Cara Reinard Books In Order

Publication Order of Cece Laramie Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Cara Reinard is an American author best known for writing her novels, Sweet Water and Last Doll Standing.

Reinard was raised by her single mother just north of Sewickley, Pennsylvania. Sewickley was a steel mill town just outside of Pittsburgh with a population of just 3,827 as of 2010. Cara considered the place almost magical as a youth with grand houses in the Heights and boutique shops on Main. However, it was out of reach for her.

She would go on to attend private college at Gannon University. She received a scholarship to attend and made the most of it as she would become the editor for her college paper.

Cara used her own experiences in Sweet Water as the town in the book is inspired by the home of steel mogul B.F. Jones. The property still exists in the town and includes the pool and pergola as seen in the book.

Reinard now makes her home in Pittsburgh. She is married and the couple have two children and a Bernese mountain dog.

Sweet Water is Cara Reinard’s best known book. The story follows a woman named Sarah who is living her dream life. She is married to her childhood sweetheart, Martin, and the two now live in a mansion in one of Pennsylvania’s most exclusive neighborhoods. The two are a happy family with their teenage son, Finn having a ton of potential for a bright future. Everything is going great for the family into a call for help in the middle of the night from Finn changes everything.

Finn is calling from the woods and by the time Martin and Sarah find him, he’s injured and confused. Making matters worse, next to Finn is his girlfriend and she’s dead. The parents are convinced of their sons innocence though and will do anything to protect their son. In their protectiveness, they decide not to report the crime.

However, Sarah is having a tough time with the situation as Martin’s family works to cover things up in a manner that is simply cold-blooded. While her son Finn is way too good at lying to the authorities for her not to be suspicions. Her husband, his family, her son, and even the old house that she live in are all making her rethink all that she knows.

Cara’s first novel was Pretty Dolls and Hand Grenades. The story follows a thirty-something housewife named Cecelia Laramie. Like the other housewives in her neighborhood she strives for success. She has a bit of OCD in her personality and has an eccentric doll collection. Her life is going well until the day she catches her husband misbehaving and puts a stop to it with a baseball bat. Cece’s revenge on her husband sets off a new obsession that replaces the doll collecting, she wants to make her husband pay. Cecelia recruits another house wife into the mix who pushes her to commit crimes to hurt her husband’s business. However, when her partner tries to bring weapons into the mix – Cece knows that she is in over her head.

Cara followed that book up with Last Doll Standing. The book picks up three years after the events of the first book as Cece is finally getting her life back together. Everything is going well until her seventeen-year-old daughter goes missing. She knows that she wouldn’t run away. Making matters worse, an old enemy returns who wants revenge on Cece for what happened in the first book.