Odelia Grey Books In Order

Publication Order of Odelia Grey Mystery Books

When it comes to concocting a perfect blend of humor, romance and suspense, Sue Ann Jaffarian is more of an icon. With twists that keep you hooked and turns that make reading her works utterly exciting, her books carry an aura of uniqueness that is hard to find elsewhere. Working as a full time paralegal, she discovered her liking for mystery earlier in life but gives hers a unique blend of light and chatty characters. Apart from writing, Sue Ann finds joy in motivational speaking, her two cats and a little bit of comedy. She also holds the coveted position of Vice President of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

The Odelia Grey mystery series by Sue Ann Jaffarian is one centered on the life of one Odelia Grey; a paralegal. Published in 2001, the first book in the series is ‘Too Big to Miss’. The title is symbolic of Miss Grey who happens to be plus sized and makes absolutely no excuse for that fact. A spinster in her middle age, Odelia is subject to all the pressures this age presents to women. Menopause is just around the corner, an irreversible horror that cannot be slowed and the bras she finds never seem to fit right. Her world is filled with chaos starting with relationships, a family that can drive the sanest person nuts and a boss that will have one contemplate jumping out of a window in a five storied building. As if that was not enough, she has a particularly nasty talent of being near people who end up dead. Her life is literally in shambles and this middle aged woman is but hanging on a thread.

The situation seems as though it cannot get any worse. It does however and in a life changing way when Odelia’s close friend Sophie London lines up an online web cam and instead of broadcasting the usual showcase of amateur talent that webcams are mostly used for, she instead puts a gun in her mouth and pulls the trigger. It is a public suicide that leaves a bad taste in the mouth especially Odelia’s. That comes mostly from the fact that Sophie was the very last person anyone would have thought would end her own life having been the voice and inspiration of numerous imperfect women because of her plus size and courageous voice as an activist.

Odelia knows with a conviction that is hard to miss that something is definitely not right and is keen on investigating that very fact. Her search for truth however is not an easy one and it takes her to the darkest places with strip malls and live web cam porn as the order of the day. She ends up at the swanky reserve of Corona del Mar in her search for truth. In the midst of all this darkness, will Odelia shed some light on what happened to her friend or will her personal troubles be her own undoing? Will her search result in truth or will the perpetrators if any shut her up too as they had done Sophie? This first book is definitely one centered on a very relatable setting but with just the right twists to make it an amazing read. The world of paralegals has never been this adventurously delved into. It is definitely a book you cannot put down once you start reading.

The tempo does not slow in this series as the follow up The Curse of the Holy Pail’ comes out in 2003. The second book features a mysterious item in the form of an old-fashioned Chappy Wheeler lunchbox. The lunchbox is basically a prototype that is based on the 1940’s TV Western. It is just another prototype until every one of its owners dies which begs the question, Is it cursed?’ It cannot be mere coincidence that all the owners of this antique lunchbox have passed on. To add insult to injury, a business tycoon named Sterling Price is poisoned fatally at the same exact time that his unique lunch pail priced over thirty grand disappears. Mr. Price happens to be Odelia Grey’s law firm client which brings our talented paralegal to the equation to provide her unequalled expertise tinged with her knack for finding things out.

Odelia has recently had an almost deadly run-in with a bullet. She knows to keep her search for truth cautious and low key since whatever is in play here is a force beyond understanding at least for the time being. As the search proceeds however, things begin to escalate as the yearning to learn more overtakes the resolve for caution. The research unravels some intriguing facts about a six decade old murder that was never solved. There is also the new discovery that Mr.Price’s fiancée was the typical gold digger with more than one married man entangled in her captivating net of lies. It is hard to connect the dots that are presenting themselves and the case gets more complex by the day.

Odelia is knee deep in the case and nothing else seems to matter; a fact that quickly changes when an unexpected marriage proposal sends her emotions reeling. In a case where unbridled attention is necessary, will Odelia gain back the control of her emotions early enough to ensure her safety? Will she be the one to solve a murder so old it had been forgotten or will her personal life finally be her undoing? Is it all connected or just one bad joke of fate? Find out this and more as you savor this incredible page turner.

The character Odelia Grey seems to be one close to Sue Ann’s persona as she carries the same age and occupation perhaps explaining the meticulous delivery of this series. The attention to detail and presentation of Odelia’s day to day life is put across in a smooth and easy way so that she is truly relatable with. The fun bit is how the mystery comes in and whips up this ordinary woman’s life into an extraordinary existence without losing a bit. Truly, the work of a master in mystery fiction!