Jinx Schwartz Books in Order
Browse Jinx Schwartz books in order, with quick summaries, series guides for Hetta Coffey and Magnolia Bluff, and help choosing where to start.
Last updated: July 11, 2026
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Jinx Schwartz books in publication order
23 books
Just Add Water
by Jinx Schwartz
2004
A globe-trotting engineer decides the answer to her stalled love life might be a yacht, despite knowing next to nothing about boats. Then a stalker and a dead body turn her fresh start into a sink-or-swim mystery.
Troubled Sea
by Jinx Schwartz
2004
A cruising couple living aboard their boat in the Sea of Cortez witness a drug deal gone wrong and trigger deadly consequences. Their dream life on the water quickly turns into a fast-moving fight with cartel players and law enforcement.
The Texicans
by Jinx Schwartz
2005
Set in early Texas, this historical novel follows the Stockman family as revolutions, shifting borders, and prejudice reshape their lives. Personal loyalties and public battles collide as Mexico, Spain, and Texas all pull in different directions.
Just Add Salt
by Jinx Schwartz
2006
When vacation plans collapse, Hetta takes a job in Baja and sets out on a thousand-mile cruise during hurricane season. A handsome captain, a risky project, and trouble at sea make this anything but a routine run south.
Just Add Trouble
by Jinx Schwartz
2007
Hetta heads for the Sea of Cortez hoping for work and time with Jenks, but romance is not the only thing waiting in Mexico. A shady project, a kidnapping, and a cast of wild side characters turn the trip into full-blown mayhem.
Land of Mountains
by Jinx Schwartz
2010
Ten-year-old Lizbuthann moves from Texas to Haiti and discovers a world full of jungle, mystery, and local legends. Her curiosity soon pulls her into a funny, spooky adventure involving voodoo and a very pesky zombie.
Just Deserts
by Jinx Schwartz
2011
With her boat stuck in dry dock, Hetta takes a mining job near the Arizona-Mexico border to pay the bills. Instead of quiet engineering work, she lands in the middle of cross-border tension, danger, and chaos.
Just The Pits
by Jinx Schwartz
2013
A legitimate mining job in Baja ought to be a nice change for Hetta, but people and money keep disappearing. With Jan and a string of oddball locals around her, she digs into a mystery that is anything but straightforward.
Just Needs Killin
by Jinx Schwartz
2014
Lonely at anchor in Puerto Escondido, Hetta says yes to a lavish resort party that sounds harmless enough. Before long, she and Jan are dodging intruders, bad decisions, and the kind of people who make murder feel tempting.
Just Different Devils
by Jinx Schwartz
2015
Rumors of giant Humboldt squid are enough to keep most cruisers tied to the dock, but not Hetta for long. A lucrative charter lures her and Jan into a strange voyage where the real danger may be human.
Just Pardon My French
by Jinx Schwartz
2016
Short on cash in La Paz, Hetta accepts what looks like an easy courier job to France. Instead of a romantic reunion and smooth travel, she gets international chaos, shady cargo, and the usual trouble.
Just Follow The Money
by Jinx Schwartz
2017
After months in France, Hetta is ready to head home until a mysterious, well-paid assignment sends her into fresh trouble. From the canals to the Mediterranean, the job turns personal fast.
Just For the Birds
by Jinx Schwartz
2018
While docked in La Paz, Hetta gets an unexpected visitor and soon finds herself chasing exotic bird smugglers. With Jan and Po Thang alongside her, a simple interruption spirals into another messy Baja adventure.
Baja Get Away
by Jinx Schwartz
2019
Becky has been hiding out in Baja, but one night in a Cabo bar sets off a desperate race north. As the law closes in from both sides of the border, escape gets tangled up with danger and romance.
Just A Happy Camper
by Jinx Schwartz
2019
A tempting job pulls Hetta from Mexican waters back to Texas Hill Country, where her temporary home is an RV instead of a yacht. The change of scenery does not last long before family trouble and a nasty cross-border scheme catch up with her.
