The Best Way to Read the Lily Dale Books
Wendy Corsi Staub has crafted a rich, multi-layered world centered around the real-life spiritualist community of Lily Dale, New York. Because she has written in this setting across different age groups, genres, and decades, readers often wonder where they should begin. The books are divided into two primary series, plus a standalone suspense novel. While they feature different main characters, reading them in order of publication allows you to experience the town's eerie, medium-filled atmosphere as the author originally intended.
We highly recommend starting with the original Young Adult series (the Calla Delaney arc), moving to the standalone suspense novel In the Blink of an Eye, and then diving into the adult cozy mysteries (the Bella Jordan arc). Reading in this sequence helps you transition smoothly from the YA supernatural suspense to the mature thrillers and cozy mysteries that explore the same mysterious town.
1. The Original Young Adult Lily Dale Series
Launched in 2007, the core Young Adult series follows Calla Delaney, a seventeen-year-old who is sent to live with her grandmother in Lily Dale after her mother's sudden, tragic death. Calla quickly discovers that the town is populated by psychic mediums—and that she has inherited paranormal abilities of her own. Over four books, Calla works to unravel the mystery of her mother's death while dodging serial killers and local secrets. This YA series should be read in strict publication order, as it tells a single, continuous story.
- Awakening (2007): Calla arrives in Lily Dale, learns about her family's psychic heritage, and begins to suspect her mother's death was no accident.
- Believing (2008): Calla starts coming to terms with her emerging gifts while a deadly threat looms over the spiritualist community.
- Connecting (2008): Secrets from Calla's mother's past come to light, deepening the central mystery.
- Discovering (2009): The final book in Calla's main arc features dramatic revelations about a hidden sibling and wraps up her core search for answers.
2. The Standalone Suspense Connection
Between the YA series and the cozy mysteries, there is In the Blink of an Eye. Originally published in 2002 as an adult suspense thriller and later re-released in 2013, this book is set in the same atmospheric town of Lily Dale but operates as a standalone story. It follows Paine Landry, who returns to Lily Dale to settle his late mother-in-law's affairs, only to confront a dark history and unsettling secrets in an old Victorian home on Summer Street. While it features a different cast of characters, it offers a wonderful, darker look at the town before you begin the cozy mysteries.
3. The Lily Dale Mystery Series (Bella Jordan Cozy Mysteries)
In 2015, Wendy Corsi Staub returned to the town with a brand-new adult cozy mystery series. This subseries follows Bella Jordan, a young, newly widowed mother who ends up running the local guesthouse in Lily Dale. Unlike the YA series, which focuses on psychic training and teenage romance, the Lily Dale Mysteries are traditional cozy mysteries filled with local gossip, quirky townspeople, a pet cat, and plenty of murder investigations. They should be read in chronological order of publication to follow Bella's personal journey, her relationships, and her son Max's growth.
- Nine Lives (2015): Bella and her young son Max arrive in Lily Dale, where Bella takes a job at the Valley View Guesthouse and is immediately swept up in a local murder investigation.
- Something Buried, Something Blue (2016): Bella prepares for a wedding at the guesthouse, but a dead body threatens to ruin the ceremony and expose long-held town secrets.
- Dead of Winter (2017): Winter brings a chill to Lily Dale—and a cold-blooded murder that Bella must solve before the killer strikes again.
- Prose and Cons (2021): A writers' retreat at the guesthouse turns deadly when a famous author is killed, forcing Bella to hunt for a killer among the literary guests.
- The Stranger Vanishes (2022): A mysterious visitor disappears under suspicious circumstances, launching Bella into another complex local puzzle.
- Dog Days (2024): Bella handles summer tourism, resident tensions, and a fresh crime scene that disrupts the sunny season.
What to Know Before You Start
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Lily Dale books is that Lily Dale, New York, is a real place. Established in 1879, it is the world's oldest active community of Spiritualists. Wendy Corsi Staub grew up in nearby Fredonia, New York, and spent her childhood visiting the town, which allowed her to capture its unique, gated-community atmosphere with incredible detail. While the mysteries and crimes are fictional, the layout of the town, the Leolyn Woods, and the culture of mediumship are heavily inspired by real-life traditions.
Readers should note the shift in tone between the series. The YA novels have a darker, more dramatic paranormal suspense feel, whereas the Bella Jordan books are lighthearted cozy mysteries (though they still feature murder and psychic intuition). There is no major overlap in characters between the two main series, meaning you can technically read the Lily Dale Mysteries without having read the YA series first. However, reading the YA books first gives you a much deeper appreciation for the town's layout, history, and recurring minor characters.