Jeanne M Dams Books in Order
Browse Jeanne M. Dams books in order, with Dorothy Martin, Hilda Johansson, and Oak Park summaries, series notes, and clear where to start guidance.
Last updated: July 1, 2026
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Publication Order
39 books
The Body in the Transept
by Jeanne M Dams
1995
Newly widowed Dorothy Martin has barely settled into Sherebury when she trips over a body outside the cathedral on Christmas Eve. Her search for the killer becomes the start of a very English new life.
Trouble in the Town Hall
by Jeanne M Dams
1996
While trying to repair her ancient house, Dorothy gets pulled into a bitter fight over Sherebury's town hall after a body is found inside. Village politics and quiet corruption make the case far messier than it first appears.
Holy Terror in the Hebrides
by Jeanne M Dams
1997
A trip to the Hebrides promises peace but delivers stormy weather, suspicion, and murder. As Dorothy investigates on the Isle of Iona, her personal life shifts too, giving this seaside case extra emotional weight.
Malice in Miniature
by Jeanne M Dams
1998
Dorothy's interest in dollhouses leads her into a prickly world of collectors, theft, and obsession. When tensions turn deadly, her eye for tiny details may be the key to solving a very real murder.
Death in Lacquer Red
by Jeanne M Dams
1999
In 1900 South Bend, young Swedish housemaid Hilda Johansson finds a body in the Studebakers' shrubbery and cannot let the matter rest. The case blends immigrant life, household politics, and shadows from the Boxer Rebellion.
The Victim in Victoria Station
by Jeanne M Dams
1999
After chatting with a stranger on a train, Dorothy is horrified when he turns up dead as they reach London. Her search for answers leads into the software world and a case far from cozy village life.
Killing Cassidy
by Jeanne M Dams
2000
A small bequest draws Dorothy and Alan back to Indiana, where the dead man had feared he would be murdered. Old ties, local grudges, and questions about inheritance turn Dorothy's homecoming into a dangerous investigation.
Red, White, and Blue Murder
by Jeanne M Dams
2000
As the nation reels from the shooting of President McKinley, Hilda begins to suspect that South Bend radicals may be tied to the crime. Her search pulls local gossip and national shock into one tense mystery.
Green Grow The Victims
by Jeanne M Dams
2001
Hilda grows closer to Patrick Cavanaugh just as his uncle disappears under suspicion of murder. Irish politics, family loyalties, and anti-immigrant feeling make this one of her most tangled investigations.
To Perish in Penzance
by Jeanne M Dams
2001
Alan and Dorothy head to Cornwall to revisit an old unsolved case, only to find themselves facing a fresh killing. The coastal setting is lovely, but the past has not stayed buried.
Silence Is Golden
by Jeanne M Dams
2002
Now that Hilda's family has joined her in South Bend, she is especially troubled when children begin to suffer and disappear. The mystery draws her into the harsh realities of poverty, neglect, and prejudice.
Sins Out of School
by Jeanne M Dams
2002
When Dorothy fills in as a substitute teacher, she stumbles into a case involving a troubled child, a missing teacher, and a harsh religious sect. Her classroom instincts prove unexpectedly useful.
Winter of Discontent
by Jeanne M Dams
2004
The death of Sherebury's museum curator looks grim enough, then Dorothy learns the victim once mattered to her closest friend. Loyalty, old love, and local history make this a deeply personal case.
Crimson Snow
by Jeanne M Dams
2005
When Hilda's younger brother begs her to look into his beloved teacher's murder, she uncovers a darker side of South Bend. A real historical case lies behind this wintery, quietly grim installment.
Indigo Christmas
by Jeanne M Dams
2008
Newly married Hilda tries to settle into a different social world when her friend Norah's husband is arrested for arson, theft, and murder. Christmas warmth mixes with immigrant prejudice and hard choices.
Foolproof
by Jeanne M Dams
2009
After surviving 9/11 by chance, Brenda Grant and Daniel Henderson build a software security firm and uncover a plot to rig a presidential election. This collaborative thriller trades village mystery for high-tech conspiracy and global danger.
A Dark and Stormy Night
by Jeanne M Dams
2011
A country-house weekend turns grim when a violent storm topples a tree and exposes a skeleton. Dorothy and Alan must untangle old secrets before the past claims another victim.
