Mercy Thompson Books in Order: Patricia Briggs’s Coyote Shifter Series and the Mercyverse
Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series combines urban fantasy, werewolves, vampires, fae, Native American folklore, and a heroine who can shift into a coyote. Mercy is a Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities of Washington, where supernatural politics are never far from her garage. The author’s official bibliography currently lists 14 Mercy Thompson novels, from Moon Called to Winter Lost.
The series has also grown into a much larger shared world. Briggs’s Alpha & Omega books take place in the same universe and overlap with characters and events from Mercy’s story, while short fiction and the graphic novel Homecoming add pieces of the wider timeline. Briggs even provides an official Mercyverse timeline for readers who want to explore everything chronologically.
Mercy Thompson Books in Order
1. Moon Called
Published: 2006
Moon Called introduces Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson, a coyote shapeshifter and Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. Mercy has spent most of her life around supernatural beings, but she prefers keeping her distance from their politics.
That changes when a young werewolf asks her for help. After he is murdered, Mercy becomes determined to find out who killed him, pulling her into a dangerous conflict involving werewolves and other supernatural forces. It is the essential starting point for the entire series and establishes Mercy, Adam Hauptman, Samuel, Stefan, the Tri-Cities Pack, and much of the supernatural world that follows.
2. Blood Bound
Published: 2007
Mercy is drawn deeper into the vampire side of the Tri-Cities supernatural community in Blood Bound. Her old friend Stefan, a vampire who drives a Volkswagen van and has a complicated relationship with Mercy, needs her help with a dangerous situation.
The book expands Briggs’s supernatural mythology while developing Mercy’s relationships with Adam and the werewolves. It also makes clear that Mercy’s ability to shift into a coyote gives her an unusual place among the supernatural factions.
3. Iron Kissed
Published: 2008
In Iron Kissed, Mercy becomes involved in a murder investigation connected to the fae reservation. Her friend Zee, an important figure in Mercy’s life and a powerful fae, is accused of murder.
The case forces Mercy to confront one of the darkest sides of the supernatural world. This is also an important character-development novel, particularly for Mercy’s relationships and her growing understanding of the dangers surrounding her.
4. Bone Crossed
Published: 2009
Bone Crossed takes Mercy away from the Tri-Cities when an old acquaintance asks for help with a haunting. What begins as a favor quickly becomes entangled with vampires and a murder that has consequences reaching far beyond a single ghost.
The novel gives more attention to the vampire community and introduces supernatural complications that continue to influence later books.
5. Silver Borne
Published: 2010
In Silver Borne, Mercy discovers that returning a seemingly ordinary fae artifact is anything but simple. Her attempt to return a borrowed book puts her in the middle of another dangerous conflict.
The novel is especially significant for Mercy’s relationship with Adam and for the developing dynamics within the werewolf pack. It also explores more of Mercy’s unusual supernatural heritage and her connection to the fae.
6. River Marked
Published: 2011
River Marked takes Mercy and Adam away from their usual Tri-Cities surroundings for what is supposed to be a quieter trip along the Columbia River.
Naturally, things do not stay quiet. Mercy encounters supernatural forces connected to the river and is forced to confront mysteries involving her own family history. The book is particularly valuable for readers interested in Mercy’s Native American heritage and the origins of some of her unusual abilities.
7. Frost Burned
Published: 2013
In Frost Burned, Mercy wakes to discover that something is seriously wrong with the werewolf pack. Adam and the other members of the pack have been affected by a mysterious supernatural attack, leaving Mercy to figure out what happened and how to bring them back.
The novel brings the focus firmly back to the Tri-Cities and the pack while continuing the series’ increasingly complicated supernatural politics.
8. Night Broken
Published: 2014
Night Broken puts Mercy in an uncomfortable situation when Adam’s ex-wife arrives in the Tri-Cities with a problem that cannot simply be ignored.
What follows involves an apparently impossible supernatural threat, family tension, and another mystery for Mercy to solve. The novel also gives readers more insight into Adam and Mercy’s relationship as they deal with threats that are both supernatural and intensely personal.
