Shayla Loci is about to turn forty when she trades government work hunting criminal supernaturals for a game warden’s job on Enchanted Island. She is the witch at the heart of A Witch in the Woods, the longest series by Jenna St. James. A former court reporter and educator, the author now writes full time and lives in Missouri.
She has published more than 100 books, from small-town whodunits to stories full of magic. Below you will find every series in order, the newest releases and the best ways to reach her.
Who Is Author Jenna St. James?
Before she wrote full time, she worked as a court reporter and then as an educator. She holds a master’s degree in Special Education and an Education Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She also spent twelve years in full-time ministry.
She lives in Missouri with her fiancé and her stepdaughter. Her parents and her sister live in Sonoma County, California, so she is the one who moved to the Midwest. Her sister inspired Jax, one of the two Sullivan Sisters. At home there are two pets: Brownie, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever dog, and Whiskey, a tuxedo cat. In her free time she enjoys beer and wine tastings, antiquing and craft festivals.
Jenna writes in the genres of cozy mystery, paranormal cozy and romantic comedy. Her own description promises humorous characters, eccentric family members, inventive murders and “a positive military presence”. She wrote the Sullivan Sisters series to honor her grandfather, a World War II veteran. She publishes her books independently.
Jenna St James Book Series in Order
Seven series appear on her own site, and one more short one turns up in library catalogues. These are the books published by November 2026:
- A Witch in the Woods: 39 books (2021–2026), book 40 announced
- Kara Hilder Mysteries: 21 books (2022–2026), book 22 announced
- Ryli Sinclair Mysteries: 17 books (2015–2023)
- Enchanted Waters Mysteries, with Stephanie Damore: 17 books (2023–2026), 16 of them co-written by her, book 18 announced
- Sullivan Sisters Mysteries: 9 books (2016–2021)
- Trinity Falls: 3 books (2019–2020)
- A Witch in Time: her 2 books (2019–2020) in a multi-author series
- Copper Cove: 2 books (2019)
Together that is more than 100 books, without box sets and anthologies. The lists below follow her own numbering, and the 2026 titles come from retailer listings. Her longest series also has a row in our Cozy Mystery Census.
What Is A Witch in the Woods About?
A Witch in the Woods is a paranormal cozy mystery series about Shayla Loci, the game warden of Enchanted Island. She is also a witch, and the island is home to supernatural citizens. In the first book she has just retired from capturing criminal supernaturals for the government and taken the game warden job. Then an island resident is murdered, and Sheriff Alex Stone asks for her help.
Stone is a gargoyle shifter who is raising a teenage daughter. Shayla’s partner is Needles, a talking, flying porcupine, because her estranged father, the King, insists that Needles guards her. She also takes a wayward teenage witch under her wing. Later books bring in her cousin Serena and her friend Zoie, and the troll Tommy runs a restaurant on the island.
Paranormal Cozy Series: A Witch in the Woods, Kara Hilder and Enchanted Waters
Her recent books mostly fall into this group, each with its own island or agency.
A Witch in the Woods Books in Order
Start with Deadly Claws. Books 36 to 39 appeared in 2026.
- Deadly Claws (2021)
- Deadly Coins (2021)
- Deadly Critic (2021)
- Deadly Cocktail (2021)
- Deadly Coffin (2021)
- Deadly Caramel (2021)
- Deadly Client (2021)
- Deadly Coven (2021)
- Deadly Corsage (2022)
- Deadly Cries (2022)
- Deadly Doctor (2022)
- Deadly Vines (2022)
- Deadly Goodbye (2022)
- Deadly Feud (2022)
- Deadly Focus (2023)
- Deadly Vows (2023)
- Deadly Waters (2023)
- Deadly Souls (2023)
- Deadly Secrets (2023)
- Deadly Yule (2023)
- Deadly Mixer (2023)
- Deadly Storm (2023 or 2024)
- Deadly Arrow (2024)
- Deadly Seeds (2024)
- Deadly Rains (2024)
- Deadly Tempo (2024)
- Deadly Summer (2024)
- Deadly Circus (2024)
- Deadly Flame (2025)
- Deadly Mansion (2025)
- Deadly Past (2025)
- Deadly Deeds (2025)
- Deadly Cheer (2025)
- Deadly Hour (2025)
- Deadly Calling (2026)
- Deadly Surprise (2026)
- Deadly Enemy (2026)
- Deadly Rose (2026)
- Deadly Diversion (2026)
Book 40, Deadly Detour, is listed for 29 December 2026.
