Where to Start Reading the Face Down Mysteries
For the best reading experience, we highly recommend starting with the first novel in the series, Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie (1997). This book establishes the foundation of Susanna’s character, introduces her troubled marriage to Sir Robert Appleton, and showcases her unique role as a gentlewoman and skilled herbalist in Tudor England. Reading in this order allows you to appreciate the steady character growth and evolving political landscape of Elizabethan England.
The Core Novels in Publication and Chronological Order
Unlike some long-running mystery series where publication dates jump back and forth in time, the core novels of the Susanna, Lady Appleton series follow a linear timeline. The publication order perfectly mirrors the chronological progression of Susanna’s life, with each book moving forward roughly two years in history.
- Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie (1997) – Set in 1559. Susanna investigates the suspicious death of her husband's steward, who was found face down in a pie.
- Face Down Upon an Herbal (1998) – Set in 1561. Susanna travels to Madderly Castle to decipher a mysterious herbal manuscript linked to a baron's murder.
- Face Down Among the Winchester Geese (1999) – Set in 1563. Susanna is summoned to London, where she confronts a serial killer targeting women in the seedy Southwark district.
- Face Down Beneath the Eleanor Cross (2000) – Set in 1565. High drama ensues when Susanna's estranged husband returns, only to be murdered, leaving her as the prime suspect.
- Face Down Under the Wych Elm (2000) – Set in 1567. Dealing with superstition and local paranoia, Susanna must solve a murder while avoiding accusations of witchcraft.
- Face Down Before Rebel Hooves (2001) – Set in 1569. Set during the historical Rising of the Northern Earls, Susanna goes undercover in a rebel household.
- Face Down Across the Western Sea (2002) – Set in 1571. Involving early Tudor voyages and claims to the New World, Susanna untangles a web of scholars and secrets.
- Face Down Below the Banqueting House (2005) – Set in 1573. A suspicious fall from a newly constructed banqueting house at Susanna's own estate, Leigh Abbey, disrupts plans for a royal visit.
- Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well (2006) – Set in 1575. Susanna visits the famous baths at Buxton to seek relief for her aching joints, only to find murder waiting in the therapeutic waters.
- Face Down O'er the Border (2007) – Set in 1577. Susanna travels to Scotland to clear the name of her friend Catherine, Lady Glenelg, in a treacherous foreign court.
The Short Stories: Lady Appleton's Expanded World
For readers who want a complete narrative experience, Kathy Lynn Emerson wrote multiple short stories that flesh out Susanna's timeline. Originally, eleven of these stories were collected in Murders and Other Confusions (2004). In February 2025, the author published an expanded collection, Lady Appleton's World: The Complete Short Stories, which brings together all sixteen short stories published between 1999 and 2015.
Chronological Master Timeline (Including Short Stories)
If you wish to read the entire saga chronologically, including prequels and side stories, use this combined order:
- "The Body in the Dovecote" (Short story, set in 1552)
- "Much Ado About Murder" (Short story, set in 1556)
- Face Down in the Marrow-Bone Pie (Novel, set in 1559)
- "The Rubaiyat of Nicholas Baldwin" (Short story, set in 1559)
- Face Down Upon an Herbal (Novel, set in 1561)
- "Lady Appleton and the London Man" (Short story, set in 1562)
- Face Down Among the Winchester Geese (Novel, set in 1563)
- "Lady Appleton and the Cautionary Herbal" (Short story, set in 1564)
- Face Down Beneath the Eleanor Cross (Novel, set in 1565)
- Face Down Under the Wych Elm (Novel, set in 1567)
- "The Riddle of the Woolsack" (Short story, set in 1569)
- Face Down Before Rebel Hooves (Novel, set in 1569)
- Face Down Across the Western Sea (Novel, set in 1571)
- Face Down Below the Banqueting House (Novel, set in 1573)
- Face Down Beside St. Anne's Well (Novel, set in 1575)
- Face Down O'er the Border (Novel, set in 1577)
The Spin-Off: Mistress Jaffrey Mysteries
After concluding Susanna’s main arc, Emerson launched a three-book spin-off series starring Rosamond Jaffrey (née Appleton). Rosamond is the illegitimate daughter of Susanna's late husband, raised under Susanna's guidance. The spin-off takes place in the 1580s, where Rosamond uses her wits and language skills to act as an intelligence gatherer for Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham.
- Murder in the Queen's Wardrobe (2014) – Set in 1582.
- Murder in the Merchant's Hall (2015) – Set in 1584.
- Murder in a Cornish Alehouse (2016) – Set later in the 1580s.
What to Know Before You Start
Susanna’s defining trait is her expertise in botany and poisons, encapsulated in her fictional work, A Cautionary Herbal. While the book itself is a creation of the author, the herbal remedies, concoctions, and toxic plant lore Susanna uses are historically accurate to the Tudor period. The series is celebrated for its deep commitment to historical reality; Emerson avoids romanticizing the era, highlighting instead the rigid social hierarchy, religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants, and the unique perils faced by independent women in sixteenth-century England.