Kathleen Taylor Books in Order
Explore Kathleen Taylor books in order, from Tory Bauer mysteries to knitting guides, with summaries, reading paths, series background, and where to begin.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
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Kathleen Taylor books in publication order
17 books
Candlewicking with Colors
by Kathleen Taylor
1982
A candlewicking design book that explores decorative embroidery with color. It offers patterns and ideas for stitchers who want to move beyond traditional all-white candlewicking projects.
Funeral Food
by Kathleen Taylor
1993
Waitress Tory Bauer likes the predictable life of Delphi, South Dakota, until she finds a Mormon missionary dead in the cafe's mop closet. The murder draws Tory into a simmering mess of jealousy, gossip, and long-kept town secrets.
Sex and Salmonella
by Kathleen Taylor
1996
A seedy carnival arrives near Delphi, and Tory Bauer becomes interested in a lonely worker whose life is already complicated. When the woman is found dead, Tory follows a trail of secrets through the midway and her own small town.
Hotel South Dakota
by Kathleen Taylor
1997
A high-school reunion brings old classmates and old memories back to Delphi, including an unresolved tragedy from 1969. When history seems to repeat itself, waitress Tory Bauer digs into the lies surrounding a death everyone thought was settled.
Mourning Shift
by Kathleen Taylor
1998
As Halloween approaches, a man dies in the Delphi Cafe restroom, and the victim has a painful connection to the cafe's owner. Tory Bauer reluctantly takes on another investigation, where family history and fresh motives collide.
Cold Front
by Kathleen Taylor
2000
New Year's Eve in Delphi turns deadly when a visiting man is murdered soon after arriving in town. With gossip spreading and clues buried beneath the winter chill, Tory Bauer searches for the person determined to keep the truth frozen.
Foreign Body
by Kathleen Taylor
2001
A member of a traveling youth choir apparently takes her own life at Tory Bauer's cafe, leaving a note that implicates Tory's cousin by marriage. To clear his name, Tory must untangle accusation, faith, and a second suspicious death.
Knit One, Felt Too
by Kathleen Taylor
2003
This guide introduces knitted felting through 25 projects, including accessories, toys, and home items. Taylor explains how loosely knit wool changes in hot water, then helps crafters put the technique to work.
Yarns to Dye For
by Kathleen Taylor
2005
A practical guide to creating self-patterning yarns for knitting. It covers choosing materials, preparing skeins, and painting or dyeing yarn, then includes projects that let knitters use their newly colored yarns.
I Heart Felt
by Kathleen Taylor
2008
A collection of 33 felted-knitting projects that plays with color, texture, and embellishment. The patterns invite knitters to make dense, durable accessories and decorative pieces from wool transformed through washing and agitation.
The Big Book of Socks
by Kathleen Taylor
2009
This wide-ranging sock-knitting guide includes 75 patterns, from straightforward pairs to lace, cables, stripes, and Fair Isle designs. It also explains yarn choices and offers several approaches to heels and toes.
Fearless Fair Isle Knitting
by Kathleen Taylor
2011
Taylor breaks down stranded colorwork with guidance on yarn, charts, color choices, and steeking. Thirty patterns for sweaters, socks, mittens, hats, bags, and more give knitters plenty of ways to practice Fair Isle techniques.
Fair Isle Flower Garden
by Kathleen Taylor
2012
This booklet gathers five Fair Isle projects for children, including a dress, hat, sweater, trousers, and cardigan. It pairs flower-inspired colorwork with practical guidance for knitters trying stranded patterns.
Fair Isle Hats, Scarves, Mittens & Gloves
by Kathleen Taylor
2012
A focused collection of seven Fair Isle accessories for a cold-weather wardrobe. Clear charts, schematics, and a basics section help capable knitters make hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves in Taylor's colorful motifs.
A Must Read Guide For Every Pregnant Couple
by Kathleen Taylor
2023
A brief guide for expectant couples, focused on navigating pregnancy and preparing for parenthood. It is designed as an accessible starting point for readers looking for general support during the pregnancy journey.
Ageing Backwards
by Kathleen Taylor
2023
A concise wellness guide that considers everyday habits intended to support healthy aging and vitality. It offers a general introduction for readers interested in making practical changes to their routine.
Superfoods and Healthy Eating
by Kathleen Taylor
2023
A short introduction to nutrient-rich foods and everyday healthy eating. It offers readers a simple overview of food choices that can fit into a balanced, wellness-minded routine.
Where to start with Kathleen Taylor
For the Tory Bauer mysteries: Funeral Food → Sex and Salmonella → Hotel South Dakota → Mourning Shift.
For felted-knitting projects: Knit One, Felt Too → I Heart Felt.
For dyeing colorful yarn: Yarns to Dye For.
