Kelsey Cox Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Kelsey Cox is an American published author.

She attended Purdue University, where she graduated with her MFA in fiction. She works from home where she lives in the Texas Hill Country. She can frequently be found trying to get some writing done at the local library. When not busy doing this, she is usually chasing around her two daughters or settling down to watch British mystery stories with her mom and aunts.

On the nights when putting her kids to bed goes as planned, she likes to settle in on the sofa with a glass of wine in her hand and enjoy a book full of complicated characters, seeing it as a bonus if it has a killer twist in it. Kelsey likes to write thrillers of her own and has already made a name for herself in the literary world, arriving with a bang in 2025 with Party of Liars.

Party of Liars is a 2025 novel by Kelsey Cox. If you’ve been looking for a great thriller to read but you don’t know where to start, this is the pick for you. It was an instant USA Today bestseller as well as an Indie Next pick and a Library Reads pick. It was also named a Most Anticipated book by places such as Fresh Fiction, BookRiot, Glamour, People, and Goodreads.

Other authors have praised this book as well. Bestselling author Katie Gutierrez has called this the ‘thriller of the summer’. Readers who love a book that gets their pulse rate up and has plenty of twists are going to love this debut from Kelsey Cox, staying up late into the night in order to read just one more chapter.

Attempts to throw a huge Sweet Sixteen party may end up turning deadly in this new novel that takes the classic ‘who did it’ theme and brings it to another level. Let the party begin– if you dare!

Sophie Matthews is turning 16 years old, and today is her birthday party. It is a black tie party that is located in the center of Texas Hill Country. This is a place where the secrets go as deep as the live oaks. Sophie’s father has put on an incredible party and the budget does not exist.

Meanwhile, his renovated mansion on the cliffs is hosting the biggest event of the season. It was thought to be haunted and was closed for years to outsiders. Just before the candles on the cake are blown out, everything takes a turn for the worse when a body makes its way from the balcony to the dance floor below everyone.

Someone is responsible– could it be those who were invited? The guest list includes a wide variety of characters, and any one of them could have done it. There is Dani, Sophie’s step mother who has been dealing with a ton of self doubt ever since she gave birth to her daughter. There is also the Irish nanny Órlaith who is very superstitious and is picking up on a huge sense of danger in this large house.

They are joined by Mikayla, the best friend to the birthday girl. She appears reserved and shy but is not as meek as the popular kids think she is. There is also Kim, an ex-wife who carries a grudge that she is unable to let go of. They were all invited to attend the party, but it turns out not everyone who was there will make it out alive. Can they catch a killer and put this thing to rest once and for all?

This is a book that bestselling author Nina Simon says that she couldn’t put down and that Amanda Eyre Ward says “Explodes from page one’. Check out Party of Liars to find out what happens at the end of this suspenseful read!

Pretty Dead Things is a 2026 novel written by Kelsey Cox. If you love a good suspense thriller that keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next, you’re going to love this mystery featuring a Texas beauty pageant gone wrong.

When it comes to the past, some secrets are better off left where they are buried. In 2000, Isabelle Whitmore goes missing from Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas. 25 years later, the annual Lone Star Princess Pageant is about to be held again. It’s been running for a time and the competition brings out the worst in everyone and brings long standing grudges to the surface.

Ingrid found the initial disappearance of her sister too much to deal with and decided to leave Anhalt behind. Isabelle going missing was highly emotional for her, but she has decided to come back at last. Meanwhile, a construction crew has gotten busy digging up Sherman Ranch and the pageant coming back is bringing up old memories and traumas that Melanie is unable to let go of.

Then there is Cat, who is just now getting sober and is starting to feel threatened and is continually battling her demons and trying to stay off of substances. Sarah Lynn is looking forward to the pageant but also has a pit in her stomach. She is coming from a long line of winners and the pressure is nearly too much to bear. Sarah Lynn does not see losing as an option that is available to her.

When resentments from the past start to arise and new confrontations hit a peak boiling point, temps start dropping. Then a storm takes down the power grid and forces everyone to be under the same roof for an extended amount of time, and people have the chance to settle old scores. In some cases, this will be deadly.

Will the pageant be delayed due to murder? How many will find their hopes and dreams dashed? Can they find the killer or will they slip away successfully like a thief in the night? Find out in this suspenseful thriller that people like Amanda Eyre Ward are saying is ‘Jaw-dropping’!