Sophie McKenzie Books in Order
See all Sophie McKenzie books in order, with series lists, quick summaries, background on her YA and adult thrillers, and guidance on the best places to start reading.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
37 books
Girl, Missing
by Sophie McKenzie
2006
Fourteen year old Lauren Matthews discovers a photo of a missing American toddler who looks exactly like she did as a baby. Convinced she might have been abducted, she drags her friend Jam across the Atlantic to chase the truth, uncovering kidnappers, lies and divided loyalties.
Six Steps to a Girl
by Sophie McKenzie
2007
At his dad’s funeral, Luke spots Eve and decides winning her will fix everything. A mate offers a foolproof six step plan to get any girl, but as Luke follows it he finds jealousy, a violent boyfriend and his own grief complicating every move.
Arthur's Sword
by Sophie McKenzie
2008
This short retelling follows young Arthur, more used to running errands than wielding weapons, as he dreams of becoming his foster brother Kay’s squire. When a sword appears in a stone after the king’s death, Arthur’s simple task leads to a destiny he never imagined.
Blood Ties
by Sophie McKenzie
2008
Theo, guarded by a mysterious bodyguard, and Rachel, forever compared to her dead sister, discover that their parents share a dangerous past with an anti genetic engineering group. As they dig deeper, the teens uncover that they are both human clones and very valuable targets.
Three's a Crowd
by Sophie McKenzie
2008
Luke and Eve’s first holiday together, staying at her dad’s hotel in Spain, should be perfect. Instead Luke clashes with Eve’s overprotective father, grows jealous of the band’s handsome drummer and makes a disastrous revenge move that threatens to wreck their relationship.
The Fix
by Sophie McKenzie
2009
Football mad Blake lives for the game but his family is on the edge of losing their home. When a stranger offers him money to miss a few crucial goals, Blake must choose between keeping a roof over their heads and keeping his integrity intact.
The One and Only
by Sophie McKenzie
2009
With Eve sent to school in Spain to keep them apart, Luke feels abandoned and starts to move on with someone new. When Eve suddenly returns wanting their relationship to become physical, Luke’s lies, guilt and divided loyalties push all three teenagers towards heartbreak.
The Set Up
by Sophie McKenzie
2009
Teenager Nico suddenly discovers he can move objects with his mind and is recruited into the secret Medusa Project alongside other gene enhanced teens. Their first mission, stopping a dangerous criminal deal, forces them to test their powers, loyalties and the limits of trust.
Blood Ransom
by Sophie McKenzie
2010
Now living on different continents, clones Rachel and Theo try to rebuild normal lives while keeping in touch online. When Rachel discovers that their creator Elijah is still experimenting and plans to kill young clone Daniel, she goes after him, pulling Theo back into deadly danger.
The Hostage
by Sophie McKenzie
2010
Ketty is hiding frightening psychic visions from her friends when her brother Lex is dragged into a bomb plot at work. To save him, she must use her Medusa abilities in secret, risking the team’s cover and her fragile relationship with Nico.
The Rescue
by Sophie McKenzie
2010
Sent to a secluded training camp in Spain, the Medusa teens are meant to be safe. When mind reader Ed is blackmailed into helping criminals, his choice puts everyone at risk and forces the group to decide how far they will go to protect each other.
The Thief
by Sophie McKenzie
2010
In this shorter Medusa adventure, the team are sent after a mysterious thief whose daring break ins suggest powers just like theirs. Tracking the culprit through a high risk mission, they start to realise the Medusa gene may not be as secret as they were told.
Train Time to the Blitz
by Sophie McKenzie
2010
Siblings Scarlett and Joe and their dog Pippy stumble onto a ghostly train that whisks them back to London during the Blitz. Tasked with saving brave boy Alfie from a bombing raid, they have just an hour to change history before an unexploded bomb goes off.
Double-Cross
by Sophie McKenzie
2011
A mission in Sydney brings Nico, Ketty, Ed and Dylan face to face with two other Medusa teens whose abilities outstrip even their own. As alliances shift and secrets surface, the team must work out who to trust before they are betrayed from within.
Hunted
by Sophie McKenzie
2011
Dylan has never quite fitted into the Medusa Project, even though her late father created the gene that powers it. A new clue about his death sends her chasing a hidden legacy, a mysterious boy who knows too much, and a killer determined to stop her.
