Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miss Zukas and the Library Murders | 1994 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 2 | Miss Zukas and the Island Murders | 1995 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 3 | Miss Zukas and the Stroke of Death | 1995 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 4 | Miss Zukas and the Raven’s Dance | 1996 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 5 | Out of Circulation | 1997 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 6 | Final Notice | 1998 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 7 | Miss Zukas in Death’s Shadow | 1999 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 8 | Miss Zukas Shelves the Evidence | 2001 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 9 | Bookmarked to Die | 2006 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 10 | Catalogue of Death | 2007 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 11 | Index to Murder | 2008 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
| 12 | Farewell, Miss Zukas | 2011 | Jo Dereske | Buy |
The Miss Zukas series by Jo Dereske follows Helma Zukas, a librarian in the fictional Pacific Northwest town of Bellehaven, Washington. Zukas is precise, organized, and deeply attached to library rules, but she has a habit of getting drawn into murder investigations that her analytical mind is well suited to solve. The series began with Miss Zukas and the Library Murders in 1994 and ran through Farewell, Miss Zukas in 2011.
Over twelve books, Dereske developed Bellehaven into a richly detailed small-town setting, with recurring characters who grow and change alongside the mysteries. The books balance lighthearted cozy mystery conventions with genuine puzzles, and Zukas’s personality, equal parts stubborn and clever, gives the series a distinctive voice within the genre.