If you like cozy mysteries and suspenseful plots, look no further. Miss Julia books are witty and mysterious, perfect to read whether you’re looking for a full series to dive into or just a book or two to enjoy.
It was 1978 when Ross published her first-ever novel, The Murder Cure. Soon after, she published The Murder Stroke in 1981. When the novels didn’t do as well as she expected, Ross decided that writing might not be for her.
Still, Ross forged on, writing a couple of other books as a graduate student. While she was an instructor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, the idea of Miss Julia came to her and Ross knew she had to write another novel.
When Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind was first published, it wasn’t expected to sell many copies. But it defied the odds in many ways. The book was ranked number 9 on The Independent Booksellers Association’s list of recommended books for the year, put on Barnes and Noble’s Discover New Writers list, and printed in 12 different languages.
The other books followed suit, and over the course of 31 years, Ross wrote many more popular hits.
Ann B. Ross is married to Dr. Marion Ross, and together they’ve had two daughters and one son. She lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and recently ended the Miss Julia series in 2021 after 22 books and much success.
All Miss Julia Books In Order
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind (1990)
Miss Julia is an elderly woman who has recently become a widow, and in turn, has a lot of money. When a woman named Hazel Marie shows up at Miss Julia’s door saying her child is the offspring of Miss Julia’s late husband, a scandal blossoms.
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mindis a fast-paced story about Miss Julia and her life after her husband’s death. She is the center of the town gossip as a 9-year-old is brought into her life, but nothing will stop Miss Julia from speaking her mind about everything that is going on.
Miss Julia Takes Over (2001)
Miss Julia Takes Overfollows Miss Julia through another adventure. When Hazel Marie goes on a date and doesn’t come back, Miss Julia panics and believes that Hazel Marie is in danger. And when the local police won’t do anything about it, Miss Julia takes matters into her own hands.
She hires J.D. Pickens, an investigator who she doesn’t exactly like, but he’ll have to do on short notice. Then Miss Julia and her newly acquired 9-year-old son, Little Lloyd, go on an extreme adventure to help find Hazel Marie.
Miss Julia Throws a Wedding (2002)
When Miss Julia’s best friend Hazel Marie decides to move out, Miss Julia finds herself sad. It doesn’t help that Hazel Marie is moving in with Mr. Pickens, despite not even being married! But another wedding is brewing, and when Miss Julia finds out, she is delighted.
Miss Julia Throws a Weddingfollows the beloved character as she helps to keep the wedding of Deputy Coleman Bates and Attorney Binkie Enloe on track, even when things keep trying to go wrong.
Miss Julia Hits The Road (2003)
Miss Julia Hits The Roadbrings more antics from Miss Julia. This time, she is worried about her friend Sam, who has started sending her flowers and wearing cowboy boots. When Sam shows up on a motorcycle asking her to get on with him, Miss Julia knows he must be crazy.
But when her housekeeper, Lillian, gets evicted, Miss Julia knows she has to help. So she puts her fears aside and goes on a motorcycle poker run with Sam, intent on getting some cash to help Lillian. But will it really be that easy?
Miss Julia Meets Her Match (2004)
Sam Murdoch wants to marry Miss Julia, and she’s finding it hard to resist his charms. Still, she isn’t ready to give up her independence and she has a lot of other things on her plate. There is a theme park ready to be built on her property, a possible affair going on, and her housekeeper’s 5-year-old great-granddaughter has just shown up.
Miss Julia Meets Her Matchfollows Miss Julia through all of the chaos as she tries to figure out her answer to the decision that will affect her entire life.
Miss Julia’s School of Beauty (2005)
In Miss Julia’s School of Beauty, Miss Julia has just returned from an elopement. Now Hazel Marie is throwing a beauty pageant to raise money, and despite Miss Julia’s reservations, she agrees to help.
Then, Miss Julia finds out that the place she and Sam were married might not be legitimate. Worried that they are living in sin, she wonders how long it will be before people find out what has happened.
Miss Julia Stands Her Ground (2006)
When Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd first showed up in Miss Julia’s life, she could’ve made a big fuss. Instead she kept calm, taking them into her family and accepting them. But now rumors are floating around that bring into question who Little Lloyd’s real father is.
In Miss Julia Stands Her Ground, Miss Julia must find out if she’s been tricked, and there’s only one way: A DNA test.
Miss Julia Strikes Back (2007)
In Miss Julia Strikes Back, thieves are going around town, and it’s not their first time doing so. But when they target Miss Julia and take her jewelry, she vows that this will be the last thing they do in her town.
Miss Julia and the gang go to Palm Beach for a half-vacation, half-stakeout, ready to catch these criminals for good.
Miss Julia Paints The Town (2008)
Miss Julia’s life is getting even more chaotic in Miss Julia Paints The Town, and we are along for the ride.
When 3 of her friends’ husbands go missing, Miss Julia is on it, ready to solve the mysteries. At the same time, she’s trying to figure out a way to get a new developer away from Abbotsville. Despite always keeping her cool, Miss Julia wonders if she may have taken on too many projects at once.
