Wendy Walker Books in Order (Updated 2026-02-09)

Wendy Walker writes psychological suspense where the tension comes from what people hide, what they remember wrong, and what they’ll do to protect a version of the truth. Her major thrillers are standalones, so reading order is about the experience you want, not about following an ongoing storyline.

If you prefer the cleanest path, read by first publication so each book’s reveals land the way they were originally introduced.

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The reading plan in one breath

• Want the core thrillers first? Start at All Is Not Forgotten and go forward.
• Want everything she’s published under her own name? Start with the early novels (Four Wives, Social Lives), then move into the thrillers.
• Prefer audio-first stories? Slot the Audible Originals in where they appear in the timeline.

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Full publication order (with a one-line guide for every title)

1. Four Wives (2008): Four women’s intertwined lives tighten into a knot of secrets, compromises, and consequences.
2. Social Lives (2009): A seemingly ordinary circle of friends fractures when image-management stops working in real life.
3. All Is Not Forgotten (2016): After a violent assault, a young woman’s recovery becomes a battle between memory, influence, and control.
4. Emma in the Night (2017): Two missing sisters return, but the story they tell doesn’t match what the town thinks it knows.
5. The Night Before (2019): A woman vanishes after a night out, and the people closest to her look guilty in different ways.
6. Don’t Look for Me (2020): A mother disappears on purpose, and the search exposes the parts of a family that never healed.
7. Hold Your Breath (2020, audio novella): A near-death experience turns into a chilling question about who is real, and who is watching.
8. What Remains (2023): A young woman with a dangerous past tries to live quietly until the truth catches up with her.
9. American Girl (2023): A teenage girl’s identity and safety are tested when the world refuses to see her clearly.
10. Mad Love (2024, audio play): A “perfect couple” is found shot, one dead, one alive, and the investigation peels back a staged life.
11. The Room Next Door (2025, audio original): Close quarters and closer secrets turn a neighborly setup into a pressure-cooker thriller.
12. Blade (2026): A former elite skater is pulled back into the ice world, where ambition and damage share the same edge.

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Do any of these require a strict order?

Not for plot continuity. They’re built to stand alone.

Order still helps in two ways:

• It keeps you from comparing a newer, tighter style against an earlier (often slower) approach.
• It lets you notice how Walker’s suspense leans more into psychology and motive over time.

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Practical “start here” suggestions

• If you want the book most readers associate with her breakout thriller voice: All Is Not Forgotten.
• If you want a family-centered, missing-person hook: Don’t Look for Me.
• If you want something you can finish fast in one sitting: Hold Your Breath (audio novella).
• If you want the most recent full-length novel on the list: Blade.

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FAQs

Are the audio originals optional?
Yes. They don’t connect to the novels’ story worlds, so they’re extra experiences rather than missing pieces.

Will starting with the newest ruin the older books?
It won’t spoil plots, but it can make the early work feel different in pacing. If you’re sensitive to that, read in publication order.

Are Four Wives and Social Lives the same kind of thriller as the later books?
They’re earlier novels and tend to read differently in tone and emphasis. Many readers treat them as “before the thriller era.”