Elaine Viets Books In Order

Publication Order of Death Investigator Angela Richman Books

Publication Order of Francesca Vierling Mystery Books

Publication Order of Dead-End Job Mystery Books

Publication Order of Josie Marcus: Mystery Shopper Books

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

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. Louis, Missouri in the United States, where she spent the formative years of her life growing up, forming many of the experiences that were to inspire her. Taking in inspiration from her surrounding environment, she always had a keen eye for literature and the written word, something which would stay with her throughout her upbringing. This was to soon form much of the basis of her adult writing career, as she took her passion for both reading and writing into her higher education.

Graduating from university she gained a degree in journalism, something which would see her through her early position working for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, as she went on to learn more about her craft on the job, whilst getting recognition for her regular column there. Focusing on local issues and human interest stories, she got a good feel for character, along with the more down-to-earth stories that deal with real people, whilst also become somewhat of a celebrity to the area. Not only that, but she also got to make a name for herself, with a number of fans already clamoring for more.

Later on she would take a number of low paid jobs such as telemarketer, shop-clerk and so on, and so forth, all so she could conduct in-depth research for her ‘Dead-End Job’ series of books, an undertaking that clearly showed her dedication to her art-form and the creative process. This allowed her to gain an understanding of her subject matter, whilst lending her material a level of accuracy that remains unparalleled throughout the industry. Using both her journalistic skills and her ability to comprehend the subject on a more personal level, she was always willing to do whatever it takes to get the best results.

An member of the ‘Mystery Writers of America’ and the ‘Sisters in Crime’ trade organizations, she takes an active role in the community, leading the way for other similarly styled writers. Living with her husband the Don Cricklaw for over thirty years now, she spends her time writing in their Fort Lauderdale home in Florida, which they first moved to in 1997. With a lot more novels set to be released on the horizon, there’s plenty more to come from this particular author yet, something that’s set to continue on into the foreseeable future for some time to come.

Writing Career

Whilst she wrote a number of books beforehand, many of these were titles related to her columns with humorous non-fiction advice style books like ‘Viets Guide to Sex, Travel and Anything Else That Will Sell This Book’, which was released in 1993. It was in 1997 though, that she finally released her fiction debut with the book called ‘Back Stab’, it being the first in the popular Francesca Vierling franchise. Soon though, in 2003, she would start her long-running ‘Dead-End Jobs’ series of books, beginning with the book ‘Shop Till You Drop’ that was to see the franchise running for over thirteen novels and counting.

Winning a number of awards and nominations over the course of her career as well, she’s also managed to gain recognition for her short stories as well. Never one to shy away from a lot of extensive background research as well, she always ensures her novels have a certain degree of accuracy too. As she doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon, it looks like this is a trend that’s will continue for some time yet, as her writing career grows from strength-to-strength.

Dying to Call You

Marking the third book in the popular ‘Dead-End Jobs’ series, it was initially released in 2004 on the 5th of October through the Signet publishing label. Ostensibly operating as a murder mystery series, it manages to capture the lifestyle of working in these roles, as it follows protagonist Helen Hawthorne throughout. Running from her ex-husband, she undertakes a variety of different positions in and around Florida, getting herself involved in various mysteries along the way.

This time she is working as a telemarketer, something which she is trying to make the best of, as she takes her new role and attempts to settle down into it. That’s when she believes that she hears a murder happening on the other end of one of her calls and realizes that something must be done about it. One problem, though, is that the killer will do whatever it takes to prevent themselves from being caught and it is then up to Helen to keep herself out of harm’s way. What happened on the other end of that line? Where is that killer? Who is it that’s dying to call you?

Accessory to Murder

Part of the ‘Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper’ series of books, this was the third installment of the popular franchise, it being originally released in 2007 on the 6th of November. Following the adventures of a mystery shopper living in St. Louis, it keeps a track of all the mysteries that she manages to find herself in the middle of. Light hearted and breezy, it manages to retain a fun charm throughout, always keeping the reader guessing right up until the very last page.

An exciting new young designer on the scene, Halley Hardwicke, has been killed in the nearby mall parking lot and it is up to Josie Marcus to find out who. Famous for designing some very high-priced Italian scarfs, Hardwicke was quite neighborly with Jake, the husband of one of Josie’s best friends; Alyce. This then leads the police to suspect Jake, which means that Josie must do whatever it takes and go undercover to catch the real killer before it’s too late. Who is behind this grisly murder? Will Josie be able to find them before it’s too late? What is the ultimate accessory to murder?