Sally Bearneathy Books in Order
Explore Sally Bearneathy books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, and tips on where to start with Death by Chocolate and Charley's Ghost.
Last updated: July 8, 2026
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Publication Order
20 books
Death by Chocolate
by Sally Bearneathy
2011
Lindsay Powell runs a chocolate bakery and thinks her cookie recipe is her only secret. Then poisoned treats, a threatening stalker, and the hidden past of her friend Paula pull her into a messy, dangerous murder case.
Ghost of Summer
by Sally Bearneathy
2012
Kate returns home to announce her sensible marriage plans, only to find her childhood friend Luke back in town and her dead mother seemingly nudging them together. Old feelings and a touch of ghostly matchmaking change everything.
Murder, Lies and Chocolate
by Sally Bearneathy
2012
After a man offers double for Lindsay's house and drops dead on her sidewalk, everyone suddenly wants her property. Break-ins, basement digging, and her stubborn almost-ex turn a simple mystery into a very personal one.
Secrets Among the Shadows
by Sally Bearneathy
2012
Eliot Kane dreams a woman's murder in exact detail, then learns it really happened. Afraid he may be the killer, or something worse, he turns to psychiatrist Leanne Warner as danger closes in around them.
Secrets Rising
by Sally Bearneathy
2012
After her parents die, Rebecca Patterson discovers she was adopted and hires private investigator Jake Thornton to find her birth family. Their search leads to a quiet Texas town where long-buried secrets quickly turn deadly.
The Ex Who Wouldn't Die
by Sally Bearneathy
2012
Amanda wakes from a motorcycle crash to learn her cheating almost-ex has been murdered, and she is the prime suspect. Worse, Charley's ghost is now stuck to her until she helps uncover who killed him.
The Great Chocolate Scam
by Sally Bearneathy
2012
Rick dies in a car bomb before his divorce from Lindsay is final, leaving her tangled in his estate. Soon supposed relatives, a disputed flour mill, and a trail of lies make it clear his death was anything but simple.
Undercover Secrets
by Sally Bearneathy
2012
Allison Prescott, a rookie TV reporter fighting for custody of her daughter, spots a homeless man who looks far too sharp for the streets. He is undercover cop Brad Malone, and chasing his story may cost both of them everything.
Anything You Can Do
by Sally Bearneathy
2013
Bailey Russell has her career and life mapped out until competitive lawyer Austin Travers starts beating her at races, cooking, and almost everything else. Their rivalry turns complicated when he threatens to reshape her law firm.
Chocolate Mousse Attack
by Sally Bearneathy
2013
Fred's middle-of-the-night call about a woman hiding in his closet sounds absurd, until Lindsay learns she is sleepwalking through visions of an old crime. The clues point to a child murder from twenty years earlier that may never have been solved.
Shifting Shadows
by Sally Bearneathy
2013
Analise Parrish wakes in 2013 with the memories of Elizabeth Dupard, a woman murdered in 1905, and none of her own. To survive, she has to untangle two lives and a killer who may be hunting her again.
The Ex Who Glowed In The Dark
by Sally Bearneathy
2013
Amanda is still haunted by Charley when her assistant's brother is apparently kidnapped over missing computer code. False identities, murdered parents, and a ransom demand that makes no sense pull her into another dangerous case.
Fatal Chocolate Obsession
by Sally Bearneathy
2014
Someone is leaving Lindsay gifts in the night, and then the bodies start piling up behind her bakery. With creepy poems, a stalker, and Rick laid up in the hospital, Lindsay has to stop a killer before the obsession turns fatal.
The Ex Who Conned a Psychic
by Sally Bearneathy
2014
A psychic friend may be able to help Amanda get rid of Charley, but first they have to solve another dead husband's murder. Then a violent man from Charley's past shows up claiming Amanda's shop and home.
The Ex Who Saw a Ghost
by Sally Bearneathy
2016
Five bodies are found in a well, and one of the dead becomes Charley's newest ghostly companion. Amanda and her allies have to untangle an old crime before the killer decides one more body will not matter.
