Simone Stier writes clean, cozy culinary and coastal mysteries set in the charming small towns of the American South. If you're wondering where to start or what order to read her books in, here's every Simone Stier book organized by series in reading order, with a short description and publication date for each.
New to Simone Stier? Start with A Shot of Scandal, the first Cafe Crimes mystery — it introduces ex-true-crime-podcaster Parker Hayes and the murder-prone town of Magnolia Grove.
Cafe Crimes Cozy Mysteries in Order
Stier's flagship series and the best place to begin. Former true-crime podcaster Parker Hayes opens a cafe called Catch You Latte in the small Southern town of Magnolia Grove — where seasonal festivals, small-town secrets, and a surprising number of murders keep pulling her into amateur sleuthing. Twenty-one books and counting.
#1 — A Shot of Scandal · Available now
Ex-true-crime podcaster Parker Hayes opens her cafe, Catch You Latte, hoping for a quieter life. Then a high-society gala at the Beauregard Mansion ends in murder and the priceless Magnolia Rose necklace vanishes — pulling her into a scandal the town can't stop talking about. View on Amazon →
#2 — A Drizzle of Danger · Available now
Just as Parker perfects her caramel drizzle, her grand opening turns bitter: a face from her past turns up dead right behind the cafe. Suddenly she's the talk of Magnolia Grove — and the prime suspect — with only her podcaster instincts to clear her name. View on Amazon →
#3 — A Blend of Betrayal · Available now
Magnolia Grove's annual tree-lighting takes a shocking turn when a prominent local is found dead clutching a cup of Parker's signature blend. Determined to clear her friend Maggie, Parker trades hot cocoa for sleuthing as the holidays turn deadly. View on Amazon →
#4 — A Measure of Mayhem · Available now
Winter means snowy streets, town cheer, and a feud frosty enough to rival the weather. When a Polar Plunge at Frost Fest ends in murder, suspicion falls on a cutthroat local rival — but Parker isn't convinced the case is as simple as it looks. View on Amazon →
#5 — A Sprinkle of Secrets · Available now
Engagement season has all of Magnolia Grove swooning, and Parker's happy to keep the romance fueled with Rosy Glow Mochas. But when a glamorous engagement party goes wrong, whispers of murder shatter the town's fairy-tale mood and Parker starts digging. View on Amazon →
#6 — A Hint of Homicide · Available now
The town's abuzz over an election, new underground tunnel tours, and a rival coffee bar opening across from Catch You Latte. When a promotional event in the tunnels ends in tragedy everyone calls it an accident — but Parker's questions say otherwise. View on Amazon →
#7 — A Dash of Deceit · Available now
Parker's ready for Spring Fling Lattes and lemon tarts, until a beloved town fixture vanishes days before a celebration, leaving a cryptic note behind. A secret manuscript, shady dealings, and a strange author duo turn her coffee break into a high-stakes hunt. View on Amazon →
#8 — A Pinch of Peril · Available now
A mysterious note hidden inside an old jewelry box from the Winslow estate sale tamps down Parker's vow to stay out of trouble. When she visits the manor to ask questions, she finds a dead body — and Deputy Colton Watkins isn't thrilled to see her there. View on Amazon →
#9 — A Brew of Blunders · Available now
Opening night of the town's 'Murder by the Decades' show was meant to be a triumph; instead it ends in real tragedy. With her cafe's AC dead and her apartment condemned, Parker is crashing with the rule-obsessed Nellie Pritchett — and chasing a killer. View on Amazon →
#10 — A Roast of Revenge · Available now
Reality-show chaos rolls into town with the swaggering Blackwell brothers, and Parker's fueling the county with Smoked Lattes while dodging cameras. When one Blackwell turns up dead and someone tries to skewer the blame, she's feeling more charred than a forgotten chop. View on Amazon →
#11 — A Crumble of Chaos · Available now
August brings the town's biggest motorcycle rally — chrome, leather, and a lot of noise. When a beloved biker nearly dies in a suspicious crash everyone calls it a freak accident, but Parker's gut says otherwise, and her low-stress plans crumble fast. View on Amazon →
#12 — A Dusting of Doubt · Available now
Between back-to-school season and Maggie's wedding, Chief Tucker asks Parker to help crack a fifteen-year-old cold case. Photography teacher Rainey Bishop vanished without a trace; now her remains have surfaced, and her grandmother believes it was no accident. View on Amazon →
#13 — A Twist of Trouble · Available now
Parker expects an October of ghost tours and pumpkin spice, until a so-called haunting at abandoned Atmore Manor ends with a real body. Legends of the long-lost Atmore family swirl — roses on graves, flickering lights — as she's pulled into a mystery darker than any ghost story. View on Amazon →
#14 — A Dollop of Disaster · Available now
