Susan Hunter Mystery Books in Order

The Susan Hunter books are light, fast-moving mysteries with humor, romance, and a lot of travel. They begin with Sunshine Hunter, where Susan's already complicated life turns stranger after a broken relationship, a trip to Florida, and a murder that suddenly puts her on the police radar. From there, the series keeps its everyday footing even as the trouble gets bigger.

Susan is not a professional sleuth.

That is part of the charm. She works at Slimmers Weight Loss by day and at a racquetball club by night, and she often ends up in danger because she happens to notice the wrong thing at the wrong time. Susan is smart, but she is also recognizably human. She worries, second-guesses herself, falls in love, and tries to keep normal life moving while chaos gathers around her.

The books may start in Ohio, but they do not stay put. Big Apple Hunter sends Susan to New York City. Sin City Hunter heads to Las Vegas. Big Easy Hunter brings trouble to New Orleans. Windy City Hunter turns a Chicago cooking competition into a murder headache, and Maple Leaf Hunter pushes the series into Canada with suspicious strangers, Sasquatch rumors, and a kidnapping. The travel gives each book a different flavor, but Susan's voice keeps the series tied together.

The recurring cast matters, too. Darby is a loyal best friend and frequent partner in misadventure. Mick carries much of the romantic thread through the series, which gives the books an ongoing personal arc beneath the central mystery. Work friends and travel companions come and go, but Susan's relationships are what keep the stories feeling warm even when the plots turn dangerous.

These are mysteries, but they are not hard-boiled. They are conversational, a little madcap at times, and much more interested in everyday embarrassment, friendship, and momentum than in gritty procedure. Susan is often being stalked, blamed, threatened, or chased, yet the tone stays approachable. The crimes matter, but the books never forget to have some fun.

That balance is what makes the series easy to recommend. Each novel has its own problem to solve, so you can dip in almost anywhere, but reading in order gives you the best view of Susan's changing life. By the time you reach Buckeye Hunter, the series even crosses paths with Jo Ravens from Two Sisters and a Journalist. If you want mysteries with an Ohio base, a traveling heroine, and plenty of personality, Susan Hunter is a good companion.