Ohio book series in reading order

by Mary Christner Borntrager

by P.L. Gaus

by Wendi Silvano

Linda Castillo is an American novelist behind the Kate Burkholder crime thrillers, which are set in Amish country. Sworn to Silence (2009), the first Kate Burkholder book, became the Lifetime film An Amish Murder with Neve Campbell. Castillo has also written romance and romantic suspense, and the catalogue lists the Operation: Midnight and High Country Heroes series. In all, 54 books run from Remember the Night (2000) to A Dark Path (2026). Castillo grew up in Arcanum, Ohio, and lives in Texas.

Andrew Welsh-Huggins is an American writer of crime fiction and nonfiction and a former legal-affairs reporter for the Associated Press in Columbus, Ohio. A Kenyon College graduate, Welsh-Huggins writes the Andy Hayes mysteries, in which a former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback works as a private investigator. The catalogue counts 18 books from No Winners Here Tonight (2009) to Rescue Me (2026), with Address Unknown due in 2027. Mailman is a second series, and subjects include capital punishment and Ohio politics.

Mary Christner Borntrager is the author of Ellie's People, children's fiction whose subjects include the Amish, Mennonites, Ohio, farm life and runaways. The catalogue lists 10 books from 1988 to 1997, with a median length of 144 pages, each titled with a first name. Ellie (1988) is the first, followed by Rebecca (1989), Rachel (1990), Daniel (1991), Andy and Reuben (1992), Polly (1994), Sarah (1995) and Mandy (1996). Annie (1997) is the newest.

Wanda E. Brunstetter writes Amish romance and has sold more than 10 million books, with titles on the New York Times Best Seller list; Brunstetter is based in Washington. The catalogue lists 125 books from A Merry Heart (1997) to A Castle of Sand (2026). Series include Brides Of Lancaster County, Brides Of Webster County, Brides Of Lehigh Canal, Daughters Of Lancaster County, Sisters Of Holmes County, Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club, Amish Millionaire, Creektown Discoveries and Rachel Yoder: Always Trouble Somewhere. Subjects include Amish women and children, Pennsylvania and Amish cooking.

Avery Aames writes the Cheese Shop Mysteries, amateur-sleuth crime novels set in Ohio with Charlotte Bessette as the investigator and a cheese shop as the setting. Seven books run from The Long Quiche Goodbye (2010) to For Cheddar or Worse (2016), every title built on a cheese pun, Lost and Fondue, Clobbered by Camembert, To Brie or Not To Brie, Days of Wine and Roquefort, As Gouda as Dead. Median length is 323 pages, and no later Aames title is recorded.

P.L. Gaus is the author of the Amish-Country Mysteries, and the catalogue lists 11 books from Blood of the Prodigal (1999) to English Shade (2020). Subject headings name the Amish and Ohio, record Michael Branden as a fictitious character, and add crime, drug traffic, and fathers and sons. For P.L. Gaus books in order, Broken English (2000) and Clouds Without Rain (2001) follow the first title, and later ones include A Prayer for the Night (2006), Harmless as Doves (2011), Whiskers of the Lion (2015) and Stars for Lydia (2019). The list is marked likely complete.

Karen Harper wrote historical fiction, romantic suspense and Amish-set novels. The catalogue holds 72 books, from Island Ecstasy (1982) to The Queen's Secret (2020), taking in The Last Boleyn (1983) and The First Princess of Wales (1984). The Elizabeth I Mysteries, the South Shores books, the Amish Home Valley and Maplecreek trilogies, and the Morgan Sisters series written as Caryn Cameron organise much of it.

Jennifer Crusie is the pen name of Jennifer Smith, a contemporary romance novelist born in 1949 whose novels are published in 20 countries. The catalogue holds 23 books, from Manhunting (1993) to It Must Be Christmas (2016), and the run is marked likely complete. Getting Rid of Bradley (1994), Anyone But You (1996) and Tell Me Lies (1998) are among the titles, and the Dempseys is one of the series. Humour, single women, divorced people and Ohio feature in the subjects.

Christine Nolfi writes romance and family drama set largely in Ohio, with hotelkeepers, advertising executives and small-town life among the subjects. Nineteen books run from Treasure Me (2011) to The Museum of Lost Dreams (2026), grouped into the Liberty, Sweet Lake and HeavenScribe series; HeavenScribe itself appeared in three parts in 2015. Median length is 314 pages.

