Sarah Pinborough Books in Order (Updated February 19, 2026)

Sarah Pinborough writes across psychological thrillers, horror, and dark fantasy, plus a few tie-in novels. Reading order only matters inside her named series; most of her other books are designed to be read standalone.

Continuity map (so you don’t accidentally spoil yourself)

• One continuous fantasy trilogy: Dog-Faced Gods (read 1→3).
• One fantasy trilogy under a different pen name: Nowhere Chronicles as Sarah Silverwood (read 1→3).
• One dark-fairytale sequence: Tales from the Kingdoms (best read in the numbered order used in current editions).
• One historical mystery duo: Dr Thomas Bond (read 1→2).
• Everything else: treat as standalone unless you’re specifically chasing a shared world.

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The “start here” picks (three different vibes)

• Want the twisty domestic-thriller side: Behind Her Eyes
• Want classic Pinborough horror energy: Breeding Ground
• Want dark fairytales: Magic (Tales from the Kingdoms #1)

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Series reading order (with one line per book)

Dog-Faced Gods trilogy (publication order)

1. A Matter of Blood: The opening volume drops you into a dangerous, myth-heavy world where the core rules and loyalties are still forming.
2. The Shadow of the Soul: Book two deepens the moral stakes and assumes you remember who survived, who betrayed, and why it matters.
3. The Chosen Seed: The finale resolves the trilogy’s central power struggle, so it lands best after the first two.

Nowhere Chronicles (as Sarah Silverwood) (publication order)

1. The Double-Edged Sword: Starts a YA-leaning fantasy arc with a clear set of players and a world that expands fast.
2. The Traitor’s Gate: A mid-trilogy pressure point where alliances shift and earlier choices start costing real things.
3. The London Stone: Brings the trilogy’s main conflicts to a close, and works best with the full run-up behind it.

Tales from the Kingdoms (current numbered order)

These books share a connected set of kingdoms and recurring figures; the numbering is the safest “official” path, even though some were originally published earlier in a different order.

1. Magic: A Rapunzel-focused entry that functions as a front door to the shared world and its rules.
2. Beauty: The next step into the same interconnected kingdoms, widening the recurring cast and the political stakes.
3. Poison: Continues the through-lines by reframing familiar fairytale expectations inside the same setting.
4. Charm: A later piece that plays best once you already understand the series’ recurring power dynamics.
5. Blood: A Rumpelstiltskin-centered entry that returns to the shared world with the “series rules” firmly in place.

Dr Thomas Bond (publication order)

1. Mayhem: Introduces Dr Thomas Bond in a Victorian-era investigation with a strong sense of place and period method.
2. Murder: A second case that relies on the established lead and investigative style from Mayhem.

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Standalone novels (publication order, one line each)

These do not require any other Sarah Pinborough reading first.

• The Hidden: An early horror-leaning novel that works as a clean sample of her suspense instincts.
• The Reckoning: A stand-alone that builds dread through pursuit and consequence rather than long series continuity.
• Breeding Ground: A body-horror shock premise that becomes a survival story under pressure.
• The Taken: A stand-alone horror setup where the threat is immediate and the pacing is relentless.
• Tower Hill: A contained, high-tension story that leans into isolation and escalating danger.
• The Language of Dying: A quieter, devastating stand-alone that uses intimacy and inevitability as the engine of suspense.
• Feeding Ground: A follow-up to the world of Breeding Ground that’s best read after it, even though it’s not marketed as a numbered series everywhere.
• A Necessary End (with F. Paul Wilson): A collaboration that reads as its own case-driven thriller rather than part of a larger Pinborough continuity.
• The Death House: A dark, youth-focused mystery with a self-contained premise and no required sequels.
• 13 Minutes: A modern, twist-forward stand-alone where social pressure and secrecy power the plot.
• Behind Her Eyes: A domestic psychological thriller best approached cold, because its structure depends on surprise.
• Cross Her Heart: A stand-alone built around past identity and the cost of a carefully constructed “safe” life.
• Dead to Her: A tense, character-driven thriller that leans into marriage, status, and the stories people weaponize.
• Insomnia: A reality-slippage thriller that tightens as the protagonist’s certainty about her own life starts failing.
• We Live Here Now: A stand-alone that mixes dread and domestic unease, using place and atmosphere as active threats.
• They Say a Girl Died Here: A later stand-alone mystery that centers on a town’s old violence returning in a new cycle.

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Tie-ins (separate continuity)

These are for Torchwood/Doctor Who universe readers and don’t connect to Pinborough’s original novels.

• Torchwood: Into the Silence: A standalone Torchwood adventure that assumes you’re comfortable with the show’s world.
• Torchwood: Long Time Dead: Another Torchwood case that can be read alone, but feels smoother after Into the Silence.

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Recommended reading routes (pick one rule and stick to it)

• Route A (thriller-first): Behind Her Eyes → Cross Her Heart → Insomnia → We Live Here Now → then choose any earlier horror titles.
• Route B (horror-first): Breeding Ground → Feeding Ground → The Taken → Tower Hill → The Language of Dying.
• Route C (fantasy-first): Magic → Beauty → Poison → Charm → Blood → then Dog-Faced Gods 1→3 if you want a bigger epic arc.

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Latest release status

• Most recent novel listed for 2026: They Say a Girl Died Here.
• Most recent widely listed 2025 release: We Live Here Now.

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FAQs

Do I need to read all Sarah Pinborough books in publication order?
No. Only the named series benefit strongly from strict order.

Is “Sarah Silverwood” the same author?
Yes. That pen name is used for the Nowhere Chronicles trilogy.

Is Feeding Ground a sequel?
It’s widely listed as a follow-up to Breeding Ground, and it’s safest to read Breeding Ground first.

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Conclusion

If you want the safest entry with the fewest “rules,” start with Behind Her Eyes (thriller) or Breeding Ground (horror). If you prefer connected fantasy, start with Magic and follow the Tales from the Kingdoms numbering.