Claire McGowan Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Claire McGowan

If you are new to Claire McGowan, you have two excellent starting points depending on your reading preferences. For fans of serialized crime fiction with deep character development, the best place to begin is with the Paula Maguire series. You should start with the first novel, The Lost. This introduction allows you to witness Paula's personal and professional evolution from the very beginning.

If you prefer standalone psychological thrillers that offer fast-paced, self-contained mysteries, your best starting point is What You Did. Released in 2019, this book became a massive bestseller and showcases McGowan's signature style: tense reunions, dark secrets, and moral ambiguity.

The Paula Maguire Series

The Paula Maguire series is the cornerstone of Claire McGowan's bibliography. It follows a forensic psychologist who specializes in missing persons cases. Returning to her fictional hometown of Ballyterrin near the Irish border, Paula must confront both modern crimes and the lingering traumas of the Troubles, including the unsolved disappearance of her own mother years prior.

Chronological vs. Publication Order

For the most part, the series follows a straightforward chronological path. However, there is a key exception: the prequel novella Controlled Explosions. Published in 2015, this short story is set in 1998 during the volatile period around the signing of the Peace Accord and an upcoming Orange March. It features a teenage Paula Maguire who is targeted by a local bomber while dealing with high school bullies. Readers can choose to read this prequel first for early background, or insert it between the second and third novels as it was published.

The Paula Maguire Recommended Reading Order

1. Controlled Explosions (2015) - A prequel novella set in 1998 that details a pivotal summer in Paula's youth.
2. The Lost (2013) - Paula returns to Ballyterrin to investigate the mysterious disappearances of two teenage girls.
3. The Dead Ground (2014) - Paula is called in when a baby is stolen from a hospital and a double murder occurs.
4. The Silent Dead (2015) - The forensic psychologist investigates a series of murders targeting former members of the local police force.
5. A Savage Hunger (2016) - The discovery of a body on a remote island off the coast brings Paula face-to-face with dark historical secrets.
6. Blood Tide (2017) - A pregnant Paula deals with a missing person case on a isolated Irish island amid a fierce storm.
7. The Killing House (2018) - Paula returns to Ballyterrin to examine a long-buried mass grave, bringing the series to a dramatic climax.

Claire McGowan's Standalone Thrillers

In addition to her series work, McGowan has written a collection of gripping psychological thrillers. These novels are completely self-contained and can be read in any order. They frequently deal with modern social dilemmas, domestic secrets, and the dark underbelly of seemingly normal communities.

• The Fall (2012) - McGowan's debut novel. This story follows two women from very different backgrounds whose lives intersect during a high-profile murder trial.
• What You Did (2019) - A group of university friends gather for a reunion after twenty years, but the night ends in a shocking accusation of sexual assault.
• The Other Wife (2019) - A tense domestic thriller exploring the hidden lives, double identities, and secrets kept between husbands and wives.
• The Push (2020) - Six pregnant women meet at a local prenatal class, but their lives are shattered when a newborn baby is kidnapped.
• I Know You (2021) - An airline employee is forced to go on the run after being falsely implicated in a brutal murder.
• Pride & Prejudice on Social Media (2021) - Co-authored with Sarah Day, this unique project reimagines Jane Austen's classic tale in a modern digital landscape.
• Are You Awake? (2022) - A mother hears an intruder in her home in the middle of the night, leading to a desperate struggle to protect her family.
• Let Me In (2023) - A couple moves to an exclusive gated community to escape their past, only to discover their new neighbors are hiding deadly secrets.
• Truth Truth Lie (2024) - A group of friends gather on a remote Scottish island. A simple party game of truth or dare quickly spirals into a fight for survival.

Writing as Eva Woods

Readers looking for a change of pace should explore McGowan's emotional women's fiction, which she publishes under the pen name Eva Woods. While her thrillers are dark, tense, and gritty, her Eva Woods novels are heartwarming, life-affirming, and focused on female friendship, grief, healing, and finding joy in unexpected places. They can be read in any order.

• The Thirty List (2015) - A woman facing her thirtieth birthday decides to remake her life by completing a list of new challenges.
• The Ex Factor (2016) - A lighthearted look at navigating the complexities of past relationships and moving forward.
• How to Be Happy (2017) - Also published as Something Like Happy, this emotional novel tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two very different women who help each other find joy.
• The Inbetween Days (2019) - Also published as The Lives We Touch, this novel explores how small actions can ripple out and change the lives of strangers.
• The Man I Can't Forget (2019) - A touching story about memory, love, and learning to let go of the past.
• The Heartbreak Club (2021) - A group of people come together to support each other through their respective relationship struggles.
• You Are Here (2022) - A story about self-discovery, unexpected journeys, and finding your place in the world.

True Crime and Anthologies

In 2022, Claire McGowan published her first full-length non-fiction book, The Vanishing Triangle. In this work, she investigates the real-life disappearances of several young women in Ireland during the late 1990s. This book is a must-read for fans of her Paula Maguire series, as it showcases the real-world cases and investigative challenges that inspired her fictional work.

For readers who enjoy short fiction, McGowan has also contributed to several anthologies. These include Off The Record 2 - At The Movies (2012), Deadly Pleasures (2013), and Belfast Noir (2014), the latter of which features short crime fiction from a variety of notable Irish writers.