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Ellen McKenzie Books In Order

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Publication Order of Ellen McKenzie Books

Dying For a Change (2002)Description / Buy at Amazon
Give First Place to Murder (2004)Description / Buy at Amazon
And Murder for Dessert (2007)Description / Buy at Amazon
Murder Half-Baked (2011)Description / Buy at Amazon
Murder by Syllabub (2013)Description / Buy at Amazon

Kathleen Delaney is the author of the Ellen McKenzie book series and the McGill canine mystery series. Before she became an author, Kathleen Delaney served as a real estate broker. Delaney is the mother of five children. An avid reader, Kathleen Delaney grew up reading mysteries. She never at any one point got tired of writing. Despite writing during her free time, Kathleen Delaney had never shown anyone what she had been working on. However, one day after she had penned a piece about her family’s adventure in the 4H, she eventually got the courage to send the article to Disney. The article was published, and Kathleen Delaney has never looked back ever since.

Delaney’s first novel, Dying for a Change was selected as a finalist in the Malice Domestic mystery contest. Harlequin Publishers later acquired dying for Change. Other books that have been featured in the Ellen McKenzie book series have received positive reviews and praise from Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews. Some of the book series that Kathleen Delaney has worked on include the Curtains for Miss Plym and Purebred Dead series, which have also received nothing but praise from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Book List has highly recommended the book series by Kathleen Delaney to the fans of Laurien Beringer. Kathleen Delaney’s short story, Fire was featured in an online magazine in the year 2016. A California native, Kathleen Delaney now resides in Georgia with two cats and a dog.

Ellen McKenzie Series

Dying for a Change is the first book in the Ellen McKenzie book series. In Dying for a Change, Ellen McKenzie introduces the readers to Ellen McKenzie, a divorcee who has just recently moved back to her hometown. Due to the fact that her parents moved to Arizona, Ellen McKenzie is currently living in their house. Because she is not employed, Ellen begins to gather crucial information about real estate. One rainy afternoon, Ellen was viewing her first house. As she was looking at the basement of the house, Ellen came across a dead body. The local police are informed about the presence of the dead body in the house. The chief of police is a close friend to Ellen McKenzie. When they were still young, Dan, the chief of police was Ellen’s best friend.

He lived in the same neighborhood with Ellen McKenzie, and they even played together from time to time. Apart from murder, there is also a possible romance in the waiting as well. There are also people in the town, whom Hellen knew from her childhood years, who had information about things that were going to happen in the town before they happened. However, in this final mystery, there is no on who knew why the man was killed and who would have any motive to kill the man. There are several key suspects in the investigation. Hank, the man who was killed, was quite a ladies man and also an exceedingly successful contractor. With his top flirting, Hank had apparently pissed off some women. Eventually, it becomes clear that Hank was supporting the construction of one of the biggest store in the town, which was going to kill several stores and businesses in the town.

With that said, Dying for a Change has been brilliantly written. All the characters in the book including the protagonist Ellen are well-rounded and are individuals who will remind the readers of the individuals whom thy have met in real life. While the MO are so many, it eventually becomes apparent that the threat of a new business venture will be more than a reason to kill someone. While the book initially moved slowly, the introduction of the characters eventually gave the book a fast pace. Ellen is an exceedingly strong woman, who does not stop at anything until she ensures that justice has been served. Give First Place to Murder is the second book in the Ellen McKenzie Mystery series. Just as it is the case with Dying for a Change, Ellen McKenzie still lives in her parents’ house. When not in school, Suzanne, Ellie’s daughter lives with her.

Unlike Dying for a Change, Give First Place to Murder involves horses and horse shows as well. One day when Elli was walking into a feed, at fairgrounds, she discovers a dead body inside the feed. The dead body belonged to a man who was a drug dealer. As Ellen looks at the dead body, she cannot help but wonder who may have wanted the young man dead. Several people emerge as the main suspects, and all of the suspects apparently work at the show barn, where her daughter has also taken a summer job. Worried that her daughter may be in danger, Ellen McKenzie begins to ask questions. It did not take long before another dead body was found at the exceedingly prestigious, Arabian show that she came to the realization that she should be able to find the killer first before it is too late.

With that said, Ellen McKenzie feels real each time she interacts with her boyfriend, whom she is constantly keeping at a distance so that she can be able to avoid the usual commitment. The author, Kathleen Delaney dealt exceedingly well with the horse show set and in the process gave out important information that is not easy to find. The third book in the Ellen McKenzie book series has been set in the wine country, California. In this book, we meet once again with Ellen McKenzie a real estate expert and a sleuth who has a connection with the local police. When Ellen is informed by her sister that Sabrina, her niece together with Mark her husband will be living with her, Ellen McKenzie is amazed by her sister’s decision. However, Ellen can do nothing but instead make them feel welcomed. Eventually, Sabrina convinces Ellen to assist her in organizing an upscale dinner which is going to be held where Mark works as a wine master.

The chef for the night is not only out of Hell’s kitchen, but he is also downright mean, unstable and histrionic. A majority of the readers will be somehow pleased that the chef ended up dead. Overall, this is a well-written mystery that is not only full of likeable characters but it also gives a lot on insights into wine and wine tasting.

Book Series In Order » Characters » Ellen McKenzie

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