Sarah A. Denzil is a British psychological suspense author whose fiction splits into two short series and a larger set of standalone thrillers. If you want zero confusion, treat her bibliography like a filing cabinet: series in their own drawers, standalones in date order, short reads as optional extras.

The “don’t-think-too-hard” starting points
- Best series start: Silent Child (it’s the clearest Book 1 and sets expectations fast).
- Best standalone start: The Housemaid (classic “outsider in a dangerous home” tension).
- If you prefer a clinical/controlled setting: One For Sorrow (secure psychiatric unit framework).
Drawer 1: Silent Child series (read in order)
- Silent Child (2017): A missing child returns, but the homecoming doesn’t fit, and the “miracle” starts to look like a trap.
- Stolen Girl (2021): The fallout widens as another child-centered crisis forces the characters back into fear, suspicion, and hard choices.
Why order matters: Book 2 leans on emotional consequences from Book 1.
Affiliate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This article may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Drawer 2: Isabel Fielding series (read in order)
- One For Sorrow (2018): A nurse in a secure psychiatric unit is drawn toward notorious teen patient Isabel Fielding, and the past begins to rewrite the present.
- Two For Joy (2018): The case deepens as connections tighten and the cost of getting close to the truth becomes personal.
- Three For a Girl (2020): The long shadow of earlier decisions lands, with danger rising from what was assumed “contained.”
Why order matters: This trilogy is built to escalate; reading out of sequence spoils the intended reveals.
Drawer 3: Standalone novels (best read in publication order)
These do not share continuity, but publication order is the cleanest way to experience the evolution of her pacing and twist style.
- Saving April (2016): A missing-child crisis drives a parent into desperate decisions where every “helpful” lead has a price.
- The Broken Ones (2016): A trauma-driven mystery where recovery, memory, and blame collide in uncomfortable ways.
- Only Daughter (2019): A family story turns volatile as identity and loyalty are tested by a truth no one wants aired.
- Poison Orchids (2019, with Anni Taylor): A poisonous secret spreads through a relationship web, where trust becomes the easiest thing to weaponize.
- The Liar’s Sister (2019): Sisterhood becomes a battleground when the version of events everyone accepted starts to crack.
- You Are Invited (2020): An invitation pulls a woman into a social trap where politeness and fear keep swapping masks.
- Little One (2020 – some editions list 2021): A child-centered suspense story built around protection, panic, and what people will justify “for family.”
- The Housemaid (2021): A new job inside a wealthy household becomes a slow tightening vise of secrets, surveillance, and shifting power.
- My Perfect Daughter (2022): A parent’s certainty turns dangerous when “perfect” looks more like performance than truth.
- Find Her (2022): A search-and-rescue premise turns psychological as the question shifts from “where is she?” to “who benefits if she’s found?”
- The Stranger in Our House (2023): A domestic life is destabilized by a newcomer whose presence forces buried history into the open.
- The Nice Guy (2023, with S.L. Harker): A charming surface hides coercion, as relationships become tactics rather than comfort.
- The Woman in Coach D (2024): A sighting on a train resurrects a past everyone declared finished, dragging old guilt into daylight.
- Secret Sister (2025): A family reunion premise turns into a pressure test where kinship and threat start to overlap.
- We Play Games (2025): A social circle’s “fun” turns predatory as rules are rewritten by whoever can control the narrative.
- Behind a Locked Door (2025): A visit to an old friend reveals a hidden captive and a newborn, forcing a moral choice that triggers escalating danger.
Drawer 4: Short reads and side entries (optional)
These are best treated as bonus material, quick tension hits, not required steps.
- They Are Liars (2020, short read): A compact deception story built around the cost of believing the wrong person.
- A Quiet Wife (2022, short read): Domestic silence becomes its own threat when a marriage starts to feel like evidence.
- In Too Deep (2023, short read): A fast drop into consequences, where one small decision turns into a closing door.
- Harborside Hatred (2021, shared-world entry): A contributed mystery in a multi-author setting; read anytime without affecting Denzil’s main continuity.
How to read Sarah A. Denzil without spoilers
- If you want maximum payoff, pick one series and read it straight through first.
- If you want variety, read standalones in publication order and drop a trilogy in when you want a deeper character arc.
- If you want quick wins, read the short pieces last, they work better once you know you like her pacing.
Latest release status
- Most recent confirmed releases: Secret Sister, We Play Games, and Behind a Locked Door (all 2025).
- Next announced title: I did not find a reliably confirmed, dated 2026+ standalone or new series installment during this update.
FAQs
Do the two series connect to each other?
No. Silent Child and Isabel Fielding are separate continuities.
Are the standalones secretly part of a shared universe?
They’re marketed and listed as standalones. Any similarities are thematic, not continuity-dependent.
What if I only read one book?
Choose Silent Child if you want a series gateway, or The Housemaid if you want a single self-contained thriller.
Bottom line
Start with Silent Child for the clearest “Book 1” experience, or The Housemaid for a standalone that fits her core strengths. After that, keep each series in order, and treat everything else as pick-up-anytime, ideally in publication sequence.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

