Samuel Craddock Mystery Books in Order

When Dora Lee Parjeter is murdered, retired police chief Samuel Craddock steps in because the current chief is useless and drunk. In a town full of land disputes, family tension, and old grudges, almost everyone seems to have a reason to lie.

Jarrett Creek is broke, and retired Samuel Craddock is pulled back in when bank heir Gary Dellmore turns up dead. The case leads through failed investments, affairs, and small-town resentment, with the town's collapse tied tightly to the murder.

Jack Harbin came home from the Gulf War broken, and just as he and his former best friend are about to reconnect, he is killed. Samuel Craddock digs into old loyalties, a buried love triangle, and secrets Jarrett Creek never outgrew.

Samuel Craddock's friend Jenny Sandstone is threatened after her mother dies, but she refuses to say why. As accidents and warnings pile up, Samuel has to untangle buried family secrets before Jenny destroys herself or someone else finishes the job.

Nonie Blake returns home after years away in a mental institution, and within days she is murdered. Samuel Craddock soon learns almost everything about her story is suspect, including where she has really been and who wants the past buried.

In this earlier Samuel Craddock case, a young chief investigates the murder of five Black youths after a house fire outside Jarrett Creek. Fighting racist assumptions and official pressure, he has to decide what kind of lawman he will be.

When a physician with a vacation home near Jarrett Creek is mauled in the woods, Samuel suspects more than a freak attack. Missing dogs, a possible dogfighting ring, and the victim's messy past turn the case dark fast.

Loretta Singletary vanishes after trying an online dating site, and Samuel Craddock realizes too late that his old friend is in real danger. A second woman's death suggests a predator is at work, forcing Samuel into unfamiliar digital territory.

Jarrett Creek's annual motorcycle rally brings money, noise, and plenty of bad blood. When Amber Johnson is found murdered in the middle of the event, Samuel Craddock races to sort out family secrets, local politics, and a troubled niece under his roof.

Plans to modernize Granger's animal feed store spark threats, assault, and then a fire. When a body is found in the ruins, Samuel Craddock uncovers old resentments and long-buried secrets behind a very local battle over change.

A stranger calls the police asking Samuel Craddock to rescue her sister, but by the time he finds Maddy Benson, she is dead. Her arrival in Jarrett Creek hides dangerous politics, lies, and secrets that put Samuel's career at risk.

Lily Barnes insists her twin sister Jewel is trying to poison her, then Jewel turns up dead instead. While Samuel Craddock looks into the killing, suspicious dumping outside town points to a second mystery with bigger consequences.