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Series · cozy mystery
Aurora Teagarden
The Aurora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris has 10 known books (10 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Real Murders (1990).
- Books
- 10 known books (10 novels)
- Published
- 10
- First published
- 1990
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
- Last checked
Start here: Real Murders (1990) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Real Murders
Real Murders (1990) opens the series with Aurora 'Roe' Teagarden's true-crime club dissecting old, unsolved cases for fun -- until a member turns up dead, staged to match one of the murders they'd just discussed. Charlaine Harris's 230-page debut set up the small-town Lawrenceton world that follows.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Real Murders - Book 2:
A Bone to Pick
A Bone to Pick (1992) continues Roe Teagarden's small-town Georgia mysteries two years after Real Murders, keeping the same self-contained puzzle structure and dry, observant narration that defines the series. It runs 237 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Bone to Pick - Book 3:
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (1994) finds librarian-sleuth Roe Teagarden back in Lawrenceton for another self-contained puzzle, arriving two years after A Bone to Pick with the series' usual light-on-violence, cozy sensibility.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Three Bedrooms, One Corpse - Book 4:
The Julius House
The Julius House (1995), at 245 pages the longest entry so far, keeps Roe Teagarden's widening circle of Lawrenceton friends and family at the center of another gentle, character-focused mystery.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Julius House - Book 5:
Dead Over Heels
Dead Over Heels (1996) follows The Julius House a year later, keeping Aurora Teagarden's dry, observant narration and small-town Lawrenceton texture intact through its 253 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Over Heels - Book 6:
A Fool and His Honey
A Fool and His Honey arrived in 1999 at 256 pages -- Charlaine Harris's longest entry in the series to date -- three years after Dead Over Heels.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Fool and His Honey - Book 7:
Last Scene Alive
Last Scene Alive (2002) returns to Roe Teagarden's world after a three-year gap, continuing the cozy, character-focused mysteries that later inspired the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film adaptations.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Last Scene Alive - Book 8:
Poppy Done to Death
Poppy Done to Death, released in 2003 at 273 pages, is the longest entry in the series to that point, following Last Scene Alive by a year.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Poppy Done to Death - Book 9:
All the Little Liars
All the Little Liars marks a notable return to the series in 2016, thirteen years after Poppy Done to Death -- the longest gap between any two Aurora Teagarden novels -- running 304 pages.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All the Little Liars - Book 10:
Sleep Like a Baby
Sleep Like a Baby (2017) closes out this ten-book run of Aurora Teagarden mysteries a year after All the Little Liars, following Roe's personal life and Lawrenceton's small-town texture to the series' conclusion.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sleep Like a Baby
About the Aurora Teagarden series
Aurora "Roe" Teagarden is a small-town Georgia librarian with a hobby that keeps getting her into trouble: she belongs to a Real Murders club, a group of true-crime enthusiasts who meet to dissect unsolved historical cases for fun — until a member of the club turns up dead, staged to match one of the murders they'd just discussed, and Roe finds she has a genuine knack for working out who did it. Charlaine Harris, later famous for the Sookie Stackhouse novels that became HBO's True Blood, wrote Aurora Teagarden first, and it shows a quieter, more traditional side of her voice: small-town manners, church socials, and a heroine who is bookish, a little prim, and genuinely curious about people rather than a hardened investigator.
The series follows Roe across engagements, marriages, and a slowly widening circle of friends and family in the fictional town of Lawrenceton, with each book built around a self-contained puzzle rather than a season-long conspiracy. It's a gentle, character-focused entry point into the cozy mystery genre — light on violence, heavy on small-town texture and Roe's dry, observant narration — and was adapted into a long-running series of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries TV films starring Candace Cameron Bure, which helped introduce the books to a new generation of readers.
Frequently asked questions
How many Aurora Teagarden books are there?
Ten novels, published between 1990 and 2017, starting with Real Murders and ending with Sleep Like a Baby.
What order should I read the Aurora Teagarden books in?
Publication order, starting with Real Murders. Roe's relationships and circumstances evolve book to book, so reading in sequence gives the fullest picture, even though each mystery is self-contained.
Is the Aurora Teagarden series finished?
It appears to be. No new book has been published or announced since Sleep Like a Baby (2017), and Charlaine Harris has focused on other projects since, though no formal end has been declared.
Is Aurora Teagarden connected to Sookie Stackhouse?
No. They're separate Charlaine Harris series with no shared characters or setting — Aurora Teagarden is a traditional small-town cozy mystery, while Sookie Stackhouse is urban fantasy.
Are the Hallmark Aurora Teagarden movies faithful to the books?
Loosely. The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries films (starring Candace Cameron Bure) borrow the premise and character names but rework plots, relationships, and even some character identities compared to the novels.
If you like the Aurora Teagarden series
Reading order last verified .