other YA Works (As Anya Allyn)

• Lake Ephemeral (2015): A YA sci-fi thriller about an orphan who visits a secluded valley and uncovers dark experiments.
• Paracosm - Bleath (2015): A paranormal horror novel about a psychology student researching children's imaginary worlds in West Virginia, featuring subtle thematic ties to the Dark Carousel universe.
• Celestial (2014): A Gothic YA anthology featuring dark, speculative short stories.