Mary Higgins Clark Books in Order: Complete Book & Series List

By Anna Marie CarrollMystery

Mary Higgins Clark earned the nickname Queen of Suspense for a reason. Reading the Mary Higgins Clark books in order shows how she moved from an early historical novel into the suspense stories that made her one of the genre’s defining names.

Her books often center on women facing danger, family secrets, old crimes, and ordinary moments that turn frightening. Most of her suspense novels stand alone, but she also returned to a few favorite characters and later collaborated with Carol Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.

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Mary Higgins Clark Standalone Books

Our list begins with Mary Higgins Clark’s standalones, which make up the largest part of her bibliography. Her first novel is a historical story about George and Martha Washington, so it feels different from the suspense novels that later defined her career.

After that, publication order is the simplest way to read her solo suspense novels. You can see her style sharpen from book to book, and you’ll also avoid accidentally jumping around her career.

  1. Aspire to the Heavens / Mount Vernon Love Story (1968)
  2. A Stranger Is Watching (1977)
  3. The Cradle Will Fall (1980)
  4. A Cry in the Night (1982)
  5. Stillwatch (1984)
  6. While My Pretty One Sleeps (1989)
  7. Loves Music, Loves to Dance (1991)
  8. All Around the Town (1992)
  9. I’ll Be Seeing You (1993)
  10. Remember Me (1994)
  11. Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1995)
  12. Silent Night (1995)
  13. Moonlight Becomes You (1996)
  14. Pretend You Don’t See Her (1997)
  15. You Belong to Me (1998)
  16. We’ll Meet Again (1999)
  17. Before I Say Good-Bye (2000)
  18. On the Street Where You Live (2001)
  19. He Sees You While You’re Sleeping (2001) (With Carol Higgins Clark)
  20. Daddy’s Little Girl (2002)
  21. The Second Time Around (2003)
  22. Nighttime Is My Time (2004)
  23. No Place Like Home (2005)
  24. Two Little Girls in Blue (2006)
  25. I Heard That Song Before (2007)
  26. Where Are You Now? (2008)
  27. Just Take My Heart (2009)
  28. The Shadow of Your Smile (2010)
  29. Daddy’s Gone A-Hunting (2013)
  30. The Melody Lingers On (2015)
  31. I’ve Got My Eyes on You (2018)
  32. Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry (2019)

Mary Higgins Clark Books by Series

Where Are the Children Books

Where Are the Children? is the book that set Mary Higgins Clark’s suspense career in motion. It follows Nancy Harmon, who was once accused of murdering her children. After changing her name and building a new life, she faces another nightmare when her children disappear.

The sequel was written by Alafair Burke and returns to the story years after the original novel. I’d read these two in publication order.

  1. Where Are the Children? (1975)
  2. Where Are the Children Now? (2023) (With Alafair Burke)

Alvirah and Willy Books

Alvirah and Willy Meehan appear across several Mary Higgins Clark mysteries and holiday stories. Beginning as a former cleaning woman from Queens who wins the lottery, Alvirah becomes a fan-favorite amateur sleuth with a knack for finding trouble.

Some of these books also cross over with Carol Higgins Clark’s Regan Reilly mysteries. Publication order is still the easiest way to follow the recurring characters.

  1. Weep No More, My Lady (1987)
  2. The Lottery Winner (1994)
  3. All Through the Night (1998)
  4. Deck the Halls (2000) (With Carol Higgins Clark)
  5. The Christmas Thief (2004) (With Carol Higgins Clark)
  6. Santa Cruise (2006) (With Carol Higgins Clark)
  7. Dashing Through the Snow (2008) (With Carol Higgins Clark)
  8. I’ll Walk Alone (2011)
  9. The Lost Years (2012)
  10. As Time Goes By (2016)
  11. All By Myself, Alone (2017)

Under Suspicion Books

Under Suspicion follows Laurie Moran, a television producer who investigates cold cases for a true-crime show. Mary Higgins Clark wrote the first book on her own, then continued the series with Alafair Burke.

This is one series where I’d stick with publication order. Laurie’s personal life and the show’s cases build from book to book.

  1. I’ve Got You Under My Skin (2014)
  2. The Cinderella Murder (2014) (With Alafair Burke)
  3. All Dressed in White (2015) (With Alafair Burke)
  4. The Sleeping Beauty Killer (2016) (With Alafair Burke)
  5. Every Breath You Take (2017) (With Alafair Burke)
  6. You Don’t Own Me (2018) (With Alafair Burke)
  7. Piece of My Heart (2020) (With Alafair Burke)
  8. It Had to Be You (2024) (With Alafair Burke)

Mary Higgins Clark Short Stories and Collections

Mary Higgins Clark also wrote short fiction, including audio stories, holiday mysteries, and collected suspense stories. Some of these pieces were later gathered into larger collections, so I’ve kept the list focused on the main releases readers are most likely to look for.

