Order of Arly Hanks Books

The cozy mystery series featuring Arly Hanks springs from the imagination of American author Joan Hess, with the books commonly known as The Maggody Mysteries. At the heart of these stories is Arly Hanks, a young woman serving as sheriff in the tiny fictional community of Maggody, Arkansas—a town home to exactly 755 residents.

Joan Hess introduced readers to Arly Hanks in 1987 with Malice in Maggody, marking the beginning of what would become an ongoing series. This debut novel caught enough attention to be transformed into a CBS television pilot called "Arly Hanks." The series continues to this day, with the books published in chronological sequence.

The opening installment, Malice in Maggody, establishes Sheriff Arly Hanks and her deputy Paulie as they track down a killer in rural Arkansas. This inaugural mystery, which became the basis for the television adaptation, sets the stage for the small-town intrigue that defines the series.