Miss Zukas Books In Order

Publication Order of Miss Zukas Books

Jo Dereseke grew up in rural Michigan. Ever since she read her first book, she knew that she was destined to be a writer. However, to do so, she believed she had to shake her Michigan roots first. Many years after moving from years. Jo still points out the fact that everything she ends up writing is somehow connected to either her Lithuanian or Michigan roots. This is evident in both the Ruby Crane series and the Miss Zukas mystery series. Currently, Jo Dereseke currently lives in the foothills of Mount Baker, near Bellingham, Washington. During her early years, Jo Dereseke worked as a librarian, a profession that she thoroughly enjoyed. She believes that libraries are the last institution in which readers can mingle and mix amidst written words.

Miss Zukas and the Librarian

Miss Zukas and the Librarian, is the first installment in this book series, authored by Jo Dereske. Miss Helma is the main character in this book series. Just like any other librarian, Miss Zukas is unquestionably the stereotypical librarian; however, she is very interesting. From the way she keeps, her apartment to the way she dresses is sidesplitting. You will fall in love with the manner in which the author has portrayed the way Miss Zukas; she is definitely someone you may want to be friends. Miss Zukas and the Librarian is an attention-grabbing story, which has been set up in Bellehaven, Washington. It is about the life of Miss Zukas, who becomes involved in a murder mystery that occurs in her library’s fiction stack.

Upon finding the body, the local police do not have any suspects. By using both her deductive and librarian skills, Miss Helma Zukas decides to look into murder mysteries, though she has not been asked. Upon looking into the mystery, Helma finds a clue in the city directory. She then goes ahead with the investigation, before sharing anything with the police. Within this story, we are able to know, how a library truly operates, and the different roles or duties of the library staff. Furthermore, we also get to know about the main character’s childhood friend, Ruth, together with her mom and her relationship with the local police. With that said, Miss Zukas and the librarian is an excellent read. The characters re not only delightful but also quirky. The plot is pretty solid and keeps the reader entertained from the first page to the last.

Out of Circulation

In this installment, we are introduced to one Helma Zukas who is the main protagonist and her friend Ruth Ruth. Despite the fact that, Ruth insists that they go for hiking, Helma becomes exceedingly hesitant. Eventually, Helma gives in to the pressure. Since she is a librarian by profession, Emma decides to do her research with regards to hiking. She not only reads up about survival techniques, but she also comes up with a list for her irresponsible friend, Ruth. Just as she expected, Ruth comes completely unprepared and even neglects the list she was given by Helma. Despite all the preparation done by Helma, it still was not enough considering what they were about to discover in the wilderness.

While hiking, Ruth and Helma discover a dead body in the rocky wilderness. Upon close inspection, they notice that the body had a hole in its chest. They eventually conclude that there was foul play since the hole was not caused by accident. Once the victim is airlifted from the wilderness, Ruth eventually agrees that they should head back to civilization. However, Helma insists that they should remain back and look for the hiker’s missing companion. Wanting to be a good person is one thing, but remaining behind in a blinding storm is another thing. Additionally, they also voluntarily end up putting their life in danger as they share a cabin with people who they knew nothing about.

Miss Zukas and the Raven’s Dance

Miss Zukas and the Raven’s Dance is the fourth book in the Miss Zukas mystery series. A librarian in Bellehaven, Washington, Miss Zukas is asked to draft a catalog of Native American books and also a memorabilia in the newly designed Cultural Center. Miss Zukas has been hired as a replacement for Stanley Plummer, whose corpse as found at the Cultural Center’s lady’s room. Plummer had been stabbed by a spindle-wielding killer. Miss Zukas is not exceedingly thrilled with the fact that she had been reassigned to the Center without her consent. She is also apprehensive to the fact, that she may be the killer’s next target. In self-defense and out of curiosity, Miss Zukas decides to carry out her very own investigation.

Just like, it is in all the previous installments, her sidekick Ruth assists Miss Zukas to find out who the killer really is. Upon working at the cultural center, Miss Zukas gets to know about the Indian culture and also gets to meet some pretty interesting characters.

Miss Zukas Death in the Shadows

Miss Zukas Helma is issued with a ticket for driving while a red light was on. Since she feels that the ticket was unjustified, she refuses to pay the penalty. In this installment, Helma works at a homeless men mission home. She not only dishes out food but also does other chores. While working on one of the nights, a businessman is found dead just a few miles from the homeless mission home. Apparently, the businessman is part of the library’s board and had previously disagreed with Miss Helma Zukas on a certain policy in the past. Due to her past interaction with the businessman, Miss Zukas is placed on the very top of the suspect’s list.

While working on the case, Helma discovers that there are several people who had disagreed initially with the victim. Thus she decides to look for suspects and clues so as to locate the killer. Just as it is in all the other installments, Helma’s artistic friend Ruth serves as her comical foil and a road to the solution. If you are looking for a series, that not only has well-developed characters but also has storylines which are charmingly addictive, then you the Miss Zukas mystery series is definitely what you are looking for.