Who Killed Peggy Sue? Books in Order
Part ofEileen Goudge Books in OrderThis page lists the Who Killed Peggy Sue? books by Eileen Goudge in order, with summaries, background, and reading tips.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
4 books
Cross Your Heart, Hope to Die
by Eileen Goudge
1991
Hope Hubbard investigates the murder of Miss Peggy Sue and finds suspects everywhere, including the remaining contestants and the boy she is falling for. In Paradiso, secrets are almost a local sport.
Dying to Win
by Eileen Goudge
1991
Four girls compete to become Paradiso's Peach Blossom Queen, a title that promises a scholarship and a screen test. The contest turns deadly, and every candidate has something to hide.
If Looks Could Kill
by Eileen Goudge
1991
The Peach Blossom Queen's killer is still loose, and Hope Hubbard's boyfriend has been cleared. New evidence points toward other students, but proving the truth may put Hope in danger.
Jailbird
by Eileen Goudge
1992
With a suspect behind bars for the Peach Blossom Queen's murder, Paradiso wants the case closed. Hope Hubbard and Kiki De Santis fear the wrong person confessed, and a new trap may catch them instead.
Series background & context
Who Killed Peggy Sue? is a four-book young adult mystery built around one fatal small-town contest. The setting is Paradiso, California, where the Peach Blossom Festival is the biggest event of the year. The winner of the Miss Peach Blossom title, nicknamed Peggy Sue, gets attention, status, and a possible way out.
Then one of the girls dies.
The opening book, Dying to Win, introduces the four contestants: Lacey Pinkerton, Raven Cruz, Kiki De Santis, and April Lovewell. Each wants the crown for different reasons, and each has secrets. The series uses the pageant setup to turn high school rivalry into a murder investigation, with the question of who died and who killed her driving the early suspense.
Hope Hubbard becomes the closest thing the series has to a teen sleuth. She is smart, observant, and not quite as glamorous as the pageant girls, which makes her a useful outsider-insider. Through Cross Your Heart, Hope to Die, If Looks Could Kill, and Jailbird, Hope keeps pushing past rumors, false leads, crushes, and shifting suspects.
The books are very much of their early 1990s YA mystery moment. They have high school gossip, romance, rival cliques, shocking accusations, and cliffhanger energy. But they also tap into something durable: the way a small community can close ranks when the truth is inconvenient.
Read the series in order. This is not a set of separate cases. Each book moves the Peggy Sue mystery forward, clears some suspects, raises new ones, and keeps the real answer just out of reach until the finale.
For readers who like vintage teen thrillers, this series offers a compact whodunit with pageant pressure, small-town secrets, and enough red herrings to keep Paradiso feeling sunny and unsafe at the same time.
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