Just on Porpoise
by Jinx Schwartz
2020
Hetta, her dog, and her talkative parrot are drawn into a high-stakes effort to save the nearly extinct vaquita in the Sea of Cortez. Taking on a cartel for one small porpoise turns her latest cruise into a race against time.
Just So Wrong
by Jinx Schwartz
2021
Living aboard her yacht in the Sea of Cortez, Hetta steps in to protect a small dog and stumbles into the brutal world of dogfighting. What starts as one act of decency turns into a dangerous fight against ruthless men on both sides of the border.
Born and Bred Texan
by Jinx Schwartz
2022
Widowed artist Blue Bonet returns to Magnolia Bluff and the rundown lake house her grandmother left her, hoping to start over. Instead she finds a dead squatter, old secrets, and more trouble than any homecoming should bring.
Just Cause
by Jinx Schwartz
2022
Forced off the water and stuck in Texas after crossing a cartel boss, Hetta is restless and angry. When a chance for revenge and a job near the Rio Grande appear together, she heads back into danger.
Just Like That
by Jinx Schwartz
2023
Hetta vows to stay out of trouble on her new yacht, but that promise does not last long. When children close to her are kidnapped in Mexico, she throws herself into the search with family and friends at her side.
Texas Summers Are Murder
by Jinx Schwartz
2023
Blue Bonet expects a quiet summer of painting in Magnolia Bluff, but a park murder wrecks the plan. When the police seize on harmless Fergus as the easy suspect, Blue and Gloria start digging on their own.
Just Say Neigh!
by Jinx Schwartz
2024
Waiting out the Baja heat in California, Hetta, Jan, and Blue learn about the abuse of horses in Mexico and cannot let it go. Their attempt to help pulls them into another cross-border tangle of danger, rescue, and revenge.
The Bluebonnet Conspiracy
by Jinx Schwartz
2024
Back from Mexico and ready for peace, Blue Bonet arrives in Magnolia Bluff just in time for another killing. This time she is the prime suspect, and clearing her name means untangling secrets in her own circle.
Where to start with Jinx Schwartz
If you want the classic Hetta experience: Just Add Water → Just Add Salt → Just Add Trouble
If you want later Hetta books with animal rescue at the center: Just On Porpoise → Just So Wrong → Just Say Neigh!
If you prefer small-town Texas mysteries: Born and Bred Texan → Texas Summers Are Murder → The Bluebonnet Conspiracy
If you want historical Texas drama: The Texicans
If you want a younger-reader adventure: Land of Mountains
Jinx Schwartz sub-series and character series
Hetta Coffey Mystery books in order
Explore this series
Just Add Water
by Jinx Schwartz
2004Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 1
Just Add Salt
by Jinx Schwartz
2006Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 2
Just Add Trouble
by Jinx Schwartz
2007Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 3
Just Deserts
by Jinx Schwartz
2011Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 4
Just The Pits
by Jinx Schwartz
2013Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 5
Just Needs Killin
by Jinx Schwartz
2014Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 6
Just Different Devils
by Jinx Schwartz
2015Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 7
Just Pardon My French
by Jinx Schwartz
2016Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 8
Just Follow The Money
by Jinx Schwartz
2017Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 9
Just For the Birds
by Jinx Schwartz
2018Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 10
Just A Happy Camper
by Jinx Schwartz
2019Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 11
Just on Porpoise
by Jinx Schwartz
2020Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 12
Just So Wrong
by Jinx Schwartz
2021Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 13
Just Cause
by Jinx Schwartz
2022Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 14
Just Like That
by Jinx Schwartz
2023Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 15
Just Say Neigh!
