1596 ratings | 42 reviews | avg rating:3.70

Denise’s Year In Books

Denise’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Denise’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Denise’s 2025 Year in Books

Denise Swanson’s Followers (1,128)

Denise’s Bookshelves

to-read (324)
currently-reading (26)
read (1684)
apocolyptic (17)
books-i-ve-written (27)
contemporary-romance (97)
cozy-mystery (6)
erotic-romance (22)
light-paranormal (19)
romantic-suspense (10)
See all bookshelves »

Denise’s Friends (71)

Rebecca

1,483 books | 247 friends

Emme

2,425 books | 31 friends

Readaholic Jenn

19,359 books | 1,736 friends

Sue Mitchell

31,583 books | 785 friends

Tina

9,018 books | 877 friends

Vicky Beltz

7,028 books | 64 friends

Jennifer

782 books | 66 friends

Lois Rotella

826 books | 36 friends

More friends…

Denise Swanson

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.deniseswanson.com/

Twitter

DeniseSwansonAu

Genre

Mystery, Romance

Member Since

December 2013

edit data

Denise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.

After 22 years as a practicing school psychologist, she's happiest sitting in her scree porch reading. However, when the weather turns too cold, she's willing to leave the Midwest to cruise the sunny Caribbean.

Denise is an animal lover, but her home is currently furless, since her kitty of 20 years passed away in August of 2016. Instead, she enjoys watching the wildlife out her office window. ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Denise Swanson questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Denise Swanson’s books

Average rating: 3.9 · 44,365 ratings · 4,255 reviews · 69 distinct works • Similar authors

	Murder of a Small-Town Honey (A Scumble River Mystery, #1) 3.78 avg rating — 3,474 ratings — published 2000 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tart of Darkness (Chef-to-Go Mystery, #1) 3.63 avg rating — 2,960 ratings — published 2018	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dead in the Water (Welcome Back to Scumble River, #1) 3.82 avg rating — 1,939 ratings — published 2017 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder of a Sweet Old Lady (A Scumble River Mystery, #2) 3.94 avg rating — 1,843 ratings — published 2001 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder of a Sleeping Beauty (A Scumble River Mystery, #3) 3.96 avg rating — 1,830 ratings — published 2002 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Leave No Scone Unturned (Chef-to-Go Mystery, #2) 3.90 avg rating — 1,790 ratings — published 2019 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Little Shop of Homicide (Devereaux Dime Store, #1) 3.76 avg rating — 1,597 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder of a Barbie and Ken (A Scumble River Mystery, #5) 3.90 avg rating — 1,504 ratings — published 2003 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder of a Bookstore Babe (Scumble River Mystery, #13) 3.89 avg rating — 1,434 ratings — published 2011 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Murder of a Snake in the Grass (A Scumble River Mystery, #4) 3.92 avg rating — 1,406 ratings — published 2003 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Denise Swanson…

3 posts
Denise Swanson's Blog: Denise's Details

Fear

I'm afraid of a lot of things. Big cities, doctors, and the DMV all make me nervous. But I don't like feeling weak so I make myself do things that I fear. Goodreads is one of those things.

The talk among authors is that Goodreads can be a mean place for writers to hang out and I don't do mean very well. But as I said, I dislike feeling weak so here I am.

I've been sticking to my own page, but yeste Read more of this blog post »

8 likes · Like • 3 comments • flag

Published on April 28, 2015 05:59 • Tags: fear, goodreads, listopia

View all 3 posts »

Series by Denise Swanson

A Scumble River Mystery (19 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.91 avg rating — 27,310 ratings

Chef-to-Go Mystery (4 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.79 avg rating — 5,930 ratings

Devereaux's Dime Store (7 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.91 avg rating — 5,439 ratings

Welcome Back to Scumble River (4 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.97 avg rating — 4,676 ratings

Forever Charmed Mysteries (2 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.92 avg rating — 560 ratings

More series by Denise Swanson…

Denise is Currently Reading

Denise Swanson is currently reading

A Little Band of Red (The Red Series, #1)

by Lily Freeman

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 05, 2025 08:09PM

Denise Swanson is currently reading

Call Me Daddy

by Jade West (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 05, 2025 07:55PM

