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Lynne Hinton is an American pastor and author of inspirational books.

She is known for writing several books, including the New York Times Bestseller Friendship Cake (2000).

A native of North Carolina, she studied at Wake Forest University and University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Lynne also attended NC School of the Arts, School of Filmmaking, and is a graduate of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, where she received her Masters of Divinity.

She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and has served as a hospice chaplain and as a senior pastor in Guilford County and Asheboro, North Carolina and in Rio Rancho, New Mexico and as the interim pastor in northeastern Washington.

Lynne, who currently serves as the Conference Director of the New Mexico Conference of Churches, resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her husband.

More about Lynne Hinton

Genre: Inspirational

United States

Non Series

  • The Things I Know Best (2001)
  • The Last Odd Day (2004)
  • The Arms of God (2005)
  • The Order of Things (2009)
  • The View From Here (2018)
  • The Beekeeper's Wife (2020)

Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery

  1. Sister Eve, Private Eye (2014)
  2. The Case of the Sin City Sister (2015)
  3. Sister Eve and the Blue Nun (2016)

Hope Springs

  1. Friendship Cake (2000)
  2. Hope Springs (2002)
  3. Forever Friends (2003)
  4. Christmas Cake (2009)
  5. Wedding Cake (2010)

Omnibus Books

  1. For Love and Honor (2012)

Pie Town

  1. Pie Town (2011)
  2. Welcome Back to Pie Town (2012)
Omnibus Books

Detailed book overview

Non Series

The Things I Know Best

The townsfolk in Pleasant Cross, North Carolina, carry a healthy suspicion of the three generations of Ivy women. Each Ivy woman has been blessed with the gift of Knowing, but it's eighteen-year-old Tessa and her unique powers that cause folks to raise their eyebrows. 

When Rev. Renfrow and his son, Sterling, roll into town with their Airstream trailer and special brand of faith, things will never be the same, as a tragic secret is uncovered and the Ivy women learn the true meaning of kinship and hope.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2001
ISBN: 978-0062517289
Publisher: HarperOne
The Last Odd Day

Jean Clover was born on a mountain to a blind daddy and a mama steeped in sadness. O. T. Witherspoon came along and if he didn't exactly sweep her off her feet, well, Jean knew she would be leaving that mountain behind forever -- for a life maybe just removed from that long history of creeping sadness -- for a life full of children.

What Jean learns is that life is not what anyone expects; it is full of odd events and small, unforeseen details. When O. T. dies, Jean is forced to dig into a past she thought she'd left behind forever and makes a stunning discovery. Forced to reckon with a legacy she didn't know existed, Jean finds a friend the last place she expected. 

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2004
ISBN: 978-0060750596
Publisher: Harper San Francisco
The Arms of God

Alice is making her daughter dinner when her mother Olivia, who left her at a day care center when she was four, appears at her door. Alice has learned almost nothing about Olivia, when suddenly Olivia dies, leaving Alice to sift through her belongings. As she pieces together her mother's life, Alice learns how a woman can become so desperate that she leaves her child-- and so courageous that she finds her again.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2005
ISBN: 978-0312361617
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
The Order of Things

Andreas Jay Hackett is a university librarian known for her love of keeping things organized. But one summer, she finds herself falling away from a sense of well being, depressed, "out of order." 

Her work doesn't give her pleasure, her friends worry about her, and her own voice begins to frighten her. Therapy, pills and doctors visits don't help, so Andreas checks herself into a psychiatric facility. There, she finds herself in a room next door to a prison inmate who has also been hospitalized. 

As she talks with her new neighbor, Andreas begins to come out of her despair--ultimately finding the healing she needs through a friendship that develops in the darkest of circumstances, and despite boundaries of race, gender, education, and age.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2009
Ebook: B002VAHGU4
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
The View From Here

Katie Sinclair climbed up a loblolly pine just to see if she could. And then she stayed, creating a media sensation and more than a little trouble for the folks in Jones County, North Carolina. There is a lot of speculation about why the state employee took to the tree. Some think she is making a political statement about the destruction of forests for urban development. Others believe her recent divorce has driven her to a nervous breakdown.