9. Fire Touched
Published: 2016
In Fire Touched, Mercy and Adam encounter a mysterious boy who is being held by a powerful supernatural being. Protecting him draws Mercy into a conflict involving the fae and one of their most dangerous secrets.
The book expands the political landscape of the Mercyverse while introducing an important supernatural element that has consequences beyond this individual story.
10. Silence Fallen
Published: 2017
Silence Fallen changes the setting dramatically. Mercy is abducted and transported to Prague, where she must survive in unfamiliar territory while trying to understand who has taken her and why.
The novel gives readers a different view of the European supernatural world and places Mercy in a situation where she cannot rely on the familiar support system she has built in the Tri-Cities.
11. Storm Cursed
Published: 2019
A dangerous fae artifact brings Mercy and her allies into another major supernatural conflict in Storm Cursed. The book returns to the Tri-Cities and deals heavily with the increasingly complicated relationship between humans, fae, werewolves, and other supernatural factions.
The stakes are considerably larger than in the early books, making this an important installment in the broader mythology of the series.
12. Smoke Bitten
Published: 2020
Smoke Bitten brings Mercy face-to-face with a supernatural threat that is closely connected to her own abilities. What initially looks like a strange encounter develops into a much more personal danger.
The novel explores Mercy’s coyote nature and the unusual connection between her human and supernatural sides, while continuing the ongoing story of Adam and the Tri-Cities Pack.
13. Soul Taken
Published: 2022
In Soul Taken, Mercy becomes involved in a supernatural mystery involving a missing vampire and a strange artifact. The investigation soon reveals a threat that could affect far more than the people immediately involved.
The book continues several long-running relationships and conflicts while adding another layer to Briggs’s supernatural mythology.
14. Winter Lost
Published: 2024
Winter Lost is the fourteenth numbered Mercy Thompson novel and the latest published novel in the main series. Mercy and Adam become involved in a crisis connected to ancient supernatural forces and a dangerous winter-related power.
By this point in the series, Mercy is no longer simply a mechanic caught between supernatural factions. She has become a central figure in the complicated political and magical world surrounding the Tri-Cities.
Patricia Briggs’s official site currently identifies Winter Lost as Mercy #14.
Mercy Thompson Books at a Glance
| # | Book | Year |
| 1 | Moon Called | 2006 |
| 2 | Blood Bound | 2007 |
| 3 | Iron Kissed | 2008 |
| 4 | Bone Crossed | 2009 |
| 5 | Silver Borne | 2010 |
| 6 | River Marked | 2011 |
| 7 | Frost Burned | 2013 |
| 8 | Night Broken | 2014 |
| 9 | Fire Touched | 2016 |
| 10 | Silence Fallen | 2017 |
| 11 | Storm Cursed | 2019 |
| 12 | Smoke Bitten | 2020 |
| 13 | Soul Taken | 2022 |
| 14 | Winter Lost | 2024 |
The official Patricia Briggs bibliography confirms the 14-book numbering.
Should You Read the Mercy Thompson Books in Order?
Yes. Although each novel has its own central supernatural mystery, the series has a strong continuing storyline.
Mercy’s relationships with Adam, Samuel, Stefan, the werewolves, fae, vampires, and other supernatural characters develop throughout the books. Major events also have consequences in later installments.
For that reason, Moon Called is the best place to begin. Reading the novels in publication order also avoids spoilers and allows the supernatural politics and character relationships to develop naturally.
The Mercyverse: Where Alpha & Omega Fits
Patricia Briggs’s Alpha & Omega series takes place in the same supernatural universe as Mercy Thompson. It follows Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, the son of Bran Cornick, the powerful Marrok who also plays an important role in the Mercy books.
The official Patricia Briggs site describes Alpha & Omega as being set in the same world as Mercy Thompson, but on a slightly earlier timeline. It also notes that the series begins with a novella published in On the Prowl.
The main Alpha & Omega reading order is:
- Alpha & Omega novella
- Cry Wolf
- Hunting Ground
- Fair Game
- Dead Heat
- Burn Bright
- Wild Sign
- Steel Rain — upcoming
Steel Rain is currently scheduled for April 20, 2027.
