Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hero’s Journey | 2013 | Joyce & Jim Lavene | Buy |
| 2 | That Old Flame of Mine | 2013 | Joyce & Jim Lavene | Buy |
| 3 | Playing with Fire | 2014 | Joyce & Jim Lavene | Buy |
| 4 | In Hot Water | 2015 | Joyce & Jim Lavene | Buy |
| 5 | Sweet Pepper Hero | 2016 | Joyce & Jim Lavene | Buy |
The Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery series starts with That Old Flame of Mine (2013) and follows Stella Griffin, a Chicago firefighter who moves to Sweet Pepper, Tennessee, to help rebuild the local volunteer fire brigade. She quickly discovers that the old firehouse comes with a resident ghost, Eric Gamlyn, the fire chief who died in the building forty years earlier.
Over five books, Stella solves arson cases and murders while navigating small-town life and her complicated relationship with the spectral Eric. The series wraps up with Sweet Pepper Hero in 2016, and it stands out among the Lavenes’ work for its mix of firefighting, small-town community, and ghostly assistance.