Miss Julia Delivers The Goods (2009)
Miss Julia Delivers The Goodsfollows our favorite feisty heroine as she goes on a quest to reunite two people who have gone their separate ways.
Mr. Pickens has always helped Hazel Marie with any problems she’s had. But when he leaves, Miss Julia must find a way to bring him back to her friend again.
Miss Julia Renews Her Vows (2010)
Miss Julia’s husband, Sam, wants them to go to marriage enrichment classes, and Miss Julia won’t have it. To make matters worse, the leader of the classes is Dr. Fred Fowler, and this mortifies Miss Julia even more.
But Miss Julia knows she can’t run away from her problems, and in Miss Julia Renews Her Vows, she decides that it’s finally time to do what needs to be done.
Miss Julia Rocks The Cradle (2011)
Miss Julia has made a promise to her husband, Sam, that she will stay out of other people’s trouble. Lucky for her, she has plenty of other things to keep her busy. Someone has been forging bad checks in her name, and she is figuring out why while also helping a pregnant Hazel Marie as she waits for her due date.
But promises don’t always last, and when someone Miss Julia believes is innocent is suspected of murder, she just has to get involved. Miss Julia Rocks The Cradlefollows the amateur investigator as she tries to uncover the truth—while keeping it hidden from her husband.
When Hazel Marie’s husband gets himself into trouble in West Virginia, Miss Julia needs to help before he ends up in jail. And when a strange religious cult seems to start forming in the town of Abbottsville, Miss Julia knows it’s time for some snooping around.
Miss Julia Stirs Up Trouble (2013)
When Miss Julia’s housekeeper, James, falls down some stairs, suddenly she is scrambling to take care of him. But that’s hard when Miss Julia barely knows anything about cooking. Luckily, she is able to convince some ladies in the town to give her cooking lessons.
Miss Julia Stirs Up Troublefollows Miss Julia as she learns new things and takes care of many people. And when Hazel Marie’s uncle shows up, Miss Julia knows she is in for a treat.
Miss Julia’s Gift (2013)
In Miss Julia’s Gift, Miss Julia finds herself thinking back to that first year when she was married to Sam. Everything was so perfect, and Sam was extremely loveable. Miss Julia found herself worrying about when it would change as it did with her last husband.
But after some time and advice from her friends, Miss Julia is realizing that Sam isn’t like her last husband at all. Then she comes up with the perfect gift for Sam just in time for Valentine’s Day, wanting to show how special he is to her.
Miss Julia’s Marvelous Makeover (2014)
In Miss Julia’s Marvelous Makeover, summer is just beginning when Miss Julia receives a letter from her cousin Elsie. The letter states that Elsie’s granddaughter, Trixie, is on a bus to Abbotsville and arrives that very day. Elsie wants Miss Julia to teach troublemaking Trixie how to be a lady.
Miss Julia is baffled at the nerve of Elsie, and when Trixie arrives, she knows she has a real challenge on her hands. Then, while Sam is running for state senate, a fainting spell lands him in the hospital. It seems that things will never stop landing on Miss Julia’s plate, not even during what was supposed to be a relaxing summer.
Etta Mae Wiggins lives in a trailer park and is bothered by her life and her family, wanting something more. While working for Howard Connard Sr., Etta Mae sees her chance to marry the elderly and wealthy man. But Connard’s son and daughter-in-law are determined to keep Etta Mae at a distance.
To make matters more complicated, Etta Mae’s ex-husband has shown up in some trouble, and her ex-boyfriend that she’s still not over keeps popping up in random places. It’s safe to say that Etta Mae’s life is just as hectic as Miss Julia’s herself.
Miss Julia Lays Down The Law (2015)
Miss Julia is preparing for the holidays when Connie Clayborn and her wealthy husband arrive in Abbottsville. When Miss Julia and some other women are invited to Connie’s for coffee, they are happy to go. But that happiness quickly turns into dismay when Connie starts badmouthing their town.
In Miss Julia Lays Down The Law, Miss Julia is ready to confront Connie. But when she shows up to do so, she finds that someone else has beaten her to it…and Connie is dead. Suddenly, a mystery needs solving, and Miss Julia is the woman for the job.
No. Ann B. Ross has stated that Miss Julia Happily Ever After is the last book in the Miss Julia series, feeling that there were no questions that needed to be answered and that the characters’ lives were in a good place for a stopping point.
Should Miss Julia’s books be read in order?
Each Miss Julia novel is concluded nicely, so it’s not necessary for you to read them in order. Still, there is some character development throughout the series that will make it more enjoyable if you do choose to read them in order.
What genre are the Miss Julia books?
The Miss Julia books fall into the cozy mystery and fiction category, including some humor and romance along the way.
Freya grew up in Portland Oregon and still resides there now. She has been reading for as long as she can remember, and loves that books allow you to escape into someone else’s reality for a little while. When she is not writing or reading she enjoys playing piano, baking, and going outside.
