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series Reading Order

Hope SZE Medical Mystery Books in Order

13 Books
2011 – 2021 Published
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Reading order

Where to Start with Dr. Hope Sze

For the best reading experience, you should start the series with the first novel, Code Blues. The series follows Dr. Hope Sze's transition into her family medicine residency, her evolving relationships, and her growing resilience under pressure. Reading in publication order allows you to watch the characters grow and appreciate the recurring medical cast. However, if you are looking for specific thematic elements, the individual books contain standalone mysteries that can be read out of sequence without spoiling the primary crime plots.

Hope Sze Medical Mystery Books in Publication Order

Author Melissa Yi (the pen name of Canadian ER physician Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes) began publishing the Hope Sze series in 2011. The core novels and novellas in publication order include:

  • Code Blues (2011): The debut novel that introduces Dr. Hope Sze as she arrives in Montreal for her residency, only to discover a dead doctor in the hospital locker room.
  • Notorious D.O.C. (2011): Hope is drawn into a cold case when a grieving mother asks her to investigate her daughter's suspicious death from eight years prior.
  • Terminally Ill (2013): Hope resuscitates an escape artist named Elvis from the St. Lawrence River and gets hired to uncover who sabotaged his stunt.
  • Stockholm Syndrome (2015): Hope faces a terrifying hostage crisis inside a hospital obstetrics ward.
  • Blood Diamonds (2015): A gripping novella where Hope's attempt to save a patient leads her into a dark case involving three women.
  • Human Remains (2017): Hope's research rotation in an Ottawa lab is interrupted when a human body is discovered on the premises.
  • Death Flight (2018): A claustrophobic mystery set mid-air, where a medical crisis turns into a murder investigation during a commercial flight.
  • Graveyard Shift (2019): Hope handles the chaotic night shift in the emergency room while a mysterious figure stalks the hospital corridors.
  • Blue Christmas (2019): A holiday short story and novella where a festive dinner with medical colleagues turns poisoned and deadly.
  • Student Body (2020): Hope takes on a campus rotation and finds herself investigating suspicious deaths among the student population.
  • The Sin Eaters (2020): Originally published in an anthology, this short mystery explores a dark crime on the streets of Montreal.
  • Scorpion Scheme (2020): A complex medical thriller involving high-stakes conspiracies and dangerous toxins.
  • White Lightning (2021): A winter-set adventure dealing with historical moonshine running, bootlegging, and a deadly storm.

The Spin-Off Sequel Series: Hope's Seven Deadly Sins

Following the main medical mystery sequence, Melissa Yi launched a sequel series that pushes Hope Sze into darker, psychological, and even supernatural thriller territory. Each book focuses on one of the seven deadly sins:

  • The Shapes of Wrath (2023): Book 1 of the new cycle. Hope begins a grueling surgery rotation under a brilliant but terrifying surgeon known as "Dr. Death," while investigating a mystery with ghostly undertones.
  • Sugar and Vice (2024): Book 2 of the subseries. Hope attends a Montreal festival featuring dragon boat racing and a mukbang eating competition, which quickly turns fatal.
  • Killing Me Slothly (2025): Book 3 of the subseries. Hope is targeted by a strange killer cult and struggles with unexplained supernatural occurrences.

Chronological Reading Order and Cavats

While publication order works perfectly, purists may want to read the stories in strict chronological order, especially regarding the placement of the novellas. Author Melissa Yi has noted that some short stories take place earlier in Hope's timeline than their release dates suggest:

  1. Code Blues (Book 1)
  2. Notorious D.O.C. (Book 2)
  3. Terminally Ill (Book 3)
  4. Blood Diamonds (Novella #3.5)
  5. The Sin Eaters (Novella #3.6 - set chronologically between books 3 and 4)
  6. Stockholm Syndrome (Book 4)
  7. Blue Christmas (Novella #5.2 - set chronologically after Stockholm Syndrome)
  8. Human Remains (Book 5)
  9. Death Flight (Book 6)
  10. Graveyard Shift (Book 7)
  11. Student Body (Book 8)
  12. Scorpion Scheme (Book 9)
  13. White Lightning (Book 10)
  14. The Shapes of Wrath (Seven Deadly Sins Book 1)
  15. Sugar and Vice (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2)
  16. Killing Me Slothly (Seven Deadly Sins Book 3)

What to Know Before You Start

Because Melissa Yi is a practicing emergency physician, the Hope Sze series is celebrated for its highly accurate medical details. You will encounter genuine clinical terms, realistic depictions of hospital bureaucracy, and the authentic physical exhaustion of medical residency. However, the books maintain a lively, humorous, and deeply compassionate tone, balancing the grim realities of crime with Hope's witty narration and complex personal life (including a long-running romantic triangle). The primary settings of Montreal and Ottawa, Canada, provide a distinct, culturally rich, and atmospheric backdrop to the puzzles.

Frequently Asked

QWhere should I start reading the Hope Sze Medical Mystery series?

You should start with Code Blues (2011), the first novel in the series, which introduces Dr. Hope Sze at the very beginning of her medical residency in Montreal.

QAre the Hope Sze mystery books standalones?

Yes, each book features a standalone crime mystery that is resolved by the end. However, reading them in order is recommended to follow the ongoing character development, career milestones, and romantic plotlines.

QIs the medical details in the books accurate?

Extremely accurate. The author, Melissa Yi, is the pen name of Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes, a practicing emergency physician in Canada. She draws directly on her professional experiences to ground the hospital settings in reality.

QWhere does the series take place?

The series is primarily set in Montreal, Quebec, and Ottawa, Ontario, capturing the distinct culture, bilingual environments, and seasonal settings of Eastern Canada.

QWhat is the relation between the main series and Hope's Seven Deadly Sins?

Hope's Seven Deadly Sins is a direct sequel and spin-off series. It continues Dr. Hope Sze's adventures but shifts the tone slightly into darker, psychological, and supernatural thriller territory.