Maggy Thorsen Books in Order
Part ofSandra Balzo Books in OrderSee the Maggy Thorsen books by Sandra Balzo in order, with summaries, series background, recurring characters, and easy guidance on where to begin.
Last updated: July 14, 2026
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Maggy Thorsen books in publication order
17 books
Uncommon Grounds
by Sandra Balzo
2004
Divorced Maggy Thorsen is opening a Wisconsin coffeehouse with friends when one partner is found murdered on the floor. With Brookhills gossip swirling and Sheriff Jake Pavlik watching, Maggy starts digging into secrets powerful locals would rather keep hidden.
Grounds for Murder
by Sandra Balzo
2007
At a Milwaukee coffee trade convention, Maggy discovers the body of a rival coffeehouse-chain owner beneath a banquet table. Her public clashes with the victim make her look guilty, so she must sort through a packed field of enemies and competitors.
Bean There, Done That
by Sandra Balzo
2008
Maggy's ex-husband's new wife asks for help proving he is cheating again, then disappears and is found murdered. Though Ted once broke Maggy's heart, she cannot accept that he is a killer, especially with their son caught in the middle.
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
by Sandra Balzo
2009
A freak spring snowstorm traps Maggy and her fellow Benson Plaza merchants in their dark, freezing strip mall. When their landlord is found stabbed outside, his plan to evict the tenants leaves Maggy with plenty of suspects and nowhere to go.
A Cup of Jo
by Sandra Balzo
2010
Maggy's rebuilt coffeehouse is ready to open, complete with an oversized inflatable coffee cup for the celebration. When the display collapses and reveals a missing event manager's body, clues point toward Sheriff Jake Pavlik, forcing Maggy to question everything.
From the Grounds Up
by Sandra Balzo
2010
After her coffeehouse is destroyed, Maggy plans a fresh start in an old Brookhills train depot with Sarah as her new partner. Then Sarah's uncle dies in a suspicious crash, and a string of accidents threatens the shop before it can reopen.
Triple Shot
by Sandra Balzo
2011
A fading television star comes to Brookhills to revisit a 1974 shootout involving the FBI, the Mafia, six deaths, and missing money. Maggy gets drawn into the old case when the past proves far from settled.
Murder on the Orient Espresso
by Sandra Balzo
2013
Maggy and Jake head to South Florida for a crime writers' conference and a train event inspired by a famous mystery. Stolen manuscripts, professional rivalries, and real murder leave the passengers stranded in the Everglades with danger on every side.
To the Last Drop
by Sandra Balzo
2016
When dental surgeon William Swope falls from his tenth-floor office window, police see a likely suicide. Maggy suspects murder, and investigating the death draws her into the Swope family's secrets while putting new strain on her relationship with Jake.
Importance of Being Urnest
by Sandra Balzo
2017
A shooting at Brookhills Manor leaves Sheriff Jake Pavlik hospitalized and rattles Maggy's regular coffee group. When two of its older members die soon afterward, Maggy wonders whether the deaths are connected and starts asking unwelcome questions.
Murder a la Mocha
by Sandra Balzo
2019
After rescuing a lost chihuahua named Mocha, Maggy learns that its dog-sitter, Arial Kingston, has vanished. A body in the dog's owners' home turns Arial into a murder suspect, and Maggy must find her before the case gets worse.
Death of a Bean Counter
by Sandra Balzo
2020
Maggy's barista Amy becomes the leading suspect after her older boyfriend, financial adviser Kip Fargo, is shot dead. To clear Amy, Maggy digs into Kip's unhappy clients and complicated household, finding that his respectable image hid plenty of resentment.
Flat White
by Sandra Balzo
2021
A temporary barista believes her online boyfriend is coming to Brookhills to propose, until he is killed by a runaway snowplow outside Uncommon Grounds. Maggy investigates whether it was truly an accident while lies, a bracelet, and a passport complicate the case.
French Roast
by Sandra Balzo
2022
Maggy's barista Amy is planning a future with grocer Jacques Oui until a woman from Paris arrives claiming to be his still-legal wife. When Jacques's market burns and bodies are found inside, Maggy faces a web of old relationships and new danger.
The Big Steep
by Sandra Balzo
2022
When Maggy's dog digs up an infant's bone near a planned tea shop, a decades-old mystery returns to Brookhills. A later murder suggests the past is still dangerous, sending Maggy after answers buried within a complicated counterculture family history.
