Diane Vallere Books in Order

How to Start Reading Diane Vallere's Cozy Mysteries

Diane Vallere has established herself as a master of themed cozy mysteries, bringing her real-life background in fashion buying and design to the page. Because her work spans multiple distinct, independent series, readers do not need to tackle her entire bibliography at once. Instead, the best approach is to choose a series that matches your preferred subgenre style and read that series from start to finish.

The Best Entry Points

If you are new to Diane Vallere, you have two primary entry points depending on your taste:

• For Fashion and Humor Lovers: Start with Designer Dirty Laundry, the first book in the Samantha Kidd series. This is Vallere's signature franchise, balancing high-fashion details with laugh-out-loud amateur sleuthing.
• For Vintage and Mid-Century Modern Enthusiasts: Start with either Pillow Stalk (the first novel) or Midnight Ice (the prequel novella) in the Madison Night series, which heavily channels a stylish, 1960s Doris Day aesthetic.

Samantha Kidd Mystery Series (Style & Error Mysteries)

In this humorous fashion-cozy series, former fashion buyer Samantha Kidd returns to her hometown of Ribbon, Pennsylvania, only to repeatedly find herself investigating high-profile murders. The series is best read in publication order to appreciate the ongoing character development and Samantha's evolving career paths.

1. Designer Dirty Laundry (2012)
2. Buyer, Beware (2013)
3. The Brim Reaper (2013)
4. Some Like It Haute (2015)
5. Grand Theft Retro (2016)
6. Pearls Gone Wild (2016)
7. Cement Stilettos (2017)
8. Panty Raid (2018)
9. Union Jacked (2019)
10. Slay Ride (2019)
11. Tough Luxe (2021)
12. Fahrenheit 501 (2021)
13. Stark Raving Mod (2022)
14. Gilt Trip (2023)
15. Ranch Dressing (2024)

Madison Night Mystery Series (Mad for Mod Mysteries)

Featuring Madison Night, a Dallas-based mid-century modern interior decorator who bears an uncanny resemblance to Doris Day, this series blends vintage charm with modern-day mystery. Readers can choose between publication order or chronological order, which begins with the prequel novella.

Publication Order of Madison Night Books

This is the order in which the books were originally released. If you prefer to meet Madison through her first full-length investigation, start here:

1. Pillow Stalk (2012)
2. Other People's Baggage (2012)
3. That Touch of Ink (2013)
4. With Vics You Get Eggroll (2015)
5. The Decorator Who Knew Too Much (2017)
6. Midnight Ice (2018)
7. The Pajama Frame (2018)
8. Lover Come Hack (2018)
9. Apprehend Me No Flowers (2020)
10. Teacher's Threat (2021)
11. The Kill of it All (2022)
12. Love Me or Grieve Me (2022)
13. Please Don't Push Up the Daisies (2023)
14. The Glass Bottom Hoax (2024)

Chronological Order of Madison Night Books

Chronologically, the prequel novella Midnight Ice (originally featured in the 2012 crossover anthology Other People's Baggage and published as a standalone in 2018) takes place first. The anthology book itself is traditionally read later in this path as an interlude.

1. Midnight Ice (2018)
2. Pillow Stalk (2012)
3. That Touch of Ink (2013)
4. With Vics You Get Eggroll (2015)
5. The Decorator Who Knew Too Much (2017)
6. The Pajama Frame (2018)
7. Lover Come Hack (2018)
8. Other People's Baggage (2012)
9. Apprehend Me No Flowers (2020)
10. Teacher's Threat (2021)
11. The Kill of it All (2022)
12. Love Me or Grieve Me (2022)
13. Please Don't Push Up the Daisies (2023)
14. The Glass Bottom Hoax (2024)

Other Cozy Mystery Series by Diane Vallere

Beyond her two flagship series, Vallere has penned several shorter cozy mystery series that highlight her versatility, ranging from fabric shops to outer space.

Material Witness Mystery Series

This series stars Polyester Monroe, who inherits her family's fabric store and ends up unspooling local murder mysteries.

1. Suede to Rest (2014)
2. Crushed Velvet (2015)
3. Silk Stalkings (2016)

Costume Shop Mystery Series

Set in a family-run costume shop, this series follows Margo Tamblyn as she deals with disguised motives and mysterious deaths.

1. A Disguise to Die For (2016)
2. Masking for Trouble (2016)
3. Dressed to Confess (2017)

Sylvia Stryker Space Case (Sky Crimes & Misdemeanors)

For readers looking for a unique twist on the genre, this series takes the cozy mystery format into outer space, featuring space-hacker Sylvia Stryker solving crimes on futuristic planetary cruise ships.

1. Fly Me to the Moon / Murder on Moon Trek 1 (2017)
2. I'm Your Venus (2018)
3. Saturn Night Fever (2018)
4. Spiders From Mars (2020)
5. Warped on a Moon Trek (2024)

Mermaid Mystery Series

A fun, whimsical trilogy that blends supernatural elements with cozy mystery tropes.

1. Tails from the Deep (2019)
2. Murky Waters (2019)
3. Sleeping With The Fishes (2019)

Non-Fiction and Anthologies

Diane Vallere has also contributed to and edited several books. Her non-fiction collection, Bonbons for Your Brain (2019), features essays on writing, productivity, and the creative life. Additionally, she edited the Agatha Award-winning anthology Promophobia: Taking the Mystery Out of Promoting Crime Fiction (2022) to help fellow authors navigate the business of publishing.