🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Sam Blake
Sam Blake is the pseudonym of Irish mystery author Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin. She is also known as one of Ireland’s top literary coaches, agents, and scout. Blake is from St. Albans in the UK though she has lived in Scotland ever since she got married to Shane O’Loughlin, a member of the Irish Police. She started out working in event management and became the founder of Inkwell Writers Workshops that focused on bringing together bestselling authors to teach aspiring writers. During 2008 when Ireland was undergoing an economic crisis, she changed her company into a publishing consultancy working with aspiring authors named The Inkwell Group. In 2015, she was signed by Bonnier Twenty7 to pen a three-book series set in Dublin featuring Cat Connolly, a Garda detective.
All Book Series by Sam Blake
Something Terrible Happened Last Night
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2023
Something's About to Blow Up
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2024
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Sam Blake?
Sam Blake is the pseudonym of Irish mystery author Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin. She is also known as one of Ireland’s top literary coaches, agents, and scout. Blake is from St. Albans in the UK though she has lived in Scotland ever since she got married to Shane O’Loughlin, a member of the Irish Police.
Which Sam Blake series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Cathy Connolly series, the earliest of Sam Blake's multi-book series: it opens with Little Bones (2017) and runs to 3 books across 2017–2018, ending with No Turning Back (2018). Sam Blake's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Sam Blake written?
Sam Blake has 15 books catalogued in this guide, published between 2017 and 2026. Every one of them sits in one of 3 named series — the largest being the SamBlake Standalone Novels series with 10 books.
In what order should Sam Blake's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Sam Blake's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Cathy Connolly (2017–2018, 3 books), SamBlake Standalone Novels (2020–2026, 10 books) and Raven's Hill School (2023–2024, 2 books).
How are Sam Blake's books organised into series?
This guide splits Sam Blake's 15 books into 3 named series, with no standalone titles: SamBlake Standalone Novels (10 books, 2020–2026); Cathy Connolly (3 books, 2017–2018); Raven's Hill School (2 books, 2023–2024).