Helen Cox Books In Order

Publication Order of Starlight Diner Books

Publication Order of Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Cox attended the University of York St. John and graduated with her M.A. in the subject of creative writing. Once she was out of school, she would find a variety of jobs in the field writing for blogs, websites, and a variety of magazines. She would also write for television and radio composing written features as well as news.

Cox has also served as editor her very own magazine on independent film, titled New Empress Magazine. She has also written nonfiction books. Her poetry books Water Signs and Where Concrete and Coral Bells Kiss were published in 2018 and 2019 respectively. She is also the author of the 2016 Starlight Diner series as well as the Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mystery series.

In addition to being a writer, Helen Cox also serves as the host of The Poetrygram, a monthly podcast. She also serves as the coordinator for courses on non-fiction and poetry at City Lit in London. She is a fan of the movie Grease 2 and says that she still considers herself loyal to the ‘Pink Lady pledge’.

Murder by the Minster is the first novel in the Kitt Hartley series, published in 2019. This is a cozy mystery genre story, so if you are a fan of mystery tales that are not too intense when it comes to the details, this is one that you should definitely check out!

This story takes place in York, a city known for its scenery and culture. Readers will get to meet the character of Kitt Hartley for the first time, a female librarian that is known for many things. She doesn’t take any guff, she likes to drink Lady Grey tea, and from now on, she might even be known as a detective as current events unfold.

For Kitt, what started out as an average day at work is about to be turned upside down. Kitt is used to quietly doing her job, something that is perfect because she works at the library for the University of the Vale of York. Things are going as normal until she gets some horrible news. Who should show up at her desk to tell her this?

None other than Detective Inspector Halloran. Now she has been informed that Evie Bowes, someone that she is best friends with, is being considered as a suspect for murder. This is bad news on the best of days. It turns out that her former boyfriend was discovered dead. Owen did not pass away naturally, either. At the scene of the crime, there was a fountain pen discovered going straight through Owen’s heart.

Sufficient to say, the authorities do not think that he did this to himself. In fact, the evidence is all indicating that someone killed him, and they think that it was Evie. Kitt is shocked by the news, but even more shocked that they think that Evie could have done this. She knows her best friend intimately and is convinced that Evie is not the one that killed him. Kitt truly believes that there’s no possible way that her friend could kill anyone at all.

The last thing that Kitt believes is that she was capable of killing Owen. She knew that Evie really loved Owen, even though they were no longer together. She knows that something has gone wrong in this investigation and that the suspicion of Evie is perhaps merited but a glance in the wrong direction.

Believing firmly that her friend is innocent, this librarian is determined to set the record straight. So she decides to do the only thing that there is to do, and figures that she is going to be the one to look into this murder. Having read a ton of mystery books in her spare time, she thinks that it can’t be that hard. After all, her friend’s reputation and even her freedom is at stake.

Kitt is not alone on this journey. She has her assistant Grace to help her. Even though the many odd regulars that frequent the library may temporarily get in the way, Hartley wants to do everything that she can to help her friend. Tapping into a variety of investigative skills that she has acquired over the passing years from reading great mysteries, Kitt decides to take this mystery on.

Once she starts working, she slowly begins to find out that York may not be the idyllic place she views it as. Owen’s murder revealed that, but hiding in this city are more dark deeds than she could have guessed. Little does she know that while hunting a murderer, they too are keeping their eyes on her. The killing spree may not yet be over, and Kitt is placing herself right into their sights.

Will she survive being targeted by a killer long enough to set the record straight? Or will this librarian turned detective soon find out that she is in far over her head? Pick up a copy of the first novel in the Kitt Hartley series to find out!

A Body in the Bookshop is the second novel in the Kitt Hartley series by author Helen Cox.

When Kitt found out in the library that her best friend was being implicated for murder, she knew that she had to do something. Now it seems that all of her hard work has paid off because life has apparently returned to some sense of normal. Kitt has wrapped up her investigation and Evie is no longer dealing with the tribulations that she once had to endure.

However, surely as the sun shines, Malcolm Halloran shows up. This time, the Detective Inspector is once again breaking horrible news to Kitt Hartley. It turns out that Charlotte Banks, a fellow detective, is no longer on active duty. Banks was suspended due to her having allegedly assaulted a burglary suspect while at a book store in York.

Evie is certain Charlotte did not attack anyone. Kitt agrees to investigate, so the pair decide to look into it. Convinced their friend Charlotte was framed, they must get to the bottom of this case. But can they do so without meddling too far? Pick up this mystery to find out!