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Series · mystery
The Inheritance Games
The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes has 5 known books (5 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with The Inheritance Games (2020). Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 5 known books (3 novels + 1 companion + 1 collection)
- Published
- 5
- First published
- 2020
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
Start here: The Inheritance Games (2020)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Inheritance Games
Jennifer Lynn Barnes opened The Inheritance Games on 1 September 2020 with the 392-page title novel, the first of three numbered books following broke high schooler Avery Grambs as she inherits eccentric billionaire Tobias Hawthorne's fortune -- and moves into Hawthorne House alongside his furious, disinherited family. It fuses a puzzle-box mystery built into the house's riddles and hidden rooms with a slow-burn romance across two Hawthorne brothers, launching a franchise that later expanded into a companion novel and spin-off series. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Inheritance Games - Book 2:
The Hawthorne Legacy
The Hawthorne Legacy , the second novel, followed almost exactly a year later on 7 September 2021, at 373 pages -- slightly shorter than the series opener. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hawthorne Legacy - Book 3:
The Final Gambit
The Final Gambit , published 30 August 2022 at 400 pages, is the longest of the three main numbered novels and closes out the trilogy's core storyline. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Final Gambit - Book 4:
The Brothers Hawthorne
The Brothers Hawthorne , released 29 August 2023 at 480 pages, is credited as a companion volume rather than a numbered entry and is the longest book in this record. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Brothers Hawthorne - Book 5:
Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection
Games Untold , a 464-page collection published 12 November 2024, is the most recent release in this record, appearing over a year after the companion novel The Brothers Hawthorne . Alternative text for cover: Cover of Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection
Key facts about The Inheritance Games series
Our list has 5 books in The Inheritance Games series. Since all 5 are out now, you can read the whole list today. 3 are novels, while the rest are a companion book and a collection.
Start with The Inheritance Games, since it opens the publication order in 2020. The Hawthorne Legacy is book 2, from 2021. The Final Gambit is book 3, from 2022.
The Brothers Hawthorne is book 4, from 2023. Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection is book 5, from 2024.
The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Games Untold: An Inheritance Games Collection is the latest book with a full release date, out on 12 November 2024. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 2020 and 2024, while their length runs from 373 to 480 pages. That is a run of 4 years.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes has 17 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Naturals, The Fixer and Debutantes, plus 1 more series. We shelve the books under mystery.
About The Inheritance Games
Avery Grambs is a broke high school student getting by on odd jobs when she learns that Tobias Hawthorne, an eccentric billionaire she's never met, has left her almost his entire fortune — on the condition that she moves into Hawthorne House and lives alongside his furious, disinherited family, including four grandsons who range from suspicious to outright hostile. To keep the inheritance, Avery has to unravel why a stranger chose her, working through a house built by a man obsessed with puzzles, riddles, and hidden rooms, all while the Hawthorne brothers alternately help and sabotage her depending on how much they trust her motives.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes fuses a puzzle-box mystery (literal codes and riddles built into Tobias Hawthorne's house and will) with a slow-burn, love-triangle-adjacent romance across two Hawthorne brothers, and the series has since expanded into a wider franchise: a companion novel centered on two other Hawthorne brothers, a story collection, and a new spin-off series following a different heiress in the same puzzle-obsessed world.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Inheritance Games series?
The main trilogy is three books — The Inheritance Games, The Hawthorne Legacy, The Final Gambit — plus the companion novel The Brothers Hawthorne and the short-story collection Games Untold.
What order should I read The Inheritance Games in?
Read the trilogy first, in order: The Inheritance Games, The Hawthorne Legacy, The Final Gambit. Then The Brothers Hawthorne, which is set after the trilogy, and Games Untold last.
Is The Brothers Hawthorne a sequel to the trilogy?
It's a companion novel set in the same world after the trilogy's events, following Xander and Nash Hawthorne rather than Avery — you'll want to have finished the trilogy first, since it assumes you know how it ends.
Is there more after The Inheritance Games trilogy?
Jennifer Lynn Barnes has continued the wider puzzle-mystery universe with a separate spin-off series starting with The Grandest Game (2024) and Glorious Rivals (2025), which follows a different heiress rather than continuing Avery's story.
Do I need to read Games Untold?
No. It's an optional collection of short stories and bonus material for fans who want more time with the Hawthorne family; the trilogy and The Brothers Hawthorne tell a complete story without it.
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