Browse Authors:
Choose

Ally Carter books in order

Ally Carter is the pseudonym of American New York Times bestselling author, Sarah Leigh Fogleman.

She uses the pen name when writing chick lit, young adult romance, action-adventure romance, children’s books, and non-fiction.

Born in Locust Grove, Oklahoma, Ally holds a degree in agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, and an M.A. in Agricultural Resource and Managerial Economics from Cornell University.

Passionate about heart-pounding stories, she wrote during her free time and ultimately made her debut as a novelist in 2005 with Cheating at Solitaire.

Besides writing multiple series such as Heist Society, Gallagher Girls, Embassy Row, and Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour, Ally also has an original screenplay to her name–A Castle for Christmas–which went on to become #1 on Netflix.

She currently lives within a quick drive of her home farm in Oklahoma.

More about Ally Carter

Genres: Adventure, Chick Lit, Children's Book, Non-fiction, Romance, Young Adult

Born: 1974

United States

Pseudonym: Ally Carter

Website: https://allycarter.com/

Non Series

  • Not If I Save You First (2018)
  • The Blonde Identity (2023)

Omnibus Books

  1. The Complete Gallagher Girls 6 Books Collection Set by Ally Carter (2020)

Cheating at Solitaire

  1. Cheating at Solitaire (2005)
  2. Learning to Play Gin (2006)

Embassy Row

  1. All Fall Down (2015)
  2. See How They Run (2015)
  3. Take The Key And Lock Her Up (2016)

Gallagher Girls

  1. The Spies That Bind: A Gallagher Girls Prequel (2018)
  2. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (2006)
  3. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (2007)
  4. Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover (2009)
  5. Only the Good Spy Young (2010)
  6. Out of Sight, Out of Time (2012)
  7. United We Spy (2013)

Heist Society

  1. Heist Society (2010)
  2. Uncommon Criminals (2011)
  3. Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story (2013)
  4. Perfect Scoundrels (2013)
  5. The Grift of the Magi: A Heist Society Novella (2016)

Non-fiction

  1. Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book (2019)

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour

  1. Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour (2020)
  2. Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery (2021)

Detailed book overview

Non Series

Not If I Save You First

Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president's son, sometimes life has other plans. Before she knows it, Maddie's dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.

No phone. No Internet. And not a single word from Logan.

Maddie tells herself it's okay. After all, she's the most popular girl for 20 miles in any direction. She has wood to cut and weapons to bedazzle. Her life is full. Until Logan shows up six years later . . .And Maddie wants to kill him.

But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking Maddie off a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back- and get help. But the weather is turning and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly.

Maddie still really wants to kill Logan. But she has to save him first.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1338134155
Publisher: Scholastic Press
The Blonde Identity

It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah…

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.

That’s easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe—dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2023
Ebook: B0BLSQ497J
Publisher: Avon

Omnibus Books

The Complete Gallagher Girls 6 Books Collection Set by Ally Carter

The Complete Gallagher Girls Collection 6 Books Box Set by Ally Carter:

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You:

Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses - but it's really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti).

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy:

There I was: Cammie the Chameleon--the Gallagher Girl who had risked the most sacred sisterhood in the history of espionage. For a boy.

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover:

Here's the thing about covert operations: the really bad things always happen when you least expect them. The enemies don't give you a heads-up. And they never let you stop to put on comfortable shoes. A spy-in-training, Cammie Morgan has a cover for every occasion.

Only The Good Spy Young:

I thought I was prepared for most scary situations. I've been almost kidnapped twice, fake kidnapped once, targeted by one terrorist organization and two very cute boys. But this moment was truly terrifying...Cammie 'The Chameleon' knows by now that even she can't hide from danger.

Out of Sight, Out of Time:

Normal. I liked the sound of that. Sure, as the daughter of two secret agents, I didn't really know what normal meant, but that didn't matter. Normal was my new mission. Cammie wakes up in an Alpine convent having lost her memory of the whole summer.

United we Spy:

The sixth book in the Gallagher Girls series leads Cammie and her spy school friends to another wildly entertaining mission. With new assignments to tail and capture, the final book in the globally bestselling series results in an explosive.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-1408346228

Cheating at Solitaire

Cheating at Solitaire

Self-help guru Julia James is so good at being single that she's become famous for it-advising women that they don't need a man to be happy. Then the unthinkable happens. 

