Welcome to Metropolis- the home of the very, very large Superman statue and the home town of Sheriff Dalton, the hard working, hands on chief of the Metropolis police force.  This small town should be a peaceful haven, populated by storekeepers, working folks and everyday families. But Sheriff Dalton finds that even small towns have mystery, murder and mayhem. This series is beguiling- its characters are down to earth, people next door. Ms Cruse accurately portrays the small town life with its rumor mill. politics and everyone knows everyone mentality (the petty crime you committed in second grade will be remembered by everyone forever.)
 The crimes are creative enough, the plots deep enough and the suspense strong enough to make any mystery  reader happy. Ms Cruse is able to combine bit of humor with cliff hanging drama. Her style is comfortable, the writing flows smoothly to enhance the story telling.
It is not necessary to read the books in order but it is recommended. The relationships between the characters, especially Joe's family, adds so much personality to the stories that it would be a loss to miss that element of the books. Plot lines also continue from one book to the other so many details would be lost. And, while Ms Cruse is an astute write from the beginning, it is enjoyable to watch her develop her voice and style as the series progresses.
Each clever cover shows a glimpse of the famous Superman statue that does exist in the real town of Metropolis, Illinois. As a self published author Ms Cruse has her hands full and still manages to produce nicely done books.  She is currently working on  her next series but hopefully will revisit Joe Dalton and Metropolis again in the future.

Malice in Metropolis
Murder gets personal when the bad guys go after members of Joe's family. He is forced to try to stay one step ahead of killers from his past, released convicts who are after revenge. Characters from past books come back to haunt Joe as he races to protect his loved ones and himself. 

Married in Metropolis
When Joe's son's mother in law is found dead at his wedding Joe is drawn into the middle of a family intrigue. He must keep his family safe, both his immediate family and now his daughter-in-law's too. What could be an accident is soon proven to be murder. It is a race to the usual Cruse bombshell ending, a twist so well devised it will surprise even the most experienced mystery solver.

Murder Beyond Metropolis
Joe is late to his family reunion breakfast, delayed by the discovery of the corpse of a local retired school teacher. No one can think who might have wanted to murder the teacher that everyone respected, feared in school but respected as adults. But when her sister dies in her nursing home bed he wonders if it is more than a coincidence. As the dead bodies keep appearing Joe must solve the case before political pressure costs him his job.

Murder in Metropolis
In this series debut, Joe Dalton is very disturbed when he finds the body of  his long time friend hanging from the Superman statue, his decapitated head cradled below. It is hard to imagine that anyone would harm the popular hardware store owner. The suspects come from the present and the past as Joe reexamines his friend's unhappy childhood.  The drama comes to a blow out, bang of an ending, the shock waves of which will stay with the reader long after they have closed the book.