Christy Barritt Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Christy Barritt

With dozens of active series, Christy Barritt offers two primary paths for newcomers. If you prefer lighthearted, humorous cozy mysteries featuring quirky amateur sleuths, start with the Squeaky Clean Mysteries. If you lean toward fast-paced romantic suspense with a coastal setting, high stakes, and witness-protection drama, begin with the Lantern Beach Mysteries.

The Squeaky Clean Universe Reading Order

The Squeaky Clean Mysteries are Christy Barritt's flagship cozy mystery series. The story follows Gabby St. Claire, a forensic science college dropout who runs a crime scene cleaning business and repeatedly stumbles into real-world murder investigations. To follow Gabby's personal growth, career shifts, and romance with neighbor Riley Thomas, you should read this series in publication order.

The Squeaky Clean Mysteries Core Series

• Hazardous Duty (2006)
• Suspicious Minds (2008)
• Organized Grime (2011)
• It Came Upon a Midnight Crime (2012) - Christmas Novella (Book 3.5)
• Dirty Deeds (2013)
• The Scum of All Fears (2013)
• To Love, Honor, and Perish (2013)
• Mucky Streak (2014)
• Foul Play (2014)
• Broom and Gloom (2014)
• Dust and Obey (2015)
• Thrill Squeaker (2016)
• Swept Away (2016)
• Cunning Attractions (2016)
• Clean Getaway (2017)
• Clean Sweep (2018)
• Clean Break (2019)
• Cleans to an End (2020)
• Half Truth (2023)

Gabby St. Claire Diaries & Spin-Offs

For younger readers or fans looking for backstory, The Gabby St. Claire Diaries is a tween-focused prequel series co-authored with Kathy Applebee. It features a middle-school-aged Gabby solving neighborhood crimes:

• The Curtain Call Caper (2014)
• The Disappearing Dog Dilemma (2014)
• The Bungled Bike Burglaries (2014)

Additionally, the Riley Thomas series provides companion perspectives from Gabby's primary love interest, starting with the novella While You Were Sweeping (2015). In 2023, Barritt launched the Squeaky Clean In Between Mysteries novellas, which fit between the main novels, starting with Half Witted (2023) and followed by Half Truth (often cataloged across both lines) and Half Empty.

The Lantern Beach Universe Reading Order

Set on a fictional, atmospheric island off the coast of North Carolina, the Lantern Beach books constitute a massive shared universe. The central narrative follows former police officer Cassidy Chambers, who enters witness protection on the island and finds that danger follows her. Because databases often list these books out of order (frequently putting the final book, Deadly Undertow, first due to database sorting glitches), readers must be careful to start with Hidden Currents.

1. Lantern Beach Mysteries (The Core Series)

This is the foundational series that introduces the setting and Cassidy's main story arc. Read them in this strict order:

1. Hidden Currents (2018)
2. Flood Watch (2018)
3. Storm Surge (2018)
4. Dangerous Waters (2018)
5. Perilous Riptide (2018)
6. Deadly Undertow (2018)
7. Silent Night (2021) - Christmas Special

2. Lantern Beach Spin-Offs and Subseries

Once you complete the core series, the Lantern Beach universe expands into several distinct subseries focusing on different characters, local police work, and special operations teams. While they can be read independently, they are best enjoyed by subseries:

• Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense: A collection of standalone suspense novels set on the island, including Tides of Deception, Shadow of Intrigue, Storm of Doubt, Winds of Danger, Rains of Remorse, and Torrents of Fear (2018–2020).
• Lantern Beach P.D.: Follows the local police department dealing with coastal crimes. Read in order: On the Lookout, Attempt to Locate, First Degree Murder, Dead on Arrival, and Plan of Action (all released in 2019).
• Lantern Beach Blackout: A high-stakes mini-arc featuring Dark Water, Safe Harbor, Ripple Effect, and Rising Tide (2020).
• Lantern Beach Blackout: The New Recruits: Character-driven action focusing on individual operatives: Rocco, Axel, Beckett, and Gabe (2021).
• Lantern Beach Blackout: Danger Rising: Follow-up military/security romance novellas: Brandon, Dylan, Maddox, and Titus (2022).
• Lantern Beach Guardians: A trilogy following security experts defending the island: Hide and Seek, Shock and Awe, and Safe and Sound (2021).
• Lantern Beach Mayday: Maritime-focused rescue suspense: Run Aground, Dead Reckoning, and Tipping Point (2021).
• Lantern Beach Exposure: Investigating buried secrets along the shore: Fractured Lies, Shattered Whispers, Unsteady Ground, Troubled Graves, Deceptive Shallows, and Secret Shores (2023).

The Worst Detective Ever Mysteries

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a theatrical twist, this series is highly recommended. It follows Joey Darling, a famous TV actress known for playing a detective. When her father disappears, she retreats to a coastal town to escape the spotlight, only to find herself forced to use her fictional detective skills to solve real-life crimes. Read them in publication order:

1. Ready to Fumble (2017)
2. Reign of Error (2017)
3. Safety in Blunders (2017)
4. Join the Flub (2017)
5. Blooper Freak (2017)
6. Flaw Abiding Citizen (2017)
7. Gaffe Out Loud (2018)
8. Joke and Dagger (2019)
9. Wreck the Halls (2019)
10. Glitch and Famous (2021)
11. Not on My Botch (2023)
12. One Hit Blunder (2023)

True Crime Junkies Series

Set against the rugged and dangerous backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness, this series follows Andi Slade, a disgraced attorney, and a group of strangers who bond over their shared obsession with true crime. Together, this makeshift team of armchair detectives works to solve chilling local cases. Read them in order:

1. Just the Nicest Person (2023)
2. He Walks Among Us (2023)
3. Never Happen to You (2023)
4. The Dead of Night (2023)
5. Leave the Lights On (2024)
6. The End of the Road (2024)
7. The Secrets She Kept (2024)
8. Most Likely to Die (2024)
9. Only One More Lie (2024)

Other Notable Suspense and Cozy Series

Barritt's prolific writing spans several other settings, each carrying her signature blend of faith, romance, and clean suspense:

• The Sidekick's Survival Guide: Follows Elliot Ransom, a missionary kid from the Amazon who takes a job as an assistant to a private investigator in Virginia and finds herself embroiled in murder mysteries. (Read: The Art of Eavesdropping, The Perks of Meddling, The Exercise of Interfering, The Practice of Prying, The Skill of Snooping, and The Craft of Being Covert).
• Fog Lake Mysteries: A tense romantic suspense series beginning with Edge of Peril (2018) and following the members of the Colson family and the local search and rescue teams.
• K-9 Search and Rescue & K-9 Mountain Guardians: Suspense novels centered around search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers working in treacherous environments.
• Carolina Moon: A southern romantic suspense series starting with Home Before Dark (2013).
• Vanishing Ranch: A Western-themed romantic suspense series set on a ranch for troubled youth, starting with Forgotten Secrets (2022).

What to Know Before You Start

Christy Barritt writes clean fiction. You will not find graphic violence, explicit sexual content, or strong language in her books. Instead, her mysteries focus heavily on character development, faith journeys, romance, and humorous dialogue. Many of her series share thematic crossovers (such as coastal settings or law enforcement backgrounds), but each major series is self-contained enough that you do not need to read her entire bibliography to understand individual arcs.