FAQs
Cousins of the Dove
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Does this series need to be read in order? Yes and no. Each book stands on its own and can be fully understood and enjoyed without having read the previous books. On the other hand, reading the books in order should make the whole experience more fun, for several reasons.
First, if you read them out of order, you risk learning spoilers about the previous books. Second, some parts of the storyline do carry through the entire series, so reading the books in order will give you a deeper understanding of those parts. Finally, although the characters in the historical portions are different with each book, the primary characters in the modern-day portions remain consistent. Thus, reading the books in order will give you more insight into those characters as you progress.
Bottom line, the books can be read in order or out of order, it's up to you and your reading preferences.
Who was the dead man in the woods and who killed him? Sorry, you'll need to read all three books in the series to find that out!
Men of Lancaster County
Prequel
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Does this series need to be read in order? Yes and no. Each book stands on its own and can be fully understood and enjoyed without having read the previous books. On the other hand, reading the books in order should make the whole experience more fun, because that way you avoid learning spoilers about the earlier books. (For example, if you start at Book #2, you'll find out which woman Tyler ended up with in Book #1.)
Bottom line, the books can be read in order or out of order, it's up to you and your reading preferences.
Will there be any more books in this series? Maybe, sort of. :-) There won't be any more full-length books in this series. However, so many readers have written to ask for more of Clayton Raber (from The Amish Clockmaker) that Mindy and Susan have discussed creating a follow-up e-book that would pick up where that book left off. Given other commitments, they're not sure if this e-book will ever happen or not, but if it does and if you'd like to be notified, sign up for Mindy's newsletter here and you'll be sure to find out.
Women of Lancaster County
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Does this series need to be read in order? Yes and no. Each book stands on its own and can be fully understood and enjoyed without having read the previous books. On the other hand, reading the books in order should make the whole experience more fun, because that way you avoid learning spoilers about the earlier books. (For example, if you start at Book #2, you'll find out the answers to the mystery pursued by Lexie in Book #1.)
Bottom line, the books can be read in order or out of order, it's up to you and your reading preferences.
Smart Chick Mysteries
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Does this series need to be read in order? Ideally, yes. The stories are chronological, so you'll enjoy the entire series a lot more if you read them in order.
Million Dollar Mysteries
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Do I have to read this series in order? If you really want to get the most enjoyment out of the gradually-developing (and complicated) love relationship between Callie and Tom, then yes. If you're not interested in the romance and only care about reading a good mystery, then no, they can be read in any order—except for The Buck Stops Here, which would be a lot more enjoyable if you've read the others first!
In The Buck Stops Here, you predicted the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina more than a year before it actually happened. How? Mindy says: Freaky, isn't it? Here's how that fact showed up in my story (page 235 of the current trade paperback version) when a man is explaining to Callie what would happen if a big hurricane slammed into the Louisiana coastline:
"I'm telling you, two million people would be in danger of flooding, including the entire city of New Orleans. The devastation would be biblical in its proportion."I'd like to say that I'm some sort of visionary or the world's best researcher, but the real truth is that this wasn't hard to dig up at all. In fact, most folks down there have known for years what would happen to New Orleans if a Big One came through.
For further reading on the subject, I highly recommend the wonderful book Bayou Farewell by Mike Tidwell.
Will there be any more books in the Million Dollar Mysteries series? That series has five books in all: A Penny for Your Thoughts, Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels, A Dime a Dozen, A Quarter for a Kiss, and The Buck Stops Here.
Mindy has considered revisiting Callie and Tom in the future, though it would be at least a few years down the line. So this may be the end forever, or it may be the end just for now.
"We'll have to wait and see," she says. "Personally, I'd love to pick up about five years after I left off and do three or four more in a row, with the two of them solving mysteries together. (One reader suggested I write one called Million Dollar Baby, which sounds like a great idea to me!) Certainly, their story continues in my imagination, as it may in yours."
If you'd like to see more Million Dollar Mysteries, let Mindy know. And if you'd like to be notified if another Million Dollar Mystery ever does come out, sign up for her newsletter here.
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