Jan Dunlap Books in Order
Browse Jan Dunlap's books in order, with quick summaries, guides to her mystery and suspense series, and simple advice on where to start reading.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
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Jan Dunlap books in publication order
11 books
Purpose, Passion & God
by Jan Dunlap
2006
Janice Dunlap offers a faith-centered guide to vocation, asking readers to see purpose as service rather than self-fulfillment. Through reflection on ordinary responsibilities and Christian example, she explores how daily life can point toward God's call.
The Boreal Owl Murder
by Jan Dunlap
2008
High school counselor and devoted birder Bob White heads into Minnesota's Superior National Forest hoping to see a rare Boreal Owl. Finding a corpse instead pulls him into rivalries, conservation battles, and a case that soon puts him in danger.
Murder on Warbler Weekend
by Jan Dunlap
2009
Spring in Minnesota means school counseling, softball coaching, and warbler watching for Bob White, until his mother finds a body. Gambling, shady politics, and a bitter land deal leave Bob chasing a killer who may be much closer than expected.
A Bobwhite Killing
by Jan Dunlap
2010
A trip to northern Minnesota puts birder and school counselor Bob White near a troubling case involving Shana O'Keefe and her husband. As tensions rise, Bob's instinct for spotting details draws him into a dangerous search for the truth.
Falcon Finale
by Jan Dunlap
2011
Hoping to spot a Gyrfalcon in Minnesota, Bob instead flies to Flagstaff when his sister's husband, and Bob's best friend, disappears. An old unsolved murder, land disputes, family secrets, and an unexpected boy force Bob to search for both a killer and a body.
A Murder of Crows
by Jan Dunlap
2012
At the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum's scarecrow display, Bob White discovers the body of conservation advocate Sonny Delite. As the case reaches Savage High School, Bob follows clues through a wind-farm dispute, rare birds, and deeply personal secrets.
Saved by Gracie
by Jan Dunlap
2014
After a medical misdiagnosis feeds Jan Dunlap's worsening anxiety, her family adopts an exuberant rescue dog named Gracie. This candid memoir follows one woman's return to confidence, joy, and faith, with help from a dog who refuses to live cautiously.
Swift Justice
by Jan Dunlap
2014
Bob finds a birding colleague dead at a Minnesota Ornithologists' Union meeting, then becomes a target himself. A jailed student, rival birding bloggers, an abandoned brewery, and strange Chimney Swift sightings lead him underground for answers.
The Kiskadee of Death
by Jan Dunlap
2015
While birding in South Texas's Lower Rio Grande Valley, Bob White finds a fellow birder dead at Estero Llano Grande. Local birding spots, shifting suspects, and a determined killer turn his getaway into another dangerous investigation.
Heart and Soul
by Jan Dunlap
2016
Former Marine paramedic Raphael Greene can heal, a gift that becomes dangerous after a drive-by shooting connects him with cardiologist Ami Kim. Her prayer-based heart therapy has been stolen, and together they uncover a plan that could turn healing into mass murder.
Heaven's Gate
by Jan Dunlap
2016
Physicist Michael Carilion's breakthrough in the One Theory is reported as proof that heaven exists. Framed for murder and surrounded by fanatics and skeptics, he must survive a violent conspiracy where scientific discovery collides with faith.
Where to start with Jan Dunlap
For birding cozy mysteries: The Boreal Owl Murder → Murder on Warbler Weekend → A Bobwhite Killing → Falcon Finale.
For the complete Bob White story: The Boreal Owl Murder → Murder on Warbler Weekend → A Bobwhite Killing → Falcon Finale → A Murder of Crows → Swift Justice → The Kiskadee of Death.
For science-and-faith suspense: Heaven's Gate → Heart and Soul.
For personal and spiritual nonfiction: Saved by Gracie → Purpose, Passion & God.
Jan Dunlap sub-series and character series
Archangels books in order
Explore this seriesBob White Birder Murder Mysteries books in order
Explore this series
The Boreal Owl Murder
by Jan Dunlap
2008Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 1
Murder on Warbler Weekend
by Jan Dunlap
2009Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 2
A Bobwhite Killing
by Jan Dunlap
2010Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 3
Falcon Finale
by Jan Dunlap
2011Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 4
A Murder of Crows
by Jan Dunlap
2012Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 5
Swift Justice
by Jan Dunlap
2014Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 6
The Kiskadee of Death
by Jan Dunlap
2015Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 7
Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries books in chronological order

The Boreal Owl Murder
by Jan Dunlap
2008Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 1
Murder on Warbler Weekend
by Jan Dunlap
2009Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 2
A Bobwhite Killing
by Jan Dunlap
2010Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 3
Falcon Finale
by Jan Dunlap
2011Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 4
A Murder of Crows
by Jan Dunlap
2012Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 5
Swift Justice
by Jan Dunlap
2014Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 6
The Kiskadee of Death
by Jan Dunlap
2015Bob White Birder Murder Mysteries, Book 7
Jan Dunlap collections, short stories, and related book types
Author bio
Jan Dunlap spent much of her childhood on the move. As the daughter of an Army family, she lived around the United States and Europe, an experience that made change feel normal and gave her plenty to observe. Visits to the public library also left a mark. From an early age, she wanted to see her own name on a book spine.
Writing was part of the plan long before mystery novels entered the picture. Dunlap wrote for her high school newspaper, studied English at Regis University in Denver, and worked in public relations and advertising. She later married, moved to Minnesota, and raised five children, which gave her a busy household and a close view of everyday family comedy.
For five years in the 1990s, she turned that material into a weekly humor column called “Trust Me.”
Her interest in faith led to a master's degree in theology from St. Catherine University in St. Paul. That work became her first book, Purpose, Passion & God, published in 2006. The book considers vocation as more than choosing a career, asking readers to think about service, daily responsibilities, and how they might live out their faith.
Dunlap also worked for six years in a high school career center, then returned to graduate school for a master's degree in English Studies from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She taught composition and later brought her knowledge of schools, students, and workplace personalities into fiction. Those details help make the settings in her mysteries feel lived-in rather than decorative.
The birding mysteries came from a simple but wonderfully odd idea: what if a nice Minnesota birdwatcher kept finding bodies along with rare birds? Her husband and son had long been birders, and their hobby helped inspire Bob White, the high school counselor and sharp-eyed amateur sleuth at the center of The Boreal Owl Murder and its follow-ups.
Birds, conservation questions, family life, and dry humor all share the page.
The Bob White books move through Minnesota birding sites and, later, farther afield, while keeping their mysteries light on their feet. Dunlap followed them with Saved by Gracie, a memoir about living with anxiety after a frightening medical misdiagnosis and finding unexpected help in an energetic rescue dog. It is a personal story, but Gracie's squirrel-chasing, fence-jumping presence keeps it from becoming too solemn.
Her Archangels novels take a different route. Heaven's Gate and Heart and Soul blend suspense with questions about medicine, physics, prayer, faith, and evil. Dunlap has made her home in the Texas Hill Country, where the natural world, dogs, stargazing, and big spiritual questions continue to feed her work.
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