  1. Double Vision (1988) (Out of Print)
  2. The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories (1989) (Published as The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories)
  3. That’s the Ticket / Voices in the Coal Bin (1990) (With Carol Higgins Clark)
  4. Death on the Cape and Other Stories (1993) (Out of Print)
  5. Stowaway and Milk Run (1993)
  6. My Gal Sunday (1996)
  7. The Body in the Closet and Plumbing for Willy (1998) (Out of Print)
  8. Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories (2015)

Mary Higgins Clark Anthologies

Mary Higgins Clark also edited and contributed to many mystery anthologies. Some are easy to find, while others are older out-of-print releases that may only be available second-hand.

  1. Murder in Manhattan (1986) (Out of Print)
  2. Murder on the Aisle (1987)
  3. Caribbean Blues (1988) (Out of Print)
  4. Mistletoe Mysteries (1989)
  5. Eastern Ghosts (1990)
  6. A Body Is Found (1990)
  7. Sisters in Crime 2 (1990) (Out of Print)
  8. Women of Mystery (1992) (Out of Print)
  9. Missing in Manhattan (1992)
  10. Malice Domestic 2 (1993)
  11. Justice in Manhattan (1994)
  12. Bad Behavior (1995)
  13. The Crown Crime Companion (1995)
  14. Mother: Famous Writers Celebrate Motherhood (1996)
  15. Murder for Love (1996)
  16. The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories (1996) (Out of Print)
  17. The Plot Thickens (1997)
  18. The Best of Sisters in Crime (1997)
  19. The Night Awakens (1998)
  20. The Best American Mystery Stories 1998 (1998)
  21. Murder for Revenge (1998)
  22. The Mammoth Book of 20th Century Ghost Stories (1998)
  23. Master’s Choice: Mystery Stories by Today’s Top Writers and the Masters Who Inspired Them (2000)
  24. Murder in the Family (2002)
  25. Murder Among Friends (2003)
  26. On a Raven’s Wing (2009)
  27. By Hook or By Crook and 27 More of the Best Crime and Mystery Stories of the Year (2010)
  28. Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop (2010)
  29. The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries (2013)
  30. Inherit the Dead (2013) (Collaborative novel)
  31. Manhattan Mayhem (2015) (Includes “The Five-Dollar Dress”)
  32. The Year’s Best Crime and Mystery Stories 2016 (2016)
  33. It Occurs to Me That I Am America (2018)

Mary Higgins Clark Other Works

Memoir

Mary Higgins Clark also wrote a memoir about her life before and during her writing career. It covers her childhood in the Bronx, her early dream of writing, the years she spent supporting her family, and the persistence that eventually shaped her career.

  1. Kitchen Privileges (2002)

Children’s Books

Mary Higgins Clark also wrote books for younger readers. These are separate from her adult suspense novels, so you can read them whenever you like.

  1. Ghost Ship (2007)
  2. The Magical Christmas Horse (2011)

What was the last book Mary Higgins Clark wrote before she died?

Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry was Mary Higgins Clark’s final solo suspense novel published during her lifetime. It follows an investigative journalist looking into misconduct at a high-profile television news network.

Piece of My Heart was published after her death and was coauthored with Alafair Burke. It Had to Be You later continued the Under Suspicion series with Alafair Burke.

How many Mary Higgins Clark books have been made into movies?

Many Mary Higgins Clark books have been adapted for the screen, especially as TV movies. Adaptation counts can vary depending on whether you count international productions, TV films, and theatrical releases together.

It is not accurate to say every adaptation was a TV movie. A Stranger Is Watching and Where Are the Children? were both theatrical films, while many other Mary Higgins Clark adaptations were made for television.

Who is Mary Higgins Clark?

Mary Higgins Clark was born on Christmas Eve in 1927 and grew up in the Bronx. Her family faced hardship during the Great Depression, and her father died when she was young. Her mother worked hard to keep the family going, and Clark learned early how much persistence mattered.

She worked several jobs before she married Warren Clark, including a stretch as a Pan American Airways stewardess. She always wanted to write, but the road was long. After years of rejection, she sold her first short story to a national magazine.

After Warren died, Clark was left raising five children. She kept writing while supporting her family, and her suspense career changed everything when Where Are the Children? reached readers.

The Queen of Suspense, as she is affectionately called, was a longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and received the Grand Master Award. She died in 2020.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.

2 thoughts on “Mary Higgins Clark Books in Order: Complete Book & Series List”

  1. I am collection all of her books, I have 22 that I have read and 26 that I have not read. I would like to have a printable list of her books so I can finish my collection.

    Reply

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