Where to Start Reading Amanda M. Lee
Amanda M. Lee is exceptionally prolific, writing cozy mysteries, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy with a trademark fast-paced, humorous tone. Her books are set in a large, interconnected universe where characters frequently crossover. While you can dive in almost anywhere, most readers will get the best experience by starting with one of two distinct entry points, depending on whether you want magic or classic sleuthing.
Option 1: The Magical Path (The Winchester Witches)
If you love witches, sarcasm, and family antics, start with Any Witch Way You Can (2012), the first book in the Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mysteries. This is Lee's signature series, following Bay Winchester and her chaotic, spell-casting family in Hemlock Cove. Starting here introduces you to the rules of her magical world and the characters who form the structural anchor of her crossover universe.
Option 2: The Non-Paranormal Path (Avery Shaw)
If you prefer standard, laugh-out-loud cozy investigative mysteries without magical elements, start with Who, What, Where, When, Die (2011), the first book in the Avery Shaw Mystery series. Avery Shaw is a snarky, coffee-obsessed newspaper journalist solving crimes in a small Michigan town, heavily drawing on Lee's own real-life background as a reporter.
Understanding the Shared Universe and Crossovers
As you read deeper, you will discover that Amanda M. Lee's series are not isolated. The author regularly connects her worlds, bringing in characters from one series to resolve situations in another. Because she writes at an incredibly rapid pace, reading strictly by publication order across the entire bibliography can be overwhelming. Sticking to the publication order within each individual series is highly recommended, but you should keep an eye out for crossover titles like Freaky Witches (which brings the Mystic Caravan crew to Hemlock Cove) to see where they slot in.
The Core Series Breakdown and Order
1. Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mysteries
This massive paranormal cozy mystery series centers on Bay Winchester and her hilarious family. For the main mystery path, follow the publication order:
- Any Witch Way You Can (2012)
- Every Witch Way But Wicked (2013)
- Witching You Were Here (2013)
- Witching on a Star (2014)
- Something to Witch About (2014)
- Witch Me Luck (2015)
- Life's a Witch (2015)
- Charms & Witchdemeanors (2016)
- The Trouble with Witches (2016)
- Murder Most Witchy (2017)
- A Witch Before Dying (2017)
- A Breath of Witchy Air (2018)
- Witch, Interrupted (2018)
- Flip the Witch Switch (2019)
- Witchin' Around the Clock (2019)
- To Love a Witch (2020)
- The Witch is Back (2020)
- Prelude To A Witch (2021)
- My Big Fat Witch Wedding (2021)
- Friday The Witchteenth (2022)
- Lights, Cameras, Witches (2022)
- Dial W For Witch (2023)
- White Witchmas (2023)
- All Quiet On the Witchy Front (2024)
- The Usual Witchspects (2024)
Wicked Witches of the Midwest: Fantasy and Shorts
Alongside the main novels, Lee has released fantasy installments and short story collections that flesh out the Winchester family's character development and seasonal adventures:
- Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy: Witchy Tales (2015), A Witch in Time (2016), Make a Witch (2017), A Witchmas Carol (2017), All My Witches (2017), and Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind (2018).
- Wicked Witches of the Midwest Shorts: A collection of 15 holiday and character-specific short stories released between 2015 and 2017, starting with Careful What You Witch For and ending with How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas.
