High Desert Cozy Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of High Desert Mystery Books

The “High Desert Cozy Mystery” series by author Dianne Harman stars Marty Morgan, her dog, Jeff Combs, and Laura. Dianne pulls from her extensive background as a national antique and art appraiser to write these books. This is the same career that Marty Morgan has in the series.

Marty is newly divorced, and moves off to High Desert to start anew. With her is her dog (a black Labrador), named Duke, who refuses to go onto the beach without his pink booties on. There is also her sister, named Laura, who has psychic visions of the future at times. Over the course of the series, she meets and later marries Jeff Combs, a detective in High Desert.

The series began publication in the year 2015 when “Murder and the Monkey Band” was released.

“Murder and the Monkey Band” is the first novel in the “High Desert Cozy Mystery” series, which was released in the year 2015. Marty Morgan (who is recently divorced and is an antique and art appraiser) moves to live in High Desert California, which is just outside Palm Springs, with her sister. Since their early days of childhood, her sister has had unexplained psychic abilities that allowed her to predict events of the future.

An antique appraisal in a murdered woman’s home sticks Marty right in the middle of a search for the killer. Who killed the woman? Was it the woman’s son? Possibly a professional art and antique thief? A well-known collector of antique Meissen china, maybe? Was it the owner of Mai Tai Mama’s Restaurant?

Detective Jeff Combs is equally determined to start up a relationship with Marty and Duke (Marty’s dog) as he is about solving the case. Are Laura’s psychic abilities going to help in finding the killer?

Fans of the novel found this was off and running right from the start. Besides telling a compelling story, there are some details about antiques to allow the readers to learn something as they read.

“Murder and the Secret Cave” is the second novel in the “High Desert Cozy Mystery” series, which was released in the year 2015. Who was it that killed Randy Jones? Could it have been Dr. Rosenbaum, who is someone that would do whatever it took to get certain Native American artifacts that he needed for his personal collection? Or Luke Peterson, Randy’s son who was still angry at him for abandoning him four decades ago? Or Richard Sagebrush, who is a Native American that wants to get the stolen artifacts returned to their rightful tribes?

Randy was an ancient desert rat that had a secret collection of Native American artifacts worth millions. Is it possible, though, to put a price tag on a collection that is illegal? That is exactly the dilemma that Marty Morgan is in as Randy asks her to appraise the collection he’s got. However, the meeting they have ends in more than just a simple appraisal. It ends in murder. Randy’s.

Join Marty, Jeff (now Marty’s boyfriend) Laura, and Duke while they hunt for a killer before he succeeds in slaying Marty. Another issue she faces is deciding if she wants her relationship she has with Jeff to be taken to the next level.

Some could not help but wonder who the killer was until the end, and you are just as surprised by who did it at the end of the story. Fans of the novel found this to be great from the start until the end. It was well written, had some great characters in it—one of which being Marty.

“Murdered by Country Music” is the third novel in the “High Desert Cozy Mystery” series, which was released in the year 2016. What part did Fireball whiskey and mollies play in someone getting murdered in Palm Springs at a country music festival? And just why was Jacques Rushon (a celebrity chef and owner of the food truck called French Food Obsession) murdered? John (owner of The Red Pony) and Max (John’s assistant) are the top suspects. Who are both Marty’s buddies.

Ned (who was Jacques’ partner in the food truck) or Ned’s wife Rita? Maybe it was the ex-wife that he owed back child support? Possibly Jacques’ drug dealer? John and Max, his competitors, perhaps? Marty has to solve the murder so that she can save her own skin. Luckily, she will have help from her fiance, Jeff.

Dianne Harman is an excellent writer of cozy mysteries, just check this one out for some proof of that. Fans of the novel enjoyed this one, and were kept guessing as to who the killer was and were surprised when they found out at the end.

“Murdered by Plastic Surgery” is the fourth novel in the “High Desert Cozy Mystery” series, which was released in the year 2016. Antiques, relationships, and polo. The only thing they’ve got in common is just murder. Why was Pia (fiancee of the Palm Springs polo club owner) killed? Mafia vendettas, old relationships, and inheritances each play a part in this one.

Jack Rutledge (owner of a stellar polo club in Palm Springs) hires Marty to evaluate both Pia’s art glass collection and Jack’s collection of art pottery. Marty and Jeff attend a cocktail party at the Rutledge Polo Club and find that they are in the center of a murder mystery.

Who was it that killed Pia? Possibly Gerta, Pia’s sister, who thinks that the art glass collection that was willed to Pia should have gone to her instead? Roberto, who was the reputed second in command of West Coast Mafia and loved Pia? Kevin, who was a washed up polo player that was jealous of Jack’s success? Pia’s ex that just got out of prison? Lupe, perhaps, who was the polo club owner’s maid? Maybe even Jensen, who was Jack’s son, who was promised he would inherit Jack’s highly valuable art pottery collection?

Readers find these books to be easy reading cozy mysteries, yet the killer’s identity is far from obvious. Fans found this to be another winning page turner from a wonderful author, in Dianne Harman.