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Susan Henshaw Books in Order

Part ofValerie Wolzien Books in Order

Find the Susan Henshaw mysteries by Valerie Wolzien in order, with brief summaries, series background, and helpful where-to-start guidance.

Last updated: July 14, 2026

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Susan Henshaw books in publication order

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16 books

1

Murder at the PTA Luncheon

by Valerie Wolzien

1988

A poisoned canapé kills the PTA president at an affluent Connecticut luncheon, then another member dies. As the event's vice president, Susan Henshaw helps investigate a group tangled in scandal, rivalry, and secrets.

2

The Fortieth Birthday Body

by Valerie Wolzien

1989

Susan Henshaw's surprise fortieth birthday party becomes a crime scene when Dawn Elliott is found murdered in Susan's new car. With gossip spreading through Hancock, Susan herself becomes a prime suspect.

3

We Wish You a Merry Murder

by Valerie Wolzien

1991

After Kelly Knowlson's ex-husband is murdered, his body disappears and she becomes the leading suspect. During the Christmas rush, Susan Henshaw tries to uncover what happened and find the missing corpse.

4

All Hallows' Evil

by Valerie Wolzien

1992

On Halloween, Susan first mistakes a dying man in the library for a gruesome prank. A second victim, local celebrity Jason Armstrong, is stabbed, and Susan uncovers secrets someone will kill to protect.

5

An Old Faithful Murder

by Valerie Wolzien

1992

A Yellowstone vacation turns deadly when George Ericksen is found murdered near Old Faithful. Susan Henshaw follows the troubled family's buried resentments and secrets, where nearly everyone seems to have a motive.

6

A Star-Spangled Murder

by Valerie Wolzien

1993

Susan's usual Maine summer retreat is interrupted when a neighbor is bludgeoned to death in her living room. With a small town full of possible suspects, Susan trades a quiet holiday for another investigation.

7

'Tis the Season to Be Murdered

by Valerie Wolzien

1994

Susan hires popular caterers for her New Year's party, hoping to escape the usual holiday strain. Then chef Z Holly is found strangled in a van full of helium balloons, and Susan hunts for answers.

8

A Good Year for a Corpse

by Valerie Wolzien

1994

Wealthy Horace Harvey draws eager attention from every local organization, until he is found strangled in a hotel room. Susan Henshaw suspects money, business resentment, and social ambition may all be involved.

9

Remodeled to Death

by Valerie Wolzien

1995

A burst bathroom pipe fills Susan Henshaw's house with workers and renovation headaches. When Hancock's unpopular building inspector is murdered, Susan worries the killer may be working right inside her home.

10

Elected for Death

by Valerie Wolzien

1996

A long-shot candidate dies after drinking cyanide-laced water during Hancock's heated mayoral race. With her husband targeted by the political fallout, Susan investigates dirty deals, property disputes, and private scandals.

11

Weddings Are Murder

by Valerie Wolzien

1998

Susan wants her daughter Chrissy's wedding to be perfect, despite a missing dress and difficult in-laws. Then a body appears with a wedding invitation, and Susan must manage a murder without ruining the celebration.

12

The Student Body

by Valerie Wolzien

1999

Susan returns to college to give her empty-nest life a new direction, but her lab partner is murdered with Susan's backpack straps. Named a suspect, she investigates campus politics and her new classmates.

13

Death at a Discount

by Valerie Wolzien

2000

Susan finds wealthy Amanda Worth strangled in a dressing room at a new outlet mall, a place Amanda supposedly would never visit. Her search reveals a secret that could ruin several people, including the killer.

14

An Anniversary to Die For

by Valerie Wolzien

2002

Susan and Jed revisit the inn where they honeymooned for an anniversary party that ends in murder. When Ashley Marks is found poisoned beneath gifts in their room, Susan follows clues into the victim's past.

15

Death in a Beach Chair

by Valerie Wolzien

2004

A Caribbean getaway with friends looks like paradise until a mysterious blonde is murdered. The victim has old ties to Susan, Jed, and Jerry, leaving Susan to untangle a deadly past under the island sun.

16

Death in Duplicate

by Valerie Wolzien

2005

Susan welcomes her daughter, son-in-law, newborn twins, and their nanny into the family home. When a neighbor says the nanny is linked to nursing-home deaths and is then murdered, Susan investigates to protect her family.