2. Avery Shaw Mystery Series
Follow the non-magical, crime-solving journalist Avery Shaw in this fast-moving 24-book series, best read in publication order:
- Who, What, Where, When, Die (2011)
- If It Bleeds, It Leads (2012)
- Buried Leads (2013)
- Shot Off the Presses (2014)
- The Preditorial Page (2014)
- Misquoted & Demoted (2015)
- Headlines & Deadlines (2015)
- Misprints & Mistakes (2016)
- Bylines & Skylines (2016)
- Off the Record (2017)
- Unwritten & Underwater (2017)
- Extra! Extra! Dead All About It (2018)
- On Deadline & Under Fire (2018)
- Above the Fold & Below the Belt (2019)
- Oracles & Obituaries (2019)
- New Media & Old Grudges (2020)
- Mayhem & Mistletoe (2020)
- Weddings & Whodunits (2021)
- Hard Hitting & Misleading (2021)
- Fake News & Office Blues (2022)
- Opinionated & Out of Control (2022)
- Overedited & Underpaid (2023)
- Press Releases & Puff Pieces (2023)
- Banner Headlines & Late Deadlines (2024)
3. Aisling Grimlock Series
This series introduces the Grimlock family of grim reapers. The author has described the Grimlocks as the "anti-Winchesters"—focusing on a female protagonist navigating a family structure dominated by protective, alpha reaper men. Read the core novels in order, alongside the shorts:
- Grim Tidings (2014)
- Grim Offerings (2015)
- Grim Discovery (2015)
- Grim Reunion (2016)
- Grim Expectations (2016)
- Grim Holiday (2017)
- Grim Rising (2017)
- Grim Tempest (2018)
- Grim Vows (2018)
- Short Stories/Novellas: Read Grim Like Me (2018), Grim & The City (2018), Now & Grim (2018), Grim & Bear It (2018), The Grim & The Dead (2018), and Jerry Takes Charge (2019) to complete the story arc.
4. Mystic Caravan Mysteries
Follow Poet Parker, a Romani fortune teller in a magical traveling circus filled with monsters and mayhem. The series highlights include a major crossover event in Freaky Witches (Book 7) where the caravan visits Hemlock Cove:
- Freaky Days (2016)
- Freaky Lies (2016)
- Freaky Hearts (2017)
- Freaky Games (2017)
- Freaky Places (2018)
- Freaky Rites (2018)
- Freaky Witches (2019)
- Luke on the Loose (2019)
- Freaky Reapers (2019)
- Freaky Fangs (2020)
- Freaky Doubts (2020)
- Freaky Seas (2020)
- Freaky Mage (2021)
- Freaky Gifts (2021)
- Freaky Sights (2022)
- Freaky Crypts (2022)
- Freaky Crush (2023)
- Freaky West (2023)
- Freaky Wedding (2024)
- Freaky Ways (2024)
- Freaky Curses (2025)
5. Covenant College Universe
This magical college setting spans three mini-series and connects directly to the cryptid mysteries of Charlie Rhodes:
- Covenant College: Awakening (2012), Whispering (2013), Conjuring (2014), Waxing & Waning (2014), Graduating (2015), and Wolf on the Job (2019).
- Living Covenant: Rising Covenant (2016), Dark Covenant (2016), and Eternal Covenant (2016).
- Dying Covenant: Haunted Covenant (2017), Desperate Covenant (2017), and Everlasting Covenant (2017).
- Charlie Rhodes: Follows Charlie Rhodes as she investigates cryptids with a research team, starting with The Bigfoot Blunder (2017) and running 16 books through to The Grim Reaper Gaffe (2024).
6. Cozy and Witchy Spin-Offs
These smaller series are perfect if you want to explore different locations and sub-genres in the same magical universe:
- Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery: Beachside witchy cozy mysteries starting with Witchin' USA (2017) and ending with Better Luck Hex Time (2025).
- Spell's Angels: Features older, sassier witches, starting with Bad to the Crone (2019) and ending with Crone It Down (2025).
- Two Broomsticks Gas & Grill: Culinary paranormal mysteries starting with Sinfully Delicious (2020) and ending with Sinister Snack Attack (2024).
- Luna Thorn Witchy Mysteries: Follows Luna Thorn starting with Monster Mayhem (2023) and running to Karma Killer (2025).
What to Know Before You Start
Amanda M. Lee's writing style is dialogue-heavy, lighthearted, and features a constant stream of pop culture references. Because her books are published rapidly, the character growth is slow and spans many books, making it highly rewarding to read them in sequence rather than as standalones. If you are a fan of her style, you can also check out her books written under the pen name Lily Harper Hart, which share similar cozy, humorous vibes.