1616 ratings | 42 reviews | avg rating:3.69

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.

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Denise Swanson’s Followers (1,130)

Denise’s Bookshelves

to-read (324)
currently-reading (28)
read (1708)
apocolyptic (17)
books-i-ve-written (27)
contemporary-romance (97)
cozy-mystery (6)
erotic-romance (22)
light-paranormal (19)
romantic-suspense (10)
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Denise’s Friends (71)

Ruth Ann Maynard

1,683 books | 223 friends

Vicky Beltz

6,907 books | 64 friends

Bam cooks the books

5,322 books | 1,035 friends

Readaholic Jenn

19,400 books | 1,734 friends

Rebecca

1,546 books | 246 friends

Dawn

8,549 books | 278 friends

Sue Mitchell

31,753 books | 785 friends

Jenny Allan

1,377 books | 148 friends

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Denise Swanson

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.deniseswanson.com/

Twitter

DeniseSwansonAu

Genre

Mystery, Romance

Member Since

December 2013

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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

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Combine Editions
Denise Swanson’s books

Average rating: 3.9 · 44,606 ratings · 4,277 reviews · 73 distinct works • Similar authors

	Murder of a Small-Town Honey (A Scumble River Mystery, #1) 3.78 avg rating — 3,479 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 — 2,994 ratings — published 2018 — 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
	Dead in the Water (Welcome Back to Scumble River, #1) 3.82 avg rating — 1,965 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 — 1,849 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 — 1,839 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 — 1,801 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 — 1,600 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 — 1,507 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) 3.90 avg rating — 1,439 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 — 1,413 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 — 27,399 ratings

Chef-to-Go Mystery (4 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.79 avg rating — 5,985 ratings

Devereaux's Dime Store (7 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.91 avg rating — 5,446 ratings

Welcome Back to Scumble River (4 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.96 avg rating — 4,725 ratings

Forever Charmed Mysteries (2 books)
by

Denise Swanson (Goodreads Author)

3.92 avg rating — 561 ratings

More series by Denise Swanson…

Denise is Currently Reading

Denise Swanson is currently reading

The Road Trip At The End: The Trilogy

by J.N. Wood (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 07, 2026 06:38PM

Denise Swanson is currently reading

American Quarantine- Super Boxset

by James Hunt

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jan 26, 2026 01:47PM

Denise Swanson is currently reading

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

by Lily Freeman

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Dec 05, 2025 08:09PM

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Denise’s Recent Updates

Denise Swanson is currently reading The Road Trip At The End: The Trilogy by J.N. Wood (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
Mar 07, 2026 06:38PM · like
Denise Swanson rated a book liked it The Grid is Gone: An EMP Post Apocalypse Prepper Survival Thriller by Joey Wells	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
Mar 07, 2026 06:37PM · 2 likes · like
Denise Swanson rated a book it was amazing Pawsitively Love (Fur-Footed Friends, #3) by Christie Logan (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
Mar 06, 2026 04:59PM · 2 likes · like
Denise Swanson finished reading Cadaver 1 by Nick Clausen (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
Mar 06, 2026 08:49AM · like
Denise Swanson has read This Rotten World by Jacy Morris (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
Mar 05, 2026 01:08PM · 1 like · like
Denise Swanson and 2 other people liked Rita Pierrottie's review of Wedding Jitters and Stormy Rivers: A Scumble River Mystery (Welcome Back to Scumble River Book 5): "Good Read I love this series. The characters along with the author's writing style keeps me reading straight through to the end. "
Mar 05, 2026 05:49AM · see review
Denise Swanson is currently reading This Rotten World by Jacy Morris (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
Feb 28, 2026 07:16PM · like
Denise Swanson rated a book liked it Standing at the Gate (Seasons of Man #3) by S.M. Anderson (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
Feb 28, 2026 07:15PM · 2 likes · like
Denise Swanson rated a book liked it Reap What You Sow (Seasons of Man #2) by S.M. Anderson (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
Feb 27, 2026 05:08PM · 2 likes · like
Denise Swanson rated a book liked it End of Summer (Seasons of Man #1) by S.M. Anderson (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
Feb 25, 2026 07:04PM · 2 likes · like

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

What is your favorite cozy mystery series?

Donna Andrews, Murder With Peacocks (Meg Langslow)

16 votes, 17.4%

Krista Davis, The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (Domestic Diva)

11 votes, 12.0%

Rhys Bowen, Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness)

11 votes, 12.0%

Jenn McKinlay, Sprinkle with Murder (Cupcake Bakery)

10 votes, 10.9%

Miranda James, Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks)

7 votes, 7.6%

Elizabeth Peters, Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody)

6 votes, 6.5%

Laura Bradford. Hearse and Buggy (Amish Mystery)

5 votes, 5.4%

Denise Swanson, Murder of a Small-Town Honey (Scrumble River)

5 votes, 5.4%

Dorothy L. Sayers, Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey)

5 votes, 5.4%

Ngaio Marsh, A Man Lay Dead (Roderick Alleyn)

4 votes, 4.3%

Carolyn Hart, Death On Demand (Death on Demand)

4 votes, 4.3%

Earlene Fowler, Fool's Puzzle (Bennie Harper)

2 votes, 2.2%

Lea Wait, Twisted Threads (Mainely Needlepoint)

2 votes, 2.2%

Spencer Quinn, Dog on It (Chet and Bernie)

2 votes, 2.2%

Kathi Daley, Romeow and Juliet (Whales and Tails)

1 vote, 1.1%

Nancy Atherton, Aunt Dimity's Death (Aunt Dimity)

1 vote, 1.1%

Barbara Ross, Clammed Up (Maine Clambake)

0 votes, 0.0%

92 total votes

6 comments

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : Theme Read - July 2010	109	210	Jul 28, 2010 10:11AM
Cover to Cover Ch...: CindyAnn's 2010 List	12	40	Dec 05, 2010 04:44PM

Denise’s Friend Comments

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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

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Denise Swanson’s Followers (1,130)

Denise Swanson

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