Any Pot in a Storm
by Sandra Balzo
2023
Maggy reluctantly joins Sarah at a remote Wisconsin writers' retreat, where the host demands painful personal revelations. A storm cuts off heat, power, and phone service, then a murder turns the isolated lodge into a trap for everyone inside.
Brew Unto Others
by Sandra Balzo
2024
At Sarah Kingston's mother's wake, her sister Ruth fails to appear and is later found unconscious from carbon monoxide exposure. Maggy, Sarah, and Sarah's niece Arial investigate whether it was an accident, uncovering family secrets that reach back to California.
Maggy Thorsen books in chronological order

Uncommon Grounds
by Sandra Balzo
2004Maggy Thorsen, Book 1
Grounds for Murder
by Sandra Balzo
2007Maggy Thorsen, Book 2
Bean There, Done That
by Sandra Balzo
2008Maggy Thorsen, Book 3
Brewed, Crude and Tattooed
by Sandra Balzo
2009Maggy Thorsen, Book 4
From the Grounds Up
by Sandra Balzo
2010Maggy Thorsen, Book 5
A Cup of Jo
by Sandra Balzo
2010Maggy Thorsen, Book 6
Triple Shot
by Sandra Balzo
2011Maggy Thorsen, Book 7
Murder on the Orient Espresso
by Sandra Balzo
2013Maggy Thorsen, Book 8
To the Last Drop
by Sandra Balzo
2016Maggy Thorsen, Book 9
Importance of Being Urnest
by Sandra Balzo
2017Maggy Thorsen, Book 10
Murder a la Mocha
by Sandra Balzo
2019Maggy Thorsen, Book 11
Death of a Bean Counter
by Sandra Balzo
2020Maggy Thorsen, Book 12
Flat White
by Sandra Balzo
2021Maggy Thorsen, Book 13
The Big Steep
by Sandra Balzo
2022Maggy Thorsen, Book 14
French Roast
by Sandra Balzo
2022Maggy Thorsen, Book 15
Any Pot in a Storm
by Sandra Balzo
2023Maggy Thorsen, Book 16
Brew Unto Others
by Sandra Balzo
2024Maggy Thorsen, Book 17
Series background & context
The Maggy Thorsen mysteries are coffeehouse cozies set in Brookhills, Wisconsin, a fictional suburb outside Milwaukee where everybody seems to know everybody else's business. Maggy is a divorced woman in her forties who co-owns Uncommon Grounds, a coffeehouse that becomes a regular gathering point for commuters, friends, local regulars, and the occasional person with a grudge.
That last group causes trouble.
The series begins with Uncommon Grounds, when Maggy and two friends are preparing to open the shop and one of her partners is found dead on its floor. The case brings Maggy into contact with county sheriff Jake Pavlik. Their relationship develops across the books, but Jake is not a stock obstacle for an amateur sleuth. He knows Maggy will ask questions, and she knows that his job has limits she cannot ignore.
Maggy's closest partner through much of the series is Sarah Kingston, a blunt, capable real-estate professional with a strong opinion about nearly everything. Their friendship and business partnership give the books much of their snap. Baristas, neighbors, relatives, shop owners, and Maggy's Old English sheepdog, Frank, fill out the wider Brookhills world. The people are often eccentric, but they have histories with one another, which makes even a small disagreement capable of becoming a motive.
The mysteries grow from the everyday pressures of a close community. A coffee industry convention turns deadly in Grounds for Murder. In Brewed, Crude and Tattooed, a spring snowstorm traps local merchants at a strip mall. From the Grounds Up follows Maggy's effort to rebuild Uncommon Grounds in an old train depot while suspicious accidents pile up. Each case has its own setup, but the shop, Maggy's relationships, and the rhythm of town life carry from book to book.
The series also enjoys moving Maggy beyond her counter. Murder on the Orient Espresso takes her and Jake to South Florida for a crime writers' event built around a train excursion. Any Pot in a Storm strands Maggy at an isolated writers' retreat during a fierce storm. Later books dig into old Brookhills secrets, complicated family ties, and the past that people thought had stayed buried.
Expect humor, coffee talk, dogs, romantic continuity, and murder puzzles rather than graphic violence. The books are best read in order if you want the full picture of Maggy, Sarah, Jake, and Uncommon Grounds, though many of the later cases provide enough context for a new reader to follow along.
Start with Uncommon Grounds for the whole blend.
Edited by
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