You do not need to read Alpha & Omega before Mercy Thompson. For a first-time reader, finishing the Mercy books first is the simplest approach.
Mercy Thompson Short Stories and Extra Reading
Several shorter works expand the Mercyverse without being numbered Mercy Thompson novels.
Homecoming
Homecoming is an original graphic novel story about Mercy’s arrival in the Tri-Cities and how she acquired her business. Patricia Briggs’s official site describes it as a story taking place roughly ten years before Moon Called.
It is interesting background material, but it is not necessary before reading Moon Called.
Shifting Shadows
Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson is the most useful collection for readers who want to go beyond the novels. It brings together previously published Mercyverse short stories along with original material.
Stories in the collection include:
- Silver
- Roses in Winter
- In Red, with Pearls
- Fairy Gifts
- Gray
- Star of David
- Seeing Eye
- Homecoming
- Alpha & Omega
- Unappreciated Gifts
- Asil and the Not-Date
- Dating Terrors
Some stories focus on Mercy, while others follow characters from the wider supernatural world. Briggs’s official timeline is useful if you want to place the short fiction precisely.
The Mercyverse Reading Order
If you want to explore the entire connected world rather than only Mercy’s novels, the reading order becomes more complicated because Alpha & Omega runs on a partially earlier timeline and several short stories fall between the main novels.
For most readers, this is the best approach:
First: Read Moon Called through Winter Lost in Mercy Thompson publication order.
Then: Read Alpha & Omega and its novels.
Finally: Explore Shifting Shadows, Homecoming, and the other short fiction if you want additional background.
Readers who want a strict chronological experience can instead use Patricia Briggs’s official Mercyverse timeline, which places the short stories, graphic novels, and novels according to when their events occur rather than when they were published.
What Is the Best Mercy Thompson Book to Start With?
Start with Moon Called
Moon Called is unquestionably the best starting point because it introduces Mercy, the Tri-Cities setting, the werewolf pack, and the supernatural rules that shape the rest of the series.
Starting elsewhere may spoil character developments and important relationships.
Can You Read Winter Lost First?
Technically, Winter Lost has its own central plot, but it is not a good starting point. It is the fourteenth Mercy Thompson novel and assumes considerable knowledge of Mercy’s history, relationships, and supernatural abilities.
Mercy Thompson FAQ
How many Mercy Thompson books are there?
There are currently 14 numbered Mercy Thompson novels, beginning with Moon Called and ending with Winter Lost.
Is Mercy Thompson still being written?
Yes. Patricia Briggs’s official website currently lists Winter Lost as the latest Mercy Thompson novel. The author continues to publish within the wider Mercyverse, although the site currently lists Steel Rain, an Alpha & Omega novel, as the next specifically announced book, scheduled for April 20, 2027.
Is Alpha & Omega connected to Mercy Thompson?
Yes. Alpha & Omega takes place in the same supernatural world and includes characters who also appear in the Mercy Thompson books. Patricia Briggs describes the two series as sharing the same world, although Alpha & Omega follows a somewhat earlier timeline.
Do I have to read Alpha & Omega before Mercy Thompson?
No. You can read all 14 Mercy Thompson novels without reading Alpha & Omega. However, reading both series eventually gives you a much broader picture of Patricia Briggs’s supernatural universe.
What is the first Mercy Thompson book?
The first Mercy Thompson novel is Moon Called, published in 2006. It introduces Mercedes Thompson, the coyote shapeshifter and mechanic at the center of the series.
What is the latest Mercy Thompson book?
The latest numbered Mercy Thompson novel is Winter Lost, Book 14, published in 2024. Patricia Briggs’s official bibliography currently identifies it as the newest Mercy Thompson novel.
Final Verdict
The best way to read the Mercy Thompson series is simple: start with Moon Called and read the 14 numbered novels through Winter Lost in order. Once you know Mercy’s story, expand into Alpha & Omega, Shifting Shadows, and Homecoming for the larger Patricia Briggs supernatural universe.
For readers who enjoy urban fantasy with shapeshifters, werewolves, fae, vampires, complicated supernatural politics, and a heroine who is considerably tougher than she first appears, Mercy Thompson offers a long-running series with plenty of room to explore.
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