Susan Dennard Books in Order
Explore Susan Dennard's books in order, with concise summaries, series guides, reading paths, and clear suggestions for the best place to begin.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Susan Dennard books in publication order
16 books
Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
2012
In 1876 Philadelphia, Eleanor Fitt receives a hostage note from her missing brother, delivered by a walking corpse. To save him, she joins the eccentric Spirit-Hunters and follows a trail of zombies, secrets, and black magic.
A Darkness Strange and Lovely
by Susan Dennard
2013
Alone after her brother's death and her mother's collapse, Eleanor Fitt sails to Paris to find the Spirit-Hunters. Instead, she finds the Dead overrunning the city and a new evil tempting her toward dangerous black magic.
A Dawn Most Wicked
by Susan Dennard
2013
Before he becomes one of the Spirit-Hunters, Daniel Sheridan is pulled into a dangerous supernatural case. This prequel novella offers a closer look at the guarded young man who later captures Eleanor Fitt's attention.
Strange and Ever After
by Susan Dennard
2014
Eleanor Fitt heads to nineteenth-century Egypt when the necromancer Marcus takes Jie. With the Dead rising and black magic growing harder to control, Eleanor must save her friend while facing what her own power might cost.
Truthwitch
by Susan Dennard
2016
Safiya can tell truth from lies, a rare power that makes her a target as war approaches the Witchlands. With her Threadwitch best friend Iseult, she must evade rulers, mercenaries, and a vengeful Bloodwitch.
Recommended by
1 person
Sarah J. Maas recommended this bookSarah J. Maas
"Honestly one of my favorite books EVER. I love it with my entire heart & soul." - Sarah J. Maas
Sarah J. Maas's recommendation of this book
Windwitch
by Susan Dennard
2017
After a ship explosion, Prince Merik survives in secret and returns to a capital full of refugees. As Safi, Iseult, and Aeduan face threats of their own, shifting alliances and pirate waters push the Witchlands closer to war.
Sightwitch
by Susan Dennard
2018
Ryber Fortiza is the only sister in her convent without the gift of Sight. When every Sightwitch disappears into the mountain, Ryber and an amnesiac young captain descend into its tunnels to uncover an ancient threat.
Bloodwitch
by Susan Dennard
2019
Aeduan and Iseult race through the mountains as the Raider King's forces spread terror across the Witchlands. Their fragile trust is tested by war, Safi's absence, and the past Aeduan can no longer outrun.
Witchshadow
by Susan Dennard
2021
Iseult finds Safi at last, but their reunion is brief when she must flee Cartorra to survive. As legendary enemies return and war widens, Iseult must wield dangerous magic and decide where her destiny truly lies.
The Luminaries
by Susan Dennard
2022
Sixteen-year-old Winnie Wednesday enters deadly trials to join Hemlock Falls' monster hunters and restore her family's name. Training with ex-best friend Jay Friday, she uncovers a danger in the nightmare-filled forest that the town is not ready to face.
The Hunting Moon
by Susan Dennard
2023
Winnie Wednesday has joined the Luminaries, but a new nightmare is killing hunters and no one believes her warnings. Following clues about her father and the Dianas, she and Jay uncover secrets that put Hemlock Falls at risk.
The Whispering Night
by Susan Dennard
2024
At Hemlock Falls' Nightmare Masquerade, Winnie Wednesday is given an impossible task by a masked Diana. To protect the people she loves, she must unravel the war between the Luminaries and the Dianas, including her father's role in it.
The Executioners Three
by Susan Dennard
2025
After Freddie Gellar reports a party in the woods, a body is found and she suspects murder. Rival-school pranks, a charming adversary, and a centuries-old blood curse turn her small-town investigation into a fight to survive.
Witchlight
by Susan Dennard
2025
Safi and Iseult must reach and heal the final Origin Well as ancient forces rise and the Raider King's armies gather. With magic failing across the Witchlands, every ally and old favor may be needed to prevent collapse.
Four and Twenty Blackbirds
by Susan Dennard
2027
Wren Peters dreams of a man chased onto a frozen lake, then learns he has been murdered. With their siblings missing, Wren and longtime family rival Archer Sullivan investigate Blackbird Island's secrets before the killer targets her.
Two for Joy
by Susan Dennard
2027
When tour stops tied to an old cult film are vandalized, Magpie Adams suspects something darker than a local dispute. A corpse, eerie music, and a woman from the past who looks like Magpie draw her into a dangerous hometown mystery.
Where to start with Susan Dennard
For an epic fantasy journey: Truthwitch → Windwitch → Sightwitch → Bloodwitch → Witchshadow.
For haunted small-town fantasy: The Luminaries → The Hunting Moon → The Whispering Night.
For Victorian undead mysteries: Something Strange and Deadly → A Dawn Most Wicked → A Darkness Strange and Lovely → Strange and Ever After.
For a spooky standalone mystery: The Executioners Three.
Susan Dennard sub-series and character series
Lakeside Murder books in order
Explore this seriesSomething Strange and Deadly books in order
Explore this series
Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
2012Something Strange and Deadly, Book 1
A Darkness Strange and Lovely
by Susan Dennard
2013Something Strange and Deadly, Book 3
A Dawn Most Wicked
by Susan Dennard
2013Something Strange and Deadly, Book 2
Strange and Ever After
by Susan Dennard
2014Something Strange and Deadly, Book 4
Something Strange and Deadly books in chronological order