Just when her newest book, 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire, is about to hit stores, a trumped-up piece of gossip linking her to a gorgeous actor hits the papers. Their pictures are splashed all over the tabloids, and now Julia's credibility is about to hit rock bottom. But she isn't going down without a fight. Unless, that is, the actor is going down with her.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2005
ISBN: 978-0425205747
Publisher: Berkley Trade Pub
Learning to Play Gin

Julia James was on a winning streak. The hot self-help author of the single-girl's guide 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire had millions in the bank and a boyfriend on the Hollywood A-list. But when her books drop off the bestseller list and her famous boyfriend moves to L.A., Julia must discover how a woman who became famous for being single can win at a game made for two.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2006
ISBN: 978-0425211922
Publisher: Berkley

Embassy Row

All Fall Down

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things:

1. She is not crazy.

2. Her mother was murdered.

3. Someday she is going to find the killer and make him pay.

As certain as Grace is about these facts, nobody else believes her -- so there's no one she can completely trust. Not her grandfather, a powerful ambassador. Not her new friends, who all live on Embassy Row. Not Alexei, the Russian boy next door, who is keeping his eye on Grace for reasons she neither likes nor understands.

Everybody wants Grace to put on a pretty dress and a pretty smile, blocking out all her unpretty thoughts. But they can't control Grace -- no more than Grace can control what she knows or what she needs to do. Her past has come back to hunt her . . . and if she doesn't stop it, Grace isn't the only one who will get hurt. Because on Embassy Row, the countries of the world stand like dominoes, and one wrong move can make them all fall down.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0545654807
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
See How They Run

Some Secrets Are Better Left Unfound.

For the past three years, Grace Blakely has been desperate to find out the truth about her mother's murder. She thought it would bring her peace. She thought it would lead her to answers. She thought she could put the past to rest. But the truth has only made her a target. And the past? The only way to put the past to rest is for Grace to kill it once and for all. 

On Embassy Row, power can make you a victor or a victim; love can turn you into a fool or a fugitive; and family can lead you forward or bury you deep. Trust is a luxury. Death is a very real threat. And a girl like Grace must be very careful about which secrets she brings to light.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0545654937
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Take The Key And Lock Her Up

For the past three years, Grace Blakely has been desperate to find out the truth about her mother's murder. She thought it would bring her peace. She thought it would lead her to answers. She thought she could put the past to rest. But the truth has only made her a target. And the past? The only way to put the past to rest is for Grace to kill it once and for all.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-0545655019
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Gallagher Girls

The Spies That Bind: A Gallagher Girls Prequel

The first day at a new school is tough for any kid, but it's especially scary when you're going to a school for spies. Cammie Morgan has spent her whole life dreaming of becoming a Gallagher Girl, but she has no idea what she’ll face when she arrives at The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Secret passages? Check. Lab experiments that might make you lose your eyebrows (and other body parts)? Check. Classmates who are the smartest, strongest, most intimidating girls in the world? Double check.

Cammie might be a Gallagher legacy, but she's about to learn that the most intimidating part about the Gallagher Academy are the Gallagher Girls themselves. Soon Cammie and her clumsy-but-genius roommate Liz, and the glamorous Bex have to learn the most important lesson of the seventh grade: getting into spy school is hard. Surviving spy school is harder.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2018
Ebook: B07DKX2QHR
Publisher: Audible Originals
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school -- that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it's really a school for spies.

Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist" -- but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's on her most dangerous mission -- falling in love.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2006
ISBN: 978-1484785058
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

After the excitement of the fall, all Cammie Morgan wants is peaceful semester at school. But that's easier said than done when you're a CIA legacy and go to the premier school in the world...for spies. Cammie may have a genius I.Q., but there are still a lot of things she doesn't know. Like, how much trouble is she really in after what happened last semester? What will happen with Josh? And above all, why is her mother acting so strangely?

Despite Cammie's best intentions to be a normal student, danger seems to follow her. She and her friends learn that their school is going to play host to some mysterious guests-code name: Blackthorne. Then she's blamed for a security breach that leaves the school's top secret status at risk. 

Soon, Cammie and her friends are crawling through walls and surveilling the school to learn the truth about Blackthorne and clear Cammie's name. Even though they have confidence in their spy skills, this time the targets are tougher (and hotter), and the stakes for Cammie's heart-and her beloved school-are higher than ever.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2007
ISBN: 978-1484785034
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover

When Cammie Morgan visits her roommate Macey in Boston, she thinks she's in for an exciting end to her summer. After all, she's there to watch Macey's father accept the nomination for vice president of the United States. But when you go to the world's best school (for spies), "exciting" and "deadly" are never far apart. The girls suddenly find themselves trapped in a kidnapper's plot, with only their espionage skills to save them.

Soon Cammie is joining Bex and Liz as Macey's private security team on the campaign trail, where they struggle to answer the questions Who is after Macey? And how can the Gallagher Girls keep her safe? The girls must use their spy training at every turn as the stakes are raised, and Cammie gets closer and closer to the shocking truth . . .

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2009
ISBN: 978-1484785041
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Only the Good Spy Young

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn't know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that's exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her. 

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie "The Chameleon" can't hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers--or even her own heart.

The Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth as they discover that the key to Cammie's future may lie deep in the past.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2010
ISBN: 978-1484785065
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Out of Sight, Out of Time

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan-an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers that months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie's summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It's a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-1484785072
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
United We Spy

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle's elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie-and her country-forever.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-1484785089
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Heist Society

Heist Society

For as long as she can remember, Katarina has been a part of the family business-thieving. When Kat tries to leave "the life" for a normal life, her old friend Hale conspires to bring her back into the fold. Why? A mobster's art collection has been stolen and Kat's father is the only suspect. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.

The only solution is to find the paintings and steal them back. Kat's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's history-and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

NB: This book is also known as Thief Girl.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2010
ISBN: 978-1423116615
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Uncommon Criminals

Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life. Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she's simply been known as the girl who robbed the greatest museum in the world. That's why Kat isn't surprised when she's asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners.

There are only three problems. First, the gem is owned by the most secure auction house in the world. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long, and in Kat's world, history almost always repeats itself. But it's the third problem that makes Kat's crew the most nervous and that is simply the emerald is cursed.

Kat might be in way over her head, but she's not going down without a fight. After all she has her best friend-the gorgeous Hale-and the rest of her intrepid crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the world, realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time.

Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules.

NB: This book is also known as Diamond Crime.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-1408350034
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Double Crossed: A Spies and Thieves Story

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour. When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. 

Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2013
Ebook: B00AMQ6U3S
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Perfect Scoundrels

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it's that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting-or stealing-whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale's family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother's billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there's no place for Kat in his new role. But Kat won't let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother's will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company's fortune. So instead of being the heir-this time, Hale might be the mark.

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she's willing to save her boyfriend's company if it means losing the boy.

NB: This book is also known as Stolen Heart.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-1423166818
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
The Grift of the Magi: A Heist Society Novella

Katarina Bishop is a thief. To many it wouldn’t matter that she now uses her considerable skills to resteal valuable works of art and return them to their rightful homes. She’s still a thief.

So that’s why Kat’s surprised when an Interpol agent comes to her one snowy evening, asking for her help.

The Magi Miracle Network was set to auction off a very rare, very valuable Fabergé egg two days before Christmas, but the egg has been stolen and now the charity’s reputation—and their future—is on the line.

Kat’s family and Interpol might be on opposite sides of most jobs, but someone just stole Christmas.

Now it’s up to Kat and her crew to steal it back.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2016
Ebook: B07DRMHZ71

Non-fiction

Dear Ally, How Do You Write a Book

Have you always wanted to write a book, but don't know where to start? Or maybe you're really great at writing the first few chapters . . . but you never quite make it to the end? Or do you finally have a finished manuscript, but you're not sure what to do next? Fear not―if you have writing-related questions, this book has answers!

Whether you're writing for fun or to build a career, bestselling author Ally Carter is ready to help you make your work shine. With honesty, encouragement, and humor, Ally's here to answer the questions that writers struggle with the most.

Filled with practical tips and helpful advice, Dear Ally is a treasure for aspiring writers at any stage of their careers. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at how books get made, from idea to publication, and gives you insight into the writing processes of some of the biggest and most talented YA authors today.

With contributions from Jesse Andrews, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Holly Black, Sarah Rees Brennan, Z Brewer, Rachel Caine, Soman Chainani, Cassandra Clare, Dhonielle Clayton, Jay Coles, Zoraida Córdova, Melissa de la Cruz, Elizabeth Eulberg, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Alan Gratz, Shannon Hale, Kody Keplinger, Gordon Korman, David Levithan, Alex London, Marie Lu, Marissa Meyer, Julie Murphy, Daniel José Older, Stephanie Perkins, Carrie Ryan, Eliot Schrefer, Maggie Stiefvater, and Kiersten White, Dear Ally is a must-read for anyone who has ever asked the question "How do you write a book?"

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-1338212273
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valour

April didn't mean to start the fire. She wasn’t the one who broke the vase. April didn’t ask to go live in a big, creepy mansion with a bunch of orphans who just don't understand that April isn’t like them. After all, April’s mother is coming back for her someday very soon.

All April has to do is find the clues her mother left inside the massive mansion. But Winterborne House is hiding more than one secret, so April and her friends are going to have to work together to unravel the riddle of a missing heir, a creepy legend, and a mysterious key before the only home they’ve ever known is lost to them forever.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-0358447870
Publisher: Clarion Books
Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery

Five orphans. Two sword-wielding vigilantes. One mansion. No rules.

April thought she had her happy ending. After all, she has her new house and new friends and new guardian. But she also has a very big new secret.

The kids of Winterborne House are the only ones who know that Gabriel Winterborne—famous billionaire and terrible cook—is really a sword-wielding vigilante.

What they don’t know is that he’s not the only one.

When a masked figure breaks in, looking for something—or someone—it’s clear that Gabriel has met his match, and now no one is safe. April and her friends will have to solve a decades-old mystery in order to hang on to the most important thing in the world: each other.

Author: Ally Carter
First Release: 2021
ISBN: 978-0358743224
Publisher: Clarion Books