Series · urban fantasy
Mercy Thompson
The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs has 15 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Moon Called (2006).
- Books
- 15 books
- First published
- 2006
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Moon Called (2006) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Moon Called
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Moon Called - Book 2:
Blood Bound
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blood Bound - Book 3:
Iron Kissed
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Iron Kissed - Book 4:
Bone Crossed
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bone Crossed - Book 5:
Silver Borne
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Silver Borne - Book 6:
River Marked
Alternative text for cover: Cover of River Marked - Book 7:
Frost Burned
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Frost Burned - Book 8:
Night Broken
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Night Broken - Book 9:
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson - Book 10:
Fire Touched
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fire Touched - Book 11:
Silence Fallen
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Silence Fallen - Book 12:
Storm Cursed
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Storm Cursed - Book 13:
Smoke Bitten
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Smoke Bitten - Book 14:
Soul Taken
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Soul Taken - Book 15:
Winter Lost
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Winter Lost
About the Mercy Thompson series
Mercy Thompson is a Volkswagen mechanic in the Tri-Cities of Washington State who also happens to be a walker -- a rare, coyote-shifting skinwalker raised by werewolves after her father died before her birth. She lives next door to the local werewolf pack's Alpha, counts a vampire seethe and a fae reservation among her neighbors, and gets pulled into supernatural politics she'd rather avoid, from pack succession fights to fae treaties to vampire power struggles. Patricia Briggs builds a densely political, rule-governed supernatural world -- werewolf pack law, fae Grey Lords, vampire seethes -- and lets Mercy navigate it as an outsider with her own non-wolf, non-vampire abilities and a mechanic's stubborn practicality.
The series is a first-person urban fantasy with a slow-building romance (Mercy and werewolf Alpha Adam Hauptman) layered under case-of-the-book supernatural mysteries and an overarching thread of pack and species politics that escalates across the books. Readers drawn to grounded, blue-collar heroines, tightly plotted pack politics, and a world where every supernatural faction has its own law and its own agenda will find a lot to like here. Now fourteen novels deep and still running, Mercy Thompson is one of the longest-running, most consistently well-reviewed series in urban fantasy, and shares a universe with Briggs's companion series Alpha and Omega.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with Moon Called, is the only sensible way in -- Mercy's world, her relationships, and the pack politics build continuously book to book with no true jumping-on points after book one. Shifting Shadows is a multi-author-adjacent short story and novella anthology (all written by Briggs) set across the wider Mercyverse, including Mercy's own world; it's best read after book 8 (Night Broken), where it sits chronologically in most reading-order guides, though it isn't required to follow the main plot.
The companion series Alpha and Omega (starting with Cry Wolf) is set in the same world and its events increasingly intersect with Mercy's own books from the middle of the series onward -- many readers alternate between the two series in publication order for the fullest picture, though Mercy Thompson stands on its own if you'd rather not track both.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Mercy Thompson series?
There are 14 novels, from Moon Called (2006) through Winter Lost (2024), plus the short story/novella collection Shifting Shadows (2014).
What order should I read the Mercy Thompson books in?
Publication order, starting with Moon Called. The series builds continuously, so read the numbered novels in release order; slot Shifting Shadows in after book 8 (Night Broken) if you want the stories in their loose chronological place.
Is the Mercy Thompson series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Winter Lost (book 14) came out in June 2024. Patricia Briggs has not announced a title or date for book 15 as of this writing.
Do I need to read Alpha and Omega too?
No, Mercy Thompson stands alone. Alpha and Omega is a companion series in the same world whose events increasingly overlap with Mercy's from partway through both series -- worth reading alongside Mercy Thompson if you want the full picture, but not required.
Is Mercy Thompson a standalone or does it require reading other series first?
It's a standalone starting point into Briggs's shared Mercyverse -- no prior reading required.
Reading order last verified .