Book Series Guide

Author guide

Kate Morton Books in Order

Kate Morton is an Australian author whose novels combine historical settings, family secrets, mysteries, and multiple timelines. She is the author of seven novels, including The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House, The Clockmaker's Daughter, and Homecoming.

historical fictionmysteryliterary fiction

Catalog record updated .

Kate Morton's Newest Book

Cover of Homecoming

Homecoming

novel · First published 2023

The highly anticipated new novel from the worldwide bestselling author of The Clockmaker's Daughter, a spellbinding story that begins with a shocking crime, the effects of which echo across continents and generations. 'This is Morton's best yet.' - Publishers Weekly 'Morton is such a clever writer, crafting a rich, absorbing and complex story about familiar people and places, but keeping readers on their toes until the very last sentence.' - The Advertiser Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of a grand country house, a local man makes a terrible discovery. Police are called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most baffling murder investigations in the history of South Australia. Many years later and thousands of miles away, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for nearly two decades, she now finds herself unemployed and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and is seriously ill in hospital. At Nora's house, Jess discovers a true-crime book chronicling a long-buried police case: the Turner Family Tragedy of 1959. It is only when Jess skims through its pages that she finds a shocking connection between her ownfamily and this notorious event – a murder mystery that has never been satisfactorily resolved. An epic story that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, how we protect the lies we tell, and what it means to come home. Above all, it is an intricate and spellbinding novel from one of the finest writers working today. 'A gripping whodunnit. Sublime.' - The Australian Women's Weekly 'A definite contender for novel of the year, Homecoming lives up to its promise, providing a masterclass on storytelling. Compellingly written with a mesmerising pace … a must read.' - Better Reading

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton

Chronological starting point and Kate Morton's debut novel.

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (7)
  1. The House at Riverton

    novel · 2006

    1 volume ; 20 cm

  2. The Forgotten Garden

    novel · 2008

    "A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family, a love denied, a mystery. A captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, secrets, family and memory. Cassandra is lost, alone…

  3. The Distant Hours

    novel · 2010

    The discovery of a long-lost letter reveals an old secret and the truth behind a woman's mysterious past in the best-selling novel from international publishing sensation, Kate Morton, author of The Shifting Fog and The Forgotten Garden.

  4. The Secret Keeper

    novel · 2012

    Withdrawing from a family party to the solitude of her tree house, 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson witnesses a shocking murder that throughout a subsequent half century shapes her beliefs, her acting career and the lives of three strangers…

  5. The Lake House

    novel · 2015

    From the New York Times bestselling author of Homecoming comes a “moody, suspenseful page-turner” (People, Best Book Pick) filled with mystery and spellbinding secrets. Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England,…

  6. The Clockmaker's Daughter

    novel · 2018

    "A rich, spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lake House - the story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that cast their shadows across generations, set in England from the 1860's until the present day"--

  7. Homecoming

    novel · 2023

    The highly anticipated new novel from the worldwide bestselling author of The Clockmaker's Daughter, a spellbinding story that begins with a shocking crime, the effects of which echo across continents and generations. 'This is Morton's…

Frequently asked questions about Kate Morton

Who is Kate Morton?

Kate Morton is an Australian author best known for award-winning, internationally bestselling novels that combine historical settings, family secrets, mysteries, and multiple timelines.

Sources: katemorton.com (opens in a new tab)simonandschuster.com (opens in a new tab)

Where did Kate Morton grow up?

She grew up on Tamborine Mountain in the rainforests of southeastern Queensland, attending a small country school. As a child, she invented make-believe games with her sisters and read extensively.

Source: katemorton.com (opens in a new tab)

What did Kate Morton study before becoming a writer?

She initially enrolled in law, but turned toward theatre and studied speech and drama at Trinity College London, followed by a Shakespeare course at RADA. She later completed Honours and master’s degrees in English Literature at the University of Queensland.

Sources: katemorton.com (opens in a new tab)alumni.uq.edu.au (opens in a new tab)

What influences Kate Morton’s writing?

Her childhood love of Enid Blyton and Trixie Belden, along with Victorian literature and gothic novels such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, influenced her interest in layered stories, secrets, old houses, and connections between past and present.

Source: katemorton.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards and recognition has Kate Morton received?

Her debut novel won the 2007 Australian Book Industry Awards General Fiction Book of the Year. Her books have also become international number-one bestsellers and are published in 38 languages across 45 territories.

Sources: katemorton.com (opens in a new tab)katemorton.com (opens in a new tab)