Chris Bohjalian Books in Order: Every Novel, Short Story, and Reading Guide
Chris Bohjalian is known for novels that move between literary fiction, historical fiction, psychological suspense, and domestic thrillers. His stories often begin with an ordinary person facing an extraordinary situation: a midwife whose decisions lead to a courtroom battle, a family confronting a buried secret, or a woman whose disappearance leaves everyone around her questioning what they know.
That range is part of what makes a Chris Bohjalian reading list interesting. Midwives is a legal and ethical drama, The Sandcastle Girls explores the Armenian Genocide through family history, and The Flight Attendant follows a flight attendant whose night in a hotel room turns into a murder investigation. His novels generally stand alone, so you can choose according to your interests rather than committing to one long series.
This guide lists his novels in publication order, explains the connected Sleepwalker books, and includes his nonfiction, short fiction, and plays separately so they are not confused with his novels.
1. The Sleepwalker Books in Order
The Sleepwalker books are the closest thing Chris Bohjalian has to a connected novel series. Both stories involve the Ahlberg family and the mystery surrounding a woman whose sleepwalking raises unsettling questions.
1. The Premonition (2016, short story)
This short prequel introduces the family and the circumstances surrounding the events explored in The Sleepwalker. It offers useful background before the full-length novel, although readers can skip it if they prefer to go straight to the main story.
2. The Sleepwalker (2017)
Lianna Ahlberg’s mother, Annalee, has a history of severe sleepwalking. When Annalee disappears from the family home, Lianna and those closest to her are left trying to understand what happened. The search gradually exposes troubling details about the family and the circumstances of Annalee’s disappearance.
Recommended reading order: The Premonition → The Sleepwalker.
The short story is optional, but it makes a useful introduction to the novel’s unsettling family mystery.
2. Chris Bohjalian Standalone Novels in Publication Order
The following list follows the original publication sequence of Bohjalian’s novels, from his 1988 debut through his 2026 release. Because most are standalone works, this is a publication guide rather than a mandatory reading order.
1. A Killing in the Real World (1988)
Bohjalian’s fiction debut introduces the kind of moral and psychological questions that appear throughout his later work. It is a useful starting point for readers interested in tracing his development as a novelist from the beginning.
2. Hangman (1991)
This early novel explores a disturbing mystery and the people drawn into it. It belongs to Bohjalian’s early body of work, before the wider recognition that came with later novels such as Midwives.
3. Past the Bleachers (1992)
A family-centered novel about grief, community, and the pressure surrounding a young athlete. It explores how a tragedy can affect not just a family but also the wider circle of people invested in a child’s future.
4. Water Witches (1995)
Set against environmental concerns and conflict over natural resources, this novel explores the competing interests of people whose lives are tied to the land and water around them. It combines a contemporary setting with questions about community, responsibility, and the environment.
5. Midwives (1997)
One of Bohjalian’s best-known novels, Midwives follows Sibyl Danforth, a Vermont midwife who performs an emergency cesarean section after believing her patient has died. When the circumstances are challenged, Sibyl faces serious legal and ethical consequences. The novel asks difficult questions about medical judgment, trust, and the difference between intention and outcome.
6. The Law of Similars (1998)
A physician’s personal and professional life becomes complicated by a relationship that challenges his assumptions about medicine, healing, and belief. The novel explores the boundaries between scientific evidence, alternative treatment, and the emotional needs of people searching for answers.
7. Trans-Sister Radio (2000)
When a college professor falls in love with a transgender woman, their relationship forces the people around them to confront their assumptions about gender, identity, and love. The novel explores how a deeply personal relationship can affect an entire family and community.
8. The Buffalo Soldier (2002)
This novel examines race, family, and belonging through the lives of people whose relationships are shaped by history and social expectations. As in many of Bohjalian’s books, the personal story opens up larger questions about responsibility and identity.
9. Before You Know Kindness (2004)
A family vacation is disrupted by an accidental shooting, setting off a chain of consequences that exposes tensions among relatives. The novel examines guilt, forgiveness, political differences, and how a single event can permanently alter a family’s relationships.
10. The Double Bind (2007)
A social worker encounters a homeless man whose belongings appear to connect him to a famous photograph. As she investigates his past, she becomes increasingly absorbed in a story that blurs the line between reality and imagination. The novel is particularly suited to readers who enjoy psychological mysteries with an unusual narrative structure.
11. Skeletons at the Feast (2008)
Set near the end of World War II, this historical novel follows people trying to survive as the German army retreats and the war tears apart familiar lives. Its characters come from different backgrounds, and their paths intersect in a story about fear, displacement, survival, and humanity amid atrocity.
