Joanne Fluke Books in Order: Complete Book List

If you’re looking for the Joanne Fluke books in order, Hannah Swensen is the obvious place to start. The Lake Eden cozy mysteries are Fluke’s best-known books, but her full backlist goes well beyond Hannah, including suspense novels, teen thrillers, Regency romances, humor books, cookbooks, and anthology stories under several names.

Her bibliography gets trickier once the pen names enter the picture. Some books appeared as Joanne Fluke, while others were published as Jo Gibson, Kathryn Kirkwood, Gina Jackson, Chris Hunter, John Fischer, and R.J. Fischer. So I’d start with Hannah if you want the cozy mysteries, then branch out from there when you’re ready.

Jump to:

• Where to Start with Joanne Fluke
• Hannah Swensen Books
• Joanne Fluke Standalone Thrillers
• Jo Gibson Teen Thriller Collections
• Kathryn Kirkwood and Gina Jackson Romances
• Joanne Fluke Cookbooks and Companion Books
• Joanne Fluke Anthologies, Short Stories, and Omnibus Editions
• John Fischer and R.J. Fischer Books
• Who Is Joanne Fluke?

Where to Start with Joanne Fluke

For most readers, I’d start with Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. It’s the first Hannah Swensen book and the best entry point to Fluke’s cozy mystery side: Lake Eden, The Cookie Jar, recipes, and Hannah’s regular cast.

If you want Fluke’s darker suspense books, start with The Stepchild instead. The Jo Gibson books are teen thrillers, while Kathryn Kirkwood and Gina Jackson are romance, so I’d save those for later unless you’re specifically looking for her pen-name books.

Hannah Swensen Books

The Hannah Swensen books are Fluke’s Lake Eden cozy mysteries about a small-town baker who keeps getting pulled into murder investigations. This is the main Hannah book order. For chronological order, short stories, cookbook notes, omnibus editions, and Hallmark movies, use my dedicated Hannah Swensen Books in Order guide.

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder (2000)
2. Strawberry Shortcake Murder (2001)
3. Blueberry Muffin Murder (2002)
4. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder (2003)
5. Fudge Cupcake Murder (2004)
6. Sugar Cookie Murder (2004)
7. Peach Cobbler Murder (2005)
8. Cherry Cheesecake Murder (2006)
9. Key Lime Pie Murder (2007)
10. Carrot Cake Murder (2008)
11. Cream Puff Murder (2009)
12. Plum Pudding Murder (2009)
13. Apple Turnover Murder (2010)
14. Devil’s Food Cake Murder (2011)
15. Cinnamon Roll Murder (2012)
16. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (2013)
17. Blackberry Pie Murder (2014)
18. Double Fudge Brownie Murder (2015)
19. Wedding Cake Murder (2016)
20. Christmas Caramel Murder (2016)
21. Banana Cream Pie Murder (2017)
22. Raspberry Danish Murder (2018)
23. Christmas Cake Murder (2018)
24. Chocolate Cream Pie Murder (2019)
25. Coconut Layer Cake Murder (2020)
26. Christmas Cupcake Murder (2020)
27. Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder (2021)
28. Caramel Pecan Roll Murder (2022)
29. Pink Lemonade Cake Murder (2023)

You may also see Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder mentioned on some lists. Fluke’s own site lists it as TBD, so I’m leaving it out of the numbered order until it has a confirmed publication date.

Joanne Fluke Standalone Thrillers

Before Hannah Swensen took over most of the spotlight, Fluke wrote standalone suspense and thriller novels. These are much darker than the Lake Eden books, so don’t go in expecting bakery recipes, cozy small-town charm, or Hannah’s usual group of friends.