Denise Swanson is currently reading

Secrets of Submission

by L.K. Shaw (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Dec 05, 2025 07:54PM

rss
Denise’s Recent Updates

Denise Swanson rated a book liked it Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2026 07:06PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson rated a book it was amazing Wicked Healing (Helping Hands, Healing Hearts #2) by J.M. Madden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 18, 2026 12:41PM · 3 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wicked Healing by J.M. Madden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wicked Healing by J.M. Madden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson rated a book it was amazing Healing Home (Helping Hands, Healing Hearts, #1) by J.M. Madden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 16, 2026 08:20PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Healing Home by J.M. Madden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Healing Home by J.M. Madden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson is currently reading Wicked Healing (Helping Hands, Healing Hearts #2) by J.M. Madden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 16, 2026 08:17PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wicked Healing by J.M. Madden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wicked Healing by J.M. Madden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson is currently reading Healing Home (Helping Hands, Healing Hearts, #1) by J.M. Madden (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 16, 2026 03:08PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Healing Home by J.M. Madden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Healing Home by J.M. Madden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson rated a book it was amazing Against Living and Dead: Torn Apart Series Book VI by C. A. Hoaks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 16, 2026 02:59PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Against Living and Dead by C. A. Hoaks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Against Living and Dead by C. A. Hoaks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson rated a book really liked it Texas Dead Storm (Torn Apart #5) by C.A. Hoaks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 13, 2026 08:38PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Texas Dead Storm by C.A. Hoaks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Texas Dead Storm by C.A. Hoaks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson rated a book really liked it Escape Texas Dead (Torn Apart #4) by C.A. Hoaks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 10, 2026 12:02PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Escape Texas Dead by C.A. Hoaks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Escape Texas Dead by C.A. Hoaks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson rated a book it was amazing Survive Texas Dead: Torn Apart Series Book 3 by C.A. Hoaks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 07, 2026 01:11PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Survive Texas Dead by C.A. Hoaks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Survive Texas Dead by C.A. Hoaks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Denise Swanson rated a book it was amazing Dead Texas Roads: Torn Apart Series Book 2 by C.A. Hoaks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm really enjoying this series. Yes, the editing could be better, but I don't usually notice things like that too much unless it causes confusion. The one thing, I did notice between the two books is that the author's prejudice against fat/large peop ...more
Jan 05, 2026 06:26AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dead Texas Roads by C.A. Hoaks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dead Texas Roads by C.A. Hoaks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Denise's books…

Quotes by Denise Swanson (?)

“If you don't see it with your own eyes or hear it with your own ears, don't invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth.”
― Denise Swanson

9 likes

“Men are like horoscopes,” Trixie cut Skye off. “They always tell you what to do and are usually wrong.”
― Denise Swanson, Murder of a Royal Pain

tags: relationships

4 likes

“Try not to let your mind wander ... it's too small and fragile to be out by itself.”
― Denise Swanson, Murder of a Pink Elephant

3 likes

See all Denise Swanson's quotes »

Polls

2020 Series Read-Along

I placed all of the suggestions into a randomizer and have listed the top five series. Please vote on a series you would like for the group to read this year.

Denise Swanson Scumble River series

10 votes, 35.7%

Laura Childs Tea Shop series

7 votes, 25.0%

Victoria Laurie Abby Cooper series

5 votes, 17.9%

Joanne Fluke Hannah Swensen series

3 votes, 10.7%

Susan Wittig Albert China Bayles series

3 votes, 10.7%

28 total votes

11 comments

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : Theme Read - July 2010	109	209	Jul 28, 2010 10:11AM
Cover to Cover Ch...: CindyAnn's 2010 List	12	40	Dec 05, 2010 04:44PM

Denise’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-1) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 1: by Donna

Sep 02, 2017 07:31PM

Denise, I am happy to be your friend of Good Reads. I have entered the giveaway for your new book.
I love cozy books.
Donna

reply | flag

Denise Swanson’s Followers (1,128)

Denise Swanson

Goodreads Author

Popular Answered Questions

rssDenise’s Recent Updates

See a Problem?

Preview — Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose

See a Problem?

Preview — Wicked Healing by J.M. Madden

See a Problem?

Preview — Healing Home by J.M. Madden

See a Problem?

Preview — Wicked Healing by J.M. Madden

See a Problem?

Preview — Healing Home by J.M. Madden

See a Problem?

Preview — Against Living and Dead by C. A. Hoaks

See a Problem?

Preview — Texas Dead Storm by C.A. Hoaks

See a Problem?

Preview — Escape Texas Dead by C.A. Hoaks

See a Problem?

Preview — Survive Texas Dead by C.A. Hoaks

See a Problem?

Preview — Dead Texas Roads by C.A. Hoaks

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

rss
Denise’s Recent Updates