Dana Mentink Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Dana Mentink

With more than eighty novels spanning Christian romantic suspense, cozy mysteries, and contemporary romance, Dana Mentink is one of the most prolific voices in inspirational fiction. Because she writes across multiple distinct series and frequently participates in multi-author continuity projects, trying to read her entire bibliography in simple publication order can be overwhelming. Instead, the best way to enjoy her books is by selecting a series that matches your preferred genre and reading it from start to finish.

Here are the recommended starting points based on your reading taste:

• For Culinary Cozy Mystery Fans: Start with the Ice Cream Shop Mystery series (also known as the Shake Shop Mysteries), beginning with Pint of No Return (2021). It is a lighthearted mystery series featuring Trinidad Jones, who opens an ice cream shop in Oregon and ends up solving local crimes.
• For K-9 Suspense Lovers: Start with the Security Hounds Investigations series, starting with Tracking the Truth (2024). This series features high-stakes action, K-9 handlers, and intense page-turning suspense.
• For Rugged Wilderness Suspense: Start with the Desert Justice series, beginning with Framed in Death Valley (2021). This series is famous for its atmospheric settings and fast-paced romantic plots set against the backdrop of Death Valley.
• For Classic Cozy Mysteries: Start with the Finny's Nose Mystery series, starting with Trouble Up Finny's Nose (2008). This is her earlier, quirky cozy mystery trilogy centered around a coastal town in California.
• For Heartwarming Romance: Start with the Love Unleashed series, beginning with Sit, Stay, Love (2016), which focus on sweet, canine-focused contemporary romance.

Dana Mentink's Solo Mystery & Suspense Series

Dana Mentink's solo series are best read in order of publication to follow the character relationships, setting developments, and local mysteries. Below is the breakdown of her key series.

Ice Cream Shop Mystery / Shake Shop Mystery Series

Set in the fictional town of Upper Sprocket, Oregon, this series follows Trinidad Jones as she runs the Shimmy and Shake Shop while clearing her name and solving quirky murders. Read these in order:

1. Pint of No Return (2021)
2. A Sprinkle in Time (2022)
3. Spoon to be Dead (2023)

Security Hounds Investigations Series

A recent and highly popular addition to her romantic suspense lineup, this K-9 centered series features search-and-rescue dogs and intense romantic elements. Read these in order:

1. Tracking the Truth (2024)
2. Fugitive Search (2024)
3. Hunted on the Trail (2024)

Desert Justice Series

Set in the unforgiving landscape of Death Valley, California, this series weaves family secrets, revenge, and deep faith elements together with pulse-raising suspense. Read these in order:

1. Framed in Death Valley (2021)
2. Missing in the Desert (2021)
3. Death Valley Double Cross (2022)
4. Death Valley Hideout (2022)
5. Christmas Crime Cover-Up (2022)
6. Targeted in the Desert (2023)

South Dakota Badlands Series

An earlier Christian suspense trilogy that established her reputation for writing fast-paced wilderness escape novels. Read these in order:

1. Betrayal in the Badlands (2010)
2. Buried Truth (2011)
3. Escape from the Badlands (2012)

Roughwater Ranch Cowboys Series

Combining the beloved tropes of ranch life, cowboys, and protective romantic suspense. Read these in order:

1. Danger on the Ranch (2019)
2. Deadly Christmas Pretense (2019)
3. Cold Case Connection (2020)
4. Secrets Resurfaced (2020)

Finny's Nose Mystery Series

This quirky cozy mystery trilogy focuses on a small town widow uncovering the truth behind family secrets and local crimes on the California coast. Read these in order:

1. Trouble Up Finny's Nose (2008)
2. Fog Over Finny's Nose (2008)
3. Treasure Under Finny's Nose (2009)

Understanding Multi-Author K-9 Continuity Series

One of the unique aspects of Dana Mentink's bibliography is her frequent contribution to multi-author continuity series published under Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense line. In these projects, a group of writers collaborate to build a shared world focused on a specific law enforcement K-9 unit. While the overall series features an overarching mystery that spans across all books, each individual title is written by a different author and focuses on a self-contained romance.

To fully appreciate the overarching plot, readers should ideally read the entire continuity series in publication order. However, if you are looking specifically for Dana Mentink's contributions, here is where her books fall in these series:

• Rookie K-9 Unit: Mentink wrote Book 3, Seek and Find (2016).
• Military K-9 Unit: Mentink wrote Book 4, Top Secret Target (2018).
• True Blue K-9 Unit: Mentink wrote the prequel novella Shield of Protection (2019) and Book 3, Act of Valor (2019).
• True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn: Mentink co-authored Book 7, Cold Case Pursuit (2020) alongside Maggie K. Black.
• Alaska K-9 Unit: Mentink wrote Book 7, Yukon Justice (2021).
• Rocky Mountain K-9 Unit: Mentink wrote Book 4, Undercover Assignment (2022).
• Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit: Mentink wrote Book 8, Snowbound Escape (2023).

What to Know Before You Start

Before diving into Dana Mentink's novels, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

First, her books are clean Christian fiction, meaning they feature strong romantic suspense plots and mysteries without explicit content, often highlighting themes of faith, hope, forgiveness, and community. Second, if you love animals, you will love her books—she frequently includes dogs (especially K-9 search-and-rescue dogs) and quirky animals as key characters. Lastly, while the books within her series are connected, almost all of them feature a complete romantic resolution for the main couple, meaning they can be enjoyed as standalones, though reading in order provides a much richer experience for the recurring characters.