Mary Higgins Clark Books in Order
62 books are credited to Mary Higgins Clark, published between 1968 and 2024; 2 of them appeared after Mary Higgins Clark's death in 2020. The first book is Aspire to the Heavens / Mount Vernon Love Story (1968) and the newest is It Had to Be You (2024). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 62
- Published
- 1968–2024
- Confirmed
- 60 of 62 titles
- Pages on record
- 14,432 in 47 of 62 books
- Reading time
- 241–361 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 14,432 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 47 of 62 titles with a page count on record.
Mary Higgins Clark, born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins, was an American suspense novelist who lived from December 24, 1927 to January 31, 2020. Where Are the Children? (1975) was the debut suspense novel, and by 2015 that book was in its 75th printing. Each of Clark's 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and in European countries. The catalogue starts with Aspire to the Heavens / Mount Vernon Love Story (1968) and reaches It Had to Be You (2024). Alvirah and Willy are recurring characters, and Under Suspicion is a Clark series. Clark worked as a secretary, a copy editor and for one year a Pan-American Airlines flight attendant, and short stories supplemented the family income.
Mary Higgins Clark wrote suspense novels featuring ordinary people in dangerous situations, without graphic violence, and was called the "Queen of Suspense." Her debut, Where Are the Children?, launched a career of more than 50 books and 100 million copies sold. She received Grand Master status from Mystery Writers of America.
How many Mary Higgins Clark books are there?
Mary Higgins Clark has 62 books, released between 1968 and 2024. 2 of them were published after Mary Higgins Clark's death in 2020. They include 3 series and 2 titles listed outside any series.
Mary Higgins Clark Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 62 Mary Higgins Clark books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Aspire to the Heavens / Mount Vernon Love StoryMary Higgins Clark Standalone Novels #11968 · 223 pages · confirmed 4/419682234/4
- 219752884/4
- 319772884/4
- 419803144/4
- 519823174/4
- 619843564/4
- 719873364/4
- 81988–3/4
- 91988–4/4
- 1019893084/4
- 11Death on the Cape and Other StoriesMary Higgins Clark Short Story #21989 · 214 pages · confirmed 4/419892144/4
- 121989–4/4
- 1319913044/4
- 141992–4/4
- 1519923414/4
- 1619933074/4
- 1719942734/4
- 1819943384/4
- 1919953084/4
- 2019951774/4
- 2119953054/4
- 2219962064/4
- 2319963394/4
- 2419982064/4
- 251998–3/4
- 2619993734/4
- 2719993694/4
- 282000–4/4
- 2920003524/4
- 30He Sees You When You're SleepingCarol Higgins Clark Standalone Novels #12001 · 130 pages · confirmed 4/420011304/4
- 31On the Street Where You LiveMary Higgins Clark Standalone Novels #202001 · 317 pages · confirmed 4/420013174/4
- 32Daddy's Little Girl2001 · 291 pages · confirmed 1/420012911/4
- 3320022244/4
- 3420033734/4
- 3520043704/4
- 36The Christmas Thief2004 · confirmed 1/42004–1/4
- 3720054964/4
- 3820063904/4
- 3920073364/4
- 402007–4/4
- 4120083364/4
- 4220093224/4
- 432010–4/4
- 4420114184/4
- 452011–4/4
- 4620122924/4
- 4720133854/4
- 4820143034/4
- 4920143034/4
- 5020152714/4
- 51Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other StoriesMary Higgins Clark Short Story #52015 · 368 pages · confirmed 4/420153684/4
- 5220152624/4
- 5320163014/4
- 5420162884/4
- 5520172874/4
- 562017–4/4
- 5720182714/4
- 5820182564/4
- 592019–4/4
- 602020–4/4
- 612023–4/4
- 622024–4/4
Mary Higgins Clark series and characters in order
Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.
- Under Suspicion books in order 8 books
- Alvirah and Willy books in order 11 books
Mary Higgins Clark books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.
Mary Higgins Clark Standalone Novels
34 books34 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Alvirah and Willy books in order
7 books by Mary Higgins ClarkMary Higgins Clark Short Story
5 books5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Where Are The Children in order
2 booksMary Higgins Clark Short Stories/Novellas
2 books2 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Carol Higgins Clark Standalone Novels
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Mary Higgins Clark Non-Fiction
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Standalone books
2 books2 Mary Higgins Clark titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Mary Higgins Clark Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Mary Higgins Clark books run from Aspire to the Heavens / Mount Vernon Love Story (1968) to It Had to Be You (2024), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Mary Higgins Clark in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read Mary Higgins Clark books in order?
You only need to read Mary Higgins Clark books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
What order should you read Mary Higgins Clark books in?
Read Mary Higgins Clark one series at a time, each in its own publication order: Under Suspicion starts with I've Got You Under My Skin (2014) and Alvirah and Willy starts with Weep No More, My Lady (1987). The earliest catalogued title overall is Aspire to the Heavens / Mount Vernon Love Story (1968).
What is the newest Mary Higgins Clark book?
It Had to Be You (2024) is the newest Mary Higgins Clark book released so far.
Is there a new Mary Higgins Clark book coming?
No next Mary Higgins Clark book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Mary Higgins Clark has won
Wikidata records 4 awards for Mary Higgins Clark. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Malice Domestic Award for Lifetime Achievement2010Won
- The Grand Master2000Won
- Lucien Barrière Literary Award1998Won
- Grand Prix de Littérature Policière1980Wonfor A Stranger Is Watching
Printable Mary Higgins Clark Books in Order Checklist
A printable checklist of all 62 books in publication order is on the Mary Higgins Clark reading checklist, with a tick box beside each title.
Mary Higgins Clark at a glance
- Died
- Mary Higgins Clark died in 2020, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Mary Higgins Clark are still being published after Mary Higgins Clark's death in 2020; the newest appeared in 2024.
- Release pace
- Mary Higgins Clark books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 14,432 pages across the 47 of 62 books with a recorded length, a median of 307 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Mary Higgins Clark books, 17 of 62, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 58 of the 62 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and 60 in at least three.
What the Mary Higgins Clark books are about
55 of the 62 Mary Higgins Clark books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective is tagged on 18 of 55. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Mystery & detective 18 of 55 books
- Investigation 13 of 55 books
- Murder 13 of 55 books
- Suspense 13 of 55 books
- Missing persons 9 of 55 books
- Mystery & detective, women sleuths 6 of 55 books
- Cold cases (criminal investigation) 5 of 55 books
- Family secrets 5 of 55 books
- Thrillers 5 of 55 books
- Death 4 of 55 books