Sookie Stackhouse
paranormal mystery
Series · cozy mystery
Aurora Teagarden
The Aurora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris has 10 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Real Murders (1990).
- Books
- 10 books
- First published
- 1990
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Real Murders (1990) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Real Murders
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Real Murders - Book 2:
A Bone to Pick
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Bone to Pick - Book 3:
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Three Bedrooms, One Corpse - Book 4:
The Julius House
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Julius House - Book 5:
Dead Over Heels
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Over Heels - Book 6:
A Fool and His Honey
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Fool and His Honey - Book 7:
Last Scene Alive
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Last Scene Alive - Book 8:
Poppy Done to Death
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Poppy Done to Death - Book 9:
All the Little Liars
Alternative text for cover: Cover of All the Little Liars - Book 10:
Sleep Like a Baby
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.
How to read this series
Read in publication order, starting with Real Murders (1990). The books track Roe's personal life — her relationships, marriages, and the friends she accumulates — in a straightforward chronological line, so later entries carry more weight if you've read the earlier ones, though each mystery itself is self-contained enough to follow on its own. There are two long real-world gaps in the series (1996–1999 and 2003–2016), but the story simply continues forward from where it left off each time; nothing changed about reading order across those gaps. Note that the Hallmark TV movies rearrange character names and relationships fairly freely compared to the books, so don't expect a close adaptation if you've seen those first.
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.
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Reading order last verified .