TJ Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries Books In Order

Publication Order of TJ Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries Books

The TJ Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries are a series of books written by Kathi Daley. As the name suggests, the books fall comfortably within the mystery genre.

+The story

The TJ Jensen Paradise Lake books are aptly named. The primarily protagonist of the series is TJ Jensen, a teacher who lives with her grandfather and half-sisters. And it just so happens that Jensen resides on the north Shore of Paradise Lake.

The TJ Jensen books are technically cozy mystery novels and they have a lot of fans primarily because Kathi’s characters are so well developed. In fact, the love the series attracts has more to do with the attachment readers have to the characters than anything else.

That isn’t to say that Kathi Daley’s mysteries are not compelling. However, her strong suit is character development and her writing style suits her focus. Like many of her books, the TJ Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries surround a series of murder cases that occur in an idyllic town.

Kathi’s protagonist is an unseemly detective, working in a field outside law enforcement but, none the less, manifesting the ability to put all the right clues together in order to bring about an adequate resolution.

In the case of Jensen, every murder case tends to hit rather close to home. Rather than a random stranger that keeps stumbling from one disparate crime scene to another, forcing her way into the lives of the grieving in some attempt to satiate her boredom, Jensen cannot help but put her mind to solving murder in the alpine town of Serenity, Nevada because she knows those involved and she cannot help but feel responsible for revealing the truth behind the murders, especially when law enforcement isn’t doing as effective a job.

Jensen isn’t alone. She works alongside a new deputy sheriff called Dylan Caine to deliver justice.

As with many of Kathi’s novels, this series isn’t all mystery. Rather, elements of romance crop up every now and then, and Kathi does a great job of making certain that they do not overrun the mystery.

+The Author

Kathi Daley is an American author that lives near Lake Tahoe with her husband, children, grandchildren and their dogs. Like most authors, Kathi loves to read, though the activity doesn’t consume her every waking hour.

She also finds satisfaction from cooking and gardening, not to mention snowshoeing and biking. Lake Tahoe’s landscape is nothing short of perfect, acting as a source of inspiration for Kathi’s efforts as a writer.

Kathi Daley tends to do more writing than most authors can fathom. She releases a disturbingly large number of books every single year. She has been known to release entire series of novels within a few short months.

Her passion for writing shows not only in the quality of her work but the volume of novels she delivers every single year. Some readers have attested to struggling to keep up with all the books she releases.

+Pumpkins in Paradise

Tj Jensen is a busy woman. Being a high school teacher is no easy task. Not only is she tasked with helping the girls team prepare for the state soccer finals but she also volunteered for the annual pumpkin festival; a festival that turns sour when Jensen finds her friend Zachary Collins dead.

The new deputy might be handsome but he doesn’t seem right for the job, not when he so quickly closes Zachary’s case without asking any of the really important questions. Luckily, he has Jensen who is more than happy to set her pumpkin carving and cooking challenges aside to solve what she believes to be a murder case.

There are prophetic riddles and cryptic puzzles to unravel, not to mention a secret that hasn’t seen the light of day for decades.

Pumpkins in Paradise, the first book in the TJ Jensen Paradise Lake mysteries, introduces readers to Tj Jensen and the town of Serenity. There is a festival approaching and the town is starting to receive curious tourists.

Residents cannot wait to participate in all the events and contests of the annual pumpkin festival. However, Jensen, a high school teacher, is in no mood to celebrate, not only because of her busy schedule but the fact that she just stumbled upon the dead body of her elderly friend.

Few people knew Zachary because he was such a recluse. They were quick to dismiss him as a cranky old man. Jensen was the only one not afraid to go near his house. In fact, the two had a special bond, which is why she refuses to accept the notion that he died of natural causes.

Zachary and Jensen loved puzzles. It’s something they bonded over. Jensen quickly puts her mind to the task of solving this new gruesome puzzle. She is sure that there is more than meets the eye.

While the mystery in this book has its merits, the relationship between Zachary and Jensen is the strongest aspect of the story. Zachary is revealed to have been a truly special individual.

+Snowmen in Paradise

When Travis Davidson, a favorite town son dies, TJ Jensen tries very hard to stay out of it. She has too much on her plate, this not including her rag tag choir’s debut live performance and the demonstrations awaiting her ski and snowboard team.

And then there are the weddings. Jensen cannot afford to stick her nose into the investigation of Travis’ death; things change when Chelsea Hanson is suspected of Travis’ murder. Even though there is a mountain of evidence against Chelsea, Jensen is certain she didn’t do it and she delegates her free time to proving just that.

Once again, Kathi creates and writes such wonderful characters, people you cannot help but love. This book finds Jensen in the midst of another bout of festivities. And once more, a murder gets in the way of all the fun.

Everyone is sure Jensen’s friend is guilty of murder, but Jensen refuses to accept the evidence. Instead she goes out of her way to unearth another collection of potential suspects in hopes of revealing the true killer.

The murder mystery is decent and the revelations will definitely surprise some people. But it’s the characters that everyone will remember.