Susan Van Kirk

Susan Van Kirk taught thirty-four years at Monmouth High School (1968-2002) and another ten years at Monmouth College (2001-2011).

Her first book was a creative nonfiction memoir about her teaching life. The second edition, published in 2026, is titled "Mr. Vonnegut and Me (And Other Incredible Tales from a Teaching Life.)"

Her mysteries began with her Endurance series, a cozy series about the small, Midwest town of Endurance and Grace Kimball, retired school teacher. This series includes "Three May Keep a Secret," "Marry in Haste," The Locket: From the Casebook of TJ Sweeney," "Death Takes No Bribes," and "The Witch's Child," and "Fabric of Lies." "A Death at Tippitt Pond" is a standalone mystery. Van Kirk's Art Center Mysteries consist of "Death in a Pale Hue," [2022] from Level Best Books, "Death in a Bygone Hue," [June 2023] and "Death in a Ghostly Hue," [June 2024]. The third book was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best Paranormal Mystery of 2025.

Van Kirk is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and is the past president of the Guppy Chapter, an online chapter of Sisters in Crime.