by Denise Swanson

Denise Swanson writes the Scumble River Mystery series featuring school psychologist Skye Denison. Her series is set in a fictional small town in the Midwest, and contains elements of humor and romance. She is currently under contract by Penguin / Obsidian through her lucky thirteenth book in this series. Her first book, Murder of a Small-Town Honey, was nominated for the Agatha Best First Mystery. It won the Reviewers Choice Awards for Best First Novel and Best Amateur Sleuth, and is currently in its twelfth printing! Her second book, Murder of a Sweet Old Lady, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award and is in its ninth printing.
	Her third book, Murder of a Sleeping Beauty, is in its sixth printing. Her fourth book, Murder of a Snake in the Grass, débuted in the top 100 of the Barnes & Noble online best-sellers and is in its fifth printing. Her fifth book, Murder of a Barbie and Ken, (eighth printing) was an RT Magazine Top Pick, spent four weeks on the Barnes & Noble Mass Market Mystery Best-Seller list, was #1 on the IMBA Best-Seller list, a BookSense 76 Pick, and nominated for an RT Reviewers Choice Best Amateur Sleuth Award and the Daphne du Maurier award. Her sixth book, Murder of a Pink Elephant (fifth printing), was also a Daphne du Maurier finalist — coming in second, spent three weeks on the Barnes & Noble Mass Market Mystery Best-Seller list, and was #1 on the IMBA Best-Seller list. Her seventh book, Murder of a Smart Cookie, (fourth printing) débuted at #11 on the Barnes & Noble Best-Seller list and remained on the list for four weeks. Her eighth book, Murder of a Real Bad Boy, was featured on the paperback best-seller list in Entertainment Weekly magazine and is in its second printing. Her ninth book, Murder of a Botoxed Blonde (third printing), became a Barnes & Noble Mass Market Best-Seller and an IMBA Best-Seller. Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry, her tenth book, made the Barnes & Noble, the Borders, and the BookScan best-seller lists for over two months and is in its second printing.
		Denise was nominated for RT Magazine's Career Achievement Award. Her fellow nominees included Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. She has spoken at hundreds of library events and other civic organizations, and has received excellent ratings when surveys have been taken. She has also been interviewed on radio and TV. Murder of a Royal Pain is the eleventh and latest book in her Scumble River Mystery series. It was on the Barnes & Noble Best-Seller list for two months. Home * Next Scumble River Mysteries: 11: Murder of a Royal Pain 10: Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry 9: Murder of a Botoxed Blonde 8: Murder of a Real Bad Boy 7: Murder of a Smart Cookie 6: Murder of a Pink Elephant 5: Murder of a Barbie and Ken 4: Murder of a Snake in the Grass 3: Murder of a Sleeping Beauty 2: Murder of a Sweet Old Lady 1: Murder of a Small-Town Honey Skye Writing * Home Cookin' Biography * Interview Awards * Bibliography Schedule an Engagement Personal Appearances Links and Press Kit Denise Swanson on the Lam E-mail to Denise Swanson

Reading Group Guides

"I enjoy every minute of every book of this series." — New York Times Best-Selling Author Charlaine Harris "Quite simply the best traditional mystery series being written today." — CrimeSpree Magazine "Hi, I'm Denise's cool black cat Boomerang, and I just know you'll love her Scumble River Mystery series. It's the cat's meow!" — >^..^<

Skye Denison 13 River Drive Scumble River, IL 60400 Would you like to join our mailing list? Click here to send your U. S. Postal Service mail address and personal comments to Denise Swanson and receive announcements about future books and other information.

Music: Scumble River Legend,
a Ballad for Small Orchestra by David Stybr (1 minute, © 2001)

How many book series have their own signature music? It's quirky, but so is Scumble River, Illinois.