T.A. Williams writes the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mysteries — a warm, witty British cozy series set against the sun-soaked backdrop of Italy. If you're wondering where to start or what order to read them in, here's every book in the series in order, with a short description and publication date for each.
New to the series? Start with Murder in Tuscany, the first book — it introduces retired Detective Chief Inspector Dan Armstrong, newly settled in the Tuscan hills, and his faithful Labrador, Oscar, who accompanies him on every case.
Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries in Order
Each book is a self-contained mystery set in a different beautiful Italian location — Florence, Siena, Portofino, Venice, Rome and beyond — as ex-DCI-turned-private-investigator Dan Armstrong and his Labrador Oscar solve murders amid gorgeous scenery. The series is best enjoyed in order, as Dan's personal life develops across the books, but you can dip in anywhere. Seventeen books and counting.
#1 — Murder in Tuscany · Available now
Retired DCI Dan Armstrong signs up for a creative-writing course at Villa Volpone in the Tuscan hills. Days in, the host — a famous crime writer — is found stabbed with his own award-winning silver dagger, and among eleven guests, one of them is lying. View on Amazon →
#2 — Murder in Chianti · Available now
When despised millionaire Rex Hunter is found with his head bashed in on the eighth hole of his Chianti country club, Dan figures a rich man with that many enemies will be a hole-in-one to solve. The trouble is narrowing down a very long list of people glad he's gone. View on Amazon →
#3 — Murder in Florence · Available now
Life as a PI near Florence isn't glamorous — until Dan is hired to investigate violent attacks on a Hollywood film set. Movie-star royalty Selena Gardner fears for her life, and as Dan digs into the production, he finds no shortage of people with motives. View on Amazon →
#4 — Murder in Siena · Available now
A relaxing weekend near Siena with girlfriend Anna is exactly what Dan needs — until a mutilated body turns up in the hotel grounds. Wild animals or a vicious killer? As he investigates, Dan starts to fear his loyal Oscar may be in the predator's path too. View on Amazon →
#5 — Murder at the Matterhorn · Available now
Retired but never off duty, Dan agrees to help an old police colleague — only to find the case at an isolated mountain-top campsite of UFO enthusiasts. These are no ordinary star-watchers, and when Dan arrives, an unexplained death has already turned the thin alpine air sinister. View on Amazon →
#6 — Murder at the Leaning Tower · Available now
Hired to provide security at a secluded villa outside Pisa, Dan expects an easy job — remote house, wealthy guests, what could go wrong? Plenty. In the shadow of the Leaning Tower, old grudges simmer among the glittering guests, and a simple assignment tips into murder. View on Amazon →
#7 — Murder on the Italian Riviera · Available now
Dan is wary when Bianca Moretti asks for his help — she's intelligent, beautiful, and someone he once sent to prison. But a suspicious death on the Italian Riviera pulls him in, forcing him to work alongside a woman with every reason to resent him. View on Amazon →
#8 — Murder in Portofino · Available now
Hoping for a real holiday with Anna in celebrity-favorite Portofino, Dan should have known better — murder follows him everywhere. Among the yachts and A-listers of the glamorous resort, a death shatters the calm, and Dan and Oscar are the only ones asking hard questions. View on Amazon →
#9 — Murder in Verona · Available now
When Italy's greatest opera singer dies in a car crash, police call it accident or suicide — but his elderly mother, Violetta, calls it poppycock. Her son was a brilliant driver with everything to live for, so she turns to Dan to prove it was murder. View on Amazon →
#10 — Murder in the Tuscan Hills · Available now
Dan and his beloved Oscar look forward to a quiet September as grape-harvest season rolls across Tuscany. Then Dan is called about a mysterious death out among the vineyards, and the golden, wine-soaked hills prove to be hiding something far darker than a good vintage. View on Amazon →
#11 — Murder at the Ponte Vecchio · Available now
Dan knows Florence's world-famous Ponte Vecchio well — usually thronged with tourists. But this time the iconic bridge is the scene of an unexplained death, and as Dan investigates, the postcard heart of the city gives up secrets uglier than its golden facade suggests. View on Amazon →
#12 — Murder on an Italian Island · Available now
Invited to sun-drenched Elba for a much-needed break, Dan promises Anna he won't 'play detective' this time. It's a promise with a short shelf life: paradise turns deadly, and the island's small, sealed community means the killer is almost certainly close at hand. View on Amazon →
#13 — Murder in Venice · Available now
Dan can't believe his luck when movie legend Alice Graceland invites him to her Venice villa — until he learns she wants him to host a murder-mystery evening for a tense crowd of Hollywood royalty. Then one of the guests turns up genuinely, permanently dead. View on Amazon →
#14 — Murder at the Duomo · Available now
August heat settles over Florence and Dan just wants to play tourist — until a British man is found dead inside the magnificent Duomo. The victim, an arms dealer with a saintly name and devilish reputation, left behind a villa full of secretive, tight-lipped suspects. View on Amazon →
#15 — Murder in Rome · Available now
Three years in Florence and Rome has always eluded Dan — until TV celebrity Tamsin Goodfaith asks him to investigate her uncle's suspicious death. Billionaire Philip Hastings died at his spooky medieval castle in the Roman hills, and a second murder soon makes it personal. View on Amazon →
#16 — Murder at Christmas · Coming August 4, 2026
Dan, his wife, and Oscar settle into a luxurious Alpine chalet for Christmas — but their host fears for his life, and the family party seethes with mistrust. Then the snow falls fast and heavy, someone dies, and the valley is sealed off with a killer inside. View on Amazon →
#17 — Murder in Bologna · Coming November 6, 2026
A grieving father asks Dan to uncover the truth behind his gifted son's death — a student at Bologna's prestigious Art Institute. Dan and Oscar head north into a world of mourning classmates and a heartbroken ex-girlfriend, where still life shades into still death. View on Amazon →
Box Set
Want to sample the series? The Armstrong & Oscar Cozy Mysteries 1–3 box set collects the first three books — Murder in Tuscany, Murder in Chianti, and Murder in Florence — in one value-priced bundle, a great way to start. View on Amazon →
Standalone
Separate from the Armstrong and Oscar series, T.A. Williams also wrote an earlier standalone cozy mystery worth knowing about:
Secrets at Toplingham Manor · Available now
A standalone from earlier in Williams's career: when Roger Dalby inherits Toplingham Manor from his late uncle, he's unprepared for what follows — including the use his friend Duggie finds for the second floor. A twist-filled English-country mystery where nothing is as it seems. View on Amazon →
About T.A. Williams
T.A. Williams is a bestselling British author who writes the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series, following a retired Detective Chief Inspector and his loyal Labrador as they solve crimes across the most beautiful corners of Italy. The books pair page-turning whodunit plots with sun-drenched settings and plenty of canine charm. Explore more on his author page, or browse other British cozies and cozy authors A–Z.