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Kristina McMorris writes mostly historical novels that stand on their own, plus a handful of shorter works in different formats (a holiday pairing, an anthology novella, a short story, and a picture book). You won’t get “lost” if you read out of order, but you will get a little extra payoff if you follow her novels by release date, especially because one later novel nods back to an earlier cast.
Below is a clear, reader-first order, with one original line for every title.
The main novels, from earliest to latest
- Letters from Home (2011): A wartime letter exchange turns complicated when the person writing isn’t the person being addressed.
- Bridge of Scarlet Leaves (2012): A young violinist and her Japanese American love face the shattering aftershock of Pearl Harbor.
- The Pieces We Keep (2013): A child’s night terrors crack open family secrets that refuse to stay buried.
- The Edge of Lost (2015): A boy’s scramble for survival collides with Alcatraz, crime, and a search that turns personal.
- Sold on a Monday (2018): A reporter’s photo of children being sold becomes his breakthrough, then a moral trap with real victims.
- The Ways We Hide (2022): A gifted illusionist is pulled into wartime intelligence work where every trick has a cost.
- The Girls of Good Fortune (2025): A woman wakes in a cell beneath 1888 Portland and races to recover the choices that put her there.
Small continuity note (optional): If you like catching returning faces, read The Edge of Lost before Sold on a Monday.
One co-authored novel
- When We Had Wings (2022, with Ariel Lawhon and Susan Meissner): Three WWII nurses in the South Pacific fight to keep each other alive, body and spirit, under relentless pressure.
This is its own story and can be read anytime.
Shorter fiction and special formats
Holiday novella pairing
- The Season of Second Chances (2023): A Christmas-centered two-novella volume where old grief and old love both demand a second look.
Anthology novella
- Grand Central (2014, anthology; includes McMorris’s novella “The Reunion”): Postwar lives intersect in Grand Central Terminal as hope returns unevenly, one person at a time.
Short story
- Poppy’s Story (2023): During the Cuban Missile Crisis, an expectant mother’s search for stability becomes a search for truth.
Children’s book
- Ellie Mae Dreams Big! (2024): A kid with wonderfully unusual ambitions learns that “different” can be the whole point of a dream.
Two easy ways to read, depending on your mood
If you want the simplest path
Read the main novels in order (2011 → 2025), then add the shorter works whenever you want a change of pace.
If you want “start with the most current”
Begin with The Girls of Good Fortune, then circle back to Letters from Home and move forward.
FAQs
Do any of these books require series reading?
No. The novels are designed as standalones, with only light nods between a couple of titles.
What should I read first if I only want one book to try her style?
Sold on a Monday is a strong single-book test if you like historical stakes and moral pressure. Letters from Home is a good first pick if you prefer romance-forward emotion.
What’s the most recent novel right now?
The Girls of Good Fortune (2025) is the latest major novel as of this update.
Best simple plan
Start with Letters from Home and keep going in order through The Girls of Good Fortune. Add the anthology novella, holiday volume, short story, and picture book whenever you feel like stepping off the main track for something shorter.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.