Joan Hess Reading Order

20 books (1975–2014)

The Amelia Peabody series is a complete mystery collection of 20 books published between 1975 and 2014 by Elizabeth Peters. These novels should be read in publication order to follow the interconnected storylines and character development throughout the series. The mysteries are set in Egypt during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, blending archaeological adventure with detective work. Begin with Crocodile on the Sandbank and continue through all twenty installments for the full narrative experience.

Start with Crocodile on the Sandbank(By: Elizabeth Peters), the first of 20 books in the Amelia Peabody series.

#	Title
1	Crocodile on the Sandbank(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1975Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Curse of the Pharaohs(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Mummy Case(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Lion in the Valley(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Deeds of the Disturber(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Last Camel Died at Noon(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Hippopotamus Pool(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Seeing a Large Cat(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Ape Who Guards the Balance(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Falcon at the Portal(By: Elizabeth Peters) 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	He Shall Thunder in the Sky(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Lord of the Silent(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Golden One(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Children of the Storm(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Guardian of the Horizon(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Serpent on the Crown(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Tomb of the Golden Bird(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	A River in the Sky(By: Elizabeth Peters) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	The Painted Queen(With: Elizabeth Peters) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

19 books (1988–2000)

Joan Hess edited 18 mystery and crime anthologies between 1988 and 2000, collecting short stories from various authors in the genre. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with The Year's 25 Finest Crime & Mystery Stories, Sixth Edition. Each volume features curated selections of mystery and thriller short fiction, including contributions from established and emerging crime writers of the era.

Start with The Year's 25 Finest Crime & Mystery Stories, Sixth Edition, the first of 18 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	The Year's 25 Finest Crime & Mystery Stories, Sixth Edition 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Sisters in Crime 2 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Malice Domestic 1 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Women of Mystery 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Fine Art of Murder: The Mystery Reader's Indispensable Companion 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Malice Domestic 3 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Tales of Obsession: Mystery Stories of Fatal Attractions and Deadly Desires 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories 1993 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Women of Mystery II 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	First Cases, Volume 2 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Funny Bones: 15 New Tales of Murder and Mayhem 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	More Malice Domestic 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Vengeance is Hers 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Murder for Revenge 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Once Upon a Crime 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Women of Mystery III 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Crime After Crime 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Mom, Apple Pie and Murder 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Malice Domestic 9 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

16 books (1987–2009)

Joan Hess's Arly Hanks series comprises 16 mystery novels published between 1987 and 2009, following the adventures of a small-town police chief in the quirky Arkansas community of Maggody. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Malice in Maggody. Each book's title plays on the "M" theme, from Miracles in Maggody through the final installment, creating a distinctive and humorous series arc. Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries with colorful characters and eccentric town settings will find this series particularly engaging.

Start with Malice in Maggody, the first of 16 books in the Arly Hanks series.

#	Title
1	Malice in Maggody 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Miracles in Maggody 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Mischief in Maggody 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Much Ado in Maggody 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Madness in Maggody 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Mortal Remains in Maggody 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Maggody in Manhattan 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	O Little Town of Maggody 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Martians in Maggody 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Maggody Militia 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Misery Loves Maggody 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	murder@maggody.com / murda@maggody.com 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Maggody and the Moonbeams 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Muletrain to Maggody 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Malpractice in Maggody 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Merry Wives of Maggody 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

21 books (1985–2015)

The Claire Malloy series consists of 21 complete mystery novels published between 1985 and 2015, following the same protagonist throughout. This mystery series should be read in publication order, beginning with Strangled Prose and continuing through books like The Murder at the Mimosa Inn, Dear Miss Demeanor, and A Really Cute Corpse. The series concluded in 2015 after more than three decades of cases for its central character.

Start with Strangled Prose, the first of 21 books in the Claire Malloy series.

#	Title
1	Strangled Prose 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Murder at the Murder at the Mimosa Inn 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Dear Miss Demeanor 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	A Really Cute Corpse 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	A Diet to Die For 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Roll Over and Play Dead 1991Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Death by the Light of the Moon 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Poisoned Pins 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Tickled to Death 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	To Kill a Husband 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Busy Bodies 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Closely Akin to Murder 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	A Holly, Jolly Murder 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	A Conventional Corpse 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Out on a Limb 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Goodbye Body 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Damsels in Distress 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Mummy Dearest 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Deader Homes and Gardens 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Murder as a Second Language 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Pride v. Prejudice 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1990–1992)

Joan Hess's two-book short story collection spans from 1990 to 1992 and is now complete. These mystery and thriller novellas should be read in publication order, beginning with Too Much To Bare followed by The Last To Know.

Start with Too Much To Bare and read in order.

#	Title
1	Too Much To Bare 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Last To Know 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (2002–2016)

Joan Hess compiled four mystery and thriller short story collections between 2002 and 2016, completing the series with Caveat Emptor and Other Stories. These standalone collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Death of a Romance Writer and Other Stories, to experience Hess's varied tales of crime and dark humor across the full series.

Start with Death of a Romance Writer and Other Stories, the first of 4 books in the Short Story Collections series.

#	Title
1	Death of a Romance Writer and Other Stories 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Big Foot Stole My Wife! and Other Stories 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Deadly Ackee and Other Stories of Crime and Catastrophe 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Caveat Emptor and Other Stories 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1987–1987)

Joan Hess's two standalone mystery novels were published in 1987, beginning with Future Tense followed by Red Rover, Red Rover. Though unrelated in plot and characters, these books are best enjoyed in their publication order. The series is complete and closed.

Start with Future Tense and read in order.

#	Title
1	Future Tense 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Red Rover, Red Rover 1987Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (1986–1988)

The Theo Bloomer series by Joan Hess consists of two mystery novels published in the 1980s. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Night-Blooming Cereus and concluding with The Deadly Ackee. Both books were released between 1986 and 1988.

Start with The Night-Blooming Cereus and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Night-Blooming Cereus 1986Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Deadly Ackee 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible