Miss Zukas Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Miss Zukas and the Library Murders |
1994 |
Buy |
| Miss Zukas and the Island Murders |
1995 |
Buy |
| Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death |
1995 |
Buy |
| Miss Zukas and the Raven’s Dance |
1996 |
Buy |
| Out of Circulation |
1997 |
Buy |
| Final Notice |
1998 |
Buy |
| Miss Zukas in Death’s Shadow |
1999 |
Buy |
| Miss Zukas Shelves the Evidence |
2001 |
Buy |
| Bookmarked to Die |
2006 |
Buy |
| Catalogue of Death |
2007 |
Buy |
| Index to Murder |
2008 |
Buy |
| Farewell, Miss Zukas |
2011 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| All of Us at the Same Time |
2014 |
Buy |
Ruby Crane Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Savage Cut |
1996 |
Buy |
| Cut and Dry |
1997 |
Buy |
| Short Cut |
1998 |
Buy |
Short Story Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Ten Tales |
2011 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Glom Gloom |
1985 |
Buy |
| The Lone Sentinel |
1989 |
Buy |
| My Cousin, the Poodle |
1991 |
Buy |
Jo Dereske wrote mysteries centered on characters and settings in the Pacific Northwest. Her Miss Zukas series, which ran from 1994 to 2011, stars Helma Zukas, a precise and proper librarian in the fictional town of Bellehaven, Washington. The mysteries play on the contrast between Zukas’s orderly nature and the messy crimes that keep disrupting her carefully organized world.
Dereske also wrote the Ruby Crane mystery trilogy, three standalone novels, and a short story collection. Her earlier standalone works like Glom Gloom (1985) and The Lone Sentinel (1989) preceded her mystery career. While Miss Zukas brought Dereske her widest readership, the Ruby Crane books offered a slightly different take on the Pacific Northwest mystery, with a protagonist who is an artist rather than a librarian.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Jo Dereske written?
Jo Dereske has written twenty books across five series.
What was Jo Dereske's first book?
Jo Dereske’s first book is Glom Gloom, published in 1985.
What is Jo Dereske best known for?
Dereske is best known for the Miss Zukas series, which follows Helma Zukas, a meticulous and rule-abiding librarian who keeps stumbling into murder investigations in her small Pacific Northwest town. The series ran for twelve books from 1994 to 2011.