Where to Start with Elle Wild
For readers looking to dive into Elle Wild's atmospheric crime fiction, the best place to begin is with her award-winning debut novel, Strange Things Done. Set in the cold, isolated environment of Dawson City, Yukon, this standalone noir thriller perfectly showcases her signature style of blending high-stakes tension with a vivid, place-centric setting.
Elle Wild Books in Publication Order
Since Elle Wild has focused on standalone novels and short fiction, her catalog is straightforward to read in order of release. Below is the complete publication order of her works:
- Strange Things Done (2016) — Standalone Novel
- "California Pure" (2017) — Short Story (published in Byline magazine)
- "Playing Dead" (2018) — Short Story (published in the anthology The Dame Was Trouble)
- The Bone Conspiracy (Forthcoming) — Standalone Novel
Deep Dive: The Standalone Novels
Strange Things Done (2016)
Set against the backdrop of a freezing winter in Dawson City, Yukon, this debut novel follows journalist Josephine "Jo" Silver. Jo moves to the remote northern town to escape her past, only to find herself embroiled in the suspicious death of a local politician. As tensions rise and the winter nights grow longer, Jo must untangle a web of secrets while dealing with the suspicion of the locals. The novel earned Elle Wild the 2017 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.
The Bone Conspiracy (Forthcoming)
Shifting from the modern Canadian North to a historical setting, Wild's second novel is a literary thriller set in Victorian London and Dorset. The manuscript received high praise, earning the "Highly Commended" distinction in the 2023 Cheshire Novel Prize competition prior to publication.
Short Fiction & Anthologies
Alongside her full-length novels, Wild has written acclaimed short stories that explore different facets of suspense and speculative fiction:
- "California Pure" (2017): A post-apocalyptic short story that won second place in the 2017 National Capital Writing Competition and was published in the Canadian Authors Association's Byline magazine.
- "Playing Dead" (2018): Featuring a story about an elderly woman and a robotic dog, this piece was featured in the female-focused crime anthology The Dame Was Trouble after its original appearance in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.
Reader Advice & Reading Order Caveats
Because Elle Wild writes standalone works rather than serialized characters, there are no complex chronological timelines or reading order controversies to navigate. You can read her novels and short stories in any order you choose. However, starting with Strange Things Done is highly recommended to experience the atmospheric "Yukon Noir" style that established her reputation in the crime fiction community.