7 Of The Best Ally Carter Books In Order

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“I thought about how there are two types of secrets: the kind you want to keep in, and the kind you don’t dare to let out.”

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If you’re a fan of young adult mystery and spy novels, Ally Carter’s books are a must-read. From the daring Gallagher Girls series to the clever Heist Society and Embassy Row books, her novels blend suspense, wit, and unforgettable characters. But with multiple series and standalone titles, it can be tricky to know what order to read Ally Carter books in. That’s where this guide comes in. We here at What We Reading put together a complete list of the best Ally Carter books in order, helping both new readers and longtime fans navigate her world of espionage, intrigue, and teen adventures. Whether you want to start with her most popular titles or follow each series chronologically, this list covers all the essential reads. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap of Ally Carter’s work, so you can dive into her thrilling stories without missing a beat. 

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I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) (2006) 

Kicking off our list of the best Ally Carter books is the first main entry in the American author’s bestselling Gallagher Girls series, I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You. Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school – that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts, chemical warfare in science, and gave out extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. 

The Gallagher Academy may claim to be a school for geniuses, but it’s really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission yet – falling in love. 

Gallagher Girls Book Series in Order: 

• The Spies That Bind (2018) – Gallagher Girls #0.5
• I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (2006) – Gallagher Girls #1
• Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (2007) – Gallagher Girls #2
• Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover (2009) – Gallagher Girls #3
• Only the Good Spy Young (2010) – Gallagher Girls #4
• Classified Material (2012) – Gallagher Girls #4.5
• Out of Sight, Out of Time (2012) – Gallagher Girls #5
• Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story (2013) – Gallagher Girls #5.5
• United We Spy (2013) – Gallagher Girls #6
• A Gallagher Wedding (2013) – Gallagher Girls #6.5

Heist Society (Heist Society #1) (2010) 

Next stop on our Ally Carter reading list is the American’s acclaimed Heist Society series. When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre… to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her uncle Eddie travelled to Austria to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own: scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” behind for a mundane existence is harder than she thought. 

Soon, Kat’s friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to pull Kat back into the world she has tried to escape. But, with danger striking close to home, there’s only one solution: track down a priceless stolen collection of paintings and steal them back. She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heists in the family’s history. 

Heist Society Book Series in Order:

• Heist Society (2010) – Heist Society #1
• Uncommon Criminals (2011) – Heist Society #2
• Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story (2013) – Heist Society #2.5
• Perfect Scoundrels (2013) – Heist Society #3
• The Grift of the Magi (2016) – Heist Society #3.5

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1) (2015) 

Grace Barkley is absolutely certain of three things: she is not crazy, her mother was murdered, and someday she will find the killer and then pay. As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her – so there’s no one she can completely trust. 

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can’t control Grace – no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her… and if she doesn’t stop it, Grace isn’t the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down. 

Embassy Row Book Series in Order: 

• Before the Fall: Departure (2014) – Embassy Row #0.4
• Before the Fall: Arrival (2015) – Embassy Row #0.5
• All Fall Down (2015) – Embassy Row #1
• See How They Run (2015) – Embassy Row #2
• Take the Key and Lock Her Up (2016) – Embassy Row #3

Winterborne Home For Vengenance and Valor (Winterborne Home For Vengenance and Valor #1) (2020) 

When eleven-year-old April joins a group of kids living at Winterborne Home, she doesn’t expect to be there for very long. But she soon learns that this home isn’t like any of the others – especially when she unearths the secret of the missing-and-presumed-dead billionaire, Gabriel Winterborne, who is neither missing nor dead but actually living in a basement lair, sharpening his swords and looking for vengeance. 

Now that April knows Gabriel is alive, she must turn to the other orphans to keep him that way. As a looming danger threatens to take Gabriel down once and for all, they must use their individual talents to find a way of making sure this home for misfits isn’t lost to them forever. The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor is a charming Middle Grace mystery series by Ally Carter, perfect for anyone looking for a cosy saga of found families and thrilling adventures. 

Winterborne Home For Vengenance and Valor Book Series in Order 

• Winterborne Home For Vengenance and Valor (2020) – Winterborne Home For Vengenance and Valor #1
• Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery (2021) – Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor #2

The Blonde Identity (Blonde Identity #1) (2023) 

It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris, and a woman has just woken up with no memory. She only knows three things for certain: she has a splitting headache, the hottest guy she’s ever seen is telling her to run, and people keep trying to kill her. When she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men, there’s only one obvious explanation: she’s a spy! 

Except, according to Mr Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister. Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disagree. Assuming the role of a couple of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon, the pair are soon lying their way across Europe – dodging bullets and faking kisses to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name. 

Blonde Identity Book Series in Order: 

• The Blonde Identity (2023) – Blonde Identity #1
• The Blonde Who Came in From the Cold (2025) – Blonde Identity #2

Not If I Save You First (2018)

Maddie and Logan were torn apart by a kidnapping attempt when they were young. They were only kids – Logan’s dad was POTUS, and Maddie’s father was the Secret Service agent meant to guard him. The kidnappers were stopped – but Maddie was whisked off to Alaska with her father for safety. Maddie and Logan had been inseparable, but then she never heard from him again.

Now it’s a few years later, Maddie’s a teenager, used to a solitary life with her father. It’s quiet – until Logan is sent to join them. Maddie has nothing to say to him – until their outpost is attacked, and Logan is taken. They won’t be out of the woods until they’re… out of the woods, and Maddie’s managed to thwart the foes and reconcile with Logan in this explosive Ally Carter book. 

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year (2024) 

Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt can’t stand one another. But when they both receive a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan of their work, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself. That night, the weather turns, and the next morning, Eleanor is gone. 

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is this some kind of test? As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth – and each other. Because this Christmas, these two will have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor. That is, if they don’t kill each other first. 

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