1. The Stepchild (1980)
2. The Other Child (1983)
3. Winter Chill (1984)
4. Cold Judgment (1985)
5. Vengeance Is Mine (1986)
6. Video Kill (1989)
7. Final Appeal (1989)
8. Dead Giveaway (1990)
9. Fatal Identity (1993)
10. Deadly Memories (1995)
11. Eyes as Chris Hunter (1996)

Jo Gibson Teen Thriller Collections

Fluke also wrote teen thrillers under the name Jo Gibson. The original paperbacks can be annoying to track down, so these later collections are usually the simplest way to read that side of her work.

1. Obsessed (2014) (Collection: The Crush and The Crush II)
2. Twisted (2014) (Collection: My Bloody Valentine, The Seance, and Slay Bells)
3. Afraid (2014) (Collection: The Dead Girl and Dance of Death)
4. Wicked as Jo Gibson (1996)

Kathryn Kirkwood and Gina Jackson Romances

This side of Fluke’s backlist feels completely different from Hannah Swensen. Under Kathryn Kirkwood and Gina Jackson, she wrote Regency and category romance. Most of these are older paperbacks, but they’re still part of the Joanne Fluke backlist.

Kathryn Kirkwood Books

1. A Match for Melissa (1998)
2. Winter Kittens (1999) (Anthology; includes A Family for Felix)
3. A Match for Mother (1999) (Anthology; includes Lady Radcliffe’s Ruse)
4. A Season for Samantha (1999)
5. A Husband for Holly (1999)
6. A Valentine for Vanessa (2000)
7. A Townhouse for Tessa (2001)

Gina Jackson Books

1. Caitlyn’s Cowboy (1999)
2. Cookies and Kisses (2000)

Joanne Fluke Cookbooks and Companion Books

The Lake Eden cookbooks are companion books for Hannah Swensen fans. They’re not regular mysteries, but they’re worth including because recipes are such a big part of the Hannah books.

1. Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook (2011) (Cookbook/Companion Book)
2. Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook: Hannah Swensen’s Recipes from The Cookie Jar (2024) (Updated Cookbook Edition)

Joanne Fluke Anthologies, Short Stories, and Omnibus Editions

These books are anthologies, bundled holiday stories, short extras, or omnibus editions. I’d treat them as bonus material instead of mixing them into the main Hannah Swensen order.

1. Candy for Christmas (2006) (Short Story; included in some editions of Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder)
2. Sugar and Spice (2006) (Anthology; includes “The Twelve Desserts of Christmas”)
3. Candy Cane Murder (2007) (Anthology)
4. Gingerbread Cookie Murder (2010) (Anthology)
5. Christmas Sweets (2019) (Anthology)
6. Christmas Dessert Murder (2021) (Omnibus Edition)

John Fischer and R.J. Fischer Books

Fluke also published a few books under the John Fischer and R.J. Fischer names with her husband, Ruel E. Fischmann. These are very different from the Hannah Swensen mysteries, but they’re part of the broader Joanne Fluke bibliography.

1. High Stakes as John Fischer with Ruel E. Fischmann (1987)
2. Station Break as John Fischer with Ruel E. Fischmann (1987)
3. Baby’s Guide to Raising Mom as R.J. Fischer (1997)
4. Doggy Do’s and Don’ts as R.J. Fischer (1997)
5. Where Would I Be Without You, Mom? as R.J. Fischer (1998)

Who Is Joanne Fluke?

Joanne Fluke is the best-known pen name of Joanne Fischmann. She grew up in a small Minnesota town, which helps explain why Lake Eden feels so important in the Hannah Swensen books.

Fluke has written under several names, including Jo Gibson, Chris Hunter, Kathryn Kirkwood, Gina Jackson, John Fischer, and R.J. Fischer. That’s why her backlist can look scattered at first glance. The cozy mysteries are only one part of it.

She has also worked in a wide mix of jobs and comes from a family of bakers, which makes the recipes and dessert-centered mysteries feel like a natural part of the Hannah Swensen series.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more mystery authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Mystery Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• Miss Marple Books in Order
• Agatha Raisin Books in Order
• Richard Osman Books in Order