Below is the complete list of Jude Deveraux’s Medlar Mystery books in order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Medlar Mystery Books
About Medlar Mystery
Jude Deveraux’s Medlar Mystery series, co-written with Tara Sheets, is a contemporary mystery sequence centered on bestselling novelist Sara Medlar, her niece Kate, and their friend Jackson Wyatt. Set primarily in the small Florida community of Lachlan, the series combines murder investigations with family secrets, local history, romantic tension, and the dynamics of three very different people who gradually become an informal investigative team. Beginning with A Willing Murder, the books mark a clear shift from the romance-centered fiction for which Deveraux is best known, although relationships and family remain central to the stories.
Sara Medlar is already a successful mystery writer when her estranged niece Kate comes to stay with her. Kate arrives expecting a relatively quiet period in her aunt’s home, but she soon discovers that Sara’s interest in crime is not confined to fiction. Jackson Wyatt, a contractor with a complicated past and close connection to Sara, completes the trio.
A Willing Murder establishes both the characters and the series structure. The discovery of human remains connected to an old disappearance draws Sara, Kate, and Jack into a case involving long-buried secrets. The investigation forces them to examine the history of people who have spent years assuming the truth would remain hidden.
The first book also makes clear that the three protagonists bring different strengths to a case. Sara has the instincts of someone who has spent decades constructing motives and studying human behavior. Kate is more skeptical and practical, while Jack has local knowledge, physical competence, and personal connections that frequently prove useful. Their disagreements are part of the appeal, because none of them approaches a mystery in exactly the same way.
A Justified Murder continues shortly after the events of the first novel and deepens the relationships among the trio. Another death forces them to question whether a seemingly obvious explanation is reliable. As the series develops, Deveraux and Sheets repeatedly return to the idea that respectable appearances can conceal old resentments, financial motives, family grievances, and carefully preserved lies.
A Forgotten Murder moves the action beyond Florida when Sara brings Kate and Jack into a mystery tied to events from decades earlier. The novel broadens the series by showing that Sara’s curiosity about unresolved crimes is not limited to her own community. It also reinforces the importance of the past, a recurring theme throughout the Medlar books.
Later installments, including A Relative Murder, continue to use family connections as a major source of both motive and uncertainty. The title itself reflects one of the series’ recurring concerns: relatives can provide support, but they can also carry secrets, resentments, and obligations that outsiders do not understand.
Although each novel contains a central mystery that reaches its own resolution, the series is best read in publication order. Kate’s relationship with Sara, Jack’s place within the household, and the developing bonds among the three protagonists form a continuing storyline. Later books also assume familiarity with earlier revelations and emotional developments even when the murder investigation itself is new.
The Medlar Mystery series differs from many traditional amateur-sleuth stories because Sara is not portrayed as an eccentric hobbyist who simply happens to encounter bodies. Her career as a mystery novelist gives her a professional interest in motive and narrative, while her age and experience make her a particularly observant judge of people. Kate and Jack prevent her from dominating the investigations completely, creating a more balanced ensemble.
Romantic tension exists, especially around Kate and Jack, but it does not replace the mystery element. Deveraux and Sheets use those relationships to give the books emotional continuity rather than turning every case into a romance plot.
At its core, the Medlar Mystery series is about hidden histories. The murders may occur in the present, but the reasons often begin years earlier, inside families, friendships, and communities that have become skilled at protecting their own versions of the truth. Sara, Kate, and Jack succeed because they are willing to keep asking questions after everyone else has decided that the story already makes sense.