🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Elaine Viets
An American newspaper woman and world renowned author hailing from the Midwest of the United States, the novelist Elaine Viets has been writing for some years now, with her unique and creative take on the mystery genre. With her ability to weave intricate narratives alongside well drawn characters, she’s able to draw upon a wealth of different style and sources of inspiration, building something new in the process. It is this idiosyncratic voice that her many readers have come to love over the years, with more and more discovering her work everyday, as her work is found easily accessible by a worldwide audience. Early and Personal Life Born into a white working-class neighborhood in 1950, Elaine Viets was brought up in the south-side region of St.
All Book Series by Elaine Viets
Viets Guide to Sex, Travel and Anything Else That Will Sell This Book
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1993
The Great Filling Station Holdup
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 2021
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Elaine Viets?
An American newspaper woman and world renowned author hailing from the Midwest of the United States, the novelist Elaine Viets has been writing for some years now, with her unique and creative take on the mystery genre. With her ability to weave intricate narratives alongside well drawn characters, she's able to draw upon a wealth of different style and sources of inspiration, building something new in the process. It is this idiosyncratic voice that her many readers have come to love over the years, with more and more discovering her work everyday, as her work is found easily accessible by a worldwide audience.
Which Elaine Viets series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Francesca Vierling Mystery series, the earliest of Elaine Viets's multi-book series: it opens with Backstab (1997) and runs to 4 books across 1997–2000, ending with Doc in the Box (2000). Elaine Viets's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Elaine Viets written?
Elaine Viets has 60 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1988 and 2026. 41 of them belong to 5 named series — the largest being the Dead-End Job Mystery series with 16 books — and 19 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Elaine Viets's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Elaine Viets's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Francesca Vierling Mystery (1997–2000, 4 books), Dead-End Job Mystery (2003–2016, 16 books) and Josie Marcus: Mystery Shopper (2005–2014, 10 books), plus 2 more.
How are Elaine Viets's books organised into series?
This guide splits Elaine Viets's 60 books into 5 named series and 19 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Dead-End Job Mystery (16 books, 2003–2016); Josie Marcus: Mystery Shopper (10 books, 2005–2014); Death Investigator Angela Richman (9 books, 2016–2024); Francesca Vierling Mystery (4 books, 1997–2000); Florida Beach Mystery (2 books, 2025–2026).