by Jinx Schwartz
2024Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 16
Hetta Coffey Mystery books in chronological order

Just Add Water
by Jinx Schwartz
2004Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 1
Just Add Salt
by Jinx Schwartz
2006Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 2
Just Add Trouble
by Jinx Schwartz
2007Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 3
Just Deserts
by Jinx Schwartz
2011Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 4
Just The Pits
by Jinx Schwartz
2013Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 5
Just Needs Killin
by Jinx Schwartz
2014Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 6
Just Different Devils
by Jinx Schwartz
2015Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 7
Just Pardon My French
by Jinx Schwartz
2016Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 8
Just Follow The Money
by Jinx Schwartz
2017Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 9
Just For the Birds
by Jinx Schwartz
2018Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 10
Just A Happy Camper
by Jinx Schwartz
2019Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 11
Just on Porpoise
by Jinx Schwartz
2020Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 12
Just So Wrong
by Jinx Schwartz
2021Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 13
Just Cause
by Jinx Schwartz
2022Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 14
Just Like That
by Jinx Schwartz
2023Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 15
Just Say Neigh!
by Jinx Schwartz
2024Hetta Coffey Mystery, Book 16
Jinx Schwartz collections, short stories, and related book types
Standalone Jinx Schwartz books
Author bio
Jinx Schwartz is a ninth-generation Texan whose books feel sun-warmed, salt-streaked, and thoroughly lived in. She splits her time between Arizona and Mexico, and that borderland, boating life runs through much of her fiction. Most readers first meet her through Hetta Coffey, the sharp-tongued engineer at the center of her long-running mystery adventure series.
She did not grow up in one town and stay there. Schwartz has said she was raised all over the world, including time in Haiti and Thailand, because her father's construction and engineering work kept the family moving. That mix of Texas roots and far-flung childhood settings helps explain why her books are so comfortable jumping between cultures, landscapes, and kinds of trouble.
Travel came first.
Like her father, she went into construction and engineering, then worked and lived in multiple countries herself. Later, looking for a major life change, she bought a yacht even though she was new to boat life. Schwartz has said the funny, humbling parts of owning a boat with no experience became the spark for Hetta Coffey. She started turning those experiences into fiction, then let imagination do the rest.
That real-world backbone is a big part of the appeal. Just Add Water, the first Hetta novel, won the EPPIE Award for best mystery, and later books kept building the series around marinas, dodgy jobs, bad decisions, loyal friends, and dangerous men. Just Add Salt and Just Add Trouble lean hard into Baja adventure, while later books like Just On Porpoise and Just So Wrong show how often Schwartz folds animal rescue and moral outrage into Hetta's world.
She has also said she lived on boats for almost thirty years, mostly in Mexico, and that depth of experience shows. The Sea of Cortez is not just a pretty backdrop in these books. It feels like a place she knows in her bones, from the weather and water to the strange characters who drift in and out of cruising life. Schwartz and her husband, Robert Schwartz, have spent years cruising there, and that life afloat clearly gave her a huge store of material.
She also writes well beyond one heroine.
Her standalone Troubled Sea uses life aboard a boat in Mexico for a faster, darker thriller. The Texicans reaches back into early Texas history and follows a family caught in the violent pull between Mexico, Spain, and the future Republic of Texas. Land of Mountains draws on Schwartz's childhood memories of Haiti for a younger-reader mystery with voodoo lore, curiosity, and a wonderfully nosy ten-year-old at its center. More recently, her Blue Bonet books set in Magnolia Bluff show another side of her writing, one rooted in small-town Texas, friendship, and murder with a wink.
Across all of it, certain things keep returning. She likes practical women, rough edges, strong friendships, and places where the scenery is beautiful but the situation is not. Boats, border crossings, engineering problems, odd jobs, smugglers, family ties, and animals in peril all turn up again and again. So does humor. Even when the stakes rise, Schwartz usually keeps one foot planted in wit and human messiness instead of gloom.
Schwartz has said her books are meant as escape, and that feels exactly right. They are full of hardheaded people, bad ideas, and landscapes she clearly knows from the inside. These days she still divides her time between Arizona and Mexico, and she still writes like someone who has spent years paying attention to weather, water, and the kinds of people you only meet once you leave the safe road.
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