David Baldacci

71 books• 16 series

David Baldacci is an American novelist, born on 5 August 1960, who trained as an attorney and writes mostly suspense fiction and legal thrillers. The catalogue lists 72 Baldacci books, starting with Absolute Power (1996); All In appeared in 2026 and Boom Town is scheduled for 2027. Recurring leads include Amos Decker, Will Robie, John Puller, Atlee Pine and Aloysius Archer, alongside the Camel Club and the Sean King & Michelle Maxwell books. Baldacci novels have been published in more than 80 countries and 45 languages, with worldwide sales above 130 million copies.

Amanda Flower, born January 23, 1980, in Akron, Ohio, is an American mystery novelist who also writes as Isabella Alan, for both adults and children. Maid of Murder (2010) opens a catalogue of 55 books that reaches Truffle Trouble in 2026, with Strawberry Scam due in 2027. Andi Unstoppable won the 2015 Agatha Award for Children's/Young Adult Book, and Maid of Murder, Andi Unexpected and Andi Under Pressure earned Agatha nominations. Series include Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, Amish Matchmaker Mysteries, Magical Bookshop Mysteries, Farm To Table Mysteries and Katharine Wright Mysteries, and cozy and amateur-sleuth mysteries figure in the subjects.

Kathleen Fuller, born September 11, 1967 in New Orleans, Louisiana, writes Christian and Amish romantic fiction. Fuller grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and lives in Geneva, Ohio. Series include Hearts of Middlefield, Mysteries of Middlefield, Middlefield Family, Amish of Birch Creek, Amish Letters, Amish Brides of Birch Creek, Amish of Marigold and Amish Mail-Order Bride, plus Maple Falls and the Regency Royal Mystery books. Santa Fe Sunrise (2004) and San Francisco Serenade (2005) are among the earlier titles, and Tabitha's September Homecoming (2026) is the newest.

Emilie Richards has 78 books in the catalogue, from Angel and the Saint (1985) to Peaks and Valleys (2022), and no new title has appeared since. Richards is an American writer of contemporary romance and mystery novels. Series include MacDonald Sisters, Shenandoah Album, Tales of the Pacific, Goddesses Anonymous, Happiness Key, Iron Lace, Whiskey Islands and Ministry Is Murder. Brendan's Song (1985), Gilding the Lily (1985) and Something So Right (1986) are among the early titles. Subjects include female friendship, mothers and daughters, sisters and family life.

Emma Lathen was the shared pen name of two American businesswomen: Mary Jane Latsis, an economist, and Martha Henissart, an attorney who took a physics degree at Mount Holyoke College in 1950. Together they wrote Wall Street mysteries around John Putnam Thatcher, a banker who investigates murder in the securities trade, beginning with Banking on Death in 1961. The pair also published as R. B. Dominic and wrote the Ben Safford series. The catalogue holds 34 titles through Dot Com Murder in 2016, and the 1970s were its busiest decade.

Robin Yocum writes crime and suspense set largely in Ohio, with murder investigation and the press as recurring subjects. Ten books span 1993 to 2025, from Insured for Murder (1993) and Dead Before Deadline (2004) to the novels Favorite Sons (2011), A Brilliant Death (2016), A Welcome Murder (2017) and The Sacrifice of Lester Yates (2021). The Last Hitman closed the run in 2025, at a median length of 287 pages.

Tara Taylor Quinn writes romance and romantic suspense, with 144 books catalogued from Yesterday's Secrets (1993) to Colton's Covert Challenge (2026). Colton's Protection Detail is listed for 2027. Subjects include contemporary romance, pregnancy, women lawyers, single mothers, missing persons and Arizona. Quinn's series include Sierra's Web, Where Secrets Are Safe, Parent Portal, Cottages on Ocean Breeze, Coltons of Dark Canyon, Chapman Files, It Happened in Comfort Cove and Hayden Sisters. Shelter Valley Stories also appears in the listing.

Wendi Silvano writes early readers and picture books, averaging 32 pages a volume. Turkey Trouble is the one recorded series, running to Turkey's Fall Fumble (2026) with Turkey's Leprechaun Trap scheduled for 2027. The wider catalogue holds 113 titles dated 2000 onward, opening with Pancakes for Breakfast and taking in the Duck and Goose books of 2004 to 2006. Holidays supply much of the subject matter: Valentine's Day, Santa Claus and turkeys all appear in the record.

Sherwood Anderson

48 books

Sherwood Anderson, an American short story writer and novelist, worked in a subjective, self-revealing register. Anderson ran a business in Ohio until a breakdown in 1912 sent him to Chicago and to writing. The short-story sequence Winesburg, Ohio (1919) launched that career and remains his most durable book. This catalogue lists 48 titles dated 1916 to 1997, beginning with Windy McPherson's Son (1916), and the 1920s were his heaviest decade, taking in novels, story collections, memoirs, essays and poetry.