Parker wants a peaceful small-town Thanksgiving — lattes, the parade, no drama. But when one of the town's prized floats goes up in flames, gratitude curdles into suspicion, and a town full of old grudges looks ready to reignite right alongside it. View on Amazon →
#15 — A Whisk of Woes · Available now
Parker and the Magnolia Grove crew escape to Chateau Moore for a luxurious winter weekend of garlands and crackling fires. Then a body is found frozen in the hedge maze, a blizzard slams the estate, and the festive getaway becomes a locked-in whodunit. View on Amazon →
#16 — A Cup of Crime · Available now
With No-Junk January underway, Parker's set on a calmer life focused on her cafe and her romance with Whit. Calm doesn't last: a new personal trainer is found dead at a Blue Ridge bootcamp, and the police are far too quick to call it a tragic accident. View on Amazon →
#17 — A Steep of Suspicion · Available now
Parker's ready for movie magic and film-festival crowds at Catch You Latte, until a shocking incident rocks the Magnolia Grove Film Festival. The official story doesn't sit right with her instincts — nor with a few familiar faces a little too eager to control the narrative. View on Amazon →
#18 — A Pour of Panic · Available now
When a young woman collapses at a gathering and a mysterious illness sweeps Magnolia Grove, the official explanations don't add up — not to Parker, and not to a frantic Garden Club. As paranoia turns neighbor against neighbor, she starts pulling threads others want left tangled. View on Amazon →
#19 — A Grind of Guilt · Available now
Magnolia Grove's new Shindig in the Square — live music, string lights, two returning performers — was supposed to be a celebration. Instead Parker gets a front-row seat to murder, and old secrets start resurfacing as she digs into the lives behind the band. View on Amazon →
#20 — A Splash of Suspense · Available now
Parker heads to Ocracoke Island for a relaxing girls' getaway, but trouble washes ashore when a body turns up near the cottage. Authorities call it an accidental drowning; Hazel is sure there's more to it — and the deeper she digs, the less it looks like chance. View on Amazon →
#21 — A Latte of Lies · Available now
Years ago, Parker thought she helped catch a killer. Now witness statements that never surfaced, missing evidence, and buried secrets suggest otherwise. With Whit at her side and Hazel spinning theories, she must decide how far she'll go to set the record straight. View on Amazon →
Cape Fear Bookshop Mysteries in Order
Stier's coastal bookshop series, set in Southport, North Carolina. Former New York book editor Libby Page opens Page's Bookshop, starts a book club called The Plot Thickens, and — with her calico kitten Cali and sharp assistant Gracie Jean — keeps stumbling into murder along the Cape Fear River. Four books.
#1 — Stacked in Suspicion · Available now
Former New York book editor Libby Page wanted a new chapter running Page's Bookshop in Southport. But her grand-opening garden party turns deadly when a local collapses among the flowers — and a missing red notebook full of secrets sends Libby and her book club sleuthing. View on Amazon →
#2 — Drafted in Deceit · Available now
Libby's new life in Southport feels almost normal — the bookshop thriving, her club The Plot Thickens a local hit — until she spots a body floating in the Cape Fear River. The victim is tied to a local controversy, and the quiet coastal town suddenly has plenty to hide. View on Amazon →
#3 — Shelved in Secrets · Available now
Life along the Cape Fear feels close to perfect until a friend of Emmerson's vanishes days before an important charity gala. At first the disappearance looks like a publicity stunt — but as Libby digs, the missing-person case turns into something far more serious. View on Amazon →
#4 — Covered in Clues · Available now
Southport goes all in for Pirate Week and Page's Bookshop becomes pirate central, the town buzzing over a rumored treasure map. Then a murder turns the celebration into a crime scene, and Libby and her sharp-witted assistant Gracie Jean start following the clues. View on Amazon →
Box Sets
Prefer to binge? These bundles collect the early Cafe Crimes books at a value price — a great way to start the series.
Cafe Crimes Box Set 1: Books 1–3 · Available now
The perfect place to start: this binge-worthy bundle collects the first three Cafe Crimes mysteries (Books 1-3), introducing ex-podcaster Parker Hayes, her cafe Catch You Latte, and the murder-prone town of Magnolia Grove. View on Amazon →
Cafe Crimes Box Set 2: Books 4–6 · Available now
Keep the binge going with the second Cafe Crimes bundle, collecting Books 4-6 — more small-town secrets, seasonal chaos, and coffee-fueled sleuthing with Parker Hayes in Magnolia Grove. View on Amazon →
About Simone Stier
Simone Stier is a contemporary cozy mystery author specializing in clean culinary and coastal cozies set in small Southern towns. Her books feature amateur sleuths with a nose for trouble, close-knit communities, seasonal charm, and plenty of coffee and books. Explore her full catalog on her author page, or browse more culinary cozies and cozy authors A–Z.