Ellie Alexander Books in Order: A Delicious Guide to Her Cozy Mystery Series
Ellie Alexander is a prolific American cozy mystery author known for combining murder mysteries with food, baking, wine, travel, and beautiful Pacific Northwest settings.
She is particularly famous for her Bakeshop Mystery series, which follows Jules Capshaw as she solves murders around her family’s beloved Torte bakery in Ashland, Oregon. The books offer a classic cozy mystery formula with recurring characters, local secrets, and plenty of food-related atmosphere.
But Ellie Alexander has written several other series as well. Some are connected to her broader fictional world, while others feature different protagonists and settings. So if you’re looking for Ellie Alexander books in order, the easiest approach is to organize them by series rather than trying to combine every book into one chronological list.
Bakeshop Mystery Books in Order
The Bakeshop Mystery series is Ellie Alexander’s signature cozy mystery series and the best place to start if you want her most recognizable characters and setting.
The series follows Jules Capshaw, a baker who returns to her hometown of Ashland, Oregon, and becomes involved in murder investigations surrounding the family-owned Torte bakery.
1. Meet Your Baker (2014)
Meet Your Baker introduces Jules Capshaw and the charming Oregon town of Ashland, where her family runs the Torte bakery. When a local theater director is found dead, Jules’s return home quickly turns into an unexpected murder investigation.
Publication Year: 2014
Reading Position: Bakeshop Mystery #1
Key Themes: Baking, murder, family, theater, small-town mystery
2. A Batter of Life and Death (2015)
Jules is settling back into life at Torte when another murder disrupts Ashland. Her baking expertise and knowledge of the local community help her uncover clues while putting her dangerously close to the killer.
Publication Year: 2015
Reading Position: Bakeshop Mystery #2
Key Themes: Baking, murder, community, family, secrets
3. Fudge and Jinn (2015)
Jules investigates another suspicious death while the town prepares for a celebration filled with food and festivities. As she follows the clues, she discovers that even Ashland’s most respected residents may have something to hide.
Publication Year: 2015
Reading Position: Bakeshop Mystery #3
Key Themes: Fudge, murder, festivals, secrets, small-town life
4. Don’t Go Baking My Heart (2016)
A romantic event in Ashland takes a darker turn when a murder occurs. Jules becomes involved in the investigation while continuing to balance the demands of the family bakery and her complicated personal life.
Publication Year: 2016
Reading Position: Bakeshop Mystery #4
Key Themes: Romance, baking, murder, family, relationships
5. A Batter of Life and Death: A Bakeshop Mystery (2015)
This title is sometimes encountered in searches and retail listings alongside the Bakeshop series, but readers should be careful not to count duplicate listings as separate novels.
Reading Note: Always check the edition and ISBN when building a complete Ellie Alexander bibliography because some books have appeared in different formats and editions.
6. Fudge and Jinn (2015)
Fudge and Jinn is another early Torte mystery featuring Jules Capshaw and the Ashland community.
Reading Note: This title should not be counted twice when compiling the series.
Pacific Northwest Mystery Books in Order
Ellie Alexander’s Pacific Northwest Mystery series offers another cozy mystery setting while maintaining her characteristic combination of food, community, travel, and crime.
1. Death on Tap (2015)
A murder brings amateur sleuthing into the world of craft beer and Pacific Northwest culture. The story combines local businesses, community relationships, and a suspicious death in a distinctly regional setting.
Publication Year: 2015
Reading Position: Pacific Northwest Mystery #1
Key Themes: Craft beer, murder, Pacific Northwest, small business
2. A Killer View (2016)
Another murder investigation unfolds against the scenic backdrop of the Pacific Northwest. The characters must look beyond appearances as seemingly ordinary relationships reveal hidden tensions.
Publication Year: 2016
Reading Position: Pacific Northwest Mystery #2
Key Themes: Murder, scenery, relationships, secrets
3. The Last Word (2017)
A new mystery challenges the amateur sleuths as a seemingly peaceful community becomes the scene of a dangerous crime.
Publication Year: 2017
Reading Position: Pacific Northwest Mystery #3
Key Themes: Murder, community, secrets, investigation
Sloan Krause Books in Order
Ellie Alexander also writes the Sloan Krause mysteries, set in the Pacific Northwest and centered around food, community, and murder.
1. Death by the River (2017)
A murder investigation begins in a scenic Pacific Northwest community where the people who seem most trustworthy may have the most to hide.
Publication Year: 2017
Reading Position: Sloan Krause #1
Key Themes: Murder, river town, community, secrets
2. A Killer Retreat (2018)
A peaceful retreat becomes anything but relaxing when a suspicious death forces the characters to investigate what happened.
Publication Year: 2018
Reading Position: Sloan Krause #2
Key Themes: Murder, retreat, relationships, secrets
3. Death on the Menu (2019)
Food and murder come together in another cozy mystery as the investigation exposes tensions among people who have more connections than they initially admit.
