The Country Club Murders Books in Order: How to read Julie Mulhern’s Series?

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Written by Kansas City native Julie Mulhern, The Country Club Murders is a series of humorous mysteries set in the 1970s. Kansas City, Mo., socialite Ellison Russell-and a member of the country club-is at the center of the series. In 1974, her husband’s mistress is found dead and Ellison became a murder suspect. After proving her innocence, she seems to always end up finding new bodies, so she keeps doing her amateur sleuth while dealing with Mother, of course!

How to read The Country Club Murders Series in Order:

Every entry in the Country Club Murders book series works as a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one novel to the other.

  1. The Deep End – It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes-kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.
    • Only the Good Die Young (novella) – Frances Walford’s daughter, Ellison Russell, has developed the truly deplorable habit of finding bodies. And Frances can’t help but scold her about it. But when Ellison goes to Europe, Frances finds a corpse of her own. Can she help catch a killer and keep her involvement a secret?
  2. Guaranteed to Bleed – With his dying breath, Bobby Lowell begs Ellison Russell, “Tell her I love her.” Unable to refuse, Ellison struggles to find the girl the murdered boy loved. Too bad an epically bad blind date, a vindictive graffiti artist, and multiple trips to the emergency room keep getting in the way. Worse, a killer has Ellison in his sights, her newly rebellious daughter is missing, and there’s yet another body in her hostas.
  3. Clouds in My Coffee – When Ellison Russell is nearly killed at a benefactors’ party, she brushes the incident aside as an unhappy accident. But when her house is fire-bombed, she’s shot at, and the person sitting next to her at a gala is poisoned, she must face facts. Someone wants her dead. But why? And can Ellison find the killer before he strikes again?
  1. Send in the Clowns – Haunted houses are scary enough without knife-wielding clowns. Especially murderous knife-wielding clowns. So thinks Ellison Russell, single mother, artist, and reluctant sleuth. Now death wears a red nose and Ellison is up to the blood-stained collar of her new trench coat in costumes, caffeine, and possible killers.
  2. Watching the Detectives – Ellison Russell wanted a decorator, not a corpse. Too bad she finds Mrs. White in the study killed with a revolver. Things go from bad to worse when she finds Mr. White in the dining room killed with a candlestick. With so many bodies, is it any wonder Detective Anarchy Jones’ new partner considers Ellison a suspect?
  3. Cold as Ice – Her daughter Grace has a crush on a boy Ellison doesn’t trust and she’s taken to hosting wild parties when Ellison goes out for the evening. Worse, the bank which represents Grace’s inheritance from her father may be in trouble. When a meeting with the chef at the country club leads to the discovery of a body, Ellison can’t afford cold feet.
  4. Diamond Girl (short story) – For Aggie DeLucci, former assistant private investigator and current housekeeper extraordinaire, 1975 is turning out to be a banner year. There’s a new man her life, Mac. When Mac is accused of theft, it’s up to Aggie to clear his name.
  1. Shadow Dancing – Visiting a psychic is outside the norm for Ellison Russell. Finding bodies is not. Unfortunately, the psychic’s crystal ball says she’ll soon be surrounded by death. Again. Drat. Now there’s a corpse in the front drive, a witchy neighbor ready to turn Ellison and her (not so) little dog into toadstools, and a stripper named Starry Knight occupying the guest room. How did 1975 go so wrong so quickly?
  2. Back Stabbers – All Ellison Russell wanted was an update on her stock portfolio. Instead, she found her broker dead. With an unexpected out-of-town guest at her house, Ellison is too busy for a murder investigation. Only this time, Detective Anarchy Jones wants her help, and she can’t deny the handsome detective. Can Mr. Coffee supply her with enough caffeine to keep her brain sharp and everyone else happy?
  3. Telephone Line – Ellison Russell is planning the event of the season–and she’s stressed. Why not yoga? Because the yoga instructor gets murdered during class. Now, in addition to raising a ridiculous amount of money, she’s babysitting a deranged cat, taking ten million phone calls, and finding more bodies. There’s no such thing as balance when the killer makes it personal.
