Julie Mulhern Books In Order

Publication Order of The Country Club Murders Books

Publication Order of Haunting Desire Books

Publication Order of Poppy Fields Adventures Books

Julie Mulhern is an American historical romance, romantic suspense, and cozy mystery fiction author whose novels have been USA Today bestselling titles. As a child, she was brought up in Kansas and asserts that she spent years dreaming of romantic, mysterious, and exotic places, creating pen names and reading Agatha Christie mysteries. As a young adult, she went to Lee and Washington University in Virginia since most people from the Midwest find the South romantic and exotic. She would later go on to graduate with a degree in French and then spend a year in the French capital Paris. But then she missed the Midwest and came back home to get married and start a family. She now spends much of her time cooking gourmet meals for her husband and children, finds creative ways to keep her house clean and do the laundry. Having spent so much time as a housewife, she is now an expert at dog walking and calling for takeout. With so much time on her hands, she decided to try her hand at writing and published her debut novel “The Deep End” in 2014.

Mulhern’s talent was evident from a very young age as her seventh-grade teacher told her that she should pursue a career as an author. While she was very good, she never did write anything substantial and spent years before she thought of writing again. It was in 2012 that she began writing and when she finished writing the first manuscript, she thought she had done a good job though the rejections that followed said otherwise. The second title was a little bit better thought it also went nowhere. With her third title, she listened to podcasts and members of a critique group she had joined and finally got an agent in 2013. But Julie was impatient and got tired of being on a submission treadmill with her historical fiction manuscript and as such started writing a mystery work. Julie was so good that by the end of 2014, she had a three-book deal in both the mystery and historical fiction genres. “Deep End” her debut novel that spawned the “Country Club Murders” series opened the floodgates. She now has more than twenty titles in the “Country Club Murders,” “Haunting Desire,” and “Poppy Fields” series of novels. Julie has said that the books she read as a child such as Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and PD James have been a significant influence on her later writing career. She still reads mysteries and particularly loves Susan Boyer and Karin Slaughter. She also loves historical movies such as “The Imitation Game” and any mindless fluff that entertains without being too brainy such as the “Die-Hard movies” or “Criminal Minds.”

Julie Mulhern’s “The Deep End” has a very weird opening. Ellison Russell’s day is ruined when she decides to take a swim in the afternoon only to bump into the lifeless body of the woman her husband had been cheating on her with. The novel is set in 1974 where the lead character’s life revolves around her art and her daughter. Ellison had known about her husband’s mistress but she no longer cared and let him entertain himself with other women as long as he didn’t mess with her life. But then the police finger her as the lead suspect in the death of her rival Madeline Harper, whose body she had found floating in her pool. The case forces Ellison to come to terms with her husband’s crime and proclivities including blackmail, petty cruelty, and kinky sex. The body count keeps rising and she knows she has to find the killer if she is not to go down for a crime she did not commit. But Russell also has to deal with a teenage daughter, an adoring father, an interfering mother, and several friends who mean well but are a huge distraction. Can she find the killer before he gets her first?

“Guaranteed to Bleed” the second novel of “The Country Club Murders” series is another thrilling follow up to the debut novel. Ellison Russell had been having a pretty normal day until she dropped her expensive lipstick under the bleachers while watching a game. She goes down to look for them only to find an injured student laying there dying. It turns out that the student was seriously injured and before he dies, he whispers the words “Tell her I love her.” All she is interested in is finding the student’s girlfriend and relaying the message but she finds that she cannot stay away from an investigation that seems so fascinating. Things are made worse by the fact that her daughter had known the student for a very long time and is now grieving both her father and him. Anarchey Jones the Homicide Detective does not like that Ellison is butting into the investigation. However, she is the only person who can get access to some people he could never hope to reach. One of these is crazy in love and sometimes plain crazy girl named Alice Standish.

In Julie Mulhern’s “Clouds in My Coffee,” Ellison is not in a very good place as she has to entertain several members of the family that came into town unannounced. First, it is her sister, then her aunt who comes into town to attend an impromptu party that her mother who styles herself the Queen Bee is throwing. At an event organized before the big party, Ellison comes very close to getting killed by a falling half statue and is only saved when some fawning admirer of her married sister pushed him out of the way. But that was not the only serious mishap to take place on the day given that soon after there was an episode of poison, gunshots, and a firebomb, which had put everyone on high alert. Ellison has always been good to everyone and cannot think of anyone that would love to kill her or the reason for such vendetta. She thinks she may not have been the target but then who could the killer be after if not her? The novel has the same perfect rendition of the 1970s fun just like the first two of The Country Club Murders series.

8 Responses to “Julie Mulhern”

1. Pam: 2 years ago

   What breed is Max?

   Reply
   • lostinmp3: 8 months ago

     I love the Country Club Murders!

     Reply
2. ARYN: 2 years ago

   What was the name of the story in which Ellison’s mom found a body? And where can I find it?

   Reply
   • Liz Derr: 1 year ago

     Ellison’s mom found ashes of a body in SHADOW DANCING.

     Reply
3. Janet Miller: 2 years ago

   I love all the Poppy Fields books so much that I reread them several times. Cannot wait for the next Poppy book. When will the next book be released?

   Reply
   • Kathy: 2 years ago

     Hello—Ellison and Poppy are my all time Favorite characters. I’ve only 2 books of each series left to read. Please keep writing their stories, I would truly miss reading about them and hope there’s a “next” story in the works. Thank you so much for your fantastic story writing!! You are wonderful at what you do!!

     Reply
4. Sandy: 2 years ago

   I love your Popy Fields series, can hardly wait for more.. I hope you can get a movie deal, I would love to see Kate Hudson & Goldie Hawn play Poppy and Sharis

   Reply
5. Edith: 2 years ago

   I just finished reading the last of the Poppy Fields series and am impatiently waiting the next book!

   Reply