Maggie Hartley Books in Order

Newborn Felix is found abandoned at a train station, and police trace his distraught mother, Emily, who underwent fertility treatment to have him. While Felix stays with Maggie, professionals try to understand why Emily walked away. As trust grows, a painful secret emerges that could yet reunite mother and son.

Thirteen-year-old Saskia becomes the centre of a bitter custody battle. Fearing she will lose her in court, Saskia’s mother kidnaps her, leading to criminal charges and Saskia’s placement with Maggie. As loyalties tear the family apart, Maggie works to uncover a hidden truth and secure Saskia’s future.

Six-year-old Ralph has already been rejected by several foster homes for violent, chaotic behaviour. Within hours of arriving, he has trashed Maggie’s house and spat in her face. When a hospital visit reveals old, untreated injuries, Maggie must help Ralph feel safe enough to accept love and a future.

When police catch twenty-four-year-old Zoe repeatedly stealing nappies and food, they discover her daughters, Coco and Lola, home alone in a freezing flat. The girls come to Maggie, who quickly sees there is more here than simple neglect. She must support the sisters while helping Zoe fight for another chance at motherhood.

Jazmin grew up in care after asking to be removed from her unsafe home. Now eighteen, with her own flat and job, she learns her mum is pregnant again. When baby Pearl’s safety is threatened, Jaz must make a life-changing decision with Maggie’s support to protect her little sister.

After a horrific car crash, thirteen-year-old Louisa wakes in hospital to learn both her parents are dead. Alone and furious at the world, she pushes everyone away. Maggie must earn her trust and help her face a future she never imagined without the family she adored.

Eight-year-old Bobby and his half-sisters Melodie and Poppy come into care after teachers notice hand-shaped bruises on Bobby’s arm. The girls seem well cared for, while Bobby is underweight and painfully quiet. Maggie realises this is more than neglect—and must uncover what is really happening to him.

When a health visitor finds a bruise on newborn Quinn’s leg, his devastated mother Robyn can’t explain it and loses him into care. Quinn is placed with Maggie while an investigation unfolds. Robyn turns to Maggie in desperation, begging for help to prove she is a safe mum.

Eleven-year-old Nancy turns up at Maggie’s door in bloodstained pyjamas, mute with shock after her father is stabbed and her mother disappears. The family had seemed respectable from the outside. As Nancy slowly opens up, Maggie begins to uncover the terrible secret hidden behind their front door.

Teenager Carl arrives on Maggie’s doorstep after a blazing row with his father, withdrawn and unwilling to talk. As his mental health deteriorates, it’s clear he is carrying a heavy secret. A discovery in his room finally reveals the truth, forcing Carl to confront what he has been hiding.

Halima, a young orphaned girl from Iraq, arrives at Maggie’s home bruised, traumatised and unable to speak English. Nightmares and panic hint at horrors in her past. When Maggie suspects relatives abroad are trying to pull Halima back into danger, she must protect her while slowly helping her heal.

Fourteen-year-old Hannah comes into care after her exhausted mother begs for help. Once a loving daughter, she now skips school, drinks and takes drugs, pushing everyone away. As trust grows, Hannah reveals the older boy who “loved” her—and the exploitation that nearly destroyed her.

Sisters Billy and Bo arrive small for their ages, filthy and volatile, behaving more like toddlers than schoolchildren. Maggie slowly earns their trust, only to uncover signs of a far darker history of neglect and abuse. She must keep them safe while professionals piece together what happened.

Sixteen-year-old Rebecca has spent her life ricocheting between children’s homes and foster placements, her violent outbursts driving everyone away. With Maggie she is no easier to manage—until a long-buried secret surfaces, forcing everyone to reconsider what lies behind her anger and who is really to blame.

Thirteen-year-old Leo has been caring for his little sisters, Lexie and Amelie, while their mother sinks into addiction and violence. Safe with Maggie at last, the children finally relax—until discussion of adoption raises the unthinkable idea of separating them. Maggie must fight for their bond and Leo’s fragile stability.

Eight-year-old Tom is quiet, obsessively tidy and terrified of making a mess. Since his mother died, his ex-soldier father has tried to cope by running their home like a barracks. Working with both father and son, Maggie must help them grieve and learn to be a family, not a regiment.

Twelve-year-old Meg loses almost everything in a children’s home fire and arrives at Maggie’s house traumatised and furious. Lashing out at everyone, she puts Maggie and the other children in danger. Maggie has to reach the frightened girl behind the rage before a tragedy happens.

This collection centres on brothers Ben and Damien and their baby half-brother Noah, children so conditioned to be “seen and not heard” that even the baby barely reacts to the world. Through warmth and routine, Maggie helps them rediscover play, voice and the safety of loving care.

Fourteen-year-old Shazia is removed from home after fears she is being sent abroad for a forced marriage. Initially denying everything, she is allowed back, only to flee in terror weeks later. Maggie must protect Shazia from honour-based threats and help her understand the trauma she has endured.

Seven-year-old Paris is found wandering the streets, distraught that her baby brother will not wake up. After police uncover a tragedy at home, she is crushed by guilt. In Maggie’s care, Paris must slowly learn that what happened was never her fault.

Siblings Sean, Dougie and Mary arrive violent, malnourished and already sexualised after being left to fend for themselves by drug-addicted parents. As their behaviour softens, social workers match them with adoptive parents who want a perfect family. When that dream collapses, Maggie must fight to repair the damage.

Baby Jasmine begins to thrive the moment she is placed with Maggie, but her timid mother Hailey appears withdrawn and terrified. As bruises and secrets surface, Maggie realises Hailey is trapped in an abusive marriage and must somehow find the courage to leave if she wants her daughter back.

At ten, Kirsty has already survived neglect and loss. When her foster mum collapses and dies, the family blame Kirsty and reject her. Furious and frightened, she lashes out, even threatening Maggie’s foster baby, forcing Maggie to choose between two vulnerable children who both need her.

Sixteen-year-old Jess arrives at Maggie’s house straight from the maternity ward, clutching newborn Jimmy and terrified of losing him. With social services watching closely, Maggie must teach Jess the basics of parenting while helping her face the family and relationship pressures she’s been running from.

Eleven-year-old Leanne has had over forty placements and carries a reputation for violence and destruction. Maggie is her last chance before a secure unit. When Leanne rages, threatens her with a knife and makes frightening accusations, Maggie must decide whether she can still fight for this damaged girl.

Two- and three-year-old siblings Evie and Elliot arrive filthy, terrified and almost feral after a childhood locked indoors. Everyday sights and sounds send them into panic. With patience and routine, Maggie teaches them to play, trust and believe life can be different.

Eleven-year-old Ruth arrives pale, silent and desperate to disappear, conditioned never to ‘see or speak’ about what happens at home. As Maggie gains her trust, Ruth begins to reveal years of cruelty, and together they work toward justice and the chance of a normal childhood.

A split-second lapse leaves toddler Edward with life-changing brain injuries and his parents drowning in grief and guilt. While Edward stays with Maggie, she helps his devastated family mourn the child they’ve lost and find a way to love the little boy he is now.