Susan Cox Books In Order

Publication Order of Theo Bogart Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Cozy Case Files Mystery Sampler Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Susan Cox is a cozy mystery author from Florida though she says that she is lucky to be at home in both Florida and California. Cox went to the University of San Francisco after which she became a journalist and fundraiser for a number of nonprofit organizations such as the University Of San Francisco School Of Law and the Bar Association of San Francisco. She did this for more than two decades before she decided to quit and become a full-time author. Cox moved back to South Florida from where she now writes her cozy mysteries. Her English connection comes from having a boisterous and large extended family in England which is what makes her a transatlantic as well as transcontinental. Her first novel was “The Man on the Washing Machine” that was the winner of the Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur Books First Crime Novel competition in 2015. Susan Cox has been inspired by the likes of Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. As an accomplished author, she also teaches in seminars and workshops though she asserts that what she has learned from her student is more than what they got from her. She is also very active in the writing community and is a member of the Mystery Writers of America. When she is not writing she loves to enjoy a cup of coffee on her balcony or take Picasso her standard poodle for a walk.

In 2013, Susan Cox left her job as she had decided to become a stay at home mother and finally fulfill her dream of becoming a professional author. It was impossible to be a mystery author while working a day job since there was just not enough time given her demanding schedule. It was quite the risk she was taking and so she set a deadline of 18 months to write and get published before she would go back to a day job. It was not the first time she was trying her hand at writing and hence she had several stories and arcs she wanted to pursue from her various manuscripts. The manuscript for “The Man on the Washing Machine” was the more compelling one since she liked the plot line and character better. Over the next eight weeks, she rewrote the manuscript and changed just about everything from the title to the identity of the villain to the opening chapter. She thought it would be a good learning exercise even if she never published her novel. During this time, she also read about the MWA/Minotaur Books contest that was for new mystery writers. She had to submit her manuscript by December of 2013 for a chance to win a publishing contract and a cash advance which for a first-time novelist is the Holy Grail. She then had to wait three months and when March 31st came around she thought it was all over as she had not gotten the call. While she was disappointed and thinking of trying her luck the following year the phone rang and it was the Editorial Director of Minotaur, Kelley Ragland. She was calling her to inform her that she had won and would be getting a publishing deal.

Susan Cox’s debut novel “The Man on the Washing Machine” introduces Theophania “Theo” Bogart who is living a lie 5000 miles away from home. She is not happy with her life which gets even more complicated when she is witness to Tim Callahan jumping out of a third-story window. The incident attracts scrutiny which is the last thing she needs. All around are friends and neighbors as she owns and runs a body shop and small bath as well as the building in which she conducts business. She always lives in fear of being found out and her sordid past brought to light. Theo is afraid that her carefully crafted identity may just be blown by a police investigation. To make matters even worse, the policewoman in charge of the case Inspector Lichklyter suspects that this was a homicide and not a suicide. Everyone in the building and the entire neighborhood is now a suspect. It is not long before another body turns up and this one has direct links to Theo. She feels she must certainly be the lead suspect now and is afraid of what will happen to her and her teenage employee David who comes from a broken family. She soon learns that the man she had been falling for and had let into her house is a sophisticated smuggler and not who he said he was.

“The Man in the Microwave Oven” is the sequel to the award-winning first novel of the series that introduced Theo Bogart. She had escaped a huge scandal back home in England to go make a new life in San Francisco where she has been relatively successful. Theo is now in San Francisco and has opened Aromas, a soap store and spent several years in the city with no one ever suspecting that she had a sordid past. But a murder had rocked the neighborhood and changed her tranquil life inviting a police investigation. She had put it all behind her but then Nat Moore her best friend opened the microwave at his coffee shop and found a human finger in it. Not knowing what to do or what it means, he comes to Theo for help. In the meantime, Theo’s grandfather has been getting back into the shadowy world of crime where he had spent many years as an intelligence agent working for the British Secret Service. His actions may result in even more trouble for Theo who is just recovering from the troubles of the first novel. It is a delightful portrait of a San Francisco neighborhood full of pomp and color as a Theo navigates a scandalous mystery and deals with a past she had tried so hard to leave behind.