A.W Hartoin Books in Order

Where to Start Reading A.W. Hartoin

With a bibliography spanning cozy mysteries, historical spy thrillers, and middle-grade fantasy, A.W. Hartoin offers several distinct gateways. The best place to start depends entirely on your favorite genre:

• For Cozy Mystery Fans: Start with the Mercy Watts Mysteries. You can begin with the short story Coke with a Twist or dive straight into the first full-length novel, A Good Man Gone.
• For Paranormal Cozy Lovers: Start with the Jess and Libby Paranormal Cozy Mystery series (often listed under the working title Afterlife Issues), beginning with Dead Companions.
• For Historical Espionage Fans: Start the Stella Bled Thriller series with The Paris Package.
• For Young Fantasy Readers: Begin the Away From Whipplethorn series with A Fairy's Guide to Disaster.

Mercy Watts Mysteries: Reading Order Guide

The Mercy Watts series follows a Marilyn Monroe-esque private duty nurse in St. Louis who has a knack for finding trouble. The reading order can be approached in two ways: publication order or chronological order, which differs primarily in where the short stories are placed.

Option 1: Publication Order (Recommended)

Reading in publication order allows you to experience the evolution of Mercy Watts and her chaotic family as the author wrote them, naturally blending short stories and full-length novels.

1. Coke with a Twist (Short Story, 2012)
2. Touch and Go (Short Story, 2012)
3. A Good Man Gone (Novel, 2013)
4. Diver Down (Novel, 2013)
5. Nowhere Fast (Short Story, 2013)
6. Double Black Diamond (Novel, 2014)
7. Dry Spell (Short Story, 2014)
8. Drop Dead Red (Novel, 2015)
9. In the Worst Way (Novel, 2015)
10. The Wife of Riley (Novel, 2016)
11. A Sin and a Shame (Short Story, 2016)
12. My Bad Grandad (Novel, 2017)
13. Brain Trust (Novel, 2017)
14. Down and Dirty (Novel, 2018)
15. Small Time Crime (Novel, 2019)
16. Bottle Blonde (Novel, 2020)
17. Mean Evergreen (Novel, 2021)
18. Silver Bells at Hotel Hell (Novel, 2022)
19. So Long Gone (Novel, 2023)
20. Black Bandana (Novel, 2024)
21. Origin Story (Novel, 2025)

Option 2: Chronological Reading Order

If you prefer to follow the strict chronological timeline, the full-length novels are read first, and certain short stories are inserted as mid-series interludes. Note that Goodreads and other databases list the chronological flow differently because the short stories are placed according to internal timeline details rather than release dates.

1. A Good Man Gone (2013)
2. Diver Down (2013)
3. Coke with a Twist (2012)
4. Touch and Go (2012)
5. Nowhere Fast (2013)
6. Double Black Diamond (2014)
7. Dry Spell (2014)
8. Drop Dead Red (2015)
9. In the Worst Way (2015)
10. The Wife of Riley (2016)
11. A Sin and a Shame (2016)
12. My Bad Grandad (2017)
13. Brain Trust (2017)
14. Down and Dirty (2018)
15. Small Time Crime (2019)
16. Bottle Blonde (2020)
17. Mean Evergreen (2021)
18. Silver Bells at Hotel Hell (2022)
19. So Long Gone (2023)
20. Black Bandana (2024)
21. Origin Story (2025)

Jess and Libby Paranormal Cozy Mysteries (Afterlife Issues)

This cozy supernatural series follows Jess (a widow) and Libby (a divorcee) as they relocate to a notoriously haunted town and move into a suspiciously cheap house. To make ends meet, they solve local mysteries with a ghost-hunting twist. You should read these in order of release:

1. Dead Companions (2023)
2. A Trunk, a Canoe, and All the Barbecue (2023)
3. Old Friends and Fedoras (2023)
4. The Trouble with Tinsel (2023)
5. Fun Ivy (2024)
6. Bullets Over Baltimore Street (2025)
7. Bitter Bobby and the Devil Woman (2026)

Stella Bled Thrillers Reading Order

For readers who enjoy historical intrigue, the Stella Bled spy thrillers offer a fast-paced journey through the theaters of World War II. It is highly recommended to read this series in order, as Stella's espionage career develops sequentially across Europe.

1. The Paris Package (2018)
2. Strangers in Venice (2019)
3. One Child in Berlin (2020)
4. Dark Victory (2021)
5. A Quiet Little Place on Rue de Lille (2021)
6. Her London Season (2022)
7. Double Duet (2024)
8. Operation Knickknack (2025)
9. Survive and Thrive (2026)

Away From Whipplethorn Series

Away From Whipplethorn is a middle-grade fantasy series following Matilda Whipplethorn, a wood fairy with the unique ability to produce fire. The series should be read in publication order:

1. A Fairy's Guide to Disaster (2012)
2. Flare-up (2013)
3. Fierce Creatures (2013)
4. A Monster's Paradise (2013)
5. A Wicked Chill (2014)
6. To the Eternal (2016)

Son of a Witch Series & Standalones

Originally beginning as a standalone fantasy novel, A.W. Hartoin expanded It Started with a Whisper into the Son of a Witch series with the release of its sequel. They should be read in this order:

1. It Started with a Whisper (2012)
2. Angels and Insects (2024)

Hartoin also contributed to the anthology 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror (2012), which features contemporary essays and stories.

What to Know Before You Start

A.W. Hartoin's writing is heavily influenced by her personal experiences. Born in Missouri, she later served in the U.S. Air Force, living in Alaska, Italy, and Germany. These international settings directly inform the realistic descriptions found in the Stella Bled Thrillers and the European settings in the later Mercy Watts books. While the mystery and spy series have recurring casts that reward chronological reading, the individual mysteries are wrapped up in each installment, making it easy to jump in and enjoy the ride.