A Bought-the-Farm Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Bought-the-Farm Mystery Books

Bought-the-Farm Mystery Series

Bought-the-Farm Mystery is a book series by Ellen Riggs. The Toronto-born writer has two degrees—Journalism and English Literature, from the University of Toronto. Her literary influences are British veterinarian-and-novelist James Herriot and Canadian novelist Lucy Maud Montgometry. The animal lover has also not only co-authored with her former college-mate Yvonne Collins, but also authored books using the pseudonym Sandy Rideout. Ellen’s niche is cozy mystery.
Books in the Bought-the-Farm Mystery Series

Ellen debuted in September 2000, following their—alongside Yvonne—non-fiction book Totally Me!; their earliest series Diva is originally dated May 2005. Ellen’s Bought-the-Farm Mystery is her highest-rated series.

Initially dated February 29, 2020; set in Clover Grove, A Dog with Two Tales is book 0.5 in the Bought-the-Farm Mystery. The protagonist is a prospective farmer Ivy Galloway whose detective teammate is a herding dog called Keats that she—alongside friend named Jilly Blackwood—saved from its irresponsible, uncooperative owner. Ivy is a former human resource manager who—motivated by a reluctance to lay off her subordinates—has since left the corporate world, thus her urban to rural migration.

Initially dated March 22, 2020; Dogcatcher in the Rye is the first book in her Bought-the-Farm Mystery series. Ivy is finalizing her efforts at establishing a recreational farm—it doubles up as an animal rescue center; she also successfully defends her adopted animals whenever falsely incriminated—whose previous owner is Hanna. Unfortunately, her dog Keats sniffs out a corpse that has been disposed on her farm, a few weeks before hosting visitors. Ivy is a murder suspect, according to the local authorities, especially a powerful local police officer whom she has had a grudge with since their high schooling days. Thus, she conducts a homicide investigation to exonerate herself from the murder of Loyd—the victim, who formerly worked for the local animal control agency, had been recently dispatched to mediate between Ivy and another neighbor who had claimed Keates had attacked her hens.

First released on May 11, 2020; the second book in the serialized Bought-the-Farm Mystery is Dark Side of the Moo. Ivy, who previously managed the Flordale Corporation, has since established her so-called Runaway Farm that her one-time workmates have now identified as a venue for their out-of-office business meeting; Jilly hates her hosting them and their retreat coincides with Ivy’s visiting mother Dahlia. One of those retreating dies in a cowshed in Ivy’s farm-and-inn, prompting her involvement—alongside the hinting dog Keates—in the ensuing homicide investigation to exonerate her relative who is a murder suspect.
Originally released on June 18, 2020; A Streak of Bad Cluck is the third book in Ellen’s Bought-the-Farm Mystery series. Conflict: there is a seemingly egg diet-related death of another guest—alongside other high-rolling elderly gamblers collectively nicknamed Bridge Buddies—in Ivy’s farm. The local police officer, called Kellan, has started reconciling with Ivy who—alongside dog Keats—conducts the homicide investigation.

Originally released on August 9, 2020; Till the Cat Lady Sings is book four in the Bought-the-Farm Mystery series. The external conflict is the death of a cat-loving woman—a Cat Lady—called Portia, where the scene of crime is a family-owned salon and the motive maybe her tendency to steal cats. A cat called Percy teams up with the amateur detectives who are investigating the person who—Ivy’s mother is the murder suspect—really stabbed Portia with golden scissors, at least to exonerate her mother.

Initially released on October 9, 2020; Alpaca Lies is the fifth book in the Bought-the-Farm Mystery. One of Ivy’s animals, an alpaca named Alvina—it often showcases its dance moves—is implicated in the murder of a visiting dance educator named Jose with whom the animal recently featured in a dance video. The farmland dwellers launch a homicide investigation, wherein the motive may have been a love triangle because many women were competing for Jose’s affections, including Dahlia.

Bought-the-Farm Mystery’s sixth book, titled Twas the Bite Before Christmas, was first released on November 16, 2020. The farm has a newly-added noisy donkey called Bocelli—alongside Ivy, it shines in a festivity choir—whose owner has since been murdered. Ivy also teams up with the begrudging policeman-turned-boyfriend Kellan to find the motive of the Christmastime death that is associated with a malicious Father Christmas. It turns out that the traumatized donkey’s constant braying was its way of notifying Ivy about a yet-to-be-rescued animal in its former home.

Originally dated December 18, 2020; Swine and Punishment is seventh in the Bought-the-Farm Mystery. One of Ivy’s animals, an intelligent and freedom-seeking sow called Wilma, is implicated in the murder of a visiting woman—a bossy elderly reality TV personality on a filming location, and whose crew include TV producer Rebecca—named Vivian who had been helping Ivy to trace—and exonerate the seemingly kidnapped—the fleeing Wilma.

First dated March 20, 2021; Don’t Rock the Goat is eighth in the Bought-the-Farm Mystery series. Three expectant goats are yet another recent additions in Ivy’s farm. Furthermore, Ivy’s estranged father named Calvin has traced her to the farm. Conflict: the murder of a genealogist in her home shortly after visiting her farm. Murder suspect: a moody expectant goat that the farmland detectives successfully exonerate and apprehend the real culprit.

Originally dated July 31, 2021; Swan with the Wind is the ninth book in the Bought-the-Farm Mystery series. The experienced animal-and-human detectives are helping an adopted swan, called Jilly Blackwood, which wants to exonerate its estranged biological grandmother from a murder allegation involving the strange death of a renowned resident.

Other Books You May Like

Jamie M. Blair’s November 2016 book Deadly Dog Days—first in A Dog Days Mystery series—has an Indiana setting; its falsely accused protagonist Cameron Cripps-Hayman conducts—alongside local amateur homicide detectives—a homicide investigation to exonerate both herself and sheriff ex-husband Ben, wherein she ultimately rescues her dead neighbor’s five sickly dogs.

In Jamie’s November 2019 book Trash Day Tragedy—fourth in A Dog Days Mystery—Cameron spearheads a homicide investigation following the discovery of an art gallery-related century-old remains.

In CeeCee James’s June 2020 Kicked the Bucket—third in the Chelsea Lawson series—protagonist Chelsea Lawson’s flower-laden homicide investigation concerns a dead mystery man named Corey Brickstone who was seemingly associated with her estranged and unreachable family members.