Books On Board
series Reading Order

Mystery With Recipes Books in Order

18 Books
2003 – 2024 Published
Jump to reading order
Affiliate links: We may earn a commission on purchases made at no extra cost to you.
Reading order

How to Read the Mystery With Recipes Series

Written by Isis Crawford (the pen name of Barbara Block), the Mystery With Recipes series is a beloved staple of the culinary cozy mystery subgenre. The stories follow the lives, kitchens, and investigative efforts of sisters Bernie and Libby Simmons, who run the catering service "A Little Taste of Heaven" in the fictional town of Longely, New York. Assisted by their retired police chief father, Sean Simmons, they frequently find themselves serving up justice alongside delicious dishes.

For the best reading experience, we highly recommend reading the books in publication order. While the individual murder mysteries are self-contained and can technically be read as standalones, the lives of the characters, their business, their romantic pursuits, and recurring helpers like Googie progress chronologically from book to book.

Mystery With Recipes Books in Publication Order

Below is the complete list of the series in its publication sequence, including recent releases and the scheduled 2026 addition:

  1. A Catered Murder (2003) – The series opener introduces Bernie and Libby as they cater a high school reunion that quickly turns deadly.
  2. A Catered Wedding (2004) – A bride-to-be's wealthy stepfather is murdered, putting the sisters' catering business in the crosshairs.
  3. A Catered Christmas (2005) – A Christmas eve celebration turns into a crime scene when a prominent local businessman is killed.
  4. A Catered Valentine's Day (2007) – Love is in the air, but so is murder when a prominent local dentist is poisoned by a Valentine chocolate.
  5. A Catered Halloween (2008) – A charity haunted house at the creepy Peabody School becomes the stage for a real-life horror.
  6. A Catered Birthday Party (2009) – A lavish birthday party for a spoiled socialite is disrupted by a fatal plunge.
  7. A Catered Thanksgiving (2010) – A turkey-carving contest takes a grisly turn when a wealthy patriarch is murdered.
  8. A Catered St. Patrick's Day (2012) – Irish stew and green beer are served alongside a mystery involving a local pub owner.
  9. A Catered Christmas Cookie Exchange (2013) – The local cookie exchange gets competitive, culminating in a bitter murder.
  10. A Catered Fourth of July (2014) – Independence Day sparks fly when a local historian is found dead before the parade.
  11. A Catered Mother's Day (2015) – Mother's Day celebrations are disrupted by a search for a missing person and a hidden killer.
  12. A Catered Tea Party (2016) – A fancy high tea turns tragic when one of the guests is poisoned.
  13. A Catered Costume Party (2017) – A masquerade party becomes the perfect cover for a murderer.
  14. A Catered Cat Wedding (2018) – The sisters cater a wedding for two wealthy, pampered felines, but a human guest ends up dead.
  15. A Catered New Year's Eve (2019) – A family reunion to ring in the New Year turns deadly when a guest is poisoned.
  16. A Catered Book Club Murder (2020) – A reading group becomes a crime scene when one of its members is killed.
  17. A Catered Doggie Wedding (2022) – A lavish wedding for two golden retrievers serves as the backdrop for menacing threats and murder.
  18. A Catered Quilting Bee (2024) – The Sip and Sew Quilting Circle's showcase is shattered by the suspicious death of a member.
  19. A Catered Bake-Off (2025) – A high-stakes baking competition turns sour when one of the star contestants is found dead.
  20. A Catered PTA Murder (Scheduled for June 2026) – The sisters take on school politics and a deadly cover-up.

Chronological Caveats and Holiday Reading

One of the defining features of Crawford's series is its heavy reliance on holidays and seasonal events. While the publication order roughly mirrors the chronological flow of Bernie and Libby's lives, the timeline within the books can sometimes jump back and forth between seasons depending on when each book was written. For example, A Catered Thanksgiving (Book 7) is followed by A Catered St. Patrick's Day (Book 8) and then A Catered Christmas Cookie Exchange (Book 9).

If you prefer a themed approach, you can easily read these books out of order during specific times of the year. The recurring character relationships will be slightly out of sync, but the standalone nature of each mystery means you won't ruin the plot of preceding books.

What to Know Before You Start: Tone and Setting

The series is set in Longely, New York (sometimes spelled "Longley" in third-party databases, though "Longely" is the spelling used in the official novels). Longely is a fictional, picturesque town situated in the Hudson Valley, providing the perfect cozy backdrop of winding streets, nosy neighbors, and seasonal beauty.

Before writing as Isis Crawford, author Barbara Block wrote the hard-boiled Robin Light Mystery series under her real name. It is fun for readers to contrast the two: while Robin Light is a pet store owner in Syracuse who detests cooking and lives on junk food, Bernie and Libby Simmons are passionate culinary artists who include real, mouthwatering recipes at the end of each book. The tone of the Mystery With Recipes series is decidedly lighter, warmer, and filled with sisterly banter.

Frequently Asked

QDo you need to read the Mystery With Recipes series in order?

While the murder mysteries in each book are resolved by the end of the story, it is highly recommended to read them in publication order. This allows you to watch the characters' relationships, business developments, and personal lives grow naturally over time.

QAre the recipes in the books real?

Yes! True to its name, every book in the Mystery With Recipes series features actual, tested recipes at the end. They tie into the food catered by Bernie and Libby during the story, ranging from holiday treats to hearty family meals.

QWho is Isis Crawford?

Isis Crawford is the pen name of Barbara Block, an established mystery author who also wrote the Syracuse-based Robin Light mystery series under her real name.

QIs the town of Longely, New York real?

No, Longely is a fictional town located in the Hudson Valley of New York, created specifically to give the series its classic cozy, small-town atmosphere.

QHow many books are in the series?

As of mid-2026, there are 20 books in the series, beginning with A Catered Murder in 2003 and the latest scheduled release, A Catered PTA Murder, in June 2026.