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Nursery Rhyme Suspense Books in Order

Part ofLee Strauss Books in Order

See the Nursery Rhyme Suspense books by Lee Strauss in order, with summaries, series background, and where to begin this YA techno-thriller story.

Last updated: July 4, 2026

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Nursery Rhyme Suspense books in publication order

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5 books

1

Gingerbread Man

by Lee Strauss

2014

College freshman Marlow thinks he's chatting with a cute girl online, until she is murdered and somehow still seems present. With sharp, intimidating Sage Farrell, he hunts the truth behind the handle @gingerbreadman.

2

Hickory Dickory Dock

by Lee Strauss

2016

The third Nursery Rhyme Suspense book keeps Marlow and Sage chasing clues through a world of hidden motives and digital deception. The danger feels closer now, and the cost of trusting the wrong person keeps rising.

3

Life is But a Dream

by Lee Strauss

2016

Marlow and Sage's strange case is far from over. Online secrets, shifting identities, and a threat that refuses to stay contained pull them deeper into danger.

4

Twinkle Little Star

by Lee Strauss

2016

This series finale raises the stakes for Marlow and Sage one last time. What began as an unsettling online mystery becomes a full showdown with the forces that have been stalking them from the shadows.

5

I Spy with My Little Eye

by Lee Strauss

2017

A dead Santa at the mall throws Marlow and Sage into a short, frantic mystery. Soon they are trying to protect Sage, expose a hidden enemy, and survive a very strange brush with espionage.

Nursery Rhyme Suspense books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Gingerbread Man"

    Gingerbread Man

    by Lee Strauss

    2014Nursery Rhyme Suspense, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Life is But a Dream"

    Life is But a Dream

    by Lee Strauss

    2016Nursery Rhyme Suspense, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Hickory Dickory Dock"

    Hickory Dickory Dock

    by Lee Strauss

    2016Nursery Rhyme Suspense, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Twinkle Little Star"

    Twinkle Little Star

    by Lee Strauss

    2016Nursery Rhyme Suspense, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "I Spy with My Little Eye"

    I Spy with My Little Eye

    by Lee Strauss

    2017Nursery Rhyme Suspense, Book 5

Series background & context

The Nursery Rhyme Suspense books are YA suspense with a strong online edge. Instead of drawing rooms and country estates, the danger here moves through chat windows, usernames, secret identities, and the uneasy feeling that a person can be in more than one place at once.

Marlow is where it starts.

He is a geeky college freshman with almost no experience with girls, so a flirty online conversation is already enough to throw him off balance. Then the girl is murdered. Or maybe not. That is the hook that kicks off the series and brings him into contact with Sage Farrell, who is far sharper, cooler, and more capable than he feels.

Together, Marlow and Sage work through murders, false fronts, and strange organizations, trying to figure out who is real, who is performing, and who is using the internet as cover for something much darker. The books keep a fast, youthful pace, but they also tap into a very specific kind of modern anxiety, the fear that the person on the other side of the screen might not be who they say they are.

The nursery-rhyme titles give the series a slightly offbeat flavor, which suits it. The stories are playful on the surface and increasingly tense underneath. There is humor, awkward attraction, and a bit of spy-story energy, but the core appeal is the partnership between Marlow and Sage as they learn how to work together.

If you like YA mysteries with digital clues, secret groups, and a light speculative shimmer around the edges, this page is a good stop. The series is brisk, clever, and built around the fun of watching two unlikely investigators get dragged deeper into trouble than either of them planned.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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