Hidden Springs Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Hidden Springs Mysteries Books

The Hidden Springs Mystery series is one of the popular mystery series written by the famous American author named Ann H. Gabhart. This series is comprised of 3 books in total, which were released between the years 2015 and 2017. All the books of the series feature the lead character in the role of Michael Keane, who lives in Chicago and works as the deputy Sheriff of his little hometown known as Hidden Springs. Over the course of the series Michael Keane is shown as racing against time to solve the mysterious cases that take place around him. Many a times, he faces near death situations, but comes out as victorious with the help of his wit and intelligence. He does not like to believe the words of others and likes to use his reasoning skills to deduce the truth out of the complicated situations. His success in solving the mysteries in the town has helped him to gather a lot of praise from his superior officers as well as from the people of the town. They seem to have developed a lot of faith in his abilities and believe that he could get them out of the dangerous situations every time. An initial book published in the series by author Gabhart is entitled ‘Murder At the Courthouse’. It was released by the Revell publication in the year 2015. The plot of this book is set in the town of Hidden Springs, Kentucky. At the start of the book, it is shown that Michael Keane used to work as a police officer for several years in Chicago before shifting to his hometown. After getting his new job of deputy sheriff in Hidden Springs, Michael finds it very relaxing and less stressful as compared to his previous job.

The reason behind his relaxation is that nothing really happens in the town. However, the events take a shocking turn when a dead body is found on the steps of the courthouse. Following this shocking discovery, everybody in the town begins to feel a little bit uneasy. But, no one seems actually worried much as the man turns out to be a total stranger. However, the town’s people get panic stricken when one among them gets murdered in broad daylight on the Main Street. Michael Keane is asked to work on both the cases and is expected to solve them very soon. As he begins to investigate, he comes to know that a nosy resident from the town has come up with a theory for the murders that have taken place. Upon frequent insisting from the sheriff, Michael Keane decides to look into one of the theories. The surprising facts that he comes across make Michael Keane look for a mysterious and brutal killer. The search for this killer makes him question all the beliefs that he has ever had about the life of people in the Hidden Springs town. The story looks to be a little bit slow-paced, but it is still very enjoyable to read. Its setting in the judgmental and religious Hidden Springs town is what made the book liked by numerous readers all over the world. The story has many newly added plot lines and is filled with many likeable characters. The critics lauded author Gabhart for coming with such an original mystery. He was also appreciated for the depiction of Michael Keane’s character. The success of this book set the tone for author Gabhart for writing the next installments of the series. He received a great deal of motivation and eventually came up with two sequels to the novel, which also became immensely popular. Currently, he is working to develop the fourth book of this mystery series.

Another popular book written and published in the series is known as ‘Murder Comes by Mail’. It was published in 2016 by the Revell Company publication. At the beginning of this novel, it is depicted that Michael Keane continues to serve as deputy Sheriff in Hidden Springs. He saves a man from committing suicide by pulling him back from the edge of the bridge on the Eagle River. A number of citizens witnessed him carrying out this heroic task. Some of them even took pictures of the breathtaking moments in their cameras. However, Michael Keane does not enjoy being depicted as a hero after saving the suicidal man. However, the hype in the media about Michael Keane’s heroics does does not last for a long time as another shocking news comes into the consciousness of the concerned citizens of Hidden Springs. Michael Keane receives a mail with the photographs of a dead teenage girl. He seems to be pretty much convinced that the girl was murdered by the same man who he saved from committing suicide. And as Michael begins the task of hunting down the killer, he finds that the killer is one step ahead of him. The things begin to unravel slowly after which Michael Keane realizes that he is dealing with a sharp-minded killer, who would go to any extent to prevent himself from getting caught. He would not even mind to take the life of another innocent citizen of the town. Michael Keane knows that he must catch the killer as soon as possible so as to ensure the safety of the people that he loves.

After knowing about the involvement of Michael Keane in trying to catch him, the killer begins to target his close ones. Michael tries as hard as he could to get to the bottom of the mystery and reveal the true identity of the killer in front of the whole town. As the path to hunting down the killer keeps getting more and more difficult, Michael Keane has nothing but his own instincts to rely on. On the whole, the novel appears to be an enthralling mystery, having an element of creepiness, and a lot of twists and turns. It also comprises of a sinister plot that shows that desperate attempts of the killer to remain out of sight from Michael Keane. But, he does not seem to let him go easily. There is also an element of romance in the story that keeps the readers intrigued with it until its last page. Author Gabhart has penned a unique story, having the setup of an easy to read cozy mystery. What makes the book even more interesting to read is that the story is told from the point of view of the chief character. And with his simple style of writing, author Gabhart has given it a feeling of simplicity. The readers also appreciated the feeling of the small town of Hidden Springs, which is depicted very well in the plot by author Gabhart.