Dan Walsh Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Dan Walsh

Dan Walsh has built a dedicated readership by writing across multiple genres, blending inspirational themes with deep emotional resonance, historical detail, and page-turning suspense. If you are new to his work, the best starting point depends on your favorite genre:

• For Suspense Fans: Start with When Night Comes, the first book in the Jack Turner Suspense series. This introduces you to a connected universe that spins off into the Joe Boyd Suspense series.
• For Heartwarming & Historical Fiction: Start with The Unfinished Gift, a Carol Award-winning Christmas novel set during WWII that launched his career.
• For Dog Lovers: Start with Rescuing Finley, the first installment in the beloved Forever Home series, which focuses on shelter dogs healing broken families.

The Suspense Universe: Jack Turner & Joe Boyd

For readers who love mysteries, Dan Walsh has created an interconnected suspense world. The Jack Turner Suspense series focuses on a history professor who uncovers local and historical conspiracies. He is often assisted by his close friend, police officer Joe Boyd. After the Jack Turner series concludes, Joe Boyd takes center stage in his own spin-off series, the Joe Boyd Suspense books. To get the full experience and avoid spoilers, you should read these two series in their release order.

Jack Turner Suspense Series Order

This series blends mystery, history, and academic intrigue. It should be read in chronological order:

1. When Night Comes (2014)
2. Remembering Dresden (2016)
3. Unintended Consequences (2017)
4. Perilous Treasure (2018)

Joe Boyd Suspense Series Order

Picking up after the events of Perilous Treasure, this spin-off follows Lieutenant Joe Boyd as he handles cold cases and local investigations. While you can read it on its own, it features recurring characters from the Jack Turner series:

1. If These Walls Could Talk (2019)
2. An Inconvenient Death (2020)
3. The Scandal of Mercy (2021)
4. Treacherous Waters (2022)

A Forever Home Series

One of Walsh's most popular contemporary series, A Forever Home, celebrates the bond between humans and shelter dogs. Each book features a different rescue dog that plays a pivotal role in helping its new owner overcome grief, trauma, or personal struggles. While the books can be read as standalones, they are best enjoyed in order:

1. Rescuing Finley (2015)
2. Finding Riley (2016)
3. Saving Parker (2017)
4. Keeping Bailey (2021)

The Homefront Series

Set during the World War II era, this historical fiction series focuses on family dynamics, the hardships of the home front, and the power of faith and reconciliation. This was Walsh's debut series and remains a fan favorite:

1. The Unfinished Gift (2009)
2. The Homecoming (2010)

The Restoration Series (Co-Authored with Gary Smalley)

In this unique collaboration, Dan Walsh partnered with renowned relationship expert Gary Smalley to write a four-book series. These novels focus on relationship-driven stories of faith, marriage trials, forgiveness, and renewal:

1. The Dance (2013)
2. The Promise (2013)
3. The Desire (2014)
4. The Legacy (2015)

Epic Journeys Series

This historical fiction duology details the mid-19th-century adventures of John and Laura Foster as they face survival at sea and later go on a rescue mission to save a friend's daughter in the Deep South:

1. The Deepest Waters (2011)
2. The Longest Road (2020)

The Long Way Home Series

Set in the 1960s, this two-book series follows a young mother who moves from Brooklyn to a cozy mountain town in North Carolina following a family tragedy, adapting to a new pace of life and community:

1. Twas The Night (2022)
2. What's Best For Them (2023)

Dan Walsh's Standalone Novels

In addition to his series, Dan Walsh has written several popular standalone novels. These stories range from historical fiction to heartwarming holiday tales:

• Remembering Christmas (2011)
• The Discovery (2012)
• The Reunion (2012)
• What Follows After (2014)
• Keeping Christmas (2015)

Miracles of Marble Cove (Guideposts Collaborative Series)

Readers looking through Dan Walsh's bibliography may notice the Miracles of Marble Cove series listed under his works. It is important to know that this is a collaborative, multi-author cozy mystery and inspirational series published by Guideposts. The series centers on a group of four friends in a small coastal Maine town. While the series consists of 24 books, Dan Walsh did not write them all; his primary contribution is Book 5, Autumn Light (2011). However, the complete order of the series for readers who want to follow the overarching town narrative is:

1. The View From the Lighthouse (2011)
2. Finding Grace (2011)
3. Seaside Summer (2011)
4. Beacon's Call (2011)
5. Autumn Light (2011)
6. Still Waters (2011)
7. A Midnight Clear (2011)
8. Unexpected Treasures (2012)
9. Winds of Change (2012)
10. New Horizons (2012)
11. Setting Course (2012)
12. Pressing On (2012)
13. Family Heirlooms (2012)
14. Hopes and Dreams (2012)
15. Ringing True (2012)
16. Steps of Faith (2012)
17. Home for Christmas (2013)
18. All Things New (2013)
19. Friends and Family (2013)
20. Tracks and Ties (2013)
21. With Grateful Hearts (2013)
22. Coast to Coast (2013)
23. Time to Remember (2013)
24. Shining Forth (2022)

What to Know Before You Start

Before jumping into Dan Walsh's books, here are a few things to keep in mind. First, his background as a pastor for 25 years heavily influences his storytelling. His novels are clean, faith-based, and focus heavily on spiritual themes like redemption, grace, and hope. Second, although his suspense novels have thrilling plots, they are designed to be family-friendly and avoid graphic violence. Finally, his emotional historical stories, such as The Reunion and The Unfinished Gift, are known for being tear-jerkers, often earning comparisons to the emotional depth of Nicholas Sparks, but with a distinct Christian worldview.