Kara Hilder Mysteries
Detective Kara Hilder is a Valkyrie whose magic is haphazard at best. With Zane, a fallen angel, she solves crimes for the Paranormal Apprehension and Detention Agency.
- Sounds of Murder (2022)
- Tee Up to Die (2022)
- Heartless Homicide (2022)
- Watery Grave (2022)
- Ice-Cold Killer (2022)
- An Unlucky Murder (2023)
- Murder at Mystic Market (2023)
- Murder on Winter Island (2023)
- Assisted Murder (2024)
- Meditation & Murder (2024)
- The Ogre’s Last Lesson (2024)
- A Soul to Harvest (2025)
- Tastes Like Murder (2025)
- Signed…Sealed…Deceased (2025)
- Yule Spells & Wedding Bells (2025)
- A New Year Nightmare (2025)
- Wish of Death (2026)
- The Last Valentine (2026)
- Bridal Bash and Betrayal (2026)
- Fitted for Death (2026)
- Death of the Green Fairy (2026)
Book 22, A Killer Comeback, is listed for 24 November 2026.
Enchanted Waters Mystery Series With Stephanie Damore
She writes these books together with Stephanie Damore. PADA detective Isla Ceartas moves to the Bermuda Triangle. There she teams up with Jace Solari, a treasure hunter and demigod, and his glow-in-the-dark miniature dragon, Glo.
- Tangled Waters (2023)
- Haunted Waters (2023)
- Cursed Waters (2024)
- Festive Waters (2024)
- Toxic Waters (2024)
- Closing Waters (2024)
- Cold Waters (2024)
- Lucky Waters (2024)
- Mystic Mistletoe (2024, by Stephanie Damore alone)
- Troubled Waters (2025)
- Wilting Waters (2025)
- Lost Waters (2025)
- Moving Waters (2025)
- Sparkling Waters (2026)
- Mystery Waters (2026)
- Pairing Waters (2026)
- Scared Waters (2026)
Book 18, Yuletide Waters, is listed for 12 January 2027.
A Witch in Time
This is a shared time-travel series written by several authors. Her two books follow Lexi, a time-traveling witch who solves cold cases with her partner, Rex the Rat.
- Time After Time (2019)
- Happier Days in Time (2020)
Small-Town Cozy Mystery Series: Ryli Sinclair, Sullivan Sisters and More
Her earlier books are small-town cozies that leave the supernatural out and center on family and friends.
Ryli Sinclair Mystery Series
Ryli and her Aunt Shirley roar through Granville, Missouri, in a ’65 Ford Falcon, trying to stay ahead of police chief Garrett Kimble. The 17 books run from 2015 to 2023, including the Christmas novella Nine Ladies in Danger.
- Picture Perfect Murder (2015)
- Girls’ Night Out Murder (2016)
- Just an Old-Fashioned Murder (2017)
- Bed, Breakfast, and Murder (2018)
- Veiled in Murder (2018)
- Bachelorettes and Bodies (2018)
- Rings, Veils, and Murder (2018)
- Next Stop, Murder (2018)
- Gold, Frankincense, and a Merry Murder (2018)
- Heartache, Hustle, & Homicide (2019)
- Entwined in Murder (2020)
- Fashion Forward Murder (2020)
- Courage, Valor, and Murder (2020)
- Hunts, Haunts, & Murder (2021)
- Blackmail Can Be Murder (2021)
- High-Wire Homicide (2022)
- Nine Ladies in Danger (2023)
Sullivan Sisters Mysteries
Jaycee Sullivan owns a bookstore and bar in the town of Traveler’s Bay. Her sister Jax handles the boozy baking, and Detective Mike Connors is a regular character.
