Charlaine Harris has published 54 novels, 3 short story collections and 2 other books, beginning with Real Murders (1990). The 6 series include The Southern Vampire Mysteries (15 books, starting with Dead Until Dark), Aurora Teagarden (10 books, starting with Real Murders) and Gunnie Rose (6 books, starting with An Easy Death). 3 feature Sookie Stackhouse. The best-known is Dead Until Dark (2001). The latest is The Last Wizard's Ball (2025).
Updated September 2026
The Southern Vampire Mysteries books in order (15)Series page
Reading order: 1 Dead Until Dark (2001) · 2 Living Dead in Dallas (2002) · 3 Club Dead (2003) · 4 Dead to the World (2004) · 5 Dead as a Doornail (2005) · 6 Definitely Dead (2006) · 7 All Together Dead (2007) · 8 From Dead to Worse (2008) · 9 Dead and Gone (2009) · 10 Dead in the Family (2010) · … all 15 below
- 1.
Dead Until Dark (May 2001)
- 2.
Living Dead in Dallas (Mar 2002)
- 3.
Club Dead (May 2003)
- 4.
Dead to the World (May 2004)
- 5.
Dead as a Doornail (May 2005)
- 6.
Definitely Dead (May 2006)
- 7.
All Together Dead (May 2007)
- 8.
From Dead to Worse (May 2008)
- 9.
Dead and Gone (May 2009)
- 10.
Dead in the Family (May 2010)
- 11.
Dead Reckoning (May 2011)
- 12.
Deadlocked (May 2012)
- 13.
Dead Ever After (May 2013)
- 13.5.
After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse (2013)
A Touch of Dead (Oct 2009)
Aurora Teagarden books in order (10)Series page
Reading order: 1 Real Murders (1990) · 2 A Bone to Pick (1992) · 3 Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (1994) · 4 The Julius House (1995) · 5 Dead Over Heels (1996) · 6 A Fool and His Honey (1999) · 7 Last Scene Alive (2002) · 8 Poppy Done to Death (2003) · 9 All the Little Liars (2016) · 10 Sleep Like a Baby (2017)
- 1.
Real Murders (1990)
- 2.
A Bone to Pick (1992)
- 3.
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (1994)
- 4.
The Julius House (1995)
- 5.
Dead Over Heels (1996)
- 6.
A Fool and His Honey (1999)
- 7.
Last Scene Alive (2002)
- 8.
Poppy Done to Death (2003)
- 9.
All the Little Liars (2016)
- 10.
Sleep Like a Baby (2017)
Gunnie Rose books in order (6)Series page
Reading order: 1 An Easy Death (2018) · 2 A Longer Fall (2020) · 3 The Russian Cage (2021) · 4 The Serpent in Heaven (2022) · 5 All the Dead Shall Weep (2023) · 6 The Last Wizard's Ball (2025)
- 1.
An Easy Death (2018)
- 2.
A Longer Fall (2020)
- 3.
The Russian Cage (2021)
- 4.
The Serpent in Heaven (2022)
- 5.
All the Dead Shall Weep (2023)
- 6.
The Last Wizard's Ball (2025)
Lily Bard books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Shakespeare's Landlord (1996) · 2 Shakespeare's Champion (1997) · 3 Shakespeare's Christmas (1998) · 4 Shakespeare's Trollop (2010) · 5 Shakespeare's Counselor (2001)
- 1.
Shakespeare's Landlord (1996)
- 2.
Shakespeare's Champion (1997)
- 3.
Shakespeare's Christmas (1998)
- 4.
Shakespeare's Trollop (2010)
- 5.
Shakespeare's Counselor (2001)
Harper Connelly Mysteries books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 Grave Sight (2005) · 2 Grave Surprise (2006) · 3 An Ice Cold Grave (2007) · 4 Grave Secret (2009)
- 1.
Grave Sight (Oct 2005)
- 2.
Grave Surprise (2006)
- 3.
An Ice Cold Grave (2007)
- 4.
Grave Secret (2009)
Midnight, Texas Trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Midnight Crossroad (2014) · 2 Day Shift (A Novel of Midnight, Texas) (2015) · 3 Night Shift (2016)
- 1.
Midnight Crossroad (2014)
- 2.
Day Shift (A Novel of Midnight, Texas) (2015)
- 3.
Night Shift (2016)
Where to start with Charlaine Harris
Start here
Dead Until Dark
Charlaine Harris's most-read book and the first of the 15 The Southern Vampire Mysteries books.
Newest
The Last Wizard's Ball
Published 2025.
Standalone novels in order
SWEET + DEADLY (1981)
A Secret Rage (1984)
Must Love Hellhounds (2009)
An Apple for the Creature (2012)
Dead of Night (2013)
Sweet and Deadly and a Secret Rage (2013)
Cemetery Girl (2014)
Dancers in the Dark (2015)
Russian Cage, the (2021)
Short story collections in order
Dead but Not Forgotten (2014)
Games Creatures Play (2014)
Other books in order
One Word Answer (2009)
Sookie Stackhouse (2010)
About Charlaine Harris
Jean Charlaine Harris Schulz is an American author who specializes in mysteries. She is best known for her book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, which was adapted as the TV series True Blood. The television show was a critical and financial success for HBO, running seven seasons, from 2008 through 2014.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Charlaine Harris FAQ
- How many books has Charlaine Harris written?
- Charlaine Harris has published 54 novels, 3 short story collections and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Charlaine Harris's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start The Southern Vampire Mysteries with Dead Until Dark, Aurora Teagarden with Real Murders and Gunnie Rose with An Easy Death. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Charlaine Harris's latest book?
- The Last Wizard's Ball (2025).
- What is Charlaine Harris's most famous book?
- Dead Until Dark (2001) is Charlaine Harris's most widely read book.
- Are Charlaine Harris's books connected?
- 43 books belong to 6 series (The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Aurora Teagarden, Gunnie Rose and Lily Bard); the other 16 books stand alone.
Authors like Charlaine Harris
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.