Below is the complete list of Ellery Adams’ Hope Street Church Mysteries books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Hope Street Church Mystery Books in Publication Order
By Ellery Adams, Tina Radcliffe
- The Path of the Crooked / Stirring Up Strife (2009)
- The Way of the Wicked / Path of the Wicked (2010)
- The Way of the Guilty / The Graves of the Guilty (2010)
- The Root of All Evil (2014)
- Fate of the Fallen (2016)
- The Deeds of the Deceitful (2020)
- Methods of Malice (2023)
- A Taste for Crime (2024)
- Dying to Sell (2025)
About Hope Street Church Mysteries
The Hope Street Church Mysteries follow Cooper Lee, a woman trying to rebuild her life who finds both friendship and trouble at Hope Street Church. The series began with three novels originally published under the name Jennifer Stanley, then later rewritten and reissued by Ellery Adams under new titles. Amazon’s current Hope Street Church series page notes that the first three books were completely rewritten and republished, which is why readers may run into two different title sets when checking older lists.
That background matters because the publication history can look confusing at first glance. The earlier editions are generally listed as Stirring Up Strife (2009), Path of the Wicked (2010), and The Way of the Guilty (2010). In Ellery Adams’ revised series branding, those books became The Path of the Crooked, The Way of the Wicked, and The Graves of the Guilty. Later entries in the same series include The Root of All Evil, Fate of the Fallen, The Deeds of the Deceitful, and Methods of Malice. Ellery Adams’ official bookshelf and multiple series references line up on that later sequence.
The series opens with The Path of the Crooked, where Cooper is at a low point and looking for a fresh start. She becomes involved with the Sunrise Bible Study Group at Hope Street Church, and that circle quickly becomes the heart of the series. Amazon’s description for the original first book makes the setup clear: Cooper joins the Bible study group for a new beginning, only to find herself pulled into a murder investigation almost immediately. That structure defines the books that follow—small-town relationships, church life, amateur sleuthing, and a heroine who keeps getting drawn deeper into other people’s secrets.
The Way of the Wicked continues that foundation by placing Cooper and her fellow sleuths in another case rooted in the church community. The title itself hints at one of the series’ strengths: these books lean into moral tension without becoming heavy-handed. The mysteries are cozy in tone, but they are not weightless. People in this world carry grudges, make bad choices, and sometimes hide ugly motives behind respectable appearances. The church setting gives Ellery Adams room to write about forgiveness, trust, and second chances while still delivering a traditional puzzle mystery.
By The Graves of the Guilty, the friendships at Hope Street Church are more established, and Cooper is no longer simply the newcomer trying to find her footing. Amazon’s listing for that book points to Cooper’s confidence, her friendships at the church, and the satisfaction of having already solved earlier mysteries. That progression is one reason the books work best in publication order: the ongoing appeal is not only the crime plot, but also watching Cooper settle into the community and become part of its emotional center.
The later novels expand the series beyond the initial trilogy. The Root of All Evil and Fate of the Fallen, both associated with Elizabeth Lockard, keep Cooper and the Bible study circle at the center while broadening the world around Hope Street Church. Ellery Adams’ official site identifies Fate of the Fallen as book 5, and current series listings add still later titles such as The Deeds of the Deceitful and Methods of Malice, the latter books associated with Tina Radcliffe. That long tail gives the series a slightly unusual history, but the throughline remains the same: a church community, a dependable circle of friends, and mysteries tied closely to personal relationships.
What makes the Hope Street Church Mysteries stand out is the combination of cozy mystery mechanics and a sincere community backdrop. Hope Street is not just a setting; it is the place where Cooper’s life begins again. The books are built around fellowship as much as detection, which gives them a warmer emotional core than many small-town mysteries. Read in publication order, they show Cooper’s gradual shift from outsider to anchor figure—someone who arrives looking for stability and ends up helping others uncover the truth.