Publication Year: 2019
Reading Position: Sloan Krause #3
Key Themes: Food, murder, community, deception
Other Ellie Alexander Books
Ellie Alexander has written numerous additional mysteries and related works, and her bibliography can be complicated because she has published under both Ellie Alexander and Sloan Krause.
For an accurate website article, I recommend keeping the series lists separate rather than presenting every title as one combined chronological list. This prevents readers from confusing the protagonists and series.
Which Ellie Alexander Series Should You Read First?
If you are new to Ellie Alexander, I would start with the Bakeshop Mystery series.
Meet Your Baker introduces Jules Capshaw, Torte bakery, Ashland, Oregon, and the recurring cast that makes the series so appealing.
If you prefer a different flavor of cozy mystery, the other series can be excellent alternatives:
- Bakeshop Mystery — best for baking, food, theater, and small-town mysteries
- Pacific Northwest Mystery — best for regional atmosphere and community-based mysteries
- Sloan Krause mysteries — best for another Pacific Northwest cozy setting
- Other standalone works — best if you prefer individual mysteries rather than long-running character arcs
Do Ellie Alexander Books Need to Be Read in Order?
Within each series, yes.
You can technically solve each mystery independently, but reading the books in publication order gives you a better understanding of the characters, relationships, businesses, friendships, and personal developments that carry across the series.
You do not need to read every Ellie Alexander series in chronological order with one another.
Instead, choose the series you’re interested in and follow that series from its first book.
What Are Ellie Alexander Books About?
Ellie Alexander’s mysteries generally combine cozy crime with food, travel, community, and character-driven storytelling.
Common elements include:
- Small-town murder mysteries
- Bakeries and food
- Restaurants and cafés
- Wine and craft beverages
- Pacific Northwest settings
- Family businesses
- Amateur sleuths
- Community secrets
- Recurring characters
- Lighthearted mystery elements
Her books are particularly appealing to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries without excessive graphic violence, especially when food and local culture are an important part of the story.
About Ellie Alexander
Ellie Alexander is an American author best known for her cozy mystery novels, particularly the Bakeshop Mystery series.
Her books frequently combine murder investigations with food, travel, community, and Pacific Northwest settings. Her writing appeals to readers who enjoy mysteries where the characters and atmosphere are almost as important as solving the crime.
She has built a substantial bibliography across multiple cozy mystery series, making her a particularly good choice for readers looking for long-running mystery series with recurring characters and familiar communities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ellie Alexander Books
What is the first Ellie Alexander book?
The best-known starting point for Ellie Alexander is Meet Your Baker, the first book in the Bakeshop Mystery series. Published in 2014, it introduces Jules Capshaw and the Torte bakery in Ashland, Oregon.
How many Bakeshop Mystery books are there?
The Bakeshop Mystery series contains a large number of novels and continues well beyond the first few books. Because the series has multiple editions and related titles, readers should use the author’s official bibliography when compiling the complete current list.
What order should I read the Bakeshop Mystery books?
Start with Meet Your Baker and continue through the Bakeshop Mystery novels in publication order. This allows you to follow Jules Capshaw’s personal development, her relationships, and the evolution of Torte bakery alongside the individual murder mysteries.
Are Ellie Alexander books cozy mysteries?
Yes. Ellie Alexander is primarily known for cozy mystery fiction, particularly mysteries that incorporate food, baking, local businesses, community relationships, and Pacific Northwest settings.
Is Ellie Alexander the same as Sloan Krause?
Yes. Sloan Krause is a pen name used by Ellie Alexander. Readers may therefore encounter books published under both names when researching her bibliography.
What is Ellie Alexander’s most popular series?
The Bakeshop Mystery series is generally the series most closely associated with Ellie Alexander. It follows Jules Capshaw and combines baking, family, community, and murder investigations in Ashland, Oregon.
Can you read Ellie Alexander books out of order?
You can generally understand the individual murder plots without reading every previous book, but publication order is recommended within each series because recurring characters and relationships develop over time.
What should I read after the Bakeshop Mystery series?
If you enjoy Ellie Alexander’s food-focused cozy mysteries, explore her other series, particularly the Pacific Northwest mysteries and Sloan Krause books. They offer similar community-driven mystery elements while introducing different characters and settings.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for Ellie Alexander books in order, the Bakeshop Mystery series is the natural place to begin. Start with Meet Your Baker and follow Jules Capshaw through the Torte bakery mysteries in publication order.
What makes Alexander particularly enjoyable for cozy mystery readers is the combination of murder, food, family, community, and Pacific Northwest atmosphere. And with multiple series to explore, finishing one set of mysteries doesn’t mean you’re finished with her world.
My recommendation: begin with Meet Your Baker, especially if you love baking-themed cozy mysteries, then branch into her other series once you’ve become familiar with her storytelling style.
Leave a Reply