Karin Kaufman Books in Order
Browse Karin Kaufman books in order, with series overviews, short summaries, and easy where-to-start tips for her mysteries and children's books.
Last updated: July 6, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Publication Order
33 books
The Witch Tree
by Karin Kaufman
2011
Hoping for a quiet Christmas in Elk Park, genealogist Anna Denning instead finds a client's body. As accusations, intimidation, and strange links to a wiccan-themed shop close in, she has to uncover who set her up.
Sparrow House
by Karin Kaufman
2012
Anna lands her dream job researching a mountain mansion's family history, then learns the owner wants proof the house is haunted. A gardener's death and a string of eerie incidents turn her project into a dangerous investigation.
All Souls
by Karin Kaufman
2013
Jane Piper works for Gatehouse, a covert group that hunts killers ordinary law enforcement cannot touch. When whispers arise that their targets are becoming something less than human, Jane is pulled into a deadly conspiracy.
The Sacrifice
by Karin Kaufman
2014
A grotesque Halloween display hides the body of a local historian who was secretly researching family trees. Anna follows his unfinished work into a knot of lies, hidden identities, and occult secrets.
The Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins
by Karin Kaufman
2015
Geraldine wants the kind of brave adventures she hears in the Book of Tales, but she is only a small mouse. Ten autumn stories follow her family as fear, danger, and faith press close.
The Club
by Karin Kaufman
2015
Melinda Maxwell hires Anna to uncover her father's hidden past, but the trail leads to the secretive January Club. When a member is murdered at the club's annual meeting, the whole search turns stranger and darker.
At Death's Door
by Karin Kaufman
2017
A Thanksgiving gathering ends in murder and the disappearance of a valuable artifact. Rachel agrees to help the victim's host, only to find that the people closest to the case are wrapped in lies.
Bitter Roots
by Karin Kaufman
2017
Anna Denning expects a restful snowy weekend at a mountain hotel with her fiancé. Instead, strange guests, a nosy reporter, and a fresh murder leave her trapped with a killer and no easy way out.
Death of a Dead Man
by Karin Kaufman
2017
Rachel Stowe comes to Juniper Grove looking for a quieter life, but a stranger's arrival stirs up old trouble. When a body turns up in her backyard, she steps in to protect a neighbor and solve the case.
Death of a Santa
by Karin Kaufman
2017
A cheerful wreath-making party turns deadly when one of Juniper Grove's Four Santas dies after warning Rachel about his niece. She dives into the mystery before a killer can silence anyone else.
Death of a Scavenger
by Karin Kaufman
2017
The town scavenger hunt takes a deadly turn when a widely disliked woman is found murdered. With suspicion falling on her friend Holly, Rachel has to work through a crowded suspect list and a town full of grudges.
Cheating Death
by Karin Kaufman
2018
What starts as an awkward request to identify a suspected mistress becomes a murder case when Brigit Gundersen is killed. Rachel has to sort through gossip, jealousy, and hidden motives before the killer strikes again.
Dead and Buried
by Karin Kaufman
2018
A body spotted on a haunted cemetery tour somehow ends up in Kate's friend's backyard. As Kate tries to clear her friend, Minette's eagerness to help threatens to expose the secret fairy world.
Death Knell
by Karin Kaufman
2018
After a woman falls to her death from a cottage window and hacked church bells ring out across town, Rachel suspects the two events are linked. The victim's quiet life hides far more secrets than anyone guessed.
Death of a Professor
by Karin Kaufman
2018
A murder game at a professor's house turns real when one guest dies under suspicious circumstances. Rachel follows clues tied to a tell-all manuscript while her own pre-wedding doubts begin to crowd in.
Death Trap
by Karin Kaufman
2018
At a party in a rambling house, a guest dies calling Chief Gilroy's name, and suddenly he is a suspect. Rachel and her friends race to clear him while dark pieces of his past begin to surface.
Dying to Remember
by Karin Kaufman
2018
Kate Brewer agrees to help an elderly neighbor revisit an unsolved murder, only to find that Smithwell's past is stranger than it looks. A determined fairy named Minette soon turns one mystery into two.
Garden of Death
by Karin Kaufman
2018
A celebration for Juniper Grove's garden show winners ends with one of the judges dead. Rachel finds herself digging through envy, ambition, and polished manners to uncover what really blooms beneath the town's gardening scene.
Scared to Death
by Karin Kaufman
2018
A commemorative radio broadcast at the crumbling Grandview Hotel turns grim when a body is found in the library. Trapped by a storm, Rachel must untangle a new murder that echoes an older one.
Secret Santa Murder
by Karin Kaufman
2018
Threatening notes and odd ornaments rattle a local knitting group, then one knitter ends up dead. While dreading Christmas and facing old grief, Kate works with Minette to stop another holiday killing.
Dastardly Deeds
by Karin Kaufman
2019
What looks like a simple theft inquiry becomes murder when Kate questions suspects gathered for tea in a greenhouse. At the same time, Minette faces trouble in the woods, and Kate's two worlds edge closer together.
Drop Dead Cold
by Karin Kaufman
2019
Hoping a birdwatching tour will lift her winter gloom, Kate instead lands in the middle of a murder. With a creepy admirer, an injured detective, and Minette's secret at risk, the case quickly turns personal.
More Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins
by Karin Kaufman
2019
Geraldine is still trying to be brave, good, and content with being a mouse. In ten winter-to-early-spring stories, she faces fear, longing, and hard questions about why she was made the way she is.
Chasing Angels
by Karin Kaufman
2020
Teagan Doyle, a failed police academy recruit, teams with retired minister Berg to investigate a haunted church. A body in the basement wall turns their demon-stalking job into a two-murder case with spiritual stakes.
