Harmony (Nancy Mehl) Books in Order

The Harmony series invites readers into Harmony, Kansas, a fictional Mennonite community that tries hard to keep life simple and predictable. That ideal is tested when an outsider from the city inherits property there and uncovers secrets that have been buried for years.

In Simple Secrets, graphic designer Gracie Temple travels from the city to Harmony after an uncle she barely knew leaves her a house. She expects a quick trip to settle the estate. Instead she walks into a web of old grudges, a cryptic secret about her own father, and a town divided over whether she belongs. A local orchard owner, Sam Goodrich, wants to help her, but opening up to him means choosing between the quiet life Harmony offers and the fast paced world she left behind.

Simple Deceit picks up as Gracie decides to stay in Harmony and take on freelance work for a land developer. The project threatens the town’s way of life, and some neighbors blame her for letting outsiders in. As small incidents escalate into vandalism and sabotage, it becomes clear that someone is willing to do real harm to push their agenda. Gracie has to untangle which threats come from the developer, which come from her own community, and whether she can be loyal to Harmony without losing herself.

In Simple Choices, the series broadens its focus to other residents whose lives are shaped by the changes sweeping through town. Romantic decisions, business struggles, and past mistakes all come to the surface against a backdrop of quilting bees, church suppers, and local politics. The questions are familiar ones, just framed inside a community that has long tried to keep the outside world at arm’s length.

Throughout the trilogy, Nancy Mehl uses Harmony to explore issues of belonging, forgiveness, and the tension between tradition and progress. The Mennonite setting provides gentle humor as a city woman learns to navigate unspoken rules about dress, work, and worship. At the same time, the books never treat faith as window dressing. Characters wrestle honestly with what they believe, how to live at peace with their neighbors, and when to stand up instead of keeping quiet.

The tone leans more toward romantic suspense than pure mystery. Readers who enjoy small town stories where relationships and community pressure are as important as the central crime will find a lot to like. Each book can be read on its own, but following the series in order gives the richest view of Harmony’s journey.