- Murder on the Vine (2016)
- Burning Hot Murder (2017)
- PrePEAR to Die (2018)
- Tea Leaves, Jealousy, and Murder (2019)
- Flames, Frames, & Murder (2019)
- Playing Tricks on Murder (2020)
- Whispering Walls & Murder (2020)
- Christmas Alley Murder (2020)
- Murder in the New Year (2021)
Trinity Falls
In this short series, a group of geriatrics at the senior citizens center set out to match up their grandchildren.
- Blazing Trouble (2019)
- Cougar Trouble (2019)
- Arrested Trouble (2020)
Copper Cove
Two books came out in 2019. She co-wrote Seaside and Homicide with her stepdaughter, Maddy.
- Seaside and Homicide (2019)
- Merriment & Murder (2019)
Outside her series she wrote a children’s book, No School Today (2022), and stories for several multi-author anthologies.
Latest Releases and the Next Jenna St. James Book
Her newest book is Deadly Diversion, book 39 of A Witch in the Woods. Its release date was 27 October 2026. Three more are announced:
- A Killer Comeback, Kara Hilder book 22: 24 November 2026
- Deadly Detour, the 40th Shayla Loci mystery: 29 December 2026
- Yuletide Waters, Enchanted Waters book 18: 12 January 2027
These dates come from retailer listings, so they can still move.
Where to Start With Jenna St. James
Two Jenna St. James books make good starting points. For the paranormal side, start with Deadly Claws (2021), the first A Witch in the Woods story. For a small-town cozy without magic, start with Picture Perfect Murder (2015), the first Ryli Sinclair mystery. New newsletter subscribers get a free prequel trilogy, Enchanted Island Mysteries: Serena & Grant. Angie Hickman narrates the Tantor Media audiobooks of the Shayla Loci mysteries.
Books Similar to A Witch in the Woods
These series share something with Shayla’s world: an island, a witch heroine or supernatural police work.
- Whitewitch Island Mysteries by Patti Larsen: an island and a retired Guild Artemis Inquisitor, a paranormal crime investigator; 17 books since 2021.
- Cultivating Midlife Mysteries by Paula Lester: a middle-aged artist is drafted as a supernatural “sheriff”.
- Paranormal Investigation Bureau by Dionne Lister: a police agency for supernatural cases; 21 books since 2018.
- Vampire Knitting Club Mysteries by Nancy Warren: a witch heroine; 15 books since 2018.
- Enchanted Bay Mysteries by Esme Addison: water magic in a seaside town.
For more ideas, see our guides to witch cozy mysteries and paranormal cozy mysteries. Among our reviews, A Spell for Trouble opens the Enchanted Bay series, and The Trouble with Magic opens Madelyn Alt’s Bewitching Mysteries.
How to Contact Jenna St. James
The simplest way is the contact form on her official website, which gives no public email address. The same site has the newsletter sign-up with the free gift. She also runs a Facebook page and a Facebook reader group, and she is on Instagram and BookBub.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jenna St. James
How many books has Jenna St. James written?
More than 100 by November 2026. A Witch in the Woods has 39, Kara Hilder 21 and Ryli Sinclair 17. Box sets and anthologies come on top.
How many books are in A Witch in the Woods?
There are 39 so far, from Deadly Claws (2021) to Deadly Diversion (2026). Book 40, Deadly Detour, is due on 29 December 2026.
Does she write with co-authors?
Sometimes. She co-writes the Enchanted Waters Mysteries with Stephanie Damore, and she wrote Seaside and Homicide with her stepdaughter, Maddy.
Is Jenna St. James in the Cozy Mystery Census?
Yes. Her Shayla Loci series is listed in our Cozy Mystery Census, with Shayla Loci, Enchanted Island and the self-published label.