


Books in series

#1
Deadly Summer
2018
Ten years ago, Summer Butler was television’s most popular teenage sleuth. Since then, she’s hit—what gossip sites just love to call—the gutter. Nearly bankrupt, betrayed, estranged from her greedy mother, and just about unemployable, she’s coaxed into that desperate haven for has-beens: reality TV. Winging it as a faux PI, she’ll solve off-the-cuff mysteries in her hometown of Sweet Briar, Alabama. For added drama, there’s police chief Luke Montgomery, inconveniently Summer’s first and only love. It’s when Summer stumbles upon a very real corpse that Darling Investigations takes an unexpected twist. The growing list of suspects is a big draw to viewers, but the reality is that Summer doesn’t know whom she can trust. Someone has written this killer new scene especially for her, and unless Summer gives the role everything she’s got, it could be her last…

#2
Blazing Summer
2018
Summer Butler is killing it in the ratings—and all of America is tuning in as New York Times bestselling author Denise Grover Swank greenlights a new season of TV’s hottest sleuth… Summer Butler had no idea that Darling Investigations would be such a smash. But ratings don’t lie—fans love watching the former star solve real-life crimes in her hometown. With the first season wrapped, the reality-show PI is feeling the pressure to make the next one an even bigger success. Though finding a new case won’t be easy—it’s not like another dead body will just fall in her lap—Summer’s willing to give it a try. Besides, reconciling with her family—not to mention her old flame, police chief Luke Montgomery—is a nice way to spend her downtime. But Summer’s rekindled romance isn’t the only thing burning up Sweet Briar. It seems the town is harboring an arsonist, and all the smoldering signs point to the same her cousin Dixie. Although this case may be too close for comfort, it seems season two is already bringing the drama—and for Summer it could also be too hot to handle.

#3
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
2020
A novel combining the worlds of Magnolia Steele and Darling Investigations.
ONLY AVAILABLE through Denise Grover Swank's newsletter.
Months after Magnolia Steele discovers the identity of the serial killer who stalked her, she’s still struggling to recover. When she receives notice that she’s inherited her mother’s childhood farm in Sweet Briar, Alabama, Magnolia is shocked. She had no idea her mother owned the farm let alone why Lila Brewster Steele left home after her high school graduation and never returned. Sick of secrets, Magnolia asks her sister-in-law, Belinda, to take a road trip to Sweet Briar to investigate, and Belinda knows just who to contact.
Summer Butler is surprised to see Magnolia and Belinda walk through the door of her PI office. She’s busy prepping for the newest season of her reality TV series, Darling Investigations, but she puts everything aside to help the shell of a woman who has walked through her door. Summer’s got plenty of other things on her own plate. Summer’s boyfriend wants to take their relationship to the next level, and her grandmother, who is grumpier and more sullen than usual, says she’s finally ready to share her deep dark secret.
With the help of her cousin Dixie, Summer uncovers more than she bargained for. A murdered girl. A missing teen boy. What happened on Lila Brewster Steele’s family farm? And is Magnolia strong enough to handle it?