Something Strange and Deadly
by Susan Dennard
2012Something Strange and Deadly, Book 1
A Dawn Most Wicked
by Susan Dennard
2013Something Strange and Deadly, Book 2
A Darkness Strange and Lovely
by Susan Dennard
2013Something Strange and Deadly, Book 3
Strange and Ever After
by Susan Dennard
2014Something Strange and Deadly, Book 4
The Luminaries books in order
Explore this seriesThe Murder Quartet books in order
Explore this seriesThe Witchlands books in order
Explore this series
Truthwitch
by Susan Dennard
2016The Witchlands, Book 1
Windwitch
by Susan Dennard
2017The Witchlands, Book 2
Sightwitch
by Susan Dennard
2018The Witchlands, Book 3
Bloodwitch
by Susan Dennard
2019The Witchlands, Book 4
Witchshadow
by Susan Dennard
2021The Witchlands, Book 5
Witchlight
by Susan Dennard
2025The Witchlands, Book 6
The Witchlands books in chronological order

Truthwitch
by Susan Dennard
2016The Witchlands, Book 1
Windwitch
by Susan Dennard
2017The Witchlands, Book 2
Sightwitch
by Susan Dennard
2018The Witchlands, Book 3
Bloodwitch
by Susan Dennard
2019The Witchlands, Book 4
Witchshadow
by Susan Dennard
2021The Witchlands, Book 5
Witchlight
by Susan Dennard
2025The Witchlands, Book 6
Standalone Susan Dennard books
Author bio
Susan Dennard grew up in small-town Georgia, where humidity, mosquitoes, and a strong wish to live in a castle gave her plenty to complain about. She also read constantly and wrote early stories for her sister. Fantasy and science fiction were part of the mix from the start.
She first went to university expecting to study English, but science pulled her in another direction. Dennard earned degrees in fisheries and statistics, then completed a master's degree in marine biology. For a while, she planned to work on the problem of overfishing.
Marine biology took her a long way from Georgia.
Her work and studies let her travel to six continents, an experience that later fed into the varied landscapes, cultures, and power struggles in her fiction. But a move to Europe changed her plans. Faced with the choice between pursuing a PhD and joining her future husband there, she chose the move, then turned her attention toward writing for publication.
It took about three years of focused work before her first novel, Something Strange and Deadly, arrived in 2012. Set in 1876 Philadelphia, it follows Eleanor Fitt as she faces the undead, searches for her missing brother, and falls in with a team of young supernatural investigators. The series combines period detail, zombies, black magic, quick-moving mysteries, and a heroine who doesn't much care for the narrow future others have chosen for her.
Then came the Witchlands.
Beginning with Truthwitch, these books move into a larger fantasy world shaped by unusual forms of magic, uneasy alliances, war, and the deep friendship between Safiya and Iseult. Readers who like big quests get privateers, emperors, witches, betrayals, and a cast whose paths keep crossing in complicated ways. The series also makes room for romance, found family, and characters trying to decide what loyalty should cost.
Dennard later brought her love of monsters and mysteries closer to the present day with The Luminaries. In the isolated town of Hemlock Falls, Winnie Wednesday wants to become a monster hunter and restore her family's standing after her father is branded a traitor. The trilogy mixes nightmare-filled woods, secretive organizations, family trouble, and a slow-burn connection with Winnie's former best friend, Jay Friday.
Her books tend to put young people under real pressure. They have to investigate, survive, make hard choices, and work out whom they can trust. Whether the setting is Victorian Paris, a magical continent, or a town hemmed in by a deadly forest, Dennard returns to friendship, family secrets, dangerous magic, and people refusing to stay in the roles assigned to them.
These days, she writes and teaches writing from the Midwestern United States. Away from the page, she enjoys gaming, reading, time at the dojo, and life with her family. Her writing advice for aspiring authors has become another lasting part of her work.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.














Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts