Publication order
It’s recommended to read the Cat and Mouse books in publication order,[1-5] because the series introduces connected characters and overlapping events across its installments, by following this sequence:[6-10]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Satan’s Affair | 2021[3] | Introduces Sibby and provides her perspective on events that later overlap with Haunting Adeline. |
| 2 |  | Haunting Adeline | 2021[1] | Begins Addie and Zade’s story and the mystery surrounding Parsons Manor. |
| 3 |  | Hunting Adeline | 2022[2] | Continues the plot of Haunting Adeline. |
| 4 |  | Where’s Molly | 2024[4] | Expands the story behind Molly’s journal after her connection is established in Hunting Adeline. |
| 5 |  | Phantom | 2025[5] | Returns to Gigi and Ronaldo’s 1940s story after their history is introduced through Addie’s investigation. |
Chronological order
Phantom occupies the earliest chronological position, while Satan’s Affair and Haunting Adeline overlap rather than forming a simple before-and-after pair. Where’s Molly contains both earlier events and a 2022 present-day storyline, so its exact position relative to the main novels cannot be established.[6-10]
Chronology is more useful for understanding relationships between the books than as a first-time reading route. It moves Gigi and Ronaldo’s story ahead of Addie’s investigation and accounts for the overlap between Sibby and Zade’s perspectives.[6-10]
Alternatively, the Cat and Mouse books may be read in chronological order by following this sequence:[6-10]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Phantom | 2025[5] | Set in 1944–1946, long before the present-day stories. |
| 2 | | Satan’s Affair | 2021[3] | Begins before and later overlaps events depicted in Haunting Adeline. |
| 3 | | Haunting Adeline | 2021[1] | Shares its haunted-fair episode with Satan’s Affair and precedes Hunting Adeline. |
| 4 | | Hunting Adeline | 2022[2] | Continues Haunting Adeline and includes a later stage of Sibby’s story. |
| Where’s Molly | 2024[4] | Its 2022 storyline lacks a precise position relative to the other novels. |
Works in sequence
Haunting Adeline and Hunting Adeline are required for the principal narrative. Satan’s Affair, Where’s Molly, and Phantom expand characters, events, and history connected to that storyline without being required to follow Addie and Zade’s central arc.[6-10]
1. Satan’s Affair
Satan’s Affair (2021)[3] follows Sibby, a woman hiding inside a traveling Halloween attraction who believes she can identify evil visitors by scent. Her life with five protective henchmen is interwoven with memories of the religious cult she escaped.[8]
This book establishes Sibby’s perspective and her connection with Zade, adding background for her appearances in the later books. Its fair episode overlaps Haunting Adeline rather than taking place entirely before it.[8]
2. Haunting Adeline
Haunting Adeline (2021)[1] follows author Addie Reilly as she inherits Parsons Manor, investigates her great-grandmother’s diaries, and becomes the target of a stalker. Her discoveries about the house develop alongside Zade’s campaign against a trafficking network.[6]
The novel establishes the central relationship, the family-history mystery, and the unresolved conflicts that carry into Hunting Adeline.[6]
3. Hunting Adeline
Hunting Adeline (2022)[2] follows Addie and Zade as their conflict with the trafficking network becomes a struggle for survival and recovery. The focus extends beyond pursuit and confrontation to the effects of trauma on their relationship.[7]
It supplies the second half of the principal narrative, carrying the earlier novel’s unresolved crisis into its aftermath rather than introducing an independent storyline.[7]
4. Where’s Molly
Where’s Molly (2024)[4] centers on Molly Devereaux, a trafficking survivor living under another identity on a Montana pig farm. Alternating timelines connect her present relationship with Cage Everhart to her escape, separation from her sister, and efforts to rebuild her life.[9]
Molly’s story expands the journal connection in Hunting Adeline, but its separate protagonists and central relationship make it independently readable.[9]
5. Phantom
Phantom (2025)[5] follows Genevieve “Gigi” Parsons and Ronaldo Capello as their secret relationship develops in 1940s Seattle. Her troubled marriage and his Mafia obligations shape a story centered on the earlier inhabitants of Parsons Manor.[10]
This historical expansion develops the relationship that Addie encounters through family records in Haunting Adeline. Although it occurs earlier, reading it after the other novels preserves the progression from Addie’s investigation to Gigi’s own story.[10]
References
- Haunting Adeline. H. D. Carlton. Copyright page. ISBN: 9798454848842.
- Hunting Adeline. H. D. Carlton. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781957635019.
- Satan’s Affair. H. D. Carlton. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781957635064.
- Where’s Molly. H. D. Carlton. Copyright page. ISBN: 9781957635156.
- Phantom: 9781957635248: Carlton, H. D.: Books. Amazon.com.
- Haunting Adeline. H. D. Carlton. ISBN: 9781957635002.
- Hunting Adeline. H. D. Carlton. ISBN: 9781957635019.
- Satan’s Affair. H. D. Carlton. ISBN: 9781957635064.
- Where’s Molly. H. D. Carlton. ISBN: 9781957635156.
- Phantom. H. D. Carlton. ISBN: 9781957635248.