Sister, Missing
by Sophie McKenzie
2011
Two years after the events of Girl, Missing, Lauren still struggles with divided family loyalties. A beach holiday meant to heal old wounds turns nightmarish when her younger sister Madison is kidnapped, in circumstances horribly similar to Lauren’s own abduction.
Falling Fast
by Sophie McKenzie
2012
Dreamy, romantic River auditions for an inter school production of Romeo and Juliet and falls hard for Flynn, the intense boy playing Romeo. As their whirlwind relationship deepens, River begins to glimpse the anger, secrets and family pressures Flynn is hiding.
Hit Squad
by Sophie McKenzie
2012
With the Medusa Project about to be shut down and the teens sent to separate lives, Nico and his friends decide to investigate rumours of a drug that can copy their powers. Joined by new allies, they launch one last mission that could destroy them.
Burning Bright
by Sophie McKenzie
2013
Four months later, River believes Flynn has his temper under control and that love can fix his past. Discovering he has been fighting again and faces serious accusations at school shakes that belief, and one shocking outburst at a family party changes everything between them.
Casting Shadows
by Sophie McKenzie
2013
River and Flynn are making big plans for the future, determined to leave past mistakes behind. But secrets and unresolved anger keep surfacing, forcing them to confront what their relationship is built on and whether they can truly trust each other.
Close My Eyes
by Sophie McKenzie
2013
Eight years after being told her baby was stillborn, Gen is trying to move on with her husband and another round of fertility treatment. A stranger’s claim that the child was born alive sends her into a dangerous hunt for the truth about her family and doctors.
Missing Me
by Sophie McKenzie
2013
Six years on, Madison is a teenager desperate for answers about her biological father. Learning that he was an anonymous sperm donor, she hunts for him and is pulled into a sinister mystery involving missing girls, remote hideouts and a past that refuses to stay buried.
Split Second
by Sophie McKenzie
2013
Charlie's life is shattered when her mum is killed in a terrorist bombing at a London market. Months later she meets Nat, whose brother was also hurt in the attack, and slowly realises he may be involved with the extremists behind it.
Trust in Me
by Sophie McKenzie
2013
When Livy finds her vibrant best friend Julia dead from an apparent overdose, she cannot believe it was suicide. Haunted by the earlier murder of her sister, she begins digging into Julia’s life and uncovers a pattern of women dying in ways that look eerily accidental.
Defy the Stars
by Sophie McKenzie
2014
After a painful breakup, River has almost convinced herself she can build a future without Flynn. Then he sweeps back into her life, full of stories about his glamorous new world, and River must decide whether another chance with him is worth the risk.
Every Second Counts
by Sophie McKenzie
2014
On the run after exposing a terrorist plot, Charlie and Nat are hiding from both extremists and the authorities. With charismatic politician Roman Riley close to becoming prime minister, they decide they must reveal who he really is, even if infiltrating his team tears them apart.
All My Secrets
by Sophie McKenzie
2015
When sixteen year old Evie Brown learns she is due a huge inheritance from a stranger, her already fragile relationship with her parents cracks. Sent to an isolated island school for rich teens, she uncovers hidden connections, dangerous secrets and a truth worth killing for.
Here We Lie
by Sophie McKenzie
2015
Emily is on holiday with her sisters, their partners and her adored fiance Jed when one of the group dies in a shocking accident. Back in London, unsettling revelations and anonymous threats push Emily to question what really happened and how well she knows the people she loves.
The Black Sheep
by Sophie McKenzie
2017
A year after her husband’s sudden death, Francesca leans heavily on her close knit extended family. When a stranger insists her husband was murdered and points the finger at someone under her own roof, she is forced to dig into old resentments and deadly secrets.
SweetFreak
by Sophie McKenzie
2018
Carey’s life implodes when a vicious anonymous account called SweetFreak starts targeting her best friend Amelia and evidence points straight at Carey. Ostracised at school and at home, she races to prove her innocence as the online abuse spills dangerously into real life.
Becoming Jo
by Sophie McKenzie
2019
Told from Jo’s point of view, this contemporary reimagining of Little Women follows four modern sisters as they navigate school, family upheaval, first love and ambition. McKenzie keeps the warmth of the original while updating its world and choices for today’s readers.
Hide and Secrets
by Sophie McKenzie
2021
Fourteen year old Cat is still grieving her father when a new boy, Tyler, arrives for the summer and becomes an unexpected ally. A shocking revelation about her dad sends them chasing a trail of lies, gangs and hidden dangers that could destroy Cat’s family.
