Dana Cameron Books in Order

Where Should You Start Reading Dana Cameron?

Dana Cameron’s background as a professional archaeologist brings a rare layer of authenticity and detail to her fiction. Because her work spans multiple distinct genres, your ideal starting point depends on what kind of stories you enjoy most:

• For classic cozy mystery lovers: Start with the Emma Fielding Archaeology Mysteries. This six-book series features an academic archaeologist who uncovers modern crimes alongside historical secrets in New England. It was also adapted into a popular Hallmark movie franchise.
• For urban fantasy fans: Dive into the Fangborn Series. In this trilogy (and its accompanying short stories), you will follow Zoe Miller, an archaeologist who discovers she is part of a secret race of werewolves, vampires, and oracles who protect humanity.
• For historical crime fiction enthusiasts: Begin with the Anna Hoyt Colonial Noir Series. Set in 18th-century Boston, these gritty tales follow a resilient tavern owner named Anna Hoyt who must navigate the dangerous underworld of the colonial waterfront.
• For action-thriller readers: Try the a.k.a. Jayne Thrillers, starting with the novel Exit Interview, which features a deadly covert operative framed for treason.

The Emma Fielding Archaeology Mysteries

Dana Cameron’s debut series remains her most famous. The books follow Emma Fielding, a dedicated archaeologist whose fieldwork regularly leads her to contemporary murder investigations. To fully appreciate Emma's personal relationships, professional career progression, and recurring secondary characters, these books should be read in order of publication.

Publication and Chronological Order of Emma Fielding Books

1. Site Unseen (2002) - Emma Fielding's first investigation, set at a coastal dig in Maine.
2. Grave Consequences (2002) - Emma travels to England to work on an abbey excavation, only to uncover a modern body.
3. Past Malice (2003) - Back in New England, Emma explores a historical site with a dark, cursed reputation.
4. A Fugitive Truth (2004) - Emma investigates the archives of an old family estate, revealing long-buried secrets.
5. More Bitter than Death (2005) - Attending an archaeological conference in Massachusetts, Emma is caught in a web of murder and professional rivalry.
6. Ashes and Bones (2006) - Emma works on a site near a historic prison, dealing with mysteries that hit close to home.

In addition to the six novels, Cameron wrote the award-winning short story "Mischief in Mesopotamia" (2012), which takes place during a vacation in Turkey. It won the 2013 Anthony Award for Best Short Story and can be read at any point after finishing the main series.

The Fangborn Urban Fantasy Series

The Fangborn series blends urban fantasy with historical lore. The Fangborn are a secret subspecies of vampires, werewolves, and oracles who work in secret to guard humanity from darker threats. The main narrative focuses on Zoe Miller, but Cameron has written numerous short stories that expand the lore across different time periods.

The Core Zoe Miller Trilogy

The main novels should be read in publication order to follow Zoe's character arc and her evolving understanding of her supernatural heritage:

1. Seven Kinds of Hell (2013)
2. Pack of Strays (2014)
3. Hellbender (2015)

Fangborn Short Stories and Collections

To get the full picture of the Fangborn universe, readers should seek out Pandora's Orphans: A Fangborn Collection (2021). This anthology compiles ten previously published short stories and includes one exclusive new tale. Notable stories include:

• "The Night Things Changed" (2008)
• "Swing Shift" (2010)
• "Love Knot" (2011)
• "Pattern Recognition" (2012)
• "Finals" (2013)
• "The Serpent's Tale" (2013)
• "The God's Games" (2014)
• "The Curious Case of Miss Amelia Vernet" (2014)
• "Burning the Rule Book" (2015)

While many of these stories are standalone prequels focusing on different members of the Fangborn throughout history, reading them after the core trilogy or alongside the Pandora's Orphans collection is the best way to avoid early spoilers.

The Anna Hoyt Colonial Noir Series

Set in 1740s Boston, this series follows Anna Hoyt, a widowed tavern owner managing "The Queen's Arms." The series started as a run of award-winning short stories before Cameron expanded the character's journey into a full-length historical crime novel.

Recommended Reading Sequence for Anna Hoyt

To follow Anna's transition from a struggling business owner to a formidable force on the Boston waterfront, read the short stories in order before tackling the novel:

1. "Femme Sole" (2009) - First published in the Boston Noir anthology.
2. "Disarming" (2011) - An Agatha Award-winning short story.
3. "Ardent" (2011) - Published in the anthology The Wild Side.
4. "Declaration" (2014)
5. "An Obliging Cousin" (2016)
6. Anna Hoyt: A Novel of Colonial Crime (2024) - The first full-length novel in the series, detailing Anna's struggles against an abusive husband and the Boston waterfront criminals.

The a.k.a. Jayne Thrillers

For readers looking for espionage and high-stakes thriller action, Cameron's a.k.a. Jayne series is the perfect choice. The series centers on Jayne Rogers, a lethal black-ops operative who is framed for treason and must team up with an investigative reporter and a technical genius to clear her name and secure a massive weapons cache.

Before starring in the debut novel Exit Interview (2022), Jayne appeared in various short stories published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (under the "Black Mask" banner) and anthologies such as Killing Malmon and Shattering Glass. However, Exit Interview is designed as a perfect entry point for new readers.

Important Note: The Love at Stake Confusion

If you search for Dana Cameron's bibliography in online databases, you may see her name linked to the popular Love at Stake paranormal romance series (which includes titles like How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire). Dana Cameron did not write the Love at Stake books.

This is a common database error stemming from the 2006 holiday anthology Sugarplums and Scandal. Cameron contributed her Anthony Award-nominated short mystery, "The Lords of Misrule," to this anthology. The book also featured a Love at Stake novella by the actual series author, Kerrelyn Sparks. Because of this shared anthology, automated database scrapers frequently list the entire Love at Stake series under Dana Cameron's bibliography.