The Recommended Reading Path
For the best experience, the Lessor and Moore Mystery series (popularly known as the "Stuff" series) should be read in publication order. Because the characters age, their personal relationships evolve, and their business gradually transitions from a chaotic hauling service to a licensed private investigation firm ("More or Less Investigations"), reading the books chronologically ensures you catch every joke, recurring character, and character development beat.
Lessor and Moore Mystery Books in Order
Here is the complete list of Lessor and Moore mysteries in their official publication and chronological order, along with a look at the chaos James and Skip get themselves into in each volume:
1. Stuff to Die For (2007)
In this series debut, we meet twenty-somethings James Lessor (an impulsive line cook) and Skip Moore (a struggling security salesman). Desperate to escape dead-end jobs, they buy a rickety white box truck to start a hauling business. Their first job takes a gruesome turn when they find a severed human finger in the truck. The finger belongs to an old acquaintance who once saved Skip's life, prompting the bumbling duo to launch an amateur investigation that pulls them into a dangerous plot involving Cuban exiles. This book won the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award.
2. Stuff Dreams Are Made Of (2008)
Hoping to strike it rich, James convinces Skip to convert their hauling truck into a mobile food truck. Their plan is to sell food to the massive crowds attending Reverend Preston Cashdollar’s traveling tent revival on the outskirts of Miami. Instead of easy money, they encounter theft, vandalism, and a series of suspicious deaths tied to the Reverend’s high-stakes ministry. The boys must navigate religious greed and murder to stay alive.
3. Stuff to Spy For (2009)
Skip lands a major security system installation contract with Synco Systems, a company working with the Department of Defense. The job gets complicated when Skip is asked to pose as a cover boyfriend for an employee involved with the company's president. When the president's wife offers them money to spy on the firm's shady activities, James and Skip officially enter the corporate espionage game, only to discover they are completely outmatched by professional conspirators.
4. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (2010)
Now officially licensed private investigators, James and Skip find that clients are hard to come by. To make ends meet, James takes a marketing job with a traveling carnival that has been plagued by sabotage and a suspicious death. When the carnival owner hires the duo to find the culprit, they must go behind the scenes of the midway, uncovering carny secrets, family feuds, and a killer hiding in plain sight.
5. Too Much Stuff (2011)
The stakes go historic when the duo is hired to locate a shipment of gold that went missing in the Florida Keys during the devastating 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The client is the great-granddaughter of a man who allegedly possessed the treasure. With a rival pair of investigators already missing, James and Skip dig into Key West secrets, stumbling upon a modern-day smuggling ring run by corrupt local doctors.
6. Hot Stuff (2012)
When a sous chef at the prestigious South Florida restaurant L'Elfe is murdered, the owner hires James and Skip to go undercover among the kitchen staff. The case takes a deeply personal turn when Skip's girlfriend, Emily, reveals she shared a dark secret with the victim. To protect Emily and find the killer, James and Skip must unravel a web of culinary blackmail and jealousy.
7. Reel Stuff (2013)
In the final installment of the series, an actress hires James and Skip to investigate the death of her boyfriend, an Academy Award-winning actor who fell from a Miami high-rise while filming a TV show. The investigation takes James, Skip, and Emily from the sunny shores of Florida to the glamorous, deceptive streets of Los Angeles, where they learn that Hollywood's make-believe world holds very real dangers.
Chronological Order and Continuity Caveats
There are no prequels, short stories, or timeline jumps in the Lessor and Moore series. Chronological order matches the publication order exactly. The narrative flow relies heavily on the progression of Skip and Emily's relationship, as well as the transition of "More or Less Investigations" from a bumbling side-hustle into a registered agency. Skipping books won't ruin the mystery plots, which are self-contained, but it will spoil the lighthearted character dynamics and running gags.
What to Know Before You Start
Don Bruns writes with a fast-paced, humorous style heavily influenced by his background in advertising and music. Readers should expect snappy buddy banter, bumbling decision-making, and plenty of South Florida atmosphere. While the books are lighthearted and comedic, they do contain more mature language and violence than standard cozy mysteries, sitting somewhere between a traditional private eye novel and a Carl Hiaasen-style caper.
Spin-offs, Crossovers, and Author Context
Don Bruns is also well-known for his Mick Sever Mystery series (sometimes called the Caribbean Mystery series), which follows a rock-and-roll journalist investigating murders in tropical settings. Although both series share Bruns' signature humor, musical references, and sunny locations, they are entirely separate. There are no character crossovers or shared storylines between Mick Sever and the Lessor and Moore series. Additionally, there are no co-authored books or spin-offs associated with James and Skip.
Practical Reader Advice
If you are new to the series, you should absolutely start with Stuff to Die For. It establishes the characters' backgrounds, explains how they got their trademark white box truck, and introduces Skip's girlfriend Emily, who becomes an essential member of the team in later books. Because the books are quick, breezy reads, they are perfect for binge-reading over a weekend or during a beach vacation.