The Recommended Reading Path
For the best experience, readers should follow the E.J. Pugh series in publication order. While the central mystery of each installment is fully resolved by the final page, the underlying strength of the series rests on the evolution of E.J.'s family, her marriage, and the growth of her children. Skipping around will spoil major domestic developments, particularly the adoption and background of her daughter Bessie, as well as the transition of her children into university life.
E.J. Pugh Books in Publication Order
Below is the complete list of E.J. Pugh novels by Susan Rogers Cooper, tracing the character's journey from her first crime scene to her son's college years:
- One, Two, What Did Daddy Do? (1992) – E.J. Pugh's life as a Texas romance writer is upended when she discovers her neighbors massacred. She adopts the sole survivor, four-year-old Bessie, and stumbles into her first amateur investigation.
- Hickory Dickory Stalk (1996) – Domestic life in Black Cat Ridge is disrupted when a corpse is discovered in E.J.'s car trunk, turning her husband Willis into a primary murder suspect.
- Home Again, Home Again (1997) – When Willis goes missing, E.J. embarks on a desperate search that exposes dangerous family secrets and lands her at a cock-fighting ring. This book earned Susan Rogers Cooper an Edgar Award nomination.
- There Was a Little Girl (1998) – E.J. rescues a suicidal teenager named Brenna from a freezing Texas river, only to find herself investigating a murder when Brenna is framed for her mother's death.
- A Crooked Little House (1999) – E.J.'s sister-in-law Juney is arrested for the murder of a homeless woman. E.J. refuses to write her off as a lost cause and hunts down the real killer.
- Not in My Backyard (1999) – When a convicted child molester moves into the neighborhood, the community is divided. After he is found murdered, E.J. investigates the suspicious actions of her own neighbors.
- Don't Drink the Water (2000) – During a family vacation in St. John, a corpse is discovered in the rental house's water cistern. Sibling rivalries flare up when E.J.'s sister Liz realizes the victim was her husband's receptionist.
- Romanced to Death (2008) – E.J. attends a romance writers' convention that quickly descends into chaos when a fellow writer is murdered.
- Full Circle (2011) – The past returns to haunt the Pugh family when a stalker claiming to be Bessie's long-lost brother Aldon emerges, forcing E.J. to confront the tragedy of Bessie's biological family.
- Dead Weight (2012) – The death of a member of E.J.'s Weight Watchers group leads to a murder investigation, causing fresh friction in E.J.'s marriage to Willis.
- Gone in a Flash (2013) – While dropping their son Graham off at college, the Pughs find a mysterious black satchel hidden in their truck, sparking a chain of events that leads to the disappearance of their foster daughter Alicia.
- Dead to the World (2015) – E.J. and Willis take a 20th-anniversary trip to a Bed & Breakfast in Peaceful, Texas, only to find a body in a place supposedly haunted by a 1947 murder. Back home, her teenage daughters run their own investigation.
- Student Body (2017) – Graham's college roommate is found stabbed to death, and Graham is the prime suspect. E.J. and the family rush to Austin to clear his name.
Chronological Continuity & Character Progression
The E.J. Pugh series is celebrated for maintaining realistic timelines. Over the course of the thirteen novels, readers witness the Pugh children growing from toddlers into college students. Bessie, who is adopted in the debut novel One, Two, What Did Daddy Do?, has her traumatic backstory revisited decades later in Full Circle. Meanwhile, Graham's departure for the University of Texas at Austin sets the stage for the final novels in the series, Gone in a Flash and Student Body. Reading the books out of order will result in significant confusion regarding these family dynamics and the ages of the children.
What to Know Before You Start
Susan Rogers Cooper’s writing sets itself apart from standard cozy mysteries by blending a light, humorous tone with unexpectedly gritty stakes. While the titles are inspired by innocent nursery rhymes (a popular cozy trope), the storylines deal with serious topics like domestic homicide, child abuse, and drug running. The primary setting is the fictional town of Black Cat Ridge, Texas, which acts as a microcosm of Southern gossip, small-town dynamics, and neighborly tension.
Readers who enjoy the E.J. Pugh series may also want to explore Cooper's other series, including the Oklahoma-based Milt Kovak mysteries (featuring a small-town sheriff) and the Kimmey Kruse mysteries (featuring a stand-up comedian). While they share Cooper's trademark Southern wit, there are no official narrative crossovers between these series, meaning they can be read independently.