The Recommended Reading Path
Dan Padavona has created a sprawling, atmospheric thriller universe set in and around the scenic and often eerie Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. While most of his series are designed to stand alone, characters do cross paths, grow, and reference past events. To experience the ultimate character arcs and avoid minor spoilers, the recommended reading path is to follow his main series in this specific order:
- The Scarlett Bell FBI Thrillers: Start here to meet elite criminal profiler Scarlett Bell as she tracks down the nation's most depraved minds.
- The Darkwater Cove Series: Read this next to follow ex-FBI agent Darcy Gellar as she tries to heal from past trauma in a coastal town plagued by serial killer cases.
- The Wolf Lake Thrillers: This series introduces Detective Thomas Shepherd, a brilliant investigator on the autism spectrum who returns to his hometown of Wolf Lake.
- Logan and Scarlett: Read this series after Scarlett Bell and Wolf Lake. It serves as a direct crossover and continuation where Scarlett Bell teams up with Logan Wolf to hunt killers.
- The Thomas Shepherd Mysteries: This series is a direct continuation of Wolf Lake, tracking Thomas's career as a county sheriff.
The Wolf Lake and Thomas Shepherd Mysteries
The crown jewel of Padavona's thrillers is the saga of Thomas Shepherd. Thomas is an LAPD detective with Asperger's syndrome who returns to his hometown of Wolf Lake to heal from a near-fatal shooting. The town, however, is far from peaceful. The original Wolf Lake series spans ten books, starting with Her Last Breath and concluding with The Bone Forest. Padavona's writing shines here, combining procedural mystery with deep empathy, showing how Thomas's unique sensory perspective helps him decode clues others miss.
If you love the cast of characters in Wolf Lake, you can transition directly into the Thomas Shepherd Mystery series. Beginning with Grave Girl, this series acts as a direct continuation. Thomas has stepped up as sheriff of Nightshade County, working alongside his partner and girlfriend, private investigator Chelsey Byrd. While Padavona writes each book to function as a standalone case, reading them in publication order keeps the relationships, character growths, and subplots clear.
The Scarlett Bell and Logan & Scarlett Connection
For readers who prefer intense, psychological FBI profiling, the Scarlett Bell series is the ideal entry point. Spanning ten fast-paced novels starting with Mind of a Killer, the series focuses on Scarlett Bell's battles against ruthless killers while working for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. She is a dedicated, brilliant, but emotionally scarred profiler who risks everything to protect the innocent.
After her solo series concludes, Scarlett's journey continues in the Logan and Scarlett series, starting with Dusk Corners. In this spin-off crossover, Scarlett teams up with Logan Wolf, a rogue former FBI profiler who is on the run after being framed. Logan's brutal "frontier justice" approach clashes with Scarlett's strict adherence to law enforcement protocol, creating a high-stakes, tense partnership as they pursue highly dangerous predators.
Darkwater Cove and the Coastal Thrillers
If you prefer a change of scenery from the forests of Wolf Lake, the Darkwater Cove series transports readers to a coastal setting. The series centers on Darcy Gellar, a former FBI agent who barely survived the clutches of a serial killer. Seeking peace, she moves to the quiet town of Darkwater Cove, only for a copycat killer to drag her back into the nightmare. The series officially begins with Darkwater Cove, but readers should start with the prequel novella, Dead and Buried, which Padavona has historically offered for free on his official website to introduce Darcy's backstory.
Newer Standalones and Spin-offs
In addition to his long-running series, Padavona has expanded his Finger Lakes universe with newer series and standalone works. The P.I. Nia Carter Thrillers (beginning with Secrets Never Sleep) offer a grittier private investigator perspective, while the Scout Mourning Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (beginning with The Silent Hunter) provide cozy yet suspenseful puzzles that can be read in almost any order. For horror enthusiasts, Padavona's roots are on display in his standalone horror novels, such as his vampire debut Storberry and the intense horror-thriller Crawlspace.
What to Know Before You Start
Padavona writes using structured "story beats," ensuring his plots move at a breakneck pace with short, cliffhanger chapters. While his books feature dark topics and serial killers, they are grounded by a strong sense of hope, resilience, and deep empathy for the victims. You can read any of the major series independently, but starting from the beginning of the respective series is highly recommended to appreciate how the characters evolve over time.