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Sarah Graves is an American author that writes cozy mystery novels. She’s responsible for the ‘Home Repair is Homicide’ series, which has been running for several years. The books follow Jacobia Tiptree, a Wall Street professional that abandons everything she knows to start a new life in Eastport. Along the way, she decides to fix a very old house.
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Order of Death By Chocolate Mysteries Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Death by Chocolate Malted Milkshake | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Death by Chocolate Frosted Doughnut | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Death by Chocolate Snickerdoodle | 2021 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Death by Chocolate Chip Cupcake | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie | 2023 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Death by Chocolate Raspberry Scone | 2024 | Description / Buy |
Order of Home Repair Is Homicide Mysteries Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dead Cat Bounce | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Triple Witch | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Wicked Fix | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Repair to Her Grave | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Wreck the Halls | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Unhinged | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Mallets Aforethought | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Tool and Die | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Nail Biter | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | Trap Door | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | The Book of Old Houses | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | A Face at the Window | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | Crawlspace | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | Knockdown | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | Dead Level | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 16 | A Bat in the Belfry | 2013 | Description / Buy |
Order of Lizzie Snow Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winter at the Door | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Girls She Left Behind | 2016 | Description / Buy |
The author has insisted that her stories and characters are not based on real life. People jump to conclusions because of the home repair element and Graves’ decision to use Eastport as a setting.
Graves admits that one aspect of Jacobia’s life originated from her experiences. Decades ago, Graves and her husband went looking for a new home.
They fell in love with Eastport and decided to set up shop in a large house. Like the property in the ‘Home Repair is Homicide’ series, the author’s new home required quite a bit of repair.
Around that time, Graves sat down to write her mystery series. Her friends and family were not surprised when elements of her life bled into the stories she was telling.
The process of repairing her new home stirred the author’s imagination because the location was not only beautiful but remote. The repairs kept her busy during the long winters when she needed a physical distraction. On the other hand, her manuscripts served as a mental distraction.
She couldn’t have asked for a better pair of activities to keep her occupied during one of the most exciting stages of her life. However, on a personal note, Sarah Graves and Jacobia Tiptree have nothing in common.
Graves wrote ad copy and catalog copy before she found her footing in publishing. She has no experience with Wall Street. And even though Eastport is a real place, the author doesn’t include real locations in her descriptions.
The last thing she wants is to provide accurate directions to one of her neighbors’ homes or to stage a fictional murder in their houses. The author knows that too many people die in Eastport, and the murder rate would have attracted attention from the federal government in the real world.
She also knows that she runs the risk of falling prey to the Cabot Cove Syndrome, a term that refers to a situation where an author kills everyone in their setting because their mystery series has lingered for too long.
But the Cabot Cove Syndrome doesn’t scare Graves. If anything, she loves the fact that her series has been running for so long because it allows her to make new discoveries about her favorite characters.
She enjoys becoming so comfortable with her protagonists that they reveal unexpected secrets even when she thinks she knows everything about them.
Best Sarah Graves Books
Initially, the author’s goal was to write conventional mystery novels. She did not intend to transition into the cozy mystery genre. Many of her fans are surprised by the violence in her work. Graves’ best books include:
The Dead Cat Bounce: Jacobia was trying to fix her rambling old house, and her tiny Maine town was the perfect place to do just that. After all, nothing of note ever happened. The last thing Jacobia wanted to find was a dead man in Jake’s storeroom.
Even more perturbing was the identity of the man. The victim was Threnody McIlwaine, a billionaire. Jacobia had more than enough of her plate. She wanted to take a moment to figure things out.
But Ellie White, Jake’s best friend, went ahead and confessed to the murder. Why would she do that, and why was Jacobia having a hard time believing her confession?
Winter at the Door: Someone has a bone to pick with the former cops in the remote town of Bearkill, Maine. All the victims died in suicides and freak accidents. Now Lizzie must step up to the plate.
She must find the monster lurking in the shadows before he finds her. Bearkill surprised the cop. When she left Boston, the town felt like a demotion. But these new murders had changed things.
The mystery surrounding her dead sister and missing niece would take a back seat for the moment while she tried to make sense of the events threatening to destroy her new home.
When Does The Next Sarah Graves book come out?
Sarah Graves doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Death by Chocolate Raspberry Scone and was released on April, 23rd 2024. It is the newest book in the Death By Chocolate Mysteries Series.