Margaret Mizushima Books in Order: Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries and Mattie Cobb’s Story
Margaret Mizushima’s Timber Creek K-9 mysteries combine traditional murder mysteries with police procedure, search-and-rescue work, veterinary medicine, and the specialized skills of police dogs. The series is set in the Colorado Rockies and centers on Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo, with veterinarian Cole Walker becoming an important part of the story as the series develops.
Mizushima brings an unusual background to these books. She earned degrees in speech pathology, worked as a speech therapist, later established her own rehabilitation agency, and eventually turned to fiction writing. Her husband is a veterinarian, and she says the idea for the Timber Creek series grew partly from a conversation he had with one of his clients. She has also received multiple writing awards and served as past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries in Order
The official publisher currently identifies Fighting Edge as Book 11 of the series. The complete reading order is:
1. Killing Trail (2015)
Deputy Mattie Cobb is trying to stop drug trafficking through Timber Creek when she and her K-9 partner, Robo, discover the body of a teenage girl. What begins as a murder investigation quickly draws Mattie toward a web of secrets involving the victim and people close to her.
The case also introduces veterinarian Cole Walker, a recently divorced father trying to rebuild his life while caring for his children. Mattie, Robo, and Cole become the core of the series, making this an important book to read first even though later mysteries can stand on their own.
2. Stalking Ground (2016)
Deputy Ken Brody’s girlfriend disappears in the mountains outside Timber Creek, and Mattie and Robo are called in to search for her. They eventually find her body as a snowstorm closes in, leaving Mattie and Robo isolated while the investigation develops.
The case becomes a dangerous hunt in which the investigators themselves begin to feel like prey. The second novel also continues developing Mattie’s relationships with Robo, Cole, and the Timber Creek law-enforcement community.
3. Hunting Hour (2017)
Mattie and Robo are called to search for a missing junior-high student, but the search becomes a murder investigation when they find the girl dead. Then another girl disappears, and this time the missing child is one of Cole Walker’s daughters.
The disappearance gives Mattie a deeply personal reason to find the kidnapper. Robo’s tracking ability becomes crucial as the search moves into the surrounding forest, while Mattie is forced to confront difficult issues from her own past.
4. Burning Ridge (2018)
A body is discovered in a shallow grave on Colorado’s Redstone Ridge, and Mattie Cobb and Robo are called to investigate. The remote mountain setting quickly becomes more dangerous when they realize the murder is connected to a secret someone is desperate to protect.
Mattie and Robo become targets themselves as they pursue the killer. The book continues the series’ combination of rugged Colorado landscapes, police work, K-9 tracking, and the personal lives of its main characters.
5. Tracking Game (2019)
An explosion outside a community dance leads Mattie and Cole to a burning van and the body of outfitter Nate Fletcher. The investigation soon expands to include another murder, a group of suspected poachers, and a frightening presence in the mountains.
Robo’s tracking skills again become central to the investigation. The book also expands the wilderness and wildlife elements that distinguish the Timber Creek mysteries from more conventional small-town police procedurals.
6. Hanging Falls (2020)
Heavy rain causes flooding near Hanging Falls, but the dangerous weather is not the only threat facing Timber Creek. Mattie becomes involved in a murder investigation that also forces her to confront disturbing parts of her past.
The sixth installment continues to deepen Mattie’s personal story while keeping the investigation grounded in her work as a K-9 officer. The combination of environmental danger and criminal investigation gives the book a particularly tense mountain setting.
7. Striking Range (2021)
A deadly secret is buried in the Colorado high country, and the discovery has connections to Mattie’s own family history. The man at the center of the mystery is suspected of having attempted to kill Mattie and possibly of killing her father decades earlier.
As Mattie investigates, the case becomes much more personal than an ordinary murder. The seventh book is therefore important for readers following the larger story surrounding Mattie’s past.
8. Standing Dead (2023)
Mattie and her sister Julia travel to Mexico to visit their mother, only to discover that their mother and her husband have disappeared. Back in Timber Creek, Mattie receives a disturbing message directing her toward the high country.
