Kiersten Modglin Books in Order (Updated February 22, 2026)

Kiersten Modglin is a prolific psychological-suspense author with three clearly connected series and a long list of standalone thrillers. Most titles can be read in any order, but the series entries are built for escalation and should be read sequentially.

This guide is intentionally “two-speed”: Series first (strict order), then standalones (pick by mood or use the year-by-year checklist).

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The quick “start here” picker

If you want a complete, three-book arc (recommended for new readers)

Start with The Arrangement (Arrangement #1).

If you want a shorter, faster series run

Start with Becoming Mrs. Abbott (Carolina Killer Files #1).

If you want a one-book commitment

Start with Hemlock (2023) or The Hidden (2024) (both standalones).

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Continuity rules (keep you spoiler-safe)

• Arrangement Novels = one continuing story → read #1-#3 in order.
• Messes = connected romantic-suspense sequence → read #1-#4 in order.
• Carolina Killer Files = connected mystery run → read #1-#3 in order.
• Everything listed as a “novel” outside those series = standalone → any order.

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Series reading order

The Arrangement Novels (Domestic Thriller Trilogy)

A marriage-based thriller arc where each book leans on what the couple has already done, and what they now have to hide.

1. The Arrangement (2021): A couple agrees to a structured “open marriage,” and the rules become the fuse.
2. The Amendment (2022): Damage control turns into deeper compromise as new facts reshape what “consent” meant.
3. The Atonement (2022): The endgame, built around consequence, who pays, who escapes, and what it costs.

Best practice: read straight through without breaks if you’re spoiler-sensitive.

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Messes (Romantic Suspense Series)

A four-book chain where each installment reframes what “help” and “harm” look like in a relationship under strain.

1. The Cleaner (2018): A messy situation becomes a job, and the job becomes a trap.
2. The Healer (2018): Caretaking and control blur, and the power balance shifts.
3. The Liar (2018): Misdirection becomes the central tool, and trust becomes the main casualty.
4. The Prisoner (2018): The most claustrophobic entry, where choices narrow to survival and fallout.

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Carolina Killer Files

A three-part mystery sequence with alternate titles that sometimes confuse listings.

1. Becoming Mrs. Abbott (2016) (also listed as: If It Walks Like A Killer): A new identity and a new life come with a threat that recognizes patterns.
2. The List (2016): A structured set of “facts” becomes the mechanism of fear and exposure.
3. The Missing Piece (2016) (also listed as: The Truth About My Scratches): The final reveal clicks into place, and earlier assumptions collapse.

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Standalone novels (publication checklist)

These are not a shared continuity. The one-line notes are meant to help you match a premise to your mood, without spoiling twists.

2018-2019

1. The Beginning After (2018): A “fresh start” premise where the past keeps finding new doors.
2. The Good Neighbors (2019): Proximity becomes pressure; community becomes surveillance.
3. The Better Choice (2019): A decision-based thriller where the “right” option keeps getting darker.

2020 (a high-output year)

4. The Lucky Ones (2020): Good fortune turns suspicious when motives surface.
5. I Said Yes (2020): Commitment becomes leverage, and the consequences compound.
6. The Mother-in-Law (2020): Family boundaries collapse into control and retaliation.
7. The Dream Job (2020): A career opportunity masks a set-up with personal cost.
8. The Liar’s Wife (2020): Marriage as misdirection; intimacy as evidence.
9. My Husband’s Secret (2020): A discovery reframes everything the narrator thought she knew.
10. The Perfect Getaway (2020): Escape becomes containment when the danger arrives with you.

2021

11. The Roommate (2021): Shared space turns into a slow tightening of risk.
12. The Missing (2021): Absence drives the plot, who vanished, who benefits, who lies.
13. Just Married (2021): A new marriage becomes a stage for manipulation.
14. Our Little Secret (2021): A secret shared is a weapon waiting to be used.
15. Widow Falls (2021): Grief and suspicion collide; the past refuses to stay quiet.
16. Missing Daughter (2021): Family identity and motive take center stage.
17. The Reunion (2021): Old relationships gather, and the truth starts slipping.

2022

18. Tell Me the Truth (2022): A truth-demand premise where answers create new threats.
19. The Dinner Guests (2022): A social setting becomes a pressure chamber for secrets.
20. If You’re Reading This… (2022): A message-driven thriller built around timing and intention.
21. A Quiet Retreat (2022): Isolation, control, and the fear of being unheard.

2023

22. The Family Secret (2023): A buried family fact detonates in the present.
23. Don’t Go Down There (2023): A warning ignored becomes the plot’s engine.
24. Wait for Dark (2023): A suspense setup where visibility (or lack of it) drives every decision.
25. You Can Trust Me (2023): A trust-grant premise designed to make you regret trusting anyone.
26. Hemlock (2023): A small place with a long memory, where return equals danger.
27. Do Not Open (2023): A single forbidden object becomes a corridor to escalation.
28. You’ll Never Know I’m Here (2023): Hidden presence suspense, who knows, who doesn’t, and why.

2024

29. The Stranger (2024): A new person triggers a chain reaction of doubt.
30. The Hollow (2024): Emotional emptiness meets physical threat; the “why” is the hook.
31. Bitter House (2024): A house-centered thriller where the setting is part of the trap.
32. The Guilty One (2024): A blame-and-proof story that weaponizes perception.
33. The Hidden (2024): A locked-room captivity premise with a ticking deadline.
34. Where the Darkness Goes (2024): A hometown return where past violence still dictates the present.

2025

35. The Last Trip (2025): Travel becomes exposure; the exit strategy fails.
36. Nine Pines (2025): A location-anchored suspense story where the place holds the key.
37. Wilde Women (2025): A female-led tension story built around power, loyalty, and fallout.

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Optional extras (safe to ignore at first)

These do not affect the main reading order and are best treated as bonus content:

• Playing Jenna (2017) (novella/short)
• Contributions to shared-world or multi-author projects (for completists only)

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A practical recommended reading order (no fluff, no spoilers)

If you want the most “connected” experience first:

1. The Arrangement → The Amendment → The Atonement
2. Carolina Killer Files #1-#3
3. Messes #1-#4
4. Then choose standalones by year or by premise.

If you want a pure standalone sampler:

• Hemlock (2023) → The Hidden (2024) → The Last Trip (2025)

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Bottom line

Kiersten Modglin’s “in order” reading is mostly about three series. Once you finish (or skip) those, the rest is a large standalone shelf you can browse freely, either by publication year or by what kind of trap you feel like walking into.