Aurora Teagarden Books In Order

Publication Order of Aurora Teagarden Books

Aurora Teagarden refers to a fictional character that is created by the sensational author Charlaine Harris. This sensational character appears in eight crime novels and is used by the author to advance several themes throughout the various novels she is a protagonist.

These novels where written from the years 1990 to the year 2003. In the 1st book of this series, we are introduced to the 28 year old Aurora, also referred to as Roe as a professional librarian who also belongs in the Real Murderers club. This club is a group of twelve enthusiasts who gather on monthly basis to study some famous baffling and unresolved criminal cases.

In this article, we shall review some of the books that featured this character in order to discover how she went about her pursuits and how the author used such endeavors to highlight some of the problems bedeviling the ordinary men.

Real Murders

The story starts in a local small town known as Lawrenceton in Georgia with local crime buffs conducting monthly meetings to take stock of the crime prevalence in the town. It is in this novel that these members take a closer look as one of their members is brutally bludgeoned in the same fashion as one of the crimes was to be the subject of discussion that night. This sort of throws the spanner into the works as the members try to think of any possible reasons that could lead to this ugly incident.

In the height of all this, Aurora or Roe’ Teagarden, the 4’11” librarian is simply not a member of the club as well as a suspect in the murder, she also a potential victim given the fact that all the subsequent murders follow the same fashion of a fashion crime.

It is against this backdrop that Roe now must quickly work to discover which among her fellow sleuth the killer is. She starts with an assumption that this could be one of the police detectives whose sudden and unexpected romantic interest in her guessing.

This story introduces us to the common mysteries surrounding ordinary crimes, where in most cases, detectives have to contend with some sexual element in the case. We also see that it can get real complicated when the detective themselves is part of the crime of passion, as it were. The author uses Roe to advance these arguments and also uphold the perception that somehow, the detective has to find a way.

A Bone to Pick

This novel introduces us to a new Aurora but in a whole new world. She has since moved away from the now defunct real Murders Club and after having inherited some large estate from one of the members, she is now mystified be a mere acquaintance’s gift of money as well as jewelry and a 2-bedroom house with a skull in the window seat.

We see her facing a dilemma of sorts, wondering whether the old lady killed someone and left her to solve the mystery or whether it is a clear case of framing. We are also introduced to a love affair, that of Roe and Aubrey who is her new-found love interest.

We are also introduced to detective Arthur who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend and it is incumbent upon Roe to solve the crime before the detective can become part of it.

The novel is a continuation of Roe’s struggles with solving crimes with a romantic angle in them. On this particular one, we see her thrown in the thick of things as she tries to solve the crime before her ex boyfriend who is also the Episcopal priest can have something to make of it. We are yet treated to the theme of a personal life intertwined with professional commitments and a detective in the middle of it all.

We are all born with an innate desire to succeed and so was Aurora Teagarden. In her quest to excel herself and succeed beyond the status of a mere detective, she is seen as searching for her piece of the American dream quite literally but before she can even glimpse at what the dream entails, she lands in ordeals that immediately call for her detective skills when she decides to venture in the real estate business.

As she decides to plunge into her family business that involves real estate sales, she schedules a house for a show to one of her clients and it is then that she discovers a naked body in the first house she shows. She probably dismisses that as a stroke of bad luck but when another body shows up in a different room, this strikes her as more than a coincidence. It is then that she is hit with the sad realization that there is more to real estate than she initially thought and that while she tries to run away from her former self, it is not time yet she settled with her past as a detective.

Here, we see the author using Aurora to illustrate the fact that the life of a detective is one with a never-ending drama and that whenever one goes, there is always a case or two to solve. These cases may crop up in the least expected of places and may find the detective in the worst frame of mind to handle them. Nonetheless, a detective has to abide by his/her call to serve and as soon as the cases are cited, investigations are to follow without any undue delays.

There is also the glaring picture painted of a rotten society, as murders are not only the order of the day in the community Aurora serves, but they are committed in the most macabre ways.

Conclusion

Charlainne Harris has successfully used the character of Aurora to drive the point home. The novels in the series that Aurora was the protagonist have all one thing in common, the element of surprise and suspense. The author uses this well-known technique to capture the attention of the reader so he/she may pick the substance as he/she reads from chapter to chapter.

Her choice of a female protagonist is not a coincidence either, as she is seen trying to advance the opinions that anyone, male or female can excel in anything as long as they have passion for it and receive the relevant training to do it.

4 Responses to “Aurora Teagarden”

1. Debbie: 9 months ago

   Yes, love these mysteries. Please write more Aurora Teagarden books.

   Reply
2. Nan Harper: 2 years ago

   These books have helped me through the loss of my husband in October 22nd 2021.
   Thank you

   Reply
   • Graeme: 2 years ago

     So sorry to hear about your loss Nan.

     Reply
3. Margaret S Stevenson: 3 years ago

   This is one of my favorite series. I have read every book and seen every movie. I hope there will be more books in the future.

   Reply