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Paula Hawkins is best known for psychological thrillers that stand alone but share a similar reading experience: shifting viewpoints, private lives under pressure, and reveals that land best when you meet each book fresh. There’s no ongoing series continuity to protect, so “in order” here is mainly about publication order and how her voice has changed over time.
She also wrote earlier commercial women’s fiction under the pen name Amy Silver. Those books are a separate lane from the later thrillers.
If you only want one straightforward plan
Read the Paula Hawkins thrillers in publication order. Then, if you’re curious about her earlier work, read the Amy Silver novels afterward.
Paula Hawkins thrillers and suspense in publication order
- The Girl on the Train (2015): An unreliable commuter becomes entangled in a missing-person mystery that keeps shifting under her feet.
- Into the Water (2017): A small town’s river holds too many deaths, and one new drowning pulls old stories to the surface.
- A Slow Fire Burning (2021): A murder on a houseboat links three women whose resentments don’t stay private for long.
- Blind Spot (2022, short suspense novella): A lifelong trio fractures after a killing, and the survivor realizes the past may be watching her back.
- The Blue Hour (2024): A slow-burn psychological mystery where obsession and secrecy build toward a late-breaking truth.
Order note: These are not sequels. Publication order is recommended because it preserves how Hawkins escalates suspense and handles reveals.
Earlier novels written as Amy Silver (separate continuity)
These are lighter contemporary novels and do not connect to the thrillers above.
- Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista (2009): A woman’s polished life collapses fast, forcing a crash course in money, pride, and starting over.
- All I Want for Christmas (2010): Three women enter the holidays carrying different fears, and each must decide what “happy” should look like.
- One Minute to Midnight (2011): As New Year’s approaches, old friendships and old loves demand answers that can’t be postponed.
- The Reunion (2013): Friends meet again years after a tragedy, and the trip becomes a pressure test for everything they thought they’d buried.
Works that don’t affect reading order
If you see these listed, treat them as separate from the fiction and read any time:
- Nonfiction and other early work: These aren’t part of the thriller or Amy Silver story worlds.
Common questions
Do I have to read Paula Hawkins in order?
No. Each thriller stands alone. Publication order is simply the most reliable way to avoid tonal whiplash and to experience her evolution as a suspense writer.
Can I start with The Girl on the Train even if I’ve seen the film?
Yes. The novel’s voice and structure are a big part of the experience, even if you know major beats.
Should I mix the Amy Silver books in between the thrillers?
It’s better not to. The tone is very different, and reading them separately keeps expectations clear.
Best starting point
If you want the safest entry, begin with The Girl on the Train, then move forward through the thrillers in publication order.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.