Order of Valerie V.M. Burns Books

Valerie V.M. Burns is an American author who writes cozy mysteries and children’s books. She is best known for her series are the Mystery Bookshop series and the A Dog Club Mystery series.

In addition to her work as a writer, Burns is also the Operations Manager at a call center for an appliance manufacturer. She is seemingly always writing and working, and even writes screenplays. Burns graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Urban Studies. Valerie went on to get her Master of Science in Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.

Publication Order of Dog Club Mystery Books

In the Dog House	(2018)
The Puppy Who Knew Too Much	(2019)
Bark If It's Murder	(2019)
Paw and Order	(2020)
Sit, Stay, Slay	(2020)

Publication Order of Mystery Bookshop Books

The Plot Is Murder	(2017)
Read Herring Hunt	(2018)
The Novel Art of Murder	(2018)
Wed, Read & Dead	(2019)
Bookmarked for Murder	(2019)
A Tourist's Guide to Murder	(2021)
Killer Words	(2021)

Publication Order of RJ Franklin Mystery Books

Travellin' Shoes	(2018)
Motherless Child	(2019)
Steal Away	(2020)

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

The Vermeer Conspiracy

(2021)

Publication Order of Anthologies

Midnight Hour: A chilling anthology of crime fiction from 20 acclaimed authors of color

(2021)

If You Like Valerie V.M. Burns Books, You’ll Love…

• Lynn Cahoon
• Kate Carlisle
• Kathi Daley

The Plot is Murder is the first book in the Mystery Bookshop series. The book follows Samantha Washington who has always had dreams of owning her own bookstore and she is on the precipice of that dream coming true. She’s also working towards her other dream of writing her own cozy mystery. As she writes of murder and case solving, a murder happens in her own backyard and she is the top suspect. Samantha decides to take a page from her lead character and start investigating to clear her name with the help of her feisty grandmother and her retired friends.

The first book in the A Dog Club Mystery series is called In the Dog House. The story starts with Lily who is losing a husband, but gaining a toy poodle named Aggie. Her husband had been cheating so she considers this a win-win, but when her ex turns up dead and she is the number-one suspect – things get complicated. Lilly is determined to clear her name with help from her friends, but when a second murder occurs she soon realizes that there is more to this story than just her ex.