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Torie O'Shea Books in Order

Part ofRett MacPherson Books in Order

Find the Torie O'Shea books in order by Rett MacPherson, with quick summaries, series background, and simple guidance on where to start.

Last updated: July 3, 2026

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Torie O'Shea books in publication order

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12 books

1

Family Skeletons

by Rett MacPherson

1997

When shop owner Norah Zumwalt asks Torie to trace the father who vanished after World War II, the job seems harmless enough. Then Norah is murdered, and floodwaters start stirring up older secrets.

2

A Veiled Antiquity

by Rett MacPherson

1998

When quiet Marie Dijon dies at the foot of her basement stairs, Torie cannot resist poking around. An odd will, French documents, and whispers of royal roots turn curiosity into real danger.

3

A Comedy of Heirs

by Rett MacPherson

1999

Just before Christmas and a big family reunion, Torie learns her great-grandfather may have been murdered, not killed in an accident. Digging into her own family tree quickly becomes personal and dangerous.

4

A Misty Mourning

by Rett MacPherson

2000

Pregnant Torie and Grandma Gert head to West Virginia to visit a 101-year-old family friend. When the old woman is murdered and leaves Torie a boardinghouse, the past turns deadly fast.

5

Killing Cousins

by Rett MacPherson

2002

Researching the life of a 1930s jazz singer, Torie uncovers an old kidnapping and a baby's skeleton. A present-day murder makes it clear that one family's secrets never stayed buried.

6

Blood Relations

by Rett MacPherson

2003

A drought exposes a sunken riverboat near New Kassel, along with rumors of lost diamonds and old betrayal. While Torie reels from a family surprise, treasure hunters and murder follow close behind.

7

In Sheep's Clothing

by Rett MacPherson

2004

A visit to Aunt Sissy in Minnesota turns serious when Torie is handed a 150-year-old diary. Its unfinished story of love and violence opens a mystery that has been festering across generations.

8

Thicker Than Water

by Rett MacPherson

2005

After Sylvia dies at 102 and leaves Torie the historical society's home, grief quickly turns into suspicion. An ominous old postcard suggests Sylvia was protecting secrets that someone still wants buried.

9

Dead Man Running

by Rett MacPherson

2006

During New Kassel's mayoral race and Oktoberfest chaos, Torie researches the candidates' family trees. A body, a vanished mayor, and troubling gaps in the record push her toward a dangerous political scandal.

10

Died in the Wool

by Rett MacPherson

2007

When Torie starts poking around a notorious old house tied to three sibling deaths in the 1920s, she finds more than quilts and local history. A fresh crime makes the old tragedy feel dangerously close.

11

The Blood Ballad

by Rett MacPherson

2008

A bird-watching outing ends with shots fired and a body stuffed in an old trunk. Then a supposed cousin arrives with claims about Torie's grandfather and a secret country-music past.

12

Bad to the Bones

by Rett MacPherson

2018

Torie is bored until a routine cemetery project turns up human remains and pulls her back into sleuthing. With help from local true-crime fans, she follows a case that reaches back to the Civil War.

Torie O'Shea books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Family Skeletons"

    Family Skeletons

    by Rett MacPherson

    1997Torie O'Shea, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "A Veiled Antiquity"

    A Veiled Antiquity

    by Rett MacPherson

    1998Torie O'Shea, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "A Comedy of Heirs"

    A Comedy of Heirs

    by Rett MacPherson

    1999Torie O'Shea, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "A Misty Mourning"

    A Misty Mourning

    by Rett MacPherson

    2000Torie O'Shea, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Killing Cousins"

    Killing Cousins

    by Rett MacPherson

    2002Torie O'Shea, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Blood Relations"

    Blood Relations

    by Rett MacPherson

    2003Torie O'Shea, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "In Sheep's Clothing"

    In Sheep's Clothing

    by Rett MacPherson

    2004Torie O'Shea, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Thicker Than Water"

    Thicker Than Water

    by Rett MacPherson

    2005Torie O'Shea, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Dead Man Running"

    Dead Man Running

    by Rett MacPherson

    2006Torie O'Shea, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "Died in the Wool"

    Died in the Wool

    by Rett MacPherson

    2007Torie O'Shea, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "The Blood Ballad"

    The Blood Ballad

    by Rett MacPherson

    2008Torie O'Shea, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "Bad to the Bones"

    Bad to the Bones

    by Rett MacPherson

    2018Torie O'Shea, Book 12

Series background & context

At the center of the Torie O'Shea books is Victory, better known as Torie, a genealogist and local historian in New Kassel, Missouri, a small river town with a very long memory. In the early books she works as a tour guide and researcher, and as the series goes on she takes on even more responsibility for the town's historical life. People come to her with missing relatives, odd wills, old letters, mysterious diaries, and family stories that do not quite add up.

The trouble is that Torie rarely finds just one answer.

These are cozy mysteries, but they have a very specific hook. Torie solves problems by reading the past closely. She works through family trees, cemetery records, church books, photographs, diaries, and small-town gossip, and the books keep asking the same question in different ways: who gets remembered, and who gets edited out? That makes Family Skeletons, A Veiled Antiquity, and Killing Cousins feel different from a more standard amateur sleuth series.

New Kassel matters just as much as Torie does. It is a historic German town on the Mississippi, full of old houses, antiques, festivals, layered loyalties, and people who know one another's business a little too well. Floods, riverboats, quilts, Civil War traces, and local legends are not just background color here. They help drive the cases in books like Blood Relations, Dead Man Running, Died in the Wool, and The Blood Ballad.

The home side of the series is just as important. Torie is not a lone detective with endless free time. She has a husband, children, extended family, and town obligations, so she is always balancing research with school schedules, meals, house worries, and other people's opinions. That gives the books a warm, lived-in feel, and it also means the stakes are personal long before the body count rises.

Expect humor, family friction, and a lot of buried secrets.

The tone stays companionable, but MacPherson never lets the series drift into fluff. The crimes often grow out of old injuries, hidden identities, lost inheritances, and the long reach of silence. As the books continue, Torie gets older, her family changes, and New Kassel changes with her. Bad to the Bones, which brings her back to cemetery work and another history-soaked case, shows how the series keeps its original interests while still letting time move forward.

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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