Books in Herculeah Jones Mystery series

Mystery is in Herculeah Jones’s blood. How could it not be, with a father on the police force and a mother who’s a private eye? So when Herculeah notices a man hanging around the "Dead Oaks" mansion, she can’t resist doing some investigating of her own. Legend has it the old estate was the site of a murder, and now it looks like there’s something even more nefarious going on. Can Herculeah crack the case before the mystery man closes in on her?

When Herculeah Jones's best friend, Meat, decides to take a comedy class, he just expects to get a few laughs. But then he discovers a dead body in the bathroom, and realizes that there's nothing funny about murder. Things can't get any worse—until the body disappears! Meat needs Herculeah's help to uncover the clues, but she's busy investigating a case of her own . . . one that might just change Meat's life forever!

Together with her best friend and reluctant sidekick, Meat, Herculeah Jones meets a famous mystery author, Mathias King, aka the Murder King. King's novels mirror gruesome, real-life murders, particularly A Slash of Life, which is about an unsolved local stabbing. Some people believe Mathias King isn't making up the details, could he actually be responsible for the crime? Herculeah's sure she can find out. But Meat seems too busy with his new girlfriend to give Herculeah much of a hand. Can Herculeah solve this mystery on her own, or will Meat's dating be this sleuth's downfall?

Together with her best friend and reluctant sidekick Meat, Herculeah Jones meets a famous mystery author, Mathias King, aka The Murder King. King’s novels mirror gruesome, real-life murders—particularly A Slash of Life, which is about an unsolved local stabbing. Many people believe Mathias King knows too much. Could he be responsible for the crime? With a little help from Meat, Herculeah’s sure she can find out. But Meat seems too busy with his new girlfriend to give Herculeah a hand. Can she solve the mystery on her own, or will Meat find a way to juggle dating and sleuthing?

hen Herculeah discovers a mysterious letter inside the lining of a secondhand coat, she suspects it's a desperate cry for help. If so, what happened to the person who wrote it? Herculeah thinks she knows the answer. What she doesn't know is that someone is watching her--someone who will do anything to keep her quiet. Byars is in top form, providing cliffhanger after cliffhangerin this well-crafted thriller fraught with danger and true villains. --School Library Journal