Boy, Missing: World Book Day 2022
by Sophie McKenzie
2022
Cousins Ellen and Harlan are stuck on a family camping trip and barely speaking after a huge row. When Harlan storms off into the woods and does not return, Ellen must swallow her pride and brave treacherous clifftops to find him before it is too late.
Truth or Dare
by Sophie McKenzie
2022
Maya is furious about spending the summer helping at her grandmother’s cosmetics company until she falls in with a group of environmental activists. Drawn into dangerous protests, she discovers someone has been lying about the business’s green credentials and must choose between family and the truth.
Secret Sister
by Sophie McKenzie
2023
Asha has grown up in a tightly controlled island community built around honesty, so discovering that her parents hid the existence of a twin sister shatters her world. Reaching out to city girl Willow, she uncovers why they were separated and what their community is hiding.
Trapped
by Sophie McKenzie
2023
On a stormy night, a school glee club’s coach crashes and ends up teetering over a cliff, leaving Hailey trapped inside with Bex, the rival she blames for stealing her solo and her crush. With help far away, the two girls must work together or fall.
Frida Kahlo and the Skull Children
by Sophie McKenzie
2024
In this Doctor Who adventure, the Thirteenth Doctor lands in Mexico City and meets a young, injured Frida Kahlo. As alien forces possess local children and bodies start to fall, the Doctor and Frida race to understand the invaders and protect the city.
Where should I start?
If you want missing-person thrillers: Girl, Missing → Sister, Missing → Missing Me → Boy, Missing: World Book Day 2022.
If you like high stakes sci fi action: The Set Up → The Thief → The Hostage → The Rescue → Hunted → Double-Cross → Hit Squad.
If you are in the mood for teen romance: Six Steps to a Girl → Three's a Crowd → The One and Only → Falling Fast → Burning Bright → Casting Shadows → Defy the Stars.
If you prefer near future conspiracy thrillers: Split Second → Every Second Counts.
If you want adult psychological suspense: Close My Eyes → Trust in Me → Here We Lie → The Black Sheep.
Author bio
Sophie McKenzie is a London born writer best known for tense, fast moving stories about teenagers caught up in danger. She writes for both young adults and adults, but her heart has always been with teen readers.
She grew up in the capital, loving English at school and dreaming about stories, but for years she worked in other jobs. After university she became a journalist and later a magazine editor, squeezing her own ideas into evenings and weekends while holding down full time work.
In 2003 she was made redundant and suddenly found herself with time, but no clear plan. Rather than panic, she enrolled on a year long writing for children course at the City Literary Institute in London, using the space to take her stories seriously for the first time.
Out of that course came her debut novel Girl, Missing, a thriller about a fourteen year old adopted girl who discovers she may have been kidnapped as a toddler. The book was published in 2006, won several major children’s book awards and introduced readers to the gripping, emotionally charged style that runs through much of her work. It grew into the Missing trilogy, followed by spin off story Boy, Missing.
McKenzie went on to create more high stakes series for young readers. The Medusa Project books follow four teenagers with engineered psychic powers who are recruited into a secret crime fighting team. Blood Ties and its sequel Blood Ransom mix science fiction, cloning and family loyalty, while the Flynn and All About Eve books explore first love from a boy’s and a girl’s point of view. Other teen titles such as Split Second, Every Second Counts, SweetFreak, All My Secrets, Hide and Secrets and Secret Sister blend contemporary issues with page turning suspense.
Alongside her YA work she also writes psychological thrillers for adults. In Close My Eyes a woman comes to believe the baby she was told had died at birth may still be alive. Trust in Me, Here We Lie and The Black Sheep all revolve around people who discover that the relationships they rely on are built on lies, and ask how well we can ever really know the people closest to us.
Certain themes run through many of her stories. Questions of identity, the pull between birth and adoptive families, the ethics of science and surveillance, and the messy grey areas between right and wrong keep reappearing. Her books are full of kidnaps, conspiracies and cliffhangers, but they are always anchored in friendships, romance and complicated family ties.
McKenzie’s prose is deliberately straightforward and accessible, written for readers who want to fall into a story and keep turning pages. She visits schools, talks to young people about reading and writing, and often builds her plots around issues her audience tell her they care about, from online bullying to climate activism.
Today she writes full time and still lives in London with her son. She continues to add new standalones and series to her shelves, inviting a new generation of readers into the twisty, emotionally honest worlds she creates.
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