Susan Henshaw books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Murder at the PTA Luncheon"

    Murder at the PTA Luncheon

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1988Susan Henshaw, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "The Fortieth Birthday Body"

    The Fortieth Birthday Body

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1989Susan Henshaw, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "We Wish You a Merry Murder"

    We Wish You a Merry Murder

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1991Susan Henshaw, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "All Hallows' Evil"

    All Hallows' Evil

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1992Susan Henshaw, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "An Old Faithful Murder"

    An Old Faithful Murder

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1992Susan Henshaw, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "A Star-Spangled Murder"

    A Star-Spangled Murder

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1993Susan Henshaw, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "A Good Year for a Corpse"

    A Good Year for a Corpse

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1994Susan Henshaw, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "'Tis the Season to Be Murdered"

    'Tis the Season to Be Murdered

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1994Susan Henshaw, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Remodeled to Death"

    Remodeled to Death

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1995Susan Henshaw, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Elected for Death"

    Elected for Death

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1996Susan Henshaw, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "Weddings Are Murder"

    Weddings Are Murder

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1998Susan Henshaw, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "The Student Body"

    The Student Body

    by Valerie Wolzien

    1999Susan Henshaw, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Death at a Discount"

    Death at a Discount

    by Valerie Wolzien

    2000Susan Henshaw, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "An Anniversary to Die For"

    An Anniversary to Die For

    by Valerie Wolzien

    2002Susan Henshaw, Book 14
  15. Book cover for "Death in a Beach Chair"

    Death in a Beach Chair

    by Valerie Wolzien

    2004Susan Henshaw, Book 15
  16. Book cover for "Death in Duplicate"

    Death in Duplicate

    by Valerie Wolzien

    2005Susan Henshaw, Book 16

Series background & context

The Susan Henshaw mysteries begin in the well-kept Connecticut suburb of Hancock, where school events, country-club tensions, family celebrations, and local politics can all hide a surprising amount of bad feeling. Susan is a wife, mother, and active member of her community. She is not a detective by trade, but she has a sharp eye for people and a hard time walking away when something does not add up.

That is how she becomes an amateur sleuth.

In Murder at the PTA Luncheon, Susan is the vice president of the local PTA when a poisoned canapé turns a spring luncheon into a murder case. The crime opens the series' central idea: ordinary social obligations can become the doorway into secrets, grudges, and dangerous competition. Susan knows the people involved, which helps, but it also means the stakes are personal.

The books move with Susan through the changing seasons and stages of family life. The Fortieth Birthday Body turns a surprise birthday party sour when a local woman is murdered. We Wish You a Merry Murder and 'Tis the Season to Be Murdered bring murder into the busy, slightly frazzled world of holiday planning. Weddings Are Murder puts Susan in mother-of-the-bride mode just when a death threatens to derail her daughter's big day.

Susan's cases are often rooted in the pressures of a close community. Residents care about appearances, property values, schools, family connections, and who has been invited to what. People talk. People remember. And people sometimes keep secrets for years. Susan's friendships and neighborhood knowledge make her a useful investigator, even when they also make the cases awkward.

She has help around her, especially from Kathleen Gordon, a friend with police experience. Susan's husband Jed, her children, and later her grandchildren also make the books feel like a continuing family story rather than a set of mysteries with a reset button after every ending.

The series is not confined to Hancock. Susan investigates during family trips to Yellowstone in An Old Faithful Murder, a Maine summer stay in A Star-Spangled Murder, and a Caribbean vacation in Death in a Beach Chair. Those changes of scene give the later books fresh settings, but Susan remains the same person, observant, anxious when her loved ones are at risk, and determined to get an answer.

The tone is cozy, but the problems are real.

Later entries let Susan's life change with her children growing up and leaving home. In The Student Body, she returns to college and becomes a murder suspect after her lab partner is killed. In Death in Duplicate, she is a new grandmother dealing with a troubling accusation against the twins' nanny when a neighbor is murdered.

Each mystery can be read on its own, but the books work especially well in order. Readers get the pleasure of watching Susan's family move through birthdays, elections, renovations, weddings, empty-nest adjustments, and new babies, all while the quiet surface of suburban life keeps cracking open.

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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