  1. Stayin’ Alive – When Ellison Russell, reluctant finder of bodies, chairs a gala in conjunction with the museum’s Chinese funerary exhibit, she expects disaster. So, she’s not remotely surprised when a body turns up. Ellison is willing to leave the investigation to the police till an attempt is made on her life. Now she’s juggling evading a killer, her aunt’s overly-amorous beau, her dog’s new love interest, and Mother’s displeasure.
  2. Killer Queen – Another day, another dead woman in Ellison Russell’s study. Only this one claimed to be Mrs. Anarchy Jones. As Ellison juggles mothers, daughter, unhappy wives, and near-miss murder attempts, one thing is clear-someone will go to any lengths to hide the truth. Can Ellison and Anarchy catch a killer before the body count rises? Or will Ellison be the next corpse in the study?
  3. Night Moves – Spring is in the air, and Ellison Russell has places to go, people to see, bodies to find. Strike that. For once, Ellison doesn’t discover the body. When Detective Anarchy Jones investigates a friend’s husband’s murder, Ellison can’t help but get involved. Now she’s waist-deep in toxic gossip, struggling with the soaring heights and nocuous lows of her teenager’s mood swings, fending off the advances of her first love, planning a wedding, and (of course) tripping over fresh corpses.
  1. Lyin’ Eyes – Not so much the church, as the patio. And not if Ellison can’t stop finding bodies. She’s finding corpses in pairs now, and planning a wedding, and trying (truly, she is) to steer clear of the murder investigation. But when she finds a third body, Ellison becomes a suspect. Will Ellison get her happily ever after or will a devious killer turn her wedding into a funeral?
  2. Evil Woman – When Ellison Russell Jones returns from her honeymoon, she’s ready for a restful summer. But while she was away, an older woman was murdered in her bed. And the police have questions only Ellison and her friends can answer. She gets to be a sleuth. A real one! But with a new husband, her mother in the hospital (targeted by the murderer?), her sister as a house guest, one too many animals, and a full social calendar, Ellison can’t catch a break, much less a killer. She’d better focus, or she may be the next victim.
  3. Big Shot – Ellison and Anarchy Jones are looking forward to a relaxing weekend in the country. Time spent skeet shooting, fishing, and horse-back riding with friends. Hours spent swaying in a shady hammock without friends. But when Ellison walks into a murder scene, her friends become suspects. And each of them has an excellent motive for murder. Can Ellison sift through the lies and unmask a killer, or will a weekend away cost her everything she holds dear?
  1. Fire and Rain – Ellison Jones is used to sirens in the night (unfortunately, they’re usually coming to her house). So, it’s a surprise when the sirens that wake her from the dead come from across the street. Nosy neighbor Marian Dixon’s house is on fire. Luckily, the Dixons are out of town. Unluckily, there’s a body found in the ashes-a body not killed by the fire. With Ellison’s husband, Detective Anarchy Jones, investigating, the neighbors are eager for a quick resolution. But a cunning killer has other plans. Can Ellison and Anarchy uncover the truth, or will their lives (and the rest of the block) go up in flames?
  2. Killing Me Softly – Ellison Russell Jones’ best friend Libba has a questionable track record when it comes to men. But finally—finally—she’s selected a good one. Charlie Ardmore hales from a fine family, plays a mean game of golf, and is a cardiologist. Even Mother approves. But when Charlie’s patients start dying, the whispers begin. Is Charlie a killer?Could Harrington Walford, Ellison’s beloved father and one of Charlie’s patients, be the next to die?

If you like our article about the Country Club Murders reading order, don’t forget to bookmark it! You may also be interested in the Miss Fortune series by Jana Deleon.

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3 Comments

  1. I’ve only ready the first 3 Country Club Books, but I really like Hunter Tafft. I really like Hunter Tafft. Not that Anarchy Jones isn’t swell. But I really like Hunter Tafft. I hope he never becomes the corpus delicti, or a bad guy, because I really like Hunter Tafft

  2. I really like this series.We moved close to the Plaza years ago . The mention of the Alameda,
    Swansons,Halls, Tiffany’s Attic, Pembroke, make it a pleasant memory. I now live in Florida
    But memories of Winsted’s burgers 🍔 is fun. But the best laugh so far was The Jewel Box
    Section, I was only seeing it from the outdoors but now feel I was there!!
    Keep writing and thanks, Lina

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