Robo makes a grisly discovery involving a body tied to a dead pine tree, while another message suggests that Mattie’s mother may be in serious danger. Mattie eventually has to go undercover, turning the investigation into one of the most personal and dangerous cases of the series.
9. Gathering Mist (2024)
Mattie, now using the name Mattie Wray, is called to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula shortly before her wedding. A celebrity’s child has disappeared, and Robo’s tracking skills are urgently needed for the search.
What initially looks like a missing-child case becomes much darker when evidence points toward kidnapping and a larger criminal investigation. The Pacific Northwest setting also gives this installment a noticeable change of scenery from the Colorado Rockies.
10. Dying Cry (2025)
Mattie and Cole, now newlyweds, are teaching Cole’s daughters to snowshoe in a remote canyon when they hear a terrifying scream. Mattie and Robo discover that someone has fallen from a cliff, but the evidence indicates that the death was not accidental.
The victim turns out to be one of Cole’s friends, making the investigation particularly difficult for the family. As the Timber Creek team follows a trail of greed, the killer begins threatening Mattie’s new family. Dying Cry won the 2026 IBPA Gold Medal in the Mystery & Thriller category.
11. Fighting Edge (2026)
A routine welfare check turns into a nightmare when Mattie finds a young mother dead and a hysterical toddler who may be the only witness. Before the investigation can properly begin, Mattie encounters another crime during a traffic stop.
Robo’s search of the vehicle uncovers drugs and suspected human trafficking, while Cole notices suspicious activity during veterinary calls at dog kennels. What first appear to be separate incidents gradually reveal an organized criminal operation operating within the rural mountain community.
Timber Creek K-9 Books at a Glance
| # | Book | Publication Year |
| 1 | Killing Trail | 2015 |
| 2 | Stalking Ground | 2016 |
| 3 | Hunting Hour | 2017 |
| 4 | Burning Ridge | 2018 |
| 5 | Tracking Game | 2019 |
| 6 | Hanging Falls | 2020 |
| 7 | Striking Range | 2021 |
| 8 | Standing Dead | 2023 |
| 9 | Gathering Mist | 2024 |
| 10 | Dying Cry | 2025 |
| 11 | Fighting Edge | 2026 |
The publication sequence is confirmed by the author’s book listings and Penguin Random House’s current series page, which identifies Fighting Edge as Book 11.
What Is the Timber Creek K-9 Series About?
At the center of the series is Deputy Mattie Cobb, a law-enforcement officer whose K-9 partner, Robo, plays an active role in investigations. Robo is not simply a dog accompanying the protagonist. Tracking, scent work, search operations, and the specialized relationship between handler and K-9 are integral to many of the mysteries.
The other major character is Cole Walker, a veterinarian who becomes increasingly important to Mattie’s personal life and to investigations involving animals, veterinary knowledge, and the rural community. The author describes the series as police procedurals with heart, combining K-9 police action, veterinary work, family relationships, suspense, and traditional mystery elements.
Why Margaret Mizushima’s K-9 Details Feel Authentic
One of the strongest elements behind the series is Mizushima’s personal connection to veterinary medicine and rural life.
She spent more than four decades living with her veterinarian husband on a small ranch in northern Colorado, where they raised their daughters and numerous animals. She says her husband helped develop the idea for the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries, and the first book grew from a conversation he had with one of his veterinary clients.
That background is particularly relevant because the novels repeatedly bring together law enforcement, veterinary medicine, animals, and rural Colorado rather than treating those elements as decorative details.
Mizushima has also received the Colorado Authors League Award, Benjamin Franklin Book Award, CIBA CLUE Award, and two Willa Literary Awards by Women Writing the West. Her books have also been finalists for awards including the SPUR Award, Silver Falchion Award, and Colorado Book Award.
Do You Have to Read the Timber Creek Books in Order?
Not strictly.
Mizushima herself says that each mystery stands alone and can be read out of sequence. However, she recommends starting with Killing Trail if you want to experience the full development of the main characters’ lives.
That recommendation is particularly useful because Mattie’s personal history, her relationship with Cole, her family, and the development of Robo’s partnership with her continue across the books.
So while the mysteries are mostly self-contained, the character story is cumulative.
