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Haley Randolph Books in Order

Part ofDorothy Howell Books in Order

Find the Haley Randolph books by Dorothy Howell in order, with short summaries, series background, and help choosing the best place to begin.

Last updated: July 2, 2026

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Publication Order

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15 books

1

Handbags and Homicide

by Dorothy Howell

2008

Haley Randolph's handbag habit lands her in debt and a holiday job at Holt's Department Store. When she finds her boss dead in the stockroom and the evidence points her way, she teams up with Ty Cameron to clear her name.

2

Purses and Poison

by Dorothy Howell

2009

Haley is still juggling Holt's, college, and her complicated life when poisoned fruit kills Claudia Gray. Because the gift came from her mother's company, Haley dives in to prove her family is being framed.

3

Shoulder Bags and Shootings

by Dorothy Howell

2010

Life looks great until Haley finds rival Tiffany Markham dead in the trunk of Ada Cameron's Mercedes. Now she has to outrun suspicion, untangle old grudges, and keep chasing the season's most coveted bag.

4

Clutches and Curses

by Dorothy Howell

2011

Sent to Las Vegas to help open a new Holt's store, Haley expects work and shopping, not murder. When a woman tied to a handbag venture turns up dead, Haley becomes a suspect again in a city far from home.

5

Slay Bells and Satchels

by Dorothy Howell

2011

Holt's Summer Santa Sale turns grim when Haley discovers a murdered elf stuffed inside the giant toy bag. To stay off the suspect list, she has to sort through jealousies, show-business dreams, and holiday chaos.

6

Tote Bags and Toe Tags

by Dorothy Howell

2012

Haley lucks into a new corporate events job, only to find the company's chief of security murdered. Between a shaky resume, office secrets, and a possible kidnapping, her fresh start gets dangerous fast.

7

Evening Bags and Executions

by Dorothy Howell

2013

Newly single and trying to move forward, Haley takes an events job for high-end Hollywood clients. A complicated charity bash goes sideways, and another murder drops her into a fresh round of trouble.

8

Beach Bags and Burglaries

by Dorothy Howell

2014

Haley wins a luxury resort getaway and heads off dreaming of celebrities and the perfect Sea Vixen beach bag. Then a maid turns up dead on the beach, and Haley starts digging into what the island staff is hiding.

9

Duffel Bags and Drownings

by Dorothy Howell

2014

What should be a routine outing turns deadly when Haley gets caught up in a suspicious drowning. Soon she is juggling shifting loyalties, dangerous secrets, and another killer who wants her gone.

10

Fanny Packs and Foul Play

by Dorothy Howell

2014

This shorter Haley adventure throws her into yet another murder mess just when she would rather focus on work, romance, and shopping. A light setup turns serious fast once foul play enters the picture.

11

Swag Bags and Swindlers

by Dorothy Howell

2015

Working two jobs, Haley hopes event planning at a Hollywood retirement home will lead to something full-time. Instead she finds an administrator dead and must investigate while still chasing her next must-have bag.

12

Backpacks and Betrayals

by Dorothy Howell

2016

Haley's latest brush with murder is tangled up with betrayal, bad decisions, and people hiding more than they say. Clearing the mess means asking questions the police would rather she leave alone.

13

Pocketbooks and Pistols

by Dorothy Howell

2016

A new shopping obsession lands Haley in the middle of a case involving guns, lies, and another suspicious death. To get out safely, she has to read people as well as she reads store displays.

14

Messenger Bags and Murder

by Dorothy Howell

2018

What starts as another ordinary stretch of Haley's messy retail life turns into murder. Between store drama and a killer nearby, she has to keep one step ahead without losing her nerve.

15

Man Bags and Malice

by Dorothy Howell

2019

Haley's world of designer labels and department-store chaos gets a fresh twist when malice turns deadly again. Sleuthing, shopping, and relationship trouble collide as she tries to figure out who is playing dirty.

Series background & context

The Haley Randolph books are the series most readers think of first when they think about Dorothy Howell. They begin with a joke that turns into a full mystery engine: Haley loves designer handbags far more than her bank account can reasonably support. That weakness pushes her into debt, into a job at Holt's Department Store, and very quickly into murder.

The prequel novella Haley and the Holt's Interview shows the panic and comedy of Haley's first desperate step into retail. Then Handbags and Homicide throws her straight into the deep end when a dead boss in the stockroom leaves her looking like the obvious suspect. From there the pattern is set. Haley wants one thing, usually work stability, romantic clarity, or the season's must-have bag. Instead she gets a corpse, suspicious police, and a problem no one else seems able to solve.

What keeps the series moving is that Howell never treats Haley as just a punchline. Yes, she is funny, impulsive, and gloriously preoccupied with fashion. Yes, she can seem focused on completely the wrong thing at completely the wrong time. But she also notices people. She understands status, envy, performance, and what somebody is trying to project. In a mystery series set around department stores, party planning, resort trips, and luxury-adjacent Southern California life, that turns out to be a real skill.

Haley notices more than people think.

The books stay lively because the setting keeps changing while the tone stays consistent. One murder happens in a stockroom. Another turns up in the trunk of a Mercedes. Later books move through Vegas, resort islands, corporate offices, event-planning jobs, and Hollywood-flavored chaos. Titles like Purses and Poison, Shoulder Bags and Shootings, Clutches and Curses, and Swag Bags and Swindlers tell you exactly what kind of ride you are signing up for.

The series also has an ongoing personal arc. Holt's is more than a workplace, especially once Ty Cameron becomes central to Haley's life. Their relationship adds romantic tension, but it also keeps work, class, and ambition tangled together in useful ways. Haley has friends, family pressures, side hustles, and money problems that do not magically vanish just because she solved the last crime. That continuity makes the books feel like a life, not just a string of cases.

These are cozy mysteries with a distinctly retail, fashion-conscious personality. The humor is broad, the pace is brisk, and the danger is real enough to matter without overwhelming the fun. If you want a mystery series that knows how ridiculous modern consumer life can be, while still giving you satisfying whodunits and a heroine who grows more capable with every disaster, Haley Randolph is the place to start.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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