Murder in Burnt Orange
by Jeanne M Dams
2011
Pregnant and trapped indoors during a brutal 1905 heat wave, Hilda investigates arson, train wrecks, labor unrest, and murder through a network of helpers. Even housebound, she still outthinks the police.
The Corpse of St James's
by Jeanne M Dams
2012
After a royal ceremony, Dorothy and Alan discover an unidentified girl dead in St James's Park. When their friend Jonathan Quinn admits he knows more than he is saying, the mystery becomes tangled and urgent.
The Evil That Men Do
by Jeanne M Dams
2012
Holidaying in the Cotswolds, Dorothy and Alan find a man dead below an abandoned quarry. With few suspects and no clear motive, Dorothy's curiosity leads them into increasingly dangerous ground.
Murder at the Castle
by Jeanne M Dams
2013
A Welsh music festival at a medieval castle should be a treat, until a fatal accident and a second death turn it into an operatic nightmare. Dorothy and Alan must sort art, ego, and old passions.
Shadows of Death
by Jeanne M Dams
2013
Dorothy reluctantly visits the Orkney Islands and gets swept up in an archaeological mystery when a wealthy dig sponsor is found dead. Ancient ruins, modern greed, and island tensions drive the case.
Day of Vengeance
by Jeanne M Dams
2014
Church politics turn lethal when Alan joins the committee choosing a new bishop for Sherebury and candidates start dying. Dorothy follows the rivalries, resentments, and secrets behind this clerical murder case.
The Gentle Art of Murder
by Jeanne M Dams
2015
An evening at Sherebury University's art department ends with a corpse at the bottom of a lift shaft. Dorothy and Alan dig into jealousies, rivalries, and the sharp edges of academic life.
Blood Will Tell
by Jeanne M Dams
2016
At a Cambridge conference, Dorothy steps into a laboratory and sees blood on the floor, only for it to vanish moments later. The mystery tests her instincts before anyone will admit a crime has happened.
Smile and Be a Villain
by Jeanne M Dams
2016
A peaceful holiday on Alderney is ruined when Dorothy and Alan find a man dead on a steep path. The death looks accidental, but the couple soon senses a far murkier story.
The Missing Masterpiece
by Jeanne M Dams
2017
Dorothy travels to Mont-Saint-Michel and finds herself amid missing visitors, strange stories, and rumors of a lost medieval manuscript. History, lies, and a treacherous setting combine in this French-set puzzle.
Crisis at the Cathedral
by Jeanne M Dams
2018
Dorothy and Alan befriend a Muslim family visiting Sherebury, then panic when the parents vanish after a cathedral concert and one child disappears too. Fear, prejudice, and real danger hang over the search.
A Dagger Before Me
by Jeanne M Dams
2019
A tour of English pageantry takes a dark turn when a ceremonial dagger disappears at a christening and then turns up in someone's back. Dorothy and Alan must make sense of ritual, rivalry, and murder.
Death in the Garden City
by Jeanne M Dams
2019
Asked to look into petty crimes in Victoria, British Columbia, Dorothy and Alan expect a mild puzzle. Instead they find missing people, social ambition, and murder hiding beneath the city's polished surface.
Death Comes to Durham
by Jeanne M Dams
2020
A visit to Alan's retired police friend in Durham becomes a complicated murder inquiry involving an elderly relative, university students, and family strain. Dorothy's sleuthing turns risky when the case hits close to home.
The Bath Conspiracy
by Jeanne M Dams
2021
Alan treats Dorothy to a birthday week in Bath, but sightseeing gives way to suspicion when the pair are linked to a string of odd thefts. Clearing their names means chasing a thief with bigger motives.
A Deadly Web
by Jeanne M Dams
2022
A visit from Alan's unofficial great-niece should be simple, until questions about her engagement ring are followed by a brutal hit-and-run. Dorothy traces the case through lies, identity shifts, and family worry.
Murder in the Park
by Jeanne M Dams
2022
In 1925 Oak Park, widowed Elizabeth Fairchild resolves to find who killed gentle antiques dealer Mr Anthony. The search pulls her out of grief and into a village shaken by prejudice, gangsters, and secrets.
Music and Murder
by Jeanne M Dams
2023
Elizabeth follows her beau Fred into Chicago's jazz scene for a night at the Sunset Club, only to face an explosion, Klan violence, and murder. Music, race, and Prohibition-era fear drive this fast-moving second case.
Village Politics Can Be Murder
by Jeanne M Dams
2024
A Lake District holiday becomes an investigation when an unpopular local accountant dies during the fell race. Dorothy and Alan soon discover that village grudges and an old scandal have deadly staying power.
Murder of a Recluse
by Jeanne M Dams
2025
Now married to lawyer Fred Wilkins, Elizabeth helps investigate when his client is accused of killing her difficult aunt. Women's-club politics, family secrets, and local gossip give this 1926 mystery a sharp edge.
Terror on the Train
by Jeanne M Dams
2025
On a cross-country train trip from Chicago to Seattle, Dorothy witnesses someone fall from the moving train. Once a body is found, she and Alan must work out whether it was accident, murder, or something stranger.
A Thief's Folly
by Jeanne M Dams
2026
When Dorothy's friend Jane suffers a stroke and seems desperate to reveal a secret, Dorothy suspects something valuable is hidden in the house. A thief gets there first, sending Dorothy after a stolen treasure.
Where should I start?
If you want the classic English cozy: The Body in the Transept → Trouble in the Town Hall → Holy Terror in the Hebrides
If you want turn-of-the-century Indiana: Death in Lacquer Red → Red, White, and Blue Murder → Green Grow The Victims
If you want 1920s Midwest history: Murder in the Park → Music and Murder → Murder of a Recluse
If you want the modern thriller outlier: Foolproof
Author bio
Jeanne M. Dams grew up in South Bend, Indiana, and has spent most of her life close to that part of the Midwest. She studied at Purdue and Notre Dame, taught elementary school for a time, and later found her way to fiction after deciding that writing was the work she most wanted to do.
England got to her early.
As a teenager, she became a devoted reader of English mysteries, and that reading life shaped the books she would eventually write. She has explained that Dorothy Martin began as a way to imagine a life she herself could not quite have, an American woman settled in an old cottage in England. Dorothy first appeared in an unpublished short story, then stepped into the foreground when Dams found the idea that became her first novel.
That novel was The Body in the Transept, and it changed the course of her career. The book won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and it introduced readers to Dorothy Martin, a widowed American in the fictional cathedral town of Sherebury. People who stay with the Dorothy books usually come for the same pleasures every time: a smart older sleuth, strong local atmosphere, and the steady partnership between Dorothy and retired policeman Alan Nesbitt.
Dams did not stay in one setting for long.
With Death in Lacquer Red, she turned back to her own home ground and began the Hilda Johansson mysteries, set in turn of the twentieth century South Bend. Those books follow a young Swedish immigrant working for the Studebaker family, and they let Dams bring together murder plots with the history of immigrant neighborhoods, household service, class tension, and local events. Red, White, and Blue Murder and Crimson Snow show how comfortable she was moving between a whodunit and the texture of everyday life.
Place matters a lot in her books.
Whether she is writing about Sherebury, the Studebaker household, or 1920s Illinois in Murder in the Park, Dams likes communities that look settled on the surface but are full of pressure underneath. Her stories often focus on people who are slightly off to the side of power, widows, servants, teachers, older women, newcomers, the kind of people who notice what others miss because they are watching carefully.
That is also where a lot of her charm as a writer comes from. She makes room for food, weather, awkward customs, household routines, family loyalties, and the small indignities of daily life. She has also shared a few personal tastes that feel very much in keeping with her fiction: hats, cats, dollhouses, old movies, steam trains, antiques, and England itself. None of that is just decoration. You can feel those interests feeding the texture of the stories.
Her mysteries are cozy in structure, but they are not empty comfort reads. Again and again, she writes about grief, second chances, aging, prejudice, faith, friendship, and the gap between public manners and private motives. Even when the plot is brisk, the books are grounded in how people live, talk, and quietly size each other up.
In later years, Dams kept expanding her range. Alongside Dorothy Martin, she launched the Oak Park Village mysteries, set in the 1920s and centered on Elizabeth Fairchild. She has remained based in South Bend, and that long connection to place, memory, and local history has given her work a steady backbone. Even when her characters travel, they carry the eye of a writer who pays attention to neighborhoods, habits, and the tiny social clues that make a mystery feel real.
Edited by
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