Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grime and Punishment | 1989 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 2 | A Farewell to Yarns | 1991 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 3 | A Quiche Before Dying | 1993 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 4 | The Class Menagerie | 1994 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 5 | A Knife to Remember | 1994 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 6 | From Here to Paternity | 1995 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 7 | Silence of the Hams | 1996 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 8 | War and Peas | 1996 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 9 | Fear of Frying | 1997 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 10 | The Merchant of Menace | 1998 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 11 | A Groom with a View | 1999 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 12 | Mulch Ado About Nothing | 2000 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 13 | The House of Seven Mabels | 2002 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 14 | Bell, Book, and Scandal | 2003 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 15 | A Midsummer Night’s Scream | 2004 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
| 16 | The Accidental Florist | 2007 | Jill Churchill | Buy |
The Jane Jeffry series by Jill Churchill is a sixteen-book cozy mystery series published between 1989 and 2007. The protagonist, Jane Jeffry, is a suburban mother who keeps finding herself in the middle of murder investigations. The series is immediately recognizable for its clever punny titles, nearly all of which riff on famous books and movies: Grime and Punishment, A Farewell to Yarns, Silence of the Hams, War and Peas, and Mulch Ado About Nothing, among others.
Churchill (a pen name of Janice Young Brooks) won an Agatha Award for the first book in the series. Over sixteen novels, Jane’s amateur sleuthing takes her through suburban life, class reunions, weddings, camping trips, and holiday parties, with each setting providing a fresh batch of suspects. The series ended with The Accidental Florist in 2007.
The Jane Jeffry books are light, humorous reads that reward fans of the cozy mystery genre. Readers who enjoy Jane’s character will also find Churchill’s Grace and Favor mystery series worth exploring.