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Series · psychological thriller

Shelby Lake

by Brian Freeman

The Shelby Lake series by Brian Freeman has 2 known books (2 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Deep, Deep Snow (2020). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Ursulina.

Books
2 known books (2 novels)
Published
2
First published
2020
Status
ongoing
Shelved under
Thriller
Last checked

Start here: The Deep, Deep Snow (2020) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of The Deep, Deep Snow

The Deep, Deep Snow (2020)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. The Deep, Deep Snow

    Novel

    The Deep, Deep Snow opens Brian Freeman's Shelby Lake series, a psychological thriller published in 2020 at 368 pages that won a Minnesota Book Award and was an Edgar Award finalist. It follows small-town Wisconsin sheriff's deputy Shelby Lake -- abandoned as a newborn in a snowbank and saved by a passing stranger -- searching for a missing boy while confronting long-buried town secrets, and is followed by the prequel The Ursulina.

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  2. The Ursulina

    Novel

    The Ursulina is a prequel set earlier in Shelby Lake's life, published by Blackstone Publishing in February 2022 and not yet catalogued on Open Library at time of curation. It's the most recent entry in Brian Freeman's two-book Shelby Lake series, following The Deep, Deep Snow.

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About the Shelby Lake series

Shelby Lake is a small-town Wisconsin sheriff's deputy with an origin as dramatic as anything in her caseload: she was abandoned as a newborn in a snowbank and saved by a stranger who happened to be passing. Brian Freeman's two-book series leans into rural noir — isolated communities, buried secrets, and cold-weather atmosphere reminiscent of his Jonathan Stride books, but with a female lead and a folk-horror edge. The Deep, Deep Snow (2020) has Shelby searching for a missing boy while confronting long-buried town secrets, and won a Minnesota Book Award and was an Edgar Award finalist; The Ursulina (2022) is a prequel, sending Shelby back into her own childhood to confront the local legend of a monstrous creature blamed for a string of disappearances.

Frequently asked questions

How many Shelby Lake books are there?

Two: The Deep, Deep Snow (2020) and The Ursulina (2022), a prequel to it.

Is The Ursulina a prequel or sequel to The Deep, Deep Snow?

A prequel — it's set earlier in Shelby Lake's life, though it was published second.

Is there a third Shelby Lake book?

None has been announced as of 2026; Brian Freeman has continued with the Jonathan Stride series, standalone thrillers and the Jason Bourne continuation novels.

Reading order last verified .