Order of Delia Owens Books

Delia Owens is an American author and wildlife scientist based in Idaho. She has written numerous books about her life as a wildlife scientist working in Africa. Her first novel is Where the Crawdads Sing.

Delia grew up the daughter of an outside-girl in her mother who instilled a love in the outdoors in her from a young age. She learned not to be afraid of critters and grew up learning that Nature could be one of her very best friends. So it was no surprise that she went to the University of Georgia to receive a degree in Zoology. After receiving that she would move to the University of California in Davis to get her PhD in Animal Behavior. After finishing school she spent years working in Africa. First studying the lions of the Kalahari and later heading to the North Luangwa Valley of Zambia to study the elephants. After nearly twenty years in Africa, she moved to Idaho where she dedicates much of her time to the conservation of grizzly bears, wolves and wetlands.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

If You Like Delia Owens Books, You’ll Love…

• Heather Morris
• Liane Moriarty
• Kristin Hannah

Owens’ first novel is Where the Crawdaddy Sings. The title is inspired by what her mother would tell her as a child, saying, “Go way out yonder where the crawdads sing.” The book draws on Owens’s history as a nature writer and she classifies the novel as a socio-biological thriller. The book tells the story of a young girl in North Carolina who was abandoned by her family in the swamps and now lives off of the land. The locals know her as “Marsh Girl” and when a young man is found dead, she is the first suspect. This is a heartbreaking coming of age story as the young girl survives, but yearns to be touched and loves.