D.M. Pulley writes Gothic-leaning mysteries and thrillers rooted in Midwest history, old buildings, and buried secrets. The good news: her novels aren’t a numbered series, so you don’t have to worry about “Book 3 spoilers.”
The only “order” decision is whether you want to follow her evolution as a writer (publication order) or just pick the premise that matches your mood.
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What to read first (a quick chooser)
- If you want abandoned-building secrets + two timelines: start with The Dead Key.
- If you want historical family drama with a crime spine: start with The Buried Book.
- If you want true-crime flavor tied to a famous real-world case: start with The Unclaimed Victim.
- If you want haunted-house dread with family unraveling: start with No One’s Home.
No matter where you begin, you’re not stepping into the middle of a continuing detective storyline.
The novels in publication order
- The Dead Key (2015): An engineer cataloging an abandoned Cleveland bank finds a key that shouldn’t exist, pulling her into a vault of clues split across past and present.
- The Buried Book (2016): A boy left behind on a farm grows up chasing the truth about his mother, as long-hidden corruption and violence surface around him.
- The Unclaimed Victim (2017): Decades-apart investigators circle the same brutal pattern, using a notorious Cleveland murder mystery as the story’s shadow and engine.
- No One’s Home (2019): A family buys a foreclosed mansion with a history it won’t keep quiet, and the house’s legacy starts pressing on every weak seam.
Continuity note: These are best treated as standalones. There’s no required reading sequence beyond preference.
Optional: short fiction / anthology appearance
- “Tremonster” in Cleveland Noir (2023): A short story appearance for readers who want a bite-sized Pulley piece between novels.
This is not required for understanding any novel.
Upcoming release
- Stone Mad (October 13, 2026): Announced next novel, centered on an infamous mansion, a missing girl, and an investigator whose own past starts to tangle with the building’s history.
(If you’re reading this after October 2026, it may already be out in your format.)
FAQ
Do any of these form a series?
Not as published and marketed. They’re separate stories with shared themes (place, history, architecture, and secrets), not shared plot continuity.
Should I read them in publication order anyway?
If you like seeing an author’s craft shift over time, yes. If you just want the strongest match for your mood, pick by premise.
Which one feels most “classic D.M. Pulley”?
The Dead Key is the cleanest snapshot of her signature ingredients: structure, setting, and a past/present mystery braid.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.