But the truth is she’s living in a tree because she needs a new perspective. She needs a wider view of a life that had somehow become tedious and small. From her perch high above, Katie deals with the deputy who keeps being sent to try and talk her down, a brutal spring storm, well-meaning environmentalists, odd and interesting townspeople, a pair of protective horned owls, a mysterious reporter, and even some dangerous "boys" sent by a local developer whose plans demand the removal of her tree.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2018
Ebook: B07DP5ZPVQ
Publisher: NewSouth Books
The Beekeeper's Wife

The Beekeeper's Wife follows one woman's journey of learning how to let go of what keeps her stuck, and finding out how to open her heart to life. Exploring the power of loss and love, New York Times bestselling author Lynne Hinton weaves a story of courage, friendship, what we need to feel secure, and what is required to move forward.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2020
ISBN: 978-1735860053
Publisher: Warren Publishing

Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery

Sister Eve, Private Eye

Sister Eve knows God moves in mysterious ways. And Eve adores a good mystery. Especially a murder.

Two decades into her calling at a New Mexico monastery, Sister Evangeline Divine breaks her daily routine when a police officer appears, carrying a message from her father. Sister Eve is no stranger to the law, having grown up with a police captain turned private detective. She’s seen her fair share of crime—and knows a thing or two about solving mysteries.

But when Captain Jackson Divine needs her to return home and help him recover from surgery, Sister Eve finds herself taking on his latest case.

A Hollywood director has disappeared, and the sultry starlet he’s been running around with isn’t talking. When the missing man turns up dead, Captain Divine’s case escalates into a full-blown murder case, and Sister Eve’s crime-solving instincts kick in with an almost God-given grace.

Soon Sister Eve finds herself soul-searching every step of the way: How can she choose between the vocation in her heart and the job in her blood?

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-1401691455
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
The Case of the Sin City Sister

She's not your average nun. And now Sister Eve Divine's risking it all, searching for a mission person in Vegas.

Sister Eve Divine recently discovered she’s got a gift: turns out she’s a natural at private detective work. But is it a temptation or a calling? As Eve wrestles with this question, she’s taking a leave of absence from the convent, investigating a case with her PI father.

But something else troubles Eve. It’s been weeks since Eve heard from her sister, Dorisanne. And Eve’s gut tells her that something sinister has happened to her difficult sibling. There’s only one place Eve can find the answers she’s looking for: in Dorisanne’s world, under the bright lights of Sin City—Las Vegas,

Late night visits to the casino and some clever clues hidden in an address book set Eve on a trail that soon reveals that Dorisanne’s life is darker and more complicated than Eve ever expected. In the end, Eve’s ability to understand her sister—and herself—may be a matter of life and death.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-1401691479
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Sister Eve and the Blue Nun

After a murder at the monastery, Sister Eve may need a miracle if she is to prove a dear friend isn’t a cold-blooded killer.

Sister Eve, a motorcycle-riding nun with a natural (or is it supernatural?) gift for solving murders returns to the enclave she once called home and quickly finds herself confronting yet another mysterious death.

Someone has poisoned Dr. Kelly Middlesworth—a researcher on the life and ministry of 17th-century’s revered “Blue Nun”—and a set of irreplaceable historic documents have disappeared before they could even be examined.

When all evidence seems to point to the victim’s brother, Sister Eve sets out to expose the killer and learn the explosive truth those missing manuscripts might contain.

Chasing a killer is dangerous work, and as her two worlds collide, Sister Eve may need some heavenly help simply to survive.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-0718041885
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishers

Hope Springs

Friendship Cake

Lynne Hinton’s beloved bestselling classic, Friendship Cake, is a beautiful, poignant, and funny novel of five small-town women friends that offers inspiring life lessons in faith, love, strength, survival, and community—as well as a host of delicious Southern recipes!

A heartwarming delight reminiscent of Jan Karon’s New York Times bestselling Mitford books, Friendship Cake, in the words of Rita Mae Brown (Rubyfruit Jungle), “will give you plenty to chew over. Delicious!”

