Kat Ailes Books In Order

Publication Order of Expectant Detectives Books

Kat Ailes is a British novelist and editor who made her name with her novel The Expectant Detectives which she published in 2023. The work would become so popular that it would come in second at the 2021 Comedy Women in Print Unpublished Prize. Before she became a bestselling author, Ailes had made her name as an editor in the publishing industry. Working as a freelance editor, she had the flexibility in her schedule which allowed her to take on a range of adventures in addition to trying her hand at writing. One of the most notable of these was when she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail which is one of the most challenging journeys she took from Mexico to Canada.

Kat Ailes’ debut introduced readers to a group of expectant mothers who become detectives when there is a homicide in their antenatal class. It is a work that has been praised for its unique premise and humorous narrative, as it combines elements of sharp humor with cozy mystery. She published the novel’s first draft in frantic moments across about three weeks. It was a chaotic three weeks since she had already submitted the first few chapters and made the shortlist for the Comedy Women in Print Prize and needed to have the full manuscript before the day of the awards. Kat published the second novel of the series Dead Tired in 2024. Over the years, Ailes’ novels have become known for their clever plotting, relatable characters, and how they make use of humorous takes to explain the intricacies of community life and motherhood. Kat is exceptional at bringing together intriguing mysteries with everyday experiences to make for some of the most compelling narratives. It is for these skills that she has become one of the most notable new voices in contemporary cozy crime fiction.

Kat currently makes her home in Cotswolds in the United Kingdom where she lives with her husband, their son, and their foolish but very beautiful dog.

Kat Ailes’ debut novel The Expectant Detectives is a heartfelt, funny, fresh, and charming mystery that follows the adventures of expectant mothers turned detectives. Alice and Joe, her partner, had moved to Penton, a sleepy village, where they intended to prepare for the birth of their first kid in the beauty of the country and the charm of the community. Joe will be taking up woodwork and Alice could learn how to make jam. However, they do not find the idyllic village they were hoping for, since soon after arriving, someone is found murdered at the local prenatal class. As the newest arrivals in the village, they soon find themselves the lead suspects in the homicide investigation. But they are not the only suspects as the entire expectant mother group is also being viewed with suspicion. To clear their names, Alice teams up with her fellow expectant mothers who have become friends in addition to Helen, her troublesome dog, as they try to clear their names by solving the intricate mystery. Still, the village has more tensions and secrets than first believed. Between the discovery of a mysterious death from a few years back, the discovery of a bizarre commune and nearly getting Helen her dog poisoned, Alice is dealing with one of the most difficult things she ever had to do.

Dead Tired is the second novel in the hilarious and charming The Expectant Detectives series of novels. Alice never thought her maternity leave would result in so much chaos and even murder. Before they gave birth to their kids, she and her friends had bonded in their prenatal group and even more when they solved a homicide together as amateur sleuths. But that had been a year back and Alice would not love nothing better than to rest. But then Alice and her friends join an eco protest where they chain themselves to trees just so that they can get some much-needed rest. But the following morning, one of the protesters is found dead by strangulation. All hopes of having a peaceful rest are now gone and Alice and her friends soon find themselves dealing with a dark plot that includes an enigmatic local entrepreneur, a rogue artist, and nude protesting. Alice, who recently solved an intricate murder case, believes that she could once again bring her detective skills to bear and resolve the case. Yet again, she brings together her gang of new mothers and together they set out to look into one of the most fascinating mysteries in the sleepy English countryside.