Art Center Mystery Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Death in a Pale Hue | 2022 | Buy |
| Death in a Bygone Hue | 2023 | Buy |
| Death in a Ghostly Hue | 2024 | Buy |
Endurance Mysteries Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Three May Keep a Secret | 2014 | Buy |
| Marry in Haste | 2016 | Buy |
| The Locket | 2016 | Buy |
| Death Takes No Bribes | 2017 | Buy |
| The Witch’s Child | 2021 | Buy |
Sweet Iron Mystery
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| A Death at Tippitt Pond | 2019 | Buy |
Susan Van Kirk was born and raised in Galesburg, Illinois, and educated at Knox College and the University of Illinois. She taught English for 34 years at Monmouth High School, retiring in 2002, then continued teaching at Monmouth College until 2012. Her first mystery novel appeared in 2014, two years after leaving full-time teaching, making her a late-career debut in a genre that has welcomed many writers who bring professional expertise to their amateur-sleuth protagonists.
Her Endurance Mystery series, set in the fictional small town of Endurance, Illinois, features Grace Kimball — a retired English teacher who assists local detective TJ Sweeney with murder investigations. The first four books were republished by Harlequin Worldwide Mystery, bringing them to the broader cozy readership. The Art Center Mystery series shifted protagonists to Jill Madison, an oil painter who becomes executive director of a small-town art center; Death in a Ghostly Hue (2024) from that series was nominated for the 2025 Anthony Award for Best Paranormal Mystery.
Van Kirk is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and has served as past president of the Sisters in Crime Guppy Chapter. She brings the same Midwestern small-town specificity to all three of her series.