Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malice in Maggody | 1987 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 2 | Miracles in Maggody | 1988 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 3 | Mischief in Maggody | 1988 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 4 | Much Ado in Maggody | 1989 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 5 | Madness in Maggody | 1991 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 6 | Mortal Remains in Maggody | 1991 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 7 | Maggody in Manhattan | 1992 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 8 | O Little Town of Maggody | 1993 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 9 | Martians in Maggody | 1994 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 10 | The Maggody Militia | 1997 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 11 | Misery Loves Maggody | 1999 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 12 | murder@maggody.com / murda@maggody.com | 2000 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 13 | Maggody and the Moonbeams | 2001 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 14 | Muletrain to Maggody | 2004 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 15 | Malpractice in Maggody | 2006 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
| 16 | The Merry Wives of Maggody | 2009 | Arly Hanks | Buy |
The Arly Hanks series by Joan Hess follows Arly Hanks, the reluctant police chief of Maggody, Arkansas, through 16 mysteries. The town has a population of about 755, and Arly returned there after a divorce in New York City. Each book finds the small town dealing with an improbable crime that Arly must solve despite the interference of her mother and the other Maggody residents.
Every title in the series includes the word “Maggody,” from Malice in Maggody (1987) to The Merry Wives of Maggody (2009). The series blends mystery with comedy, and the eccentric townspeople are as much a draw as the whodunit plots.