12. Secrets of Eden (2009)
A minister’s wife dies in an apparent murder-suicide, leaving a small Vermont community struggling to understand what happened. As the investigation develops, the story reveals the private lives and hidden truths behind the public tragedy.
13. The Night Strangers (2011)
After surviving a plane crash, pilot Chip Linton moves with his family to a New Hampshire house that seems to offer a fresh start. But the house has a disturbing history, and the people in the surrounding community behave in ways that make the family increasingly uneasy. This is one of Bohjalian’s darker, supernatural-tinged novels.
14. The Sandcastle Girls (2012)
This historical novel explores the Armenian Genocide through the story of an American woman who travels to the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Decades later, her granddaughter investigates the family’s history and uncovers painful truths about love, survival, and a tragedy that shaped generations.
15. The Light in the Ruins (2013)
Set in Tuscany during and after World War II, the novel follows an Italian family whose lives are devastated by the war. Years later, a series of murders brings old secrets back to the surface, connecting the present investigation to the violence and betrayals of the past.
16. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands (2014)
After a catastrophic nuclear accident, Emily Shepard finds herself homeless and estranged from the life she once knew. She tells her story while trying to understand the choices that led to her circumstances. The novel explores guilt, grief, survival, and the ways people attempt to rebuild their lives after disaster.
17. The Guest Room (2016)
Richard Chapman agrees to host a bachelor party at his home, expecting a relatively ordinary evening. Instead, a violent incident involving two young women changes his family’s life and forces him to confront the consequences of decisions made in a moment. The novel examines exploitation, accountability, and the complications of trying to do the right thing.
18. The Flight Attendant (2018)
Cassie Bowden is a flight attendant whose drinking and impulsive behavior leave her waking up in a hotel room beside a dead man. Unable to remember exactly what happened, she becomes entangled in an international investigation and struggles to determine whether she is a witness, a suspect, or something more complicated.
The novel inspired the television adaptation starring Kaley Cuoco, making it one of Bohjalian’s most widely recognized thrillers.
19. The Red Lotus (2020)
Alexis Remnick, an emergency room doctor, travels to Vietnam with her boyfriend, Austin Harper. When Austin disappears after a bicycle ride, Alexis discovers that the circumstances surrounding his disappearance are far more complicated than she imagined. The investigation draws her into a web of deception involving medicine, international crime, and dangerous secrets.
20. Hour of the Witch (2021)
Set in Puritan Boston in the 1660s, this historical novel follows Mary Deerfield, a young woman trapped in a deeply unhappy marriage. When she seeks to escape her husband, her actions place her at risk in a society where accusations of witchcraft can destroy a woman’s life. The novel explores gender, religious authority, and the danger of challenging social expectations.
21. The Lioness (2022)
In 1964, a group of American celebrities and their companions travel to Tanzania on safari. Their trip takes a terrifying turn when they are kidnapped, forcing them to confront the limits of wealth, fame, and privilege. The novel combines a tense survival story with an examination of the people behind their public images.
22. The Princess of Las Vegas (2024)
Crissy Dowling performs as a Princess Diana impersonator in a Las Vegas casino. Her carefully constructed life becomes more complicated when her estranged sister arrives and a murder draws them into a dangerous situation. The novel blends dark humor, family tension, and a crime story set against the artificial glamour of Las Vegas.
23. The Jackal’s Mistress (2025)
Set during the American Civil War, this historical novel follows Libby Steadman, a woman in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley who discovers a badly wounded Union soldier. Her decision about whether to hide and help him puts her in danger and forces her to confront the moral choices created by war, loyalty, and compassion.
24. The Amateur (2026)
A young golf prodigy accidentally kills a caddy with a stray ball at a country club. What initially appears to be a tragic accident leads to an investigation that exposes secret affairs, predatory behavior, and troubling truths about the adults around her. As the teenager faces trial, the novel explores responsibility, privilege, and the consequences of a single moment.
Publication-order recommendation: If you want to read Bohjalian’s novels in the order they appeared, follow the list above. If you prefer a particular genre, you can jump straight to the historical novels, psychological thrillers, or domestic dramas that interest you most.
3. Chris Bohjalian Short Stories and Other Fiction
Bohjalian has also published shorter fiction outside his full-length novels. These works are worth distinguishing from the main novel bibliography, especially if you want to explore his complete output.
The Premonition (2016)
This short story is connected to The Sleepwalker and is best read before the novel. It provides additional context for the Ahlberg family story.
Slot Machine Fever Dreams (2023)
This short story explores the strange, psychologically charged world associated with gambling and Las Vegas. It is a separate short work rather than a novel in the main publication sequence.
The Skydivers (2025)
This short story follows two estranged brothers who inherit their family’s dairy farm and plan a dramatic skydiving experience. The plan becomes the starting point for a darker story involving family tension, money, loyalty, and revenge.
The Club (2025, play)
The Club is a dramatic work rather than a novel. Set in 1968, it brings three married couples together after a night of drinking and bad decisions, using their interactions to examine marriage, race, class, and self-deception.
4. Chris Bohjalian Nonfiction and Plays
Readers looking for every book-length work should also know about Bohjalian’s nonfiction and dramatic writing. These titles are not part of his standalone novel sequence.
Idyll Banter (2003)
Idyll Banter collects essays and columns from Bohjalian’s work as a newspaper columnist. The pieces offer a different side of the author, focusing on observations about everyday life rather than the suspense and historical storytelling found in his novels.
Wingspan (2019)
Originally developed as Grounded, this is one of Bohjalian’s plays. It explores dramatic themes through dialogue and performance rather than the extended narrative structure of his fiction.
Midwives (stage adaptation, 2020)
Bohjalian adapted his acclaimed novel Midwives for the stage. Readers who already know the novel may find the play interesting as a different interpretation of the same story.
5. Which Chris Bohjalian Book Should You Read First?
Because his books cover so many genres, the best starting point depends on what you enjoy.
- For a courtroom and ethical drama: Start with Midwives.
- For a fast-moving psychological thriller: Try The Flight Attendant.
- For historical fiction about World War II: Read Skeletons at the Feast or The Light in the Ruins.
- For Armenian history and family secrets: Choose The Sandcastle Girls.
- For a historical novel about witchcraft accusations: Start with Hour of the Witch.
- For a supernatural-tinged mystery: Try The Night Strangers.
- For a tense story about a family caught in a tragedy: Read Before You Know Kindness.
- For his newest novel: Choose The Amateur.
- For a connected reading experience: Read The Premonition before The Sleepwalker.
If you are new to Bohjalian, Midwives and The Flight Attendant are particularly useful introductions to two very different sides of his writing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chris Bohjalian Books
What is Chris Bohjalian’s first book?
A Killing in the Real World, published in 1988, is generally listed as his first novel. It marks the beginning of a career that has included literary fiction, historical novels, psychological suspense, and thrillers.
Do Chris Bohjalian books need to be read in order?
No. Most of his novels are standalones with separate characters and storylines. The main connected reading path is The Premonition followed by The Sleepwalker.
What is the correct order for The Sleepwalker books?
Read The Premonition first, followed by The Sleepwalker. The former is a short story that provides background, while the latter is the full-length novel about Annalee Ahlberg’s disappearance and its effects on her family.
What is Chris Bohjalian’s most famous book?
Midwives is one of his best-known novels and was selected for Oprah’s Book Club. The Flight Attendant is another widely recognized title, particularly after its television adaptation.
Which Chris Bohjalian books are historical fiction?
Several of his novels explore historical events and settings, including Skeletons at the Feast, The Sandcastle Girls, The Light in the Ruins, Hour of the Witch, and The Jackal’s Mistress. Each approaches history through the lives of characters caught in extraordinary circumstances.
Is The Flight Attendant part of a series?
No. The Flight Attendant is a standalone novel. Its television adaptation expands the story for the screen, but readers do not need to read another Bohjalian book before or after it.
What is Chris Bohjalian’s latest book?
The Amateur was published in August 2026. It follows a young golf prodigy whose accidental killing of a caddy leads to an investigation and a trial that reveal disturbing secrets.
How many books has Chris Bohjalian written?
The number depends on whether you count novels, nonfiction, short stories, plays, and adaptations separately. His official biography describes The Amateur as his 26th book, while bibliographies list additional short fiction and dramatic works beyond the main novels.
About Chris Bohjalian
Chris Bohjalian is a bestselling American novelist whose work spans literary fiction, historical fiction, suspense, and occasional supernatural stories. His novels have been translated into numerous languages, and several have been adapted for film or television.
He is known for writing about difficult moral choices and the ways ordinary lives can be changed by a single event. Rather than staying within one genre, he moves between contemporary thrillers, historical tragedies, family dramas, and stories that challenge readers’ assumptions about justice, identity, and responsibility.
Final Note
For readers who want to follow Chris Bohjalian’s career from the beginning, start with A Killing in the Real World and continue in publication order. If you would rather choose by genre, Midwives offers a compelling legal and ethical drama, The Flight Attendant delivers a twist-filled thriller, and The Sandcastle Girls explores family history against a tragic historical backdrop.
Most importantly, you do not need to read every book to enjoy his work. Each standalone novel offers a different setting, cast, and set of questions, so you can begin with the story that interests you most and explore the rest at your own pace.
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