Sharyn McCrumb Books in Order
Sharyn McCrumb has written 35 books, published between 1984 and 2017. The first book is Sick of Shadows (1984) and the newest is Old Land, Dark Land, Strange Land (2017). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 35
- Published
- 1984–2017
- Confirmed
- 35 of 35 titles
- Pages on record
- 8,574 in 30 of 35 books
- Reading time
- 143–214 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 8,574 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 30 of 35 titles with a page count on record.
Appalachian history and folklore run through Sharyn McCrumb's fiction. Born in 1948, McCrumb is an American novelist whose Ballad series is set in the North Carolina and Tennessee mountains; the Elizabeth MacPherson books are mysteries, and the St. Dale series takes NASCAR as its subject. The catalogue holds 35 titles published between 1984 and 2017, from Sick of Shadows to Old Land, Dark Land, Strange Land. Forensic anthropology, murder investigation and mountain life recur as subjects.
How many Sharyn McCrumb books are there?
Sharyn McCrumb has 35 books, released between 1984 and 2017. They include 4 separate series.
Sharyn McCrumb Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 35 Sharyn McCrumb books in the order they were published, 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.
- 119842363/4
- 219852243/4
- 319862093/4
- 419872243/4
- 519881793/4
- 619891113/4
- 71990–3/4
- 819902923/4
- 919902403/4
- 1019902243/4
- 1119912563/4
- 1219923813/4
- 1319922183/4
- 1419922603/4
- 1519944473/4
- 1619942563/4
- 1719952733/4
- 181996–3/4
- 19Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Other StoriesSharyn McCrumb Short Story #21997 · 340 pages · confirmed 3/419973403/4
- 2019973963/4
- 2120003123/4
- 2220014043/4
- 2320034013/4
- 242005–3/4
- 2520073203/4
- 2620092603/4
- 2720103203/4
- 282011–3/4
- 2920113113/4
- 302012–3/4
- 3120133363/4
- 3220141573/4
- 3320163413/4
- 3420173583/4
- 3520172883/4
Sharyn McCrumb books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Ballad in order
12 books- 1. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
- 2. The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
- 3. She Walks These Hills
- 4. The Rosewood Casket
- 5. The Ballad of Frankie Silver
- 6. The Songcatcher
- 7. Ghost Riders
- 8. The Devil Amongst the Lawyers
- 9. The Ballad of Tom Dooley
- 10. King's Mountain
- 11. Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past
- 12. Prayers the Devil Answers
Elizabeth MacPherson in order
9 booksSt. Dale in order
3 booksJay Omega in order
2 booksSue Grafton Short Stories/Novellas
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Do you have to read Sharyn McCrumb books in order?
You only need to read Sharyn McCrumb books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Sharyn McCrumb
Start with Sick of Shadows (1984), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Sharyn McCrumb book?
Old Land, Dark Land, Strange Land (2017) is the newest Sharyn McCrumb book released so far.
Is there a new Sharyn McCrumb book coming?
No next Sharyn McCrumb 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 Sharyn McCrumb has won
Wikidata records 5 awards and 1 nomination for Sharyn McCrumb. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Macavity Awards1995Wonfor She Walks These Hills
- Nero Award1995Won
- Anthony Award for Best Novel1995Wonfor She Walks These Hills
- Agatha Award for Best Short Story1989Won
- Edgar Awards1988Won
- Dilys Award1996Shortlisted
Sharyn McCrumb at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Sharyn McCrumb title on record dates from 2017, 9 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Sharyn McCrumb books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 8,574 pages across the 30 of 35 books with a recorded length, a median of 280 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Sharyn McCrumb books, 14 of 35, were published in the 1990s.
What the Sharyn McCrumb books are about
32 of the 35 Sharyn McCrumb books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mountain life is tagged on 11 of 32. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Mountain life 11 of 32 books
- Women forensic anthropologists 9 of 32 books
- Elizabeth MacPherson (Fictitious character) 8 of 32 books
- Mystery & detective 6 of 32 books
- History 6 of 32 books
- Forensic anthropology 5 of 32 books
- Macpherson, elizabeth (fictitious character) 4 of 32 books
- Murder 4 of 32 books
- Tennessee 4 of 32 books
- Family life 3 of 32 books
- Mystery & detective, women sleuths 3 of 32 books