Kate Morton Books In Order [7 Exceptional Ones So Far]
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If you love atmospheric books that meld historical fiction, contemporary fiction, romance, and mystery together into one spectacular novel, then this list of Kate Morton books in order is something you definitely want to keep handy.
Kate Morton is one of my favorite authors, and I just wish she would write them faster 🙂
In general, I would describe Kate Morton’s books as historical mysteries, although she does mix in contemporary fiction and romance as well.
Before I get to that list of all the Kate Morton books in order that are currently in existence, are you already familiar with the author Kate Morton?
If not, let me introduce you and fill you in on the who, what, and where of author Kate Morton.
Contents
Who Is Kate Morton?
Kate Morton, a celebrated Australian author, has garnered numerous awards and accolades for her work.
She is an award-winning, Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author and her bestselling novels have reached #1 on bestseller lists worldwide, have been translated into 38 languages, and are sold in over 45 countries.
Kate Morton spent her childhood in the mountains of southeast Queensland, Australia, and currently resides with her family in both London and Australia. She has degrees in dramatic art and English literature and initially aspired to join the Royal Shakespeare Company before realizing her passion for writing surpassed her love of performing. Although she still admires the theatre, Kate cannot help but feel a sense of nostalgia every time the lights dim.
She has an obsession with houses, both real ones as well as fictional ones, and this becomes quite apparent when you read her novels. And historic houses as well as all of the wonderful old things you find in them feature heavily in her books. Her love of all things antique may have stemmed from the fact that her mother was an antique dealer. Growing up in an environment that allows you to wander around a shop filled with wonderful antique items certainly can’t fail to produce an adult who treasures the past and all it once held.
Now let’s move on to all the Kate Morton books in order, because if you like historical mysteries I think you will love these books.
Kate Morton Books In Order – At A Glance
Here’s a quick glimpse of all the Kate Morton books in the order of publication, starting with the earliest publication first.
Publisher’s Synopsis of All Kate Morton Books In Order
Here’s a closer look at all of Kate Morton’s books in the order of publication along with a short publisher’s synopsis of each one.
The House At Riverton – 2006
Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.
In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they—and Grace—know the truth.
In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace’s youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties, and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.
The Forgotten Garden – 2008
A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book — a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own.
On her twenty-first birthday they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and with very little to go on, “Nell” sets out on a journey to England to try to trace her story, to find her real identity.
Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. At Cliff Cottage, on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor, Cassandra discovers the forgotten garden of the book’s title and is able to unlock the secrets of the beautiful book of fairy tales.
The Distant Hours – 2010
It starts with a letter, lost for half a century and unexpectedly delivered to Edie’s mother on a Sunday afternoon. The letter leads Edie to Milderhurst Castle, where the eccentric Blythe spinsters live and where she discovers, her mother was billeted during World War II.
The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives caring for their younger sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiancé jilted her in 1941. Inside the decaying castle, Edie searches for her mother’s past but soon learns there are other secrets hidden in its walls. The truth of what happened in “the distant hours” has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.
The Secret Keeper – 2012
During a picnic at her family’s farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson witnesses a shocking crime, a crime that challenges everything she knows about her adored mother, Dorothy.
Now, fifty years later, Laurel and her sisters are meeting at the farm to celebrate Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this is her last chance to discover the truth about that long-ago day, Laurel searches for answers that can only be found in Dorothy’s past. Clue by clue, she traces a secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds thrown together in war-torn London—Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy—whose lives are forever entwined.
The Lake House – 2015
Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories.
One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eleven-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. He is never found, and the family is torn apart, the house abandoned.
Decades later, Alice is living in London, having enjoyed a long successful career as a novelist. Miles away, Sadie Sparrow, a young detective in the London police force, is staying at her grandfather’s house in Cornwall. While out walking one day, she stumbles upon the old Edevane estate—now crumbling and covered with vines. Her curiosity is sparked, setting off a series of events that will bring her and Alice together and reveal shocking truths about a past long gone…yet more present than ever.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter – 2018
Homecoming – 2023
Read my recent review of Homecoming.
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek on the grounds of a grand country house, a local man makes a terrible discovery. Police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most baffling murder investigations in the history of South Australia.
Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for two decades, she now finds herself unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and is seriously ill in the hospital.
At Nora’s house, Jess discovers a true crime book chronicling a long-buried police case: the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. It is only when Jess skims through its pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this notorious event – a mystery that has never been satisfactorily resolved.
FAQs About Kate Morton Books In Order
What Order Should I Read Kate Morton Books?
So far, Kate Morton has not written any books that are part of a series. So, you really can read them in any order that you choose. The order shown in the above list is the order in which the books are published, so that would be a great way to experience all the different books and see how this author’s writing style has evolved over a number of years.
Who Writes Like Kate Morton?
If you’ve already read and enjoyed one or more Kate Morton books and you’re looking for some similar authors, you might want to consider one of these: Susanna Kearsley, Diane Setterfield, Natasha Solomons, Julia Kelly or Lucinda Riley.
Kate Morton Books In Order – Conclusion
I’m not sure exactly which Kate Morton book I read first, but this author’s writing style just totally grabbed me from the very first book I read.
Her novels are wonderfully atmospheric and include so many different elements – family secrets, drama, interesting settings, dual-time narrative, and even some romance. If any of that sounds interesting to you, you’ll love Kate Morton’s writing.
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