Joanne Fluke Books in Order (Hannah Swensen Mysteries Series and more)
Joanne Fluke is the most famous pen name of Joanne Fischmann, born Gibson in 1943 in Swanvill, Minnesota. She comes from a long line of bakers, so it’s no surprise she has been baking since she was a child and has created a book series where food is important.
Fluke started writing young adult horror stories in the 1980s under the name Jo Gibson, but she found real success with her cozy mysteries series starring Hannah Swensen, an amateur sleuth and baker in the 2000s. She has also written books with her husband under the pen name John Fischer, but also under the pseudonyms, R.J. Fischer, Chris Hunter, Gina Jackson and Kathryn Kirkwood.
How to read Joanne Fluke’s Books in Order?
We are starting with Joanne Fluke’s hit series, The Hannah Swensen Mysteries, but keep scrolling down as we cover her previous novels, crime books, romances, and more.
The Hannah Swensen Mysteries
The popular cozy mystery series focuses on bakery owner Hannah Swensen who just can’t keep her hands out of the batter when murder stirs things up in Lake Eden, Minnesota. Hannah is a talented baker who runs her own bakery, The Cookie Jar. She is known for her delicious cookies and her ability to solve crimes as she uses her baking skills, her intuition, and her knack for solving puzzles to uncover clues and solve murders. What follows is a list in order of the Hannah Swensen novels, if you want more information about the plot of these books, go take a look at our article dedicated to the series.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (2001)
- Candy for Christmas (short story) – featured in the kindle edition of Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.
- Strawberry Shortcake Murder (2002)
- Blueberry Muffin Murder (2002)
- Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (2003)
- Fudge Cupcake Murder (2004)
- Sugar Cookie Murder (2004)
- Peach Cobbler Murder (2005)
- Cherry Cheesecake Murder (2006)
- The Twelve Desserts of Christmas (2006) (short story) – featured in Sugar and Spice
- Key Lime Pie Murder (2007)
- Candy Cane Murder (2007) (short story)
- Carrot Cake Murder (2008)
- Cream Puff Murder (2009)
- Plum Pudding Murder (2009)
- Apple Turnover Murder (2010)
- Gingerbread Cookie Murder (2010) (short story)
- Devil’s Food Cake Murder (2011)
- Cinnamon Roll Murder (2012)
- Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (2013)
- Blackberry Pie Murder (2014)
- Double Fudge Brownie Murder (2015)
- Wedding Cake Murder (2016)
- Christmas Caramel Murder (2016)
- Banana Cream Pie Murder (2017)
- Raspberry Danish Murder (2018)
- Christmas Cake Murder (2018) – It’s a prequel story taking place before Hannah opened The Cookie Jar.
- Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (2019)
- Coconut Layer Cake Murder (2020)
- Christmas Cupcake Murder (2020)
- Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder (2021)
- Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (2022)
- Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (2023)
- Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder (2024)
And also Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook (September 2013) – a short story with recipe talks. This book combines recipes from the series.
Other Novels written by Joanne Fluke
Long before the Hannah Swensen series, Joanne Fluke already wrote mystery novels, here is a list of her standalone novels:
- The Stepchild (1980) – Kathi Ellison is an English literature major at the University of California in Berkeley. She is haunted by dreams of the past that could get her into trouble.
- The Other Child (1983) – Restoring an old Victorian mansion to its former glory in preparation for their new baby, Karen and Mike Houston, along with their 9-year-old daughter Leslie, soon discover that there is an evil presence in their home that wants something from each of them.
- Winter Chill (1984) – Marian Larsen sees the patrol car stop outside her house, and she’s filled with foreboding. There’s been a snowmobile crash. Her husband is paralyzed and her young daughter is dead. Friends rally around with help and comfort. But soon there are more horrible tragedies. Then the rumors start.
- Cold Judgment (1985) – On the surface they are beautiful and talented. But few know of the harrowing darkness inside each of them, how close they are to losing their tenuous grip on sanity. Dr. Elias is their only hope. But he’s dying. And he’s made his cold, final judgment: Those he can’t cure, he must kill.
- Vengeance is Mine (1986) – A local activist has been found murdered, his body frozen like a statue and placed in a Winter Carnival ice sculpture display. Next a vicious hate crime puts a man in the ICU. These seemingly random acts lead police chief Steve Radke to family clinic administrator, Michele Layton, who could be the next pawn in a madman’s chess game of life and death, good versus evil.
