Lucy Stone Mysteries Books in Order

The Recommended Reading Order: Start at the Beginning

For the best reading experience, it is highly recommended to read the Lucy Stone Mysteries in publication order. While the murder mystery in each book is self-contained and resolved by the final page, the underlying continuity and the lives of Lucy and her family progress chronologically.

When the series begins in Mistletoe Murder, Lucy is a busy mother of four young children working part-time to make ends meet. As the series progresses over more than three decades, readers watch her children grow up, attend college, and start their own lives, while Lucy transition from a mail-order catalog phone operator to a full-time reporter for the local newspaper, the Pennysaver. Reading the books out of order can lead to confusing jumps in family dynamics, marriages, and character development.

Complete Lucy Stone Publication Order

Here is the chronological publication list of the main Lucy Stone novels and collections, compiled from official bibliography records:

1. Mistletoe Murder (1991) - Originally published as Mail Order Murder.
2. Tippy Toe Murder (1994)
3. Trick or Treat Murder (1996)
4. Back to School Murder (1997)
5. Valentine Murder (1999)
6. Christmas Cookie Murder (1999)
7. Turkey Day Murder (2000)
8. Wedding Day Murder (2001)
9. Birthday Party Murder (2002)
10. Father's Day Murder (2003)
11. Star Spangled Murder (2004)
12. New Year's Eve Murder (2005)
13. Bake Sale Murder (2006)
14. St. Patrick's Day Murder (2008)
15. Mother's Day Murder (2009)
16. Wicked Witch Murder (2010)
17. English Tea Murder (2011)
18. Chocolate Covered Murder (2011)
19. Easter Bunny Murder (2013)
20. Christmas Carol Murder (2013)
21. French Pastry Murder (2014)
22. Candy Corn Murder (2015)
23. British Manor Murder (2017)
24. Turkey Trot Murder (2017)
25. Eggnog Murder (2017)
26. Silver Anniversary Murder (2018)
27. Yule Log Murder (2018)
28. Invitation Only Murder (2019)
29. Christmas Card Murder (2020)
30. Irish Parade Murder (2021)
31. Halloween Party Murder (2021)
32. Easter Bonnet Murder (2022)
33. Haunted House Murder (2022)
34. Irish Coffee Murder (2023)
35. Mother of the Bride Murder (2023)
36. The Christmas Thief (2023)
37. Candy Canes of Christmas Past (2023)
38. Easter Basket Murder (2024)
39. Patchwork Quilt Murder (2024)
40. Bridal Shower Murder (2025)

The Shared Holiday Collections and Anthologies

Leslie Meier regularly collaborates with other major cozy mystery writers—most notably Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Lee Hollis, Barbara Ross, and Peggy Ehrhart. In these holiday-themed anthologies, Meier contributes a standalone Lucy Stone novella. If you are a completionist, you will want to seek out these books, which are typically published under the following collection names:

• Candy Cane Murder (2007) - Features the novella Candy Canes of Christmas Past (which was later released as a standalone book in 2023) alongside stories by Joanne Fluke and Laura Levine.
• Gingerbread Cookie Murder (2010) - Features the novella Gingerbread Cookies and Gunshots alongside stories by Joanne Fluke and Laura Levine.
• Eggnog Murder (2017) - Features the novella Eggnog Murder alongside stories by Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross.
• Yule Log Murder (2018) - Features a Lucy Stone festive short mystery alongside Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross.
• Christmas Card Murder (2020) - Features a holiday novella alongside Lee Hollis and Peggy Ehrhart.
• Halloween Party Murder (2021) - Features a spooky coastal mystery alongside Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross.
• Haunted House Murder (2022) - Features a Halloween short story alongside Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross.
• Irish Coffee Murder (2023) - Features a St. Patrick's Day story alongside Lee Hollis and Barbara Ross.

Subseries and Themed Guides

Holiday-Themed Sleuthing

The hallmark of the Lucy Stone series is its celebration of holidays. Almost every book is centered around a specific holiday, festive season, or seasonal town event. This makes the series perfect for seasonal reading. You can organize your reading pile around these holidays:

• Christmas: Mistletoe Murder, Christmas Cookie Murder, New Year's Eve Murder, Christmas Carol Murder, The Christmas Thief
• Halloween: Trick or Treat Murder, Wicked Witch Murder, Halloween Party Murder, Haunted House Murder
• Easter: Easter Bunny Murder, Easter Bonnet Murder, Easter Basket Murder
• St. Patrick's Day: St. Patrick's Day Murder, Irish Parade Murder, Irish Coffee Murder

International Travel Mysteries

While the majority of the series takes place in Tinker's Cove, Lucy occasionally packs her bags for international travels, offering readers a fun change of scenery:

• English Tea Murder (Book 17) - Lucy travels to London and gets caught up in a royal poison plot.
• French Pastry Murder (Book 21) - Lucy heads to Paris to attend cooking school and solves a Parisian crime.
• British Manor Murder (Book 23) - Lucy visits a grand English estate where she must investigate a killer hidden among the aristocracy.

What to Know Before You Start

Leslie Meier's series is set in the fictional seaside town of Tinker's Cove, Maine, which captures the quintessential small-town New England atmosphere. Although the books are classic cozy mysteries—featuring a relatable amateur sleuth, low gore, and quirky townsfolk—they are also notable for addressing real-life issues. Unlike some cozier series where characters live in a state of static luxury, Lucy deals with real struggles: juggling a budget, raising unruly teenagers, experiencing marital friction with her husband Bill, and facing community-wide economic tensions in coastal Maine. This grounded realism makes Lucy Stone one of the most relatable and beloved characters in the cozy mystery genre.