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Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery is a series of cozy mystery novels written by Mary Daheim. The books chronicle the life of a B&B hostess who can’t keep her nose out of murders.
Order of Bed-and-Breakfast Mysteries Series By: Mary Daheim, Carolyn Hart
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Just Desserts | 1991 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Fowl Prey | 1991 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Holy Terrors | 1992 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Dune to Death | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Bantam of the Opera | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | A Fit of Tempera | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Major Vices | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Murder, My Suite | 1995 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Auntie Mayhem | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | Nutty as a Fruitcake | 1996 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | September Mourn | 1997 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | Wed and Buried | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | Snow Place to Die | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | Legs Benedict | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | Creeps Suzette | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 16 | A Streetcar Named Expire | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 17 | Suture Self | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 18 | Silver Scream | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 19 | Hocus Croakus | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 20 | This Old Souse | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 21 | Dead Man Docking | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 22 | Saks & Violins | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 23 | Scots on the Rocks | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 24 | Vi Agra Falls | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 25 | Loco Motive | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 26 | All the Pretty Hearses | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 27 | The Wurst Is Yet to Come | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 28 | Gone with the Win | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 29 | Clam Wake | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 30 | Here Comes the Bribe | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 31 | A Case of Bier | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 32 | Lady MacDeath | 2020 | Description / Buy |
When readers first meet Judith McMonigle in Just Desserts, the first novel in the Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery series, the harried hostess is doing what she can to keep her Inn afloat.
When a celebrity couple and their offspring drop by, Judith expects a night of drinking and dining and all the work on her part that it will entail.
However, when a murder is perpetrated right under her roof, Judith must put her hosting duties aside to find the killer. But accomplishing the task won’t be easy, not with Joe Flynn, the local policeman hanging around the crime scene.
The Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery series isn’t as concerned with the resolution of that particular case as it is with all the additional murders that the heroine encounters down the line.
Each novel in the Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery series pits Judith McMonigle against a new mystery.
More often than not, Judith will stick her nose where it doesn’t belong because the murders in question have struck a little too close to home, affecting people in her life that she knows and cares for.
Sometimes, Judith is just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And her curiosity is such that she can’t help but put her mind to the task of solving every mystery she comes across.
The heroine is widowed by the time readers meet her. Judith’s marriage to an overly obese husband was anything but happy and, to an extent, she was happy to escape it.
The hostess spends her days running the Hillside Manor Inn which is situated in her renovated but dilapidated family home.
Judith is joined in her efforts to run her business by her grumpy mother Gertrude and her cousin Renie.
Renie actually accompanies Judith on many of her sleuthing adventures. Every so often, Judith will have to contend with Flynn, a detective.
Judith and Flynn were lovers. In fact, they were ready to get married. But for reasons Judith is always reluctant to divulge, their relationship imploded.
The protagonist must walk a fine line between seeking Flynn’s assistance on her cases and probing any chemistry that might still exist between them.
The Bed-And-Breakfast books don’t differ that drastically from the average cozy mystery novel.
The characters are quirky and crazy. A lot of attention is given to the food everyone eats and the recipes Judith uses. The author also throws various twists and turns into the equation.
Bed-And-Breakfast Mystery Awards
The first novel in this series was nominated for an Agatha Christie Award in 1991.
Best Bed-And-Breakfast Mystery Books
These novels are quick reads that can be consumed in just a few sessions, with some of the best titles in the series including:
Dune of Death: Joe Flynn and Judith McMonigle were finally married. And they were looking forward to several days of fun at the beautiful Buccaneer Beach. But then a dune buggy accident sent Flynn to the hospital, bringing their honeymoon to a startling halt.
Fortunately for Judith, she had Renie to keep her company. Judith gets an opportunity to take her mind off her new husband’s poor luck when the landlady of their cottage is found dead in their living room.
Major Vices: Their uncle might be wealthy but Judith and Renie have no interest in catering Boo Major’s 75th birthday bash.
When they are finally talked into it, the pair decides to stay sequestered in the sprawling Major Manor’s busy kitchen. Judith is determined to avoid their contemptible kin.
However, that becomes impossible when the birthday boy dies and his will makes everyone a suspect, including Judith and her cousin.
Other Book Series You May Like
Another good series is the “Lady Katherine Regency Matchmaker” Series by Leighann Dobbs. Lady Katherine is a detective-in-training. She wants to follow her father into the trade. But she also needs her dowry on her 25th birthday. It will allow her to live independently.
But her father isn’t making things easy. He gives her ten days to prove her worth as a detective and earn her dowry by catching the killer that’s haunting Regency England.
You may also like the “Rachel Prince Mystery” Series by Dawn Brookes. Rachel Prince is a newly minted policewoman whose fiancé just abandoned her. She works with Sarah, her best friend, and a nurse, to solve crimes and mysteries on cruise ships.
What Is The Next Book in The Bed-and-breakfast Mysteries Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Bed-and-breakfast Mysteries Series. The newest book is Lady MacDeath and was released on November, 10th 2020.