- Video Kill (1989) – With painstaking care, he “casts” his victims, each woman resembling an Alfred Hitchcock star, each killing echoing six of the legendary director’s films. The only clue he leaves behind is a gruesome video of his handiwork. But the Video Killer shoots the death scenes as he believes they should have been done–with total realism. . .
- Final Appeal (1989) – Ten years ago, a jury found Michael Hart guilty of murdering his wife. Confined to a state hospital for the criminally insane, Michael has never stopped insisting on his innocence. Michael finally gets his chance to prove them wrong–by escaping. He must now rely on two allies to find an alibi. One is a beautiful woman who believes his story. The other is Michael’s brother, an attorney at law who’s at risk of losing everything. But all the evidence in the world won’t be enough to overturn twelve guilty verdicts. . . Not when the members of Michael’s jury begin to get brutally murdered. One. . .by one. . .by one. . .
- Dead Giveaway (1990) – Ellen Wingate thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she learns the millions she’s inherited comes with a super-exclusive condo in the mountains outside of Las Vegas. But leaving Minnesota for paradise turns out to be the ultimate nightmare. Trapped with her neighbors in a freakish winter avalanche, a chilling discovery at the bottom of an indoor pool signals a frightening turn of events. . .
- Fatal Identity (1993) – When stunning movie star Mercedes Calder drowns in her pool, her identical twin sister Marcie poses as Mercedes, discovers the starlet’s shocking secrets, and must outwit a crazed killer.
- Deadly Memories (1995) – When her Mercedes swerves off the LA freeway and crashes, Maura Thompson survives the accident, but has no memory of the last 20 years of her life. Then the missing pieces of her life start to come back . . . and she discovers that her near-fatal accident was no accident at all!
- Eyes (1996) – A mild-mannered car salesman…a womanizing bartender…a beloved minister with a devoted family. Except for the fact that each of the murder victims is male, Minnesota police can’t find a connection between the crimes. But that’s because what links them can’t be seen with the naked eye…
Joanne Fluke’s novels published as Jo Gibson
- Wicked (1996) – In a remote country house, a writers’ group turns into a workshop for a killer
- Obsessed (2014) – combines The Crush (1994) and The Crush II (1994), part of Scream series
- Twisted (2014) – combines the novels My Bloody Valentine (1995), The Seance and Slay Bells (1994).
- Afraid (2014) – combines Dance of Death (1996) and The Dead Girl (1993)
- Joanne Fluke’s Regency Romances published as Kathryn Kirkwood
- A Match for Melissa (1998) – Forced to become a maid to her two stepsisters during the London season, Melissa meets the most extraordinary man while escaping her duties at a society ball after he sweeps her into his arms for a waltz.
- A Season for Samantha (1999) – When country orphan Samanta Bennings ran away to escape marriage to a pinched-face preacher, she encountered his very opposite at the Two Feathers Inn.
- A Husband for Holly (1999) – Four years after dancing with a handsome costumed pirate, the now widowed Lady Holly Bentworth is chaperoning her two stepdaughters through the marriage mart and is reunited with the true love of her life.
- A Valentine for Vanessa (2000) – Experienced at helping her physician father in his practice, unfashional Vanessa Holland is hired to transform Lord Thurston’s shy invalid sister into a healthy and confident lady, but her arrival at the arristocrat’s country estate marks the beginning of a series of mysterious and flattering love notes from a secret admirer.
- Radcliffe’s Ruse – featured in A Match for Mother (1999)
- A Townhouse for Tessa (2001) – When the death of her grandmother reveals the truth about her true heritage, Tessa Lockhard discovers that she is the daughter of a countess and inherits an elegant townhouse in London where she meets devastatingly dashing Harry Fallbrook, the anonymous writer of a witty political magazine who despises members of the ton, which forces her to keep her true identity secret until she can convince him that she is perfect for him.
- A Family for Felix (novella) – featured in Winter Kittens (1999)
- What should you read if you like Joanne Fluke’s books?
If you like reading Joanne Fluke’s stories, you may be interested in Agatha Raisin, Donna Andrews, the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries, or Lilian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.