Deadly Chocolate Addiction
by Sally Bearneathy
2017
A chocolate-loving customer leaves Lindsay a small brass key and winds up murdered, with evidence leading straight back to her bakery. To clear her name, she has to figure out what the key opens and who wanted it badly enough to kill.
Guns, Wives and Chocolate
by Sally Bearneathy
2018
Lindsay throws a party for a newly released ex-con and things get worse from there. Her ex's ex moves in across the street, the new husband turns up murdered, and another wife comes calling.
The Ex Who Hid a Deadly Past
by Sally Bearneathy
2020
After Amanda threatens an obnoxious customer, he turns up dead in her parking lot and the evidence points at her. Even the victim's ghost says she did it, while Charley refuses to give the alibi she needs.
Spies, Lies and Chocolate Pies
by Sally Bearneathy
2022
When Lindsay finds Fred's supposed wife dead and Rick suddenly goes missing, Fred is forced to admit he has secrets of his own. A murder, a disappearance, and a shadowy past put Lindsay in real danger.
Twin Troubles and Chocolate Tortes
by Sally Bearneathy
2025
After an elderly neighbor befriends Paula's son and dies in a fall, a woman appears claiming to be Paula's twin sister. Lindsay has to sort through DNA results, old photos, and a family reunion story that does not quite fit.
Where should I start?
If you want cozy mysteries first: Death by Chocolate → Murder, Lies and Chocolate → The Great Chocolate Scam
If you like ghosts with your mystery: The Ex Who Wouldn't Die → The Ex Who Glowed In The Dark → The Ex Who Conned a Psychic
If you want romantic suspense: Undercover Secrets → Secrets Among the Shadows → Secrets Rising
If you prefer standalone romance: Anything You Can Do → Ghost of Summer → Shifting Shadows
Author bio
Sally Bearneathy grew up in McAlester, in southeastern Oklahoma, in a family where stories were part of everyday life. On summer evenings they sat outside under the stars and told ghost stories, funny stories, scary stories, whatever came to mind. She has said that even bedtime came with a story instead of a song. That mix of humor, suspense, and plain old storytelling still shows up all through her books.
Stories were the family pastime.
She loved reading early, studied journalism and writing, and in college often leaned toward creative work instead of formal papers. She published short stories and poetry in school and literary magazines, then sold a few true confession pieces to magazines. Getting paid for her words was a real turning point. It made writing feel less like a vague hope and more like something she could actually build a career around.
In 1988 she decided it was time to try a novel, following the old advice to write what you know. At that stage, that meant romance, and over the years she sold fifteen romance novels that ranged from comedy to darker suspense. Books like Undercover Secrets, Anything You Can Do, and Ghost of Summer show that range well. Some are light and funny, some are tense, some bring in a paranormal touch, but they all keep the focus on women trying to make sense of messy lives. Along the way she picked up a National Readers' Choice Award, a Romantic Times Best Silhouette win, and two RITA finalist spots.
Then she took a detour.
In 2001 she stepped away from publishing and worked as a computer programmer for about a decade. When she came back to fiction, her life had changed, and so had her sense of what she wanted to write. She has joked that after her last divorce she realized she knew nothing about romance and started writing about murder instead. She also knew a lot about chocolate, and had once wanted to open a chocolate shop, so that part came naturally.
That shift led to the books many readers know best. Death by Chocolate introduces Lindsay Powell, a bakery owner whose life keeps filling up with bodies, secrets, and terrible ex-husband drama. The Ex Who Wouldn't Die takes a different route, pairing a murder case with the ghost of a scam artist ex who refuses to move on. In standalones like Shifting Shadows and Secrets Among the Shadows, she also shows her liking for paranormal twists, hidden identities, and danger that comes from the past instead of nowhere.
Her stories tend to move fast and talk straight. Even when the setup is dark, there is usually room for a joke, a strange neighbor, or someone saying exactly what they should probably keep to themselves. She returns again and again to a few favorite ideas: women starting over, family secrets, romance under pressure, small-town trouble, and the possibility that the dead are not always finished talking.
These days she is still writing the Death by Chocolate and Charley's Ghost books. When she is not working, she has said she enjoys reading, eating chocolate, and riding her Harley. The storyteller who grew up under the Oklahoma stars still sounds very much like herself.
Edited by
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