Where to Start with Emily Carpenter
If you love eerie atmospheres, slow-burn psychological tension, and stories deeply rooted in the American South, Emily Carpenter is an author you need on your bookshelf. While most of her books are standalone novels, they share a rich, cinematic tension and complex female protagonists that make them incredibly addictive.
For readers wondering where to begin, you have two excellent starting options depending on your reading preferences:
- The Classic Route: Burying the Honeysuckle Girls (2016). As her debut novel, this book perfectly establishes Carpenter's signature style. It blends family secrets, psychological trauma, and a hauntingly vivid Alabama backdrop. Starting here lets you experience her evolution as a writer from the very beginning.
- The Modern Route: Gothictown (2025). If you want to jump straight into her latest and most polished work, this post-pandemic thriller is a perfect entry point. It takes a classic Southern Gothic premise—a family moving to a seemingly perfect but deeply unsettling Georgia town—and gives it a sharp, contemporary edge.
The Honeysuckle & Hawthorn Companion Novels
While Emily Carpenter is primarily a standalone novelist, two of her books share a soft continuity. If you want the most rewarding experience, you should read these two novels in order:
- Burying the Honeysuckle Girls (2016)
- Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters (2020)
Although Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters is billed as a standalone mystery that can be read independently, it serves as a companion novel to her debut. It is set in the same shared universe and features character crossovers, most notably bringing back Althea Bell, the protagonist of the first book. In Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters, the story follows a new protagonist, Eve Webb, as she uncovers the truth behind her grandmother's past as a faith healer. Reading these in order will help you appreciate the recurring elements, the shared history, and the evolution of the families involved.
Emily Carpenter Books in Publication Order
If you prefer to read an author's bibliography in the order the books were written, here is the complete chronological publication order of Emily Carpenter's thrillers and collections. Because her thrillers (outside of the companion connection) are standalone stories, this order gives you maximum flexibility to bounce around, though it remains a highly satisfying way to see her style develop over time.
- Burying the Honeysuckle Girls (2016) – The debut psychological thriller that introduces Althea Bell as she unravels a dark family legacy and her mother's mysterious death in Mobile, Alabama.
- The Weight of Lies (2017) – A suspenseful meta-thriller about a young woman who travels to a remote Georgia island to research a murder that inspired her mother's bestselling horror novel, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
- Every Single Secret (2018) – A tense, claustrophobic story centered on Daphne Amos and her fiancé Heath as they attend an isolated psychological retreat to confront Heath's nightmares, only to find themselves trapped in a web of surveillance and paranoia.
- Mijn Reflecties, Mijn Schaduw (2018) – A unique departure from her suspense novels, this is a poetry collection (translated into Dutch) that explores themes of isolation, love, and personal reflections.
- Until the Day I Die (2019) – A high-stakes thriller following Erin Gaines, a grieving tech founder who is sent to a luxury Caribbean wellness resort by her concerned family, only to realize the retreat is a front designed to make her disappear.
- Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters (2020) – The companion novel to her debut, exploring the secrets of a charismatic 1930s faith healer and the modern-day fallout that brings characters from the first book back into the spotlight.
- Gothictown (2025) – A chilling Southern Gothic thriller following Billie Hope, a restaurateur who takes advantage of pandemic-era incentives to move her family to an idyllic town in Georgia, only to discover its terrifying secrets.
Deep Dive: The Standalone Thrillers
For readers who want to pick and choose based on premise, here is what you can expect from each of Emily Carpenter's standalone psychological suspense novels:
The Weight of Lies (2017)
This novel is a treat for fans of meta-fiction. The story focuses on Meg Ashley, the daughter of a famous, reclusive horror writer whose iconic novel was based on a real-life murder. Meg's quest for independence leads her to the remote Bonny Island, Georgia, where she hopes to write a tell-all exposé. Instead, she finds herself caught in a mystery that mirrors her mother's fiction. It is highly recommended if you enjoy island settings and mother-daughter conflicts.
Every Single Secret (2018)
If you prefer high-intensity, psychological games, this is the book for you. Set at a remote treatment facility run by a charismatic but suspect psychologist, the story plays heavily on paranoia. The rules of the retreat—no phones, constant surveillance, and isolation—create a deeply unsettling environment where the characters, and the reader, constantly question what is real.
Until the Day I Die (2019)
This book moves the setting away from the traditional American South to a luxury resort in the Caribbean, but preserves the eerie, untrustworthy atmosphere. It combines corporate espionage, technology, and familial betrayal with a fast-paced survival narrative. It is perfect for readers who like their thrillers with a side of action and conspiracy.
Gothictown (2025)
Representing her latest work, this book showcases a masterclass in modern Southern Gothic atmosphere. It captures a distinct post-pandemic anxiety, focusing on a family seeking a fresh start but finding themselves trapped in a community with bizarre, cult-like undercurrents. The town of Juliana, Georgia, becomes a character in its own right, oozing dread and secrets.
What to Know Before You Start
Emily Carpenter’s writing is heavily influenced by her diverse background in the entertainment industry. Before turning to novels, she worked as an actress, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes assistant for major soap operas like As the World Turns and Guiding Light. This experience is highly visible in her writing style, which features sharp dialogue, tight scene structures, and dramatic, episodic pacing that keeps you turning pages late into the night.
Her thrillers are known for featuring complex, often deeply flawed women who are dealing with past trauma, grief, or deception. Rather than relying on simple jump scares, Carpenter builds tension through slow-burning psychological suspense, detailed Southern settings, and the complex web of relationships between her characters. You can expect a rich blend of classic Gothic tropes—decaying estates, family curses, and isolated settings—updated for the modern era.