Country Club Murders Books In Order

Publication Order of The Country Club Murders Books

“Country Club Murders” is a series of novels by American cozy mystery, romantic suspense, and historical romance author Julie Mulhern. The bestselling author is native of Kansas and growing up, she spent much of her childhood reading Agatha Christie and fantasizing about exotic, mysterious, and romantic locations across the world. As a teenager, she attended to Washington and Lee University since she thought the South and particularly Virginia was exotic and romantic. Soon after graduating from college with a French degree, she moved to Paris where she spent a year. However, the Midwest has always been in her heart and it was not long before she was missing home. She came back and several years later got married and started her family. Mulhern published her debut novel “The Deep End” in 29014 and has never looked back since. Since she is now a full-time professional author, she spends much of her time writing her novels, cooking meals for her children and husband, and walking her dog.

Julia Mulhern’s parents and her teachers realized that she had a writing talent from a very young age. When she was in the seventh grade, her teacher was so impressed with her stories that she recommended that she study something to do with writing when she grew up. While she had the talent, it was years before she picked up a pen to start writing. While she was confident that her manuscript would wow publishers and editors, the rejections that followed quickly brought her back down to Earth. She wrote another manuscript but it was not until her third that she started getting some traction. During this time, she had become a member of several critique groups and frequently listened to authoring podcast where she gleaned a lot of valuable information. By 2013, she had an agent and by 2014, she had a three-book deal for both the historical and mystery genres. Her first novel “Deep End” was the breakthrough she needed as it was the first of her bestselling “Country Club Murders” series, Since then, she has written several more titles in several series. As a mystery and historical fiction author, she has said that her work has been influenced by the likes of Pd James, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and Dorothy Sayers. She has also found some inspiration from TV and movies such as “The Imitation Game.”

The “Country Club Murders” series of novels introduces Ellison Russell, a married woman and artist. She is in a terrible marriage and is only waiting for her daughter Grace to become an adult before she can get their divorce finalized. As such, she has decided to live with her philandering husband Robert for the time being. While her life is not as perfect as she would have loved it to be, she is a happy person that stands up for herself and is more often than not hilarious. She is never afraid to air her opinion especially on matters that are important to her. For fun, she usually takes an early morning swim every day of the week, until she suddenly finds a dead body in the pool that turns out to be her husband’s mistress. She has never been a sleuth but when she is fingered for the murder of her rival, she is forced into it to save her life. Dealing with a kind but attractive police detective blackmail, an overbearing mother and a kinky dominatrix prepare her for the life of private investigator. Over the subsequent novels, she becomes a very effective detective and it is not long before she is as good as the real professionals.

“The Deep End,” the debut novel of “The Country Club Murders” series is set in 1974 where Ellison believes things could not be better. After a few wrong moves, she had lost nearly everything but now has a new career as a successful artist given that he is independent and creative. She makes more money that her arrogant banker husband who cannot seem to get a raise. Given that it is a novel set in the 1970s, his masculinity is under threat and hence he is having an affair with Madeline Harper a woman from the country club. Eight months later, their marriage is on the rocks even with all their money as all they are doing is waiting until Grace their 16-year-old daughter comes of age before they get a divorce. But things quickly turn sour for Ellison as she goes for her customary swim in the morning and finds the body of Madeline her rival floating in the country club pool. If her husband had not gone missing the previous night, she would have been fingered as the lead suspect in the case. She is about to learn a lot about her husband and the secrets of many of his fellow members at the country club. But first, she needs to find out who killed Madeline if she is to find normalcy for Grace her teenage daughter.

“Guaranteed to Bleed” the second novel of the series starts with widow, artist, and renegade member of the elite in Kansas City finding Bobby Lowell dying. As he was dying, he had made a barely audible whisper to Ellison saying “Tell her I love her.” It turns out that Grace the teenage daughter to Ellison and Bobby have been best friends since they were in kindergarten. When Grace learns that Bobby has been killed, she takes it particularly hard. Her new friend Donna Richardson is also not taking the murder of their friend very well. But it is Alice Standish, an odd girl who goes to school at Suncrest Country Day School where Grace goes too that takes the news hardest. Who would have enough bile to kill a teenage boy? Alice had been infatuated with him but is she capable of doing it? Or maybe it was a drug deal gone bad or something even more menacing? Another bigger mystery that could hold the key to the whole mystery is the girl who the dead boy loved. Ellison vows to fulfill his wishes and in doing so commits herself to find the girl.

“Clouds in My Coffee” the third novel of “The Country Club Murders” series is set in Kansas City Missouri in autumn. It is a time of get-togethers, galas, and auctions and Russell’s home is full of guests from her sister Marjorie to her Aunt Sis. Marjorie is separated from Greg her husband and in trying to make herself feel better, is acting very flirtatious with men and showing a lot of skin. Her Aunt is also hiding something and her mother hints that a huge secret will soon be revealed. The first of several attempts targeting an unknown person starts at the annual auction when Ellison is almost struck by a bust that fell over the rail. But no one is certain that she was the target until her house is firebombed. Later in the day while they are attending the gala, the cards are shuffled so that everyone seats in new random spots. Even more bizarre Hammie Walsh who grabbed Ellison’s refreshment glass collapses and dies from some unknown poison. As more deadly incidents are reported, the mystery becomes even more complex as strange alliances form and secrets come to light.