Where Should You Start With Margaret Mizushima?
Start with Killing Trail
This is the obvious choice for a first-time reader. It introduces Mattie Cobb, Robo, Cole Walker, Timber Creek, and the basic police-procedural framework that defines the series.
It is also the author’s recommended starting point.
Start with Dying Cry
If you have already read some of the series and want to jump into a recent installment, Dying Cry is a strong choice. It is Book 10 and takes place after Mattie and Cole have married, so it is better appreciated with some knowledge of their earlier relationship.
Start with Fighting Edge
If you want the newest available book, Fighting Edge is Book 11 and was published September 8, 2026. It brings together multiple crimes involving a murdered mother, drugs, suspected human trafficking, and suspicious activity surrounding local dog kennels.
What Is the Latest Margaret Mizushima Book?
The latest published Margaret Mizushima novel is Fighting Edge, the 11th Timber Creek K-9 Mystery, released September 8, 2026.
It follows Dying Cry (2025), Gathering Mist (2024), and Standing Dead (2023).
Are There Any Other Margaret Mizushima Books?
Mizushima’s bibliography is overwhelmingly associated with the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She also contributed the short work Crossing Colfax, which appears in the 2014 anthology Destination: Mystery. It is not a separate mystery series or a Timber Creek novel, so it should not be inserted into the main reading order.
For readers looking specifically for her novels, the 11 Timber Creek books are the essential bibliography.
FAQ
How many Margaret Mizushima books are there?
There are currently 11 published Timber Creek K-9 Mystery novels, from Killing Trail through Fighting Edge. She has also contributed to an anthology with the short work Crossing Colfax.
What is the first Margaret Mizushima book?
The first Timber Creek K-9 Mystery is Killing Trail, published in 2015. It introduces Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo.
How many Timber Creek K-9 books are there?
There are currently 11 books in the series. Fighting Edge, published in September 2026, is Book 11.
Who is Mattie Cobb?
Mattie Cobb is the central law-enforcement character in the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She is a deputy and K-9 handler whose partner is Robo, a trained police dog.
Who is Robo in Margaret Mizushima’s books?
Robo is Mattie Cobb’s K-9 partner. His scent and tracking abilities are central to many of the investigations, and the relationship between Robo and Mattie is one of the defining elements of the series.
Who is Cole Walker?
Cole Walker is a veterinarian in Timber Creek and one of the series’ major recurring characters. He becomes closely connected to Mattie and often contributes veterinary knowledge to cases involving animals or the rural community.
Is Margaret Mizushima a veterinarian?
No. Margaret Mizushima is an author and former speech therapist who later established her own rehabilitation agency. She is married to a veterinarian, and her family’s long experience with veterinary medicine and animals helped inspire the Timber Creek series.
Can I read the Timber Creek K-9 books out of order?
Yes. Each mystery can be read independently, according to Mizushima herself. However, reading them in publication order is recommended if you want to follow Mattie’s personal history and her relationships with Robo, Cole, and the other recurring characters.
What should I read after Margaret Mizushima?
If you enjoy the combination of crime investigation and working dogs, look for other K-9 police procedurals and animal-centered mysteries. Within Mizushima’s own work, however, there is no second major mystery series that needs to be read after Timber Creek.
What is the newest Timber Creek K-9 Mystery?
Fighting Edge is the newest book. It is Book 11 and was published September 8, 2026.
Final Verdict
Margaret Mizushima’s bibliography is unusually straightforward because the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries are the heart of her fiction.
The best reading order is:
Killing Trail → Stalking Ground → Hunting Hour → Burning Ridge → Tracking Game → Hanging Falls → Striking Range → Standing Dead → Gathering Mist → Dying Cry → Fighting Edge
Although each mystery can stand on its own, reading them in this order gives the best experience of Mattie Cobb’s development, her partnership with Robo, her relationship with Cole Walker, and the larger story of the Timber Creek community.
The series also benefits from Mizushima’s real-world connection to rural Colorado, animals, veterinary medicine, and law-enforcement-adjacent research. That combination helps give the K-9 elements a level of specificity that distinguishes these books from ordinary cozy mysteries with a dog added to the cast.
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