Ann Sutton Books in Order

How to Read Ann Sutton’s Books

If you love traditional cozy mysteries with sharp wit, historical flair, and engaging sleuths, Ann Sutton is an author you need on your shelf. Best known for her flagship 1920s historical mysteries, Sutton has expanded her bibliography to include delightful modern English village cozies and post-WWI era whodunits. To fully appreciate the character growth, romantic tension, and recurring cast members, it is highly recommended to read her series in publication order.

The Dodo Dorchester Mystery Series

The Honorable Lady Dorothea "Dodo" Dorchester is Ann Sutton’s most famous creation. Dodo is a chic, intelligent, and independent 1920s socialite with a knack for stumbling into crime scenes. The series blends the glamorous high-society fashion of the Roaring Twenties with the grit of classic amateur sleuthing, featuring a slow-burn romantic tension with Scotland Yard’s Chief Inspector Blood.

For the best experience, read the Dodo Dorchester mysteries in chronological publication order:

1. Murder at Farrington Hall (2020) — Dodo investigates a theft and murder at a lavish country estate.
2. Murder is Fashionable (2020) — A trip to the Paris fashion scene turns deadly when a model is murdered.
3. Murder at the Races (2020) — Set against the backdrop of the famous Ascot races.
4. Murder on the Moors (2021) — Dodo tackles atmospheric, foggy intrigue in Dartmoor.
5. Murder in Limehouse (2021) — A gritty turn into London's East End slums.
6. Murder on Christmas Eve (2021) — A festive, snowy holiday mystery.
7. Murder on the Med (2022) — A glamorous cruise on the Mediterranean turns fatal.
8. Murder Spoils the Fair (2022) — Dodo visits the British Empire Exhibition.
9. Murder Takes a Swing (2023) — A sports-themed investigation.
10. Murder Goes Jazz (2023) — Set in the lively, music-filled clubs of 1920s London.
11. Murder in New Orleans (2023) — Dodo travels across the Atlantic to the birth of jazz.

Note: The series continues beyond these initial books with later titles such as Murder Midst The Diamonds (2024), Murder Topples the Trip (2025), and Murder Crashes the Christmas Wedding (2025).

The Chief Inspector Blood Spinoffs

Chief Inspector Blood is a major recurring character in the Dodo Dorchester series. In 2022, Sutton gave him a standalone case to showcase his own detective skills without Dodo at his side. While it can be read independently, it fits beautifully as a companion piece to the main series.

• The Mystery at Wentworth Park (2022)

Saffron Weald Mystery Series

Moving away from the 1920s, the Saffron Weald series is a contemporary cozy mystery saga set in a picture-perfect English village. The series features twin sisters Ophelia (a retired musician) and Imogen (a recently widowed mother of two), who inherit a cozy cottage called Badger's Hollow and consistently find themselves solving local village crimes.

Read the Saffron Weald series in order:

1. Village Fetes Can Be Murder (2024)
2. Church Choirs Can Be Murder (2024)
3. Book Clubs Can Be Murder (2024)

Note: The twins' adventures continue in subsequent volumes, including Amateur Dramatics Can Be Murder (2025) and Touring Europe Can Be Murder (2025).

Percy Pontefract Cozy Mystery Series

Described by Ann Sutton as the "anti-Dodo," Persephone "Percy" Pontefract is a more relatable, middle-class, middle-aged mother of two teenagers in the 1920s. Her adventures offer a grounded but equally charming look at 1920s England.

1. Death at a Christmas Party (2022)
2. Death is a Blank Canvas (2023) — Percy gets caught up in a murder at her cousin's modern art exhibition in London.

Gwendoline Hartwell Mystery Series

Set in the immediate aftermath of the Great War, this historical series follows Gwen Hartwell, a young widow who takes over her late husband's photography studio. Using her camera lens to spot clues the police miss, she teams up with injured war hero Inspector Will Slaughter.

• The Mystery of Lady Sedgewick's Butler (2026)

Maggie Malone Mystery Series

A newer cozy series featuring amateur sleuth Maggie Malone. The series begins with a high-stakes dinner party disaster.

• The Case of the Deadly Dinner (2024)

What to Know Before You Start

Ann Sutton’s mysteries are deeply inspired by Agatha Christie, focusing on fair-play puzzle plots, red herrings, and vibrant historical settings. While the mysteries in each book are self-contained and resolved by the final page, the character relationships—particularly the slow-burn romance between Lady Dodo and Chief Inspector Blood—develop sequentially. If you start out of order, you might spoil the romantic evolution and recurring jokes. Therefore, starting with Murder at Farrington Hall remains the gold standard path for new readers.