A Pioneer Valley Mystery#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Below the Tree Line |
2018 |
Buy |
Anita Ray Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Under the Eye of Kali |
2010 |
Buy |
| The Wrath of Shiva |
2012 |
Buy |
| For the Love of Parvati |
2014 |
Buy |
| The Secret of the Pulluvan Drum |
2015 |
Buy |
| The Silver House |
2015 |
Buy |
| When Krishna Calls |
2016 |
Buy |
| In Sita’s Shadow |
2022 |
Buy |
Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Undertow |
2003 |
Buy |
| Seasmoke |
2006 |
Buy |
| Quarry: Crime Stories by New England Writers |
2009 |
Buy |
| Writes of Passage |
2014 |
Buy |
Mellingham Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Murder in Mellingham |
1993 |
Buy |
| Double Take |
1994 |
Buy |
| Family Album |
1994 |
Buy |
| Friends and Enemies |
2001 |
Buy |
| A Murderous Innocence |
2006 |
Buy |
| Last Call for Justice |
2012 |
Buy |
| Come About for Murder |
2016 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Readers Guide to the Classic British Mystery |
1989 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Love Takes a Detour |
2013 |
Buy |
Susan Oleksiw was born in 1945 and grew up along the New England coast. She earned a B.A. from St. Lawrence University and a Ph.D. in Sanskrit from the University of Pennsylvania. Her academic background in Indian languages and culture later became the foundation for her Anita Ray mystery series, set in the hotels and temples of southern India.
Her first published work was A Reader’s Guide to the Classic British Mystery (1989), a reference volume covering more than 1,440 titles by 121 authors. She launched her fiction career with Murder in Mellingham in 1993, introducing readers to Chief Joe Silva and the quirky residents of a fictional New England coastal town. Oleksiw has said the series grew from her desire to record small-town New England life before its distinctive character faded.
Oleksiw co-founded Level Best Books in 2003, a press that publishes annual anthologies of New England crime fiction. She has also published short stories in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and edited several volumes in the Best New England Crime Stories anthology series. Her Pioneer Valley Mystery series, beginning with Below the Tree Line (2018), draws on her family’s farming roots in central Massachusetts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Susan Oleksiw written?
Susan Oleksiw has written 21 books across 6 series.
What was Susan Oleksiw's first book?
Susan Oleksiw’s first book is The Readers Guide to the Classic British Mystery, published in 1989.
What are Susan Oleksiw's most popular series?
Susan Oleksiw’s two main fiction series are the Mellingham mysteries, featuring Chief of Police Joe Silva in a small New England town (seven books, 1993-2016), and the Anita Ray mysteries, following a photographer who solves crimes in South India (seven books, 2010-2022).