Still as Death
by Karin Kaufman
2020
During a blackout at a crafts fair committee gathering, Rachel finds Eve Coleman's husband dead. With a sheriff eager to pin the crime on her and her wedding close at hand, she has to clear her name fast.
Book of Tales: Volume One
by Karin Kaufman
2021
This illustrated collection gathers stories treasured by the Woolkins mouse family. Set in forests, ponds, fields, and gardens, the tales mix danger, perseverance, and faith in a way younger readers can easily follow.
Springtime with Geraldine Woolkins
by Karin Kaufman
2021
Geraldine reaches middle-mouse age just as friendships shift and an older friend grows forgetful. Across ten spring stories, she learns that change can hurt, but it can also make room for courage, love, and hope.
Murder by Eggnog
by Karin Kaufman
2023
A holiday party with a senior citizen crime club sounds harmless until one member dies in a bizarre way. When the police dismiss the death, Kelsie starts asking questions that nobody else wants answered.
Outline for Murder
by Karin Kaufman
2023
Newly widowed Kelsie Butler is excited to script a murder mystery game for a Fairwood coffee house, until a contestant is killed in a way that mirrors her plot. To clear herself and her friends, she starts sleuthing.
Summertime with Geraldine Woolkins
by Karin Kaufman
2023
Summer in the Oak Forest should mean freedom and play, but Geraldine still wrestles with fear and feeling different. Over ten warm-weather stories, she learns to lean on books, family, friends, and hope.
A Cold Day for Murder
by Karin Kaufman
2024
Kelsie accepts a free weekend at an isolated mountain lodge and finds a room full of strangers, nightly storytelling sessions, and a host no one can identify. Then one guest dies, and the snow traps everyone inside.
A Hint of Murder
by Karin Kaufman
2024
Someone sends Kelsie taunting notes and claims a murder has already happened, with another coming soon unless she solves the clues. It becomes a frantic race against the clock through Fairwood.
Christmas with Geraldine Woolkins
by Karin Kaufman
2025
Christmas fills the Oak Forest with trees, cookies, lost friends, and sudden danger. Geraldine greets the season with wonder, but the adventures around her remind her that joy and courage often have to travel together.
Where should I start?
If you want a Colorado mystery with eerie atmosphere: The Witch Tree → Sparrow House → The Sacrifice
If you want classic small-town cozies: Death of a Dead Man → Death of a Scavenger → At Death's Door
If you want a paranormal cozy with fairies: Dying to Remember → Dead and Buried → Secret Santa Murder
If you're shopping for middle-grade or read-aloud stories: The Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins → More Adventures of Geraldine Woolkins → Springtime with Geraldine Woolkins
If you want darker supernatural suspense: Chasing Angels → All Souls
Author bio
Karin Kaufman grew up devouring murder mysteries, especially cozy ones. On her website, she says a comfy couch, a good mystery, and her rescue dog Dakota Grace are pretty close to heaven. That small detail tells you a lot about her books. They are suspenseful, reader-friendly, and clearly written by someone who loves the form from the inside.
She was a mystery reader before she was a mystery writer.
In blog posts from her early publishing years, Kaufman pointed to Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh as formative influences, and later named Tony Hillerman and Margaret Coel as major inspirations. She also wrote about loving intricate plots, multiple story threads, and the kind of novel that gives you goosebumps one minute and a laugh the next. Her goal was simple, to write the sort of book she would want to keep reading late at night.
Her first Anna Denning novel, The Witch Tree, introduced a Colorado genealogist who gets pulled into murder, family secrets, and questions of faith. The book was a finalist for a Grace Award, and it set a pattern for much of what followed. Kaufman likes old houses, buried history, tense winter settings, and protagonists who are smart, stubborn, and not nearly as polished as some detectives on television.
Readers who moved from The Witch Tree to Sparrow House and The Sacrifice got an even clearer picture of her lane. She has said she wanted Sparrow House to feel spooky but fun, creepy but cozy. That balance matters in her work. Even when rumors of hauntings, occult secrets, or sinister pasts enter the story, the books stay focused on character, place, and the slow work of figuring out what is really going on.
From there, she widened the map. The Juniper Grove books follow Rachel Stowe through a string of small-town Colorado murders, while the Smithwell Fairies mysteries bring a hidden magical world into a cozy framework. The Kelsie Butler books lean into classic puzzle setups, with closed-circle gatherings, suspicious notes, and amateur sleuthing fueled by a love of mysteries. Across those series, Kaufman returns again and again to ordinary people who find themselves in trouble and refuse to back away.
She does not stay in one lane for long.
That is part of what makes her bibliography interesting. On one end are the Geraldine Woolkins books, gentle adventure stories for middle-grade readers and read-aloud families, full of animals, seasonal change, faith, peril, and hope. On another are darker stories like All Souls and Chasing Angels, where supernatural danger and moral conflict move closer to the surface. Whether she is writing about a mouse family, a genealogist, a cozy sleuth, or a demon stalker, she seems drawn to the same questions: What does courage look like in ordinary life, and what do people do when fear refuses to leave?
Kaufman has also written about the practical side of building a writing life, including squeezing fiction around a full-time day job in her early years. That grounded streak shows. Her characters make mistakes, second-guess themselves, and keep going anyway. These days, her work ranges from cozy mystery to children's fiction to paranormal suspense, but the through line remains steady: strong atmosphere, clean plotting, and a clear affection for readers who want both tension and heart.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
















































Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts