The Cycle Path Mysteries Books in Order

The Cycle Path Mysteries shift the action north to Mackinac Island, a car free resort town where bicycles and horse drawn carriages rule the streets. Evie Bloomfield, a Chicago graphic designer looking to impress her boss, arrives to help at her boss’s father’s bike rental shop, Rudy’s Rides, and quickly learns that island life can be just as dangerous as city traffic.

In Geared for the Grave, Evie hopes a summer of hard work will earn her a promotion back home. Instead, a wealthy and widely disliked local woman dies in what first looks like a bike accident. When it becomes clear that someone tampered with her brakes and Evie’s new landlord, Rudy Randolph, becomes the prime suspect, Evie starts asking questions to keep her job, and Rudy, from going under.

By Braking for Bodies, Evie is more rooted in Mackinac, sharing the shop with Rudy and navigating the crowds that pour in for the Lilac Festival. A ferry full of tourists brings her friend Fiona’s sleazy former boss to the island, and when he ends up dead, Fiona is suddenly in serious trouble. Evie has to juggle demanding visitors, island politics, and a murder investigation in a place where secrets travel faster than the horse drawn taxis.

Tandem Demise raises the stakes further. After helping solve two murders, Evie would love a quiet season, but Mackinac has other plans. Police chief Nate Sutter, a former undercover cop, is targeted by criminals from his Detroit past who believe he stole their smuggling money. A body on the dock, a chaotic wedding business, and the arrival of dangerous outsiders force Evie, Nate, and their friends to work together to protect both the island and their own futures.

One of the pleasures of this series is the setting itself. Brown leans into the details that make Mackinac unique: the strict no car rule, the steep hills and twisting bike paths, the fudge shops and grand hotels, and the long winters that shape the year round residents. The island feels like a small village surrounded by water, which keeps the cast close and the tension contained.

Tone wise, the Cycle Path books stay light and humorous, with plenty of slapstick moments, near crashes, and romantic sparks, especially between Evie and Nate. Underneath the jokes, though, the stories touch on second chances, chosen family, and what it means to commit to a community far from where you started. Readers who enjoy the Savannah books will recognize the same fast paced banter and affection for quirky side characters.

Although each book centers on a single mystery and can stand alone, the growing friendships and slow building relationships make it rewarding to start with Geared for the Grave and follow the series in order. If you like your cozies with lake breezes, bike bells, and a touch of big city trouble washing up on a small shore, this series delivers.