In what order should the books be read?
I’ve been asked this a number of times, and after giving this considerable thought my conclusion is… it all depends.
Are you looking for mystery? All but Camp Emmaus, are.
What about inspirational? Any book will do.
How about suspense? All contain some, though some more than others, and that suspense is often and liberally tempered with humor. Think L.M. Montgomery, rather than Frank Peretti.
Is your preference fantasy and the supernatural? The House of Bannerman series, is.
Do you enjoy small towns and quaint characters? The Mystery Lane series includes both.
The Terms of Engagement series involves navigating relationships and overcoming dysfunction. While solving mysteries, of course!
What about historical? Isle of the Crescent Moon takes place in 1910. Miles, Stonecastle Inn, and Ashes of Roses also feature historical mysteries and glimpses of the past as the present day characters work to solve them.
If you’re looking for stand-alone books, you’ll find that in Isle of the Crescent Moon, Camp Emmaus, Stonecastle Inn, Lochlan Museum, Hiding Treasure, and Uncertainly Yours, as well as each book in the Terms of Engagement series.
If the plan is to read them all, then I tend to think chronological is the way to go. Mostly. There is overlapping time in a majority of my books. Some encompass a single week, others an entire year. Those involving a historical component could arguably be said to cover a century or more, so chronology is not a simple matter to determine. The following is the order in which my books are placed on my own shelf… Isle of the Crescent Moon, Miles, Camp Emmaus, House of Shadows, 715 Mystery Lane, 601 Suspense Street, 423 Apprehensive Avenue, Stonecastle Inn, Darkness Falls, Hiding Treasure, The Lodge at Whispering Pines, Depart the Darkness, Ashes of Roses, Last Chance Inn, Lochlan Museum, Terms of Engagement, Cottonwood Hotel, Failure to Engage, Disengaged, and Uncertainly Yours. The exception in chronological ordered reading that I would make involves Isle of the Crescent Moon, which I would instead place between Depart the Darkness and Ashes of Roses. The world will continue to turn regardless, but that’s what I recommend.
Happy reading, in whatever order you choose!