Medlar Mystery Books in Order

The Medlar Mystery series is Jude Deveraux teaming up with Tara Sheets for a lighter, bookish kind of suspense. These are small-town mysteries with a cozy surface, a big old house, a tight circle of suspects, and just enough danger to keep the stakes real. The core duo is bestselling author Sara Medlar and her niece Kate, who keep finding that trouble follows curiosity.

The series begins with A Willing Murder, when Sara inherits the Medlar mansion and an extraordinary rare-book collection. Moving in should be a quiet change of pace, but it quickly becomes clear that the family past is full of secrets, and that people will do terrible things to keep those secrets hidden. Once a body turns up, Sara and Kate cannot help digging.

Medlar is a great setting for mysteries because the house itself holds clues. Old papers, hidden corners, and valuable books attract people with sharp motives, collectors, heirs, and opportunists. When a crime touches that collection, the suspect list can include both longtime locals and outsiders who suddenly care a lot about what is locked behind a door.

From there, each book spins a new case out of the town’s history and the Medlar legacy, A Justified Murder, A Forgotten Murder, A Relative Murder, and An Unfinished Murder. The mysteries are structured and clue-driven, but the reading experience stays approachable, with humor, relationship tension, and a strong sense of community. The recurring themes are inheritance, loyalty, and the way a small town can keep a secret for decades.

What makes these books feel different from a traditional thriller is the tone. Sara is observant and stubborn, Kate brings energy and heart, and the supporting cast feels like a real town full of complicated people, not just suspects. Romance does not take over, but it is always hovering near the edges, adding a little heat to the otherwise puzzle-first structure.

Cozy-ish, but not toothless.

Read the Medlar books in order for the best character progression and to see how the town’s relationships evolve. This page lists the books in order, gives series background, and helps you decide whether you want to commit to the whole run or start with the first case and see how it grabs you. If you like mysteries that feel cozy but still have sharp turns, this series is a good bridge from Deveraux’s romances into crime fiction.