Julia Heaberlin is a Texas-based thriller writer whose novels are standalones rather than an ongoing series.
That means you can read them in any order, but publication order still helps if you want to follow how her themes (memory, missing persons, and the long shadow of old violence) sharpen over time.
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A quick “what should I read first?” shelf
If you want her most accessible modern hook:
We Are All the Same in the Dark (2020): A missing-girl case in a small Texas town re-ignites when a new investigator and a local outsider refuse to accept the “story everyone agrees on.”
If you want the book most built around evidence and aftermath:
Black-Eyed Susans (2015): A woman who survived a notorious burial attempt is forced back into the case when new “signatures” appear, turning survival into testimony and doubt into a weapon.
If you want the most claustrophobic, road-trip-with-secrets energy:
Paper Ghosts (2018): A journalist drags an infamous suspect across Texas to solve a vanished-girl case, where the trip becomes a duel over truth, control, and what memory edits out.
If you want the most premise-forward “strange gift + cold case” setup:
Night Will Find You (2023): An astrophysicist with an unsettling ability is pulled into a long-cold disappearance, where belief, family history, and evidence keep colliding.
Do any of these connect?
No shared-universe sequence is required. Each novel has its own cast and case, so you won’t spoil another book by reading out of order.
If you prefer a tidy method anyway, stick to publication order.
Publication order (cleanest, least second-guessing)
Playing Dead (2012): A woman finds her identity ripped open by a claim she was kidnapped as a child, forcing her to choose between the life she recognizes and the one someone else insists is true.
Lie Still (2013): A move meant to reset a couple’s life turns unstable when a pregnancy and a new environment expose how little control they have over what’s stalking them.
Black-Eyed Susans (2015): A survivor’s past becomes active evidence again, turning a famous crime into a living threat and making the “truth” feel like something that can be planted.
Paper Ghosts (2018): A determined interviewer and a slippery suspect hit the road to solve an old disappearance, where the closer they get to answers the more dangerous the narrative games become.
We Are All the Same in the Dark (2020): A town’s missing-girl legend fractures under new scrutiny, forcing everyone to confront what they protected, what they ignored, and what they still fear.
Night Will Find You (2023): A cold case is reopened through an unusual lens, pushing science, belief, and buried family secrets into the same investigation until one of them breaks.
Note on years: publication years can look different across countries and formats (hardcover vs paperback). The list above uses commonly cited first-publication years for the original editions.
Recommended reading order (three low-friction routes)
Route 1: “Start modern, then go backward” (most common for new readers)
- We Are All the Same in the Dark → 2) Paper Ghosts → 3) Black-Eyed Susans → then circle back to Playing Dead and Lie Still.
Route 2: “Evidence first” (if you like casework and courtroom pressure)
- Black-Eyed Susans → 2) We Are All the Same in the Dark → 3) Paper Ghosts → then whichever premise grabs you next.
Route 3: “Watch the craft evolve” (publication order)
Playing Dead → Lie Still → Black-Eyed Susans → Paper Ghosts → We Are All the Same in the Dark → Night Will Find You.
Latest release status
Most recent novel as of February 24, 2026: Night Will Find You (2023). No later, reliably confirmed new novel title and publication date appeared consistently in the major public listings checked at the time of updating.
FAQs
Is there a chronological order that differs from publication order?
No, because these are standalones with separate timelines.
Which book is best if I hate ambiguity?
Black-Eyed Susans is the most “evidence-driven” structure, even while it plays with uncertainty.
Which is best if I want atmosphere and place?
We Are All the Same in the Dark leans hard into small-town Texas tension and long memory.
Bottom line
If you want the safest first pick, start with We Are All the Same in the Dark (2020). If you prefer to read the way long-time readers did, use the publication order list and you can’t go wrong.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.