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2000
ISBN: 978-0062517319
Publisher: Harper San Francisco
Hope Springs

Make friends in Hope Springs

Pull up a chair and discover the strength and sustenance of friendship with Jessie, Margaret, Louise, Beatrice, and Charlotte, as the unique bond forged between these five remarkable women is put to the test when one of their own is stricken with a deadly illness. Filled with the mystery and wonder that make life worthwhile, Hope Springs will lift your spirits and warm your heart.

NB: This book is also known as Garden of Faith.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2002
ISBN: 978-0062517470
Publisher: Harper San Francisco
Forever Friends

Come Back to Hope Springs, Where Friendships Last a Lifetime.

The women of Hope Springs Community Church have weathered some pretty fierce storms. Now their friendships are tested again when one of their own is leaving. Join Louise, Jessie, Charlotte, Beatrice, and Margaret for a farewell that Hope Springs will never forget.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2003
ISBN: 978-0062517494
Publisher: HarperOne
Christmas Cake

In a long-awaited sequel to her beloved national bestseller Friendship Cake, author Lynne Hinton returns to the town of Hope Springs with Christmas Cake, a heartwarming story that celebrates the close and lifelong bonds among women. Set in a small fictional Southern community as unforgettable as Jan Karon’s  Mitford, Christmas Cake movingly addresses issues of life and death, faith and love—and good cooking!

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2009
ISBN: 978-0061711503
Publisher: Avon Trade
Wedding Cake

First came Friendship Cake, then Christmas Cake, and now Wedding Cake—another delightful chapter in the ongoing story of the ladies of Hope Springs, North Carolina, who, after a difficult year, are banding together to find the perfect husband for a dear friend. 

Author Lynne Hinton has cooked up a wonderful confection that fans of Jan Karon, Fannie Flagg, and Kaye Gibbons will want to devour. Wedding Cake is comforting, warm, and satisfying—and it comes with delicious recipes, too!

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2010
ISBN: 978-0061711510
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Omnibus Books

For Love and Honor

Three military heroes . . . fighting to protect their countries, their homes, and the women they love.

For Love and Honor

In New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell's The Bookish Miss Nelson, it's the duty of daring Army Captain William Duroy to escort Miss Pippa Nelson through enemy territory, bringing her safely home to England. But can he resist falling in love?

In Lynne Hinton's Letters From Pie Town, a New Mexico town couldn't be prouder of its very own Raymond Twinhorse, injured while fighting in Afghanistan. So Trina Lockhart gathers letters from Raymond's friends and family, hoping their wishes will help to heal the man she loves—and bring him back home.

In Candis Terry's Home Sweet Home, Lt. Aiden Marshall returns to Sweet, Texas, after facing the devastation of war. With the help of the entire town—and a tail-wagging companion—the woman he's always loved makes her hero's homecoming all the more sweet.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-0062218162
Publisher: Avon Impulse

Pie Town

Pie Town

Welcome to Pie Town! Bestselling author Lynne Hinton—who has delighted readers with her heartwarming tales of faith, food, and friendship—has cooked up a delectable treat for fans of Fannie Flagg, Whitney Otto, Kaye Gibbons, and Jan Karon’s Mitford books…as well as the dedicated readers of her own popular Hope Springs novels (Friendship Cake, Christmas Cake, et al).

The first in a series centered around the inhabitants of a small New Mexico town once renowned for its homemade desserts, Pie Town is the touching and funny tale about the unexpected changes a sleepy little southwestern community undergoes following the arrival of a well-meaning but woefully unprepared priest and a young hitchhiker who looks like big trouble.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-0062045089
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Welcome Back to Pie Town

Lynne Hinton of Friendship Cake fame delighted readers everywhere when she invited them to experience the simple joys and small triumphs of the endearing residents of Pie Town—a tiny New Mexico community once renowned for its unsurpassable baked desserts. 

And now, Welcome Back to Pie Town for a second slice of small-town life, as sweet and tasty as the first. The recently rejuvenated Pie Town is a tiny speck of heaven on earth for most of its inhabitants, but not for one recently returned veteran of the war in Afghanistan, who now feels ill at ease and out of place—and it will take the love of a good woman and the support of the whole town to truly bring him back home again. As an extra added treat, Welcome Back to Pie Town features recipes from the novel…for mouth-watering pies, of course.

Author: Lynne Hinton
First Release: 2012
ISBN: 978-0062045126
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks