Below is the complete list of Sarah Graves books in order. For each series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Death By Chocolate Mysteries Books
Publication Order of Home Repair Is Homicide Mysteries Books
Publication Order of Lizzie Snow Books
About Sarah Graves
Sarah Graves is an American bestselling mystery and suspense novelist best known for her Home Repair Is Homicide, Death by Chocolate, and Lizzie Snow series. Writing under the pen name Sarah Graves, her real name is Mary Squibb. Her fiction is closely associated with coastal Maine, where isolated communities, historic houses, unpredictable weather, and closely guarded secrets provide the settings for murder investigations. Her work ranges from traditional cosy mysteries to darker crime thrillers, often featuring resourceful women confronting dangers beneath the surface of ordinary life.
Born in Wisconsin, Graves developed an interest in storytelling while pursuing a career that initially took her outside publishing. Before becoming a professional novelist, she worked as a respiratory therapist at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. Her experiences in the medical profession preceded a major change in direction when she and her husband relocated to Eastport, Maine, in 1996.
The couple purchased an ageing sea captain’s house that required extensive renovation. Restoring the property introduced Graves to the practical challenges of repairing an old building, from deteriorating structural elements to the endless complications of maintaining a historic home. These experiences eventually became the inspiration for her most successful fictional creation.
Her debut novel, The Dead Cat Bounce (1998), introduced Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree, a former financial professional from New York City who has abandoned her demanding career for a quieter existence in Eastport. Jake’s plans to restore her old house are repeatedly interrupted by murder investigations that draw her into the community’s complicated relationships.
The Home Repair Is Homicide series combines traditional amateur-detective mysteries with an unusually detailed portrayal of home renovation. Alongside suspicious deaths and dangerous suspects, Jake must contend with unreliable plumbing, troublesome repairs, and the financial demands of maintaining an ageing property.
Her closest investigative companion is Ellie White, whose friendship with Jake provides a continuing emotional foundation for the novels. Their contrasting personalities and determination to uncover the truth help sustain the series across sixteen instalments, concluding with A Bat in the Belfry (2013).
The books also reflect Graves’s familiarity with Eastport, a small coastal city near the Canadian border. Its maritime history, fishing industry, distinctive architecture, and changing seasonal conditions contribute to the atmosphere of her mysteries. Rather than using Maine merely as a picturesque backdrop, Graves incorporates the practical realities of life in a relatively isolated community.
After establishing the Home Repair Is Homicide series, Graves introduced a darker investigative storyline featuring Lizzie Snow, a former Boston homicide detective who relocates to the remote northern Maine community of Bearkill.
The series begins with Winter at the Door (2015), which follows Lizzie as she investigates suspicious deaths involving retired police officers. The remote landscape and harsh winter conditions create a threatening atmosphere considerably different from the comparatively lighthearted mysteries featuring Jake Tiptree.
Its sequel, The Girls She Left Behind (2016), continues Lizzie’s investigations through a case involving missing young women and dangerous secrets. These novels demonstrate Graves’s ability to develop suspense through professional police work, psychological tension, and the vulnerabilities of isolated communities.
In 2018, Graves returned to Eastport and her established characters with Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake, launching the Death by Chocolate Mysteries. The series reunites Jake Tiptree and Ellie White, now operating a waterfront bakery called The Chocolate Moose.
Although the characters retain their investigative instincts, the emphasis shifts from renovating old houses to running a small food business. Baking, customer relationships, financial pressures, and chocolate-themed creations provide a fresh setting for the murder investigations.
The series continued with Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake, Death by Chocolate Frosted Doughnut, and subsequent instalments, including Death by Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin (2025) and Death by Chocolate Covered Ladyfingers (2026). The continuation allows longtime readers to follow familiar characters while introducing new situations and mysteries.
Outside writing, Graves enjoys cooking, baking, gardening, and working on her historic home. She has also played the five-string banjo, reflecting interests that extend beyond literature. Her experiences living in coastal Maine continue to inform the atmosphere and practical details of her stories.
Graves’s fiction is distinguished by its combination of everyday responsibilities and extraordinary criminal circumstances. Her protagonists rarely have the luxury of abandoning their ordinary lives while investigating suspicious deaths. They must balance family relationships, employment, friendships, and financial concerns with their determination to uncover the truth.
Across her three principal series, Graves demonstrates considerable range, moving from humorous amateur sleuthing to atmospheric police suspense and bakery-centred cosy mysteries. Her enduring strength lies in creating believable communities whose familiar routines are repeatedly disrupted by danger, while preserving the warmth, resilience, and personal relationships that make those communities worth protecting.