For socks of every style: The Big Book of Socks.
For stranded colorwork: Fearless Fair Isle Knitting → Fair Isle Hats, Scarves, Mittens & Gloves.
Kathleen Taylor sub-series and character series
Tory Bauer Mystery books in order
Explore this series
Funeral Food
by Kathleen Taylor
1993Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 1
Sex and Salmonella
by Kathleen Taylor
1996Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 2
Hotel South Dakota
by Kathleen Taylor
1997Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 3
Mourning Shift
by Kathleen Taylor
1998Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 4
Cold Front
by Kathleen Taylor
2000Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 5
Foreign Body
by Kathleen Taylor
2001Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 6
Tory Bauer Mystery books in chronological order

Funeral Food
by Kathleen Taylor
1993Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 1
Sex and Salmonella
by Kathleen Taylor
1996Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 2
Hotel South Dakota
by Kathleen Taylor
1997Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 3
Mourning Shift
by Kathleen Taylor
1998Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 4
Cold Front
by Kathleen Taylor
2000Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 5
Foreign Body
by Kathleen Taylor
2001Tory Bauer Mystery, Book 6
Kathleen Taylor collections, short stories, and related book types
Non-Fiction

Candlewicking with Colors
by Kathleen Taylor
1982
Knit One, Felt Too
by Kathleen Taylor
2003Discover the Magic of Knitted Felt with 25 Easy Patterns
Yarns to Dye For
by Kathleen Taylor
2005
I Heart Felt
by Kathleen Taylor
200833 Eye-Popping Projects for the Inspired Knitter
The Big Book of Socks
by Kathleen Taylor
2009The Ultimate Beyond-the-Basics Guide to Knitting Socks
Fearless Fair Isle Knitting
by Kathleen Taylor
201130 Gorgeous Original Sweaters, Socks, Mittens, and More
Fair Isle Hats, Scarves, Mittens & Gloves
by Kathleen Taylor
2012
Fair Isle Flower Garden
by Kathleen Taylor
2012
A Must Read Guide For Every Pregnant Couple
by Kathleen Taylor
2023
Ageing Backwards
by Kathleen Taylor
2023
Superfoods and Healthy Eating
by Kathleen Taylor
2023
Author bio
Kathleen Taylor has built a writing life around two very different kinds of problem-solving: figuring out who committed a murder in a small South Dakota town, and figuring out how yarn, color, and a good pattern can become something useful.
She is a writer and freelance knitwear designer who has lived in northeastern South Dakota. Her work as a designer has appeared in dozens of magazines, and she has taught knitting classes at fiber festivals around the country. She is also a wife, mother, and grandmother, details that fit the practical, family-centered feel of much of her craft work.
Taylor first reached many fiction readers with Funeral Food, the opening Tory Bauer mystery, published in 1993. The novel introduces Tory, a sharp-tongued waitress in the fictional prairie town of Delphi, South Dakota. A murder disrupts the daily rhythm of the diner, and Tory finds she has a harder time ignoring loose ends than she expected.
The setting stuck.
Taylor went on to write six Tory Bauer mysteries, including Sex and Salmonella, Hotel South Dakota, Mourning Shift, Cold Front, and Foreign Body. The books mix amateur detection with small-town gossip, difficult weather, messy relationships, and the kind of local knowledge that comes from seeing the same people at the cafe every day. Tory is not a polished professional investigator. She is a working woman with opinions, worries, and a good eye for what people are trying to hide.
Alongside the mysteries, Taylor developed a substantial body of knitting and needlework books. Knit One, Felt Too introduced readers to felted knitting through accessible projects, while Yarns to Dye For focuses on making self-patterning yarns at home. Later books such as I Heart Felt, The Big Book of Socks, and Fearless Fair Isle Knitting offer projects and instruction for knitters ready to try texture, color, socks, stranded work, and steeking.
Her craft books are built for making things, not just admiring photographs. They tend to pair clear instruction with projects that give readers a reason to practice a new skill, whether that means turning oversized knitting into felt, dyeing a skein in changing colors, or learning to manage several yarns in a Fair Isle pattern.
Taylor has also written beyond the mystery and knitting shelves. Her standalone novel The Nut Hut is set in a state institution in 1971 and follows a young employee during her first week on the job. It shows another side of her fiction, one more serious in subject while still focused on people trying to make sense of an uneasy world.
Her books have had a long afterlife. Taylor brought the Tory Bauer novels back to readers in electronic and print editions, with cover art created by her son, Curtis. She has continued to share her enthusiasm for yarn, design, teaching, and the ordinary details that make a creative life work.
Whether readers come for a diner waitress with a murder to solve or a pair of needles and a complicated color chart, Taylor's work starts from the same place: pay attention, keep going, and do not be afraid to get your hands messy.
Edited by
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