Katherine Reay Books in Order (Updated May 10, 2026)

Katherine Reay writes contemporary fiction, bookish women’s fiction, historical fiction, and literary-inspired novels. Her early books often lean on Austen, Brontë, Dickens, and other classic authors, while her later work moves more strongly into World War II, Cold War, and art-world historical fiction.

Most Katherine Reay books are standalones. The main exception is Winsome, a two-book series beginning with The Printed Letter Bookshop.

A new reader does not need to read every book in publication order, but publication order gives the clearest view of how Reay moved from literary contemporary fiction into historical suspense.

How to Choose Your First Katherine Reay Book

1. Choose Dear Mr. Knightley if you want the earliest and most bookish entry point.
2. Choose The Printed Letter Bookshop if you want a warm small-town bookshop story with a connected sequel.
3. Choose The London House if you want the start of Reay’s stronger historical-mystery direction.
4. Choose A Shadow in Moscow or The Berlin Letters if you want espionage, divided loyalties, and Cold War tension.
5. Choose The English Masterpiece if you want art-world historical fiction set in 1970s London.

Katherine Reay Books in Publication Order

1. Dear Mr. Knightley (2013): Samantha Moore, a young woman shaped by books and loss, writes letters to an anonymous benefactor while learning how to live beyond borrowed literary voices.
2. Lizzy & Jane (2014): A chef returns home to help her sister through cancer treatment, making this a family-and-forgiveness novel with strong Austen echoes.
3. The Brontë Plot (2015): Rare-book seller Lucy Alling faces the cost of dishonesty, romantic disappointment, and a trip to England that forces her to reconsider her character.
4. A Portrait of Emily Price (2016): Art restorer Emily Price travels to Italy after a sudden romance, only to discover that fixing paintings is easier than repairing family and self-understanding.
5. The Austen Escape (2017): Mary Davies joins a Jane Austen-themed retreat in England, where friendship, memory, identity, and romance become tangled.
6. The Printed Letter Bookshop (2019): Three women are brought together by an inherited bookshop and a set of reading recommendations that push each of them toward change.
7. Awful Beautiful Life (2019): Co-written with Becky Powell, this nonfiction work tells the Powell family’s story of crisis, loss, faith, and survival.
8. Of Literature and Lattes (2020): The second Winsome book follows Alyssa Harrison back to her small Illinois town, where business failure, family strain, and unexpected romance reshape her future.
9. The London House (2021): Caroline Payne investigates family secrets tied to World War II, uncovering letters, betrayal, and the truth behind a long-buried accusation.
10. A Shadow in Moscow (2023): A Cold War novel following women caught in espionage, divided allegiance, and the dangerous moral compromises of intelligence work.
11. The Berlin Letters (2024): CIA code breaker Luisa Voekler discovers letters that reveal her father may still be alive behind the Berlin Wall, sending the story toward espionage and family rescue.
12. The English Masterpiece (2025): Set in the 1970s London art world, this novel follows secrets, ambition, and deception around a painting that may not be what it appears.
13. The Undercover Bookshop (2026): Listed for October 6, 2026, this upcoming historical novel follows Gemma Brown in a 1950 Cotswold village as bookish curiosity draws her into possible espionage.

Winsome Books in Order

The Winsome books are Katherine Reay’s clearest connected series. They are set around the fictional town of Winsome, Illinois, and should be read in order.

1. The Printed Letter Bookshop (2019): Madeline inherits her aunt’s struggling bookshop, while Janet and Claire help reveal how grief, friendship, and books can redirect three very different lives.
2. Of Literature and Lattes (2020): Alyssa returns to Winsome after a professional collapse, and her story connects naturally to the community established in the first book.

Standalone Contemporary and Literary-Inspired Novels

These books do not require series order. They are tied more by tone, literary references, and emotional self-discovery than by shared continuity.

1. Dear Mr. Knightley (2013): A letter-driven novel about a guarded young woman learning to speak in her own voice.
2. Lizzy & Jane (2014): A sister story about illness, food, old wounds, and the work of returning home.
3. The Brontë Plot (2015): A bookish character novel about truth, restoration, and the difference between charm and integrity.
4. A Portrait of Emily Price (2016): An Italy-set novel about art, marriage, family, and the limits of fixing other people.
5. The Austen Escape (2017): A Jane Austen retreat story where role-play and memory loss expose deeper questions about identity and friendship.

Historical Fiction and Historical Suspense Books

Reay’s later novels lean more strongly into history, secrets, espionage, and investigation.

1. The London House (2021): A dual-timeline World War II family mystery about a woman trying to determine whether her great-aunt was a traitor or misunderstood.
2. A Shadow in Moscow (2023): A Cold War espionage novel about women operating under pressure inside a world of surveillance, secrets, and divided loyalties.
3. The Berlin Letters (2024): A late-Cold-War thriller about coded letters, a father trapped in East Berlin, and a daughter who risks everything to uncover the truth.
4. The English Masterpiece (2025): A 1970s London art-world novel about authenticity, ambition, and the danger of secrets inside prestigious cultural spaces.
5. The Undercover Bookshop (2026): An upcoming 1950 Cotswolds spy-and-bookshop novel, currently scheduled after The English Masterpiece.

Nonfiction

• Awful Beautiful Life (2019): Co-written with Becky Powell, this nonfiction book recounts the Powell family’s experience of devastating public and private crisis.

This is separate from Katherine Reay’s novels. Read it only if you specifically want nonfiction rather than fiction.

Collections and Omnibus Editions

1. A Katherine Reay Collection (2016): An omnibus collecting Dear Mr. Knightley, Lizzy & Jane, and The Brontë Plot.
2. A Katherine Reay Collection: The Winsome Novels: An omnibus collecting The Printed Letter Bookshop and Of Literature and Lattes.

Collections are convenient editions, not separate sequels. Do not count them as new books if you have already read the individual novels.

Recommended Katherine Reay Reading Order

For a first-time reader, the best order is not a strict release-date march. It is better to move through Reay’s main modes: literary contemporary fiction, Winsome, then historical suspense.

1. Dear Mr. Knightley (2013): Start here to understand Reay’s early bookish voice and her interest in classic literature.
2. Lizzy & Jane (2014): Read next for another contemporary novel shaped by Austen, family, and emotional repair.
3. The Brontë Plot (2015): Continue with a book-world story that moves the literary references into questions of honesty and restoration.
4. The Austen Escape (2017): Read here if you want the most overt Austen-themed setup before leaving the early literary-contemporary lane.
5. The Printed Letter Bookshop (2019): Begin the Winsome books with the inherited bookshop story.
6. Of Literature and Lattes (2020): Follow immediately because it continues the Winsome setting.
7. The London House (2021): Shift into Reay’s historical mystery mode with a World War II family investigation.
8. A Shadow in Moscow (2023): Move deeper into espionage and Cold War danger.
9. The Berlin Letters (2024): Read after A Shadow in Moscow if you want another Cold War novel with more direct code-breaking and Berlin Wall stakes.
10. The English Masterpiece (2025): Continue with the art-world historical novel after the Cold War pair.
11. The Undercover Bookshop (2026): Add this once released if you want the next historical bookshop-and-espionage story.
12. A Portrait of Emily Price (2016): Read at any point when you want a quieter art, Italy, and marriage-centered standalone.
13. Awful Beautiful Life (2019): Save this for when you specifically want Reay’s nonfiction collaboration.

Chronological Order

A full chronological order is not the best way to read Katherine Reay.

Her books are mostly standalones, and many are set in the present or across multiple timelines. The historical novels use different periods and situations rather than one shared cast.

The only practical continuity rule is simple: read The Printed Letter Bookshop before Of Literature and Lattes.

For the historical novels, publication order is clearer than historical-period order because it follows Reay’s development as a writer.

Latest Katherine Reay Book

The latest published Katherine Reay book is The English Masterpiece (2025).

The next listed upcoming title is The Undercover Bookshop, scheduled for October 6, 2026.

FAQs

Do Katherine Reay books need to be read in order?

Only the Winsome books need order. Read The Printed Letter Bookshop before Of Literature and Lattes. The other novels can be read as standalones.

What is Katherine Reay’s first book?

Her first novel is Dear Mr. Knightley, published in 2013.

What Katherine Reay book should I start with?

Start with Dear Mr. Knightley for her early literary-contemporary style, The Printed Letter Bookshop for bookshop fiction, or The London House for historical mystery.

Are Katherine Reay’s books Christian fiction?

Many of Reay’s books are published in the inspirational / clean fiction space and often include themes of grace, forgiveness, restoration, and moral growth. They are usually gentle in content, but they are not all the same kind of story.

Is The Printed Letter Bookshop part of a series?

Yes. It is book one of the Winsome series. Of Literature and Lattes is book two.

Are The London House, A Shadow in Moscow, and The Berlin Letters connected?

They are not a single numbered series. They are best grouped as Reay’s historical fiction / historical suspense phase.

Is The Undercover Bookshop already published?

No. As of this update, The Undercover Bookshop is listed as an upcoming October 6, 2026 release.

Should I read the omnibus editions?

Only if you want bundled editions. The omnibus collections do not replace the need to understand the individual book order.

Conclusion

Katherine Reay’s books are easiest to read by category.

For early literary contemporary fiction, begin with Dear Mr. Knightley. For the connected Winsome books, read The Printed Letter Bookshop before Of Literature and Lattes. For historical suspense, start with The London House, then continue to A Shadow in Moscow, The Berlin Letters, and The English Masterpiece.