Ellen Byron Books in Order: All Four Mystery Series, Including Maria DiRico

Ellen Byron is an award-winning American mystery author known for combining murder investigations with humor, memorable characters, and lively settings. Her stories take readers from Louisiana’s bayous and historic homes to New Orleans food culture, a quirky California motel, and an Italian-American family business in Queens, New York.

One interesting detail about Byron is that she writes under two names. Her Ellen Byron books include the Cajun Country, Vintage Cookbook, and Golden Motel series, while her Maria DiRico books follow the Catering Hall Mysteries. This guide separates all four series, gives the correct reading order, and includes short descriptions to help you decide where to start.

Ellen Byron Books in Order by Series

The easiest way to read Ellen Byron is to follow each series separately. The stories have different main characters and settings, so you do not need to finish one series before beginning another.

1. Cajun Country Mysteries in Order

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The Cajun Country Mysteries follow Maggie Crozat, a Louisiana artist who helps manage her family’s historic plantation, which has been turned into a bed-and-breakfast. Life in the small town of Pelican is full of local traditions, family relationships, food, festivals, and, of course, murder.

This was Byron’s debut mystery series. It contains seven novels, published between 2015 and 2021.

1. Plantation Shudders (2015)

Maggie Crozat returns to her hometown of Pelican, Louisiana, where her family runs a historic plantation that now operates as a bed-and-breakfast. The business is important to the family, but a murder threatens to damage its reputation and future. Maggie finds herself drawn into the investigation as she tries to protect her family and uncover the truth. This is the book that introduces the Crozat family and the charming but sometimes dangerous town of Pelican.

2. Body on the Bayou (2016)

Maggie agrees to be the maid of honor at the wedding of Vanessa Fleer, a woman she does not particularly get along with. The celebration takes a dangerous turn when a murder occurs and Vanessa becomes a leading suspect. Maggie must investigate the case while dealing with the demands of the bride and the complicated relationships around her. The story brings back the Crozat family and adds more Southern humor and small-town drama.

3. A Cajun Christmas Killing (2017)

Christmas should be a happy time at the Crozat Plantation B&B, but an unpleasant visitor makes life difficult for Maggie and her family. The trouble becomes much worse when the visitor is found murdered. Maggie’s detective boyfriend also becomes a suspect, making the investigation personal. She must find the real killer before the holiday season turns into a disaster.

4. Mardi Gras Murder (2018)

Mardi Gras brings parades, celebrations, and plenty of excitement to Pelican, Louisiana. But a flood changes the mood when a stranger’s body is discovered behind the Crozat Plantation B&B. Maggie becomes involved in another murder investigation, uncovering old grudges and secrets within the community. The festive setting and local traditions give this mystery a strong Louisiana atmosphere.

5. Fatal Cajun Festival (2019)

Maggie is looking forward to enjoying Cajun Country Live!, a country music festival where her friend Gaynell Bourgeois and her band are performing. However, the festival takes a dark turn when a murder investigation begins involving someone connected to one of the performers. Maggie has to work through the suspects and uncover the truth before the killer gets away. The story combines music, festival excitement, and the series’ familiar humor.

6. Murder in the Bayou Boneyard (2020)

Maggie and her family prepare for Halloween by organizing a special tourism event in Pelican. Several local plantation bed-and-breakfasts take part in a spooky historical experience, complete with themed activities and a cemetery performance. But the Halloween atmosphere becomes much more frightening when murders begin to occur. Maggie must investigate the crimes before the town’s spooky past creates an even more dangerous present.

7. Cajun Kiss of Death (2021)

Maggie plans to spend February enjoying art lessons in New Orleans with her sweetheart, Bo. Her plans change when a friend and her mother become involved in a murder case. At the same time, Maggie begins receiving anonymous gifts that move from charming to disturbing, raising the possibility that she has a stalker. This seventh book mixes romance, family loyalty, and another complicated investigation.

2. Vintage Cookbook Mysteries in Order

The Vintage Cookbook Mysteries take place in New Orleans and follow Ricki James-Diaz, a young widow who moves back to the city where she was born. Ricki loves vintage cookbooks and gets an opportunity to turn that interest into a business at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum.

The series combines food history, family secrets, New Orleans culture, and murder investigations. It has five books as of October 2026.

1. Bayou Book Thief (2022)

Twenty-eight-year-old Ricki James leaves Los Angeles and starts a new life in New Orleans after her actor husband dies in an internet stunt. She finds work at the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum and gets the chance to open a shop selling vintage cookbooks and kitchenware. But her new career takes an unexpected turn when she discovers a dead body inside a box of donated cookbooks. Ricki becomes an amateur detective while trying to make her new business successful.

2. Wined and Died in New Orleans (2023)

Hurricane season arrives in New Orleans, and Ricki has more than the weather to worry about. Repairs at the Bon Vee property uncover valuable old French wine hidden for generations, attracting attention from members of the Charbonnet family. The discovery creates excitement for Ricki’s business, but it also brings family disputes and a murder investigation. Ricki must solve the case while dealing with the threat of a major storm.

3. French Quarter Fright Night (2024)

Halloween brings a haunted-house attraction to the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum. Ricki hopes the event will attract visitors to her vintage cookbook shop, but the arrival of a famous movie star and his entourage creates unexpected trouble. When a dead body is discovered inside a prop tomb, the museum’s staff and visitors become part of a murder investigation. Ricki and her friends must uncover the killer before the Halloween celebrations turn even darker.

4. Crescent City Christmas Chaos (2025)

Ricki gets a special Christmas surprise when her parents visit New Orleans for the holidays. Their reunion gives her a chance to learn more about her adoption, but the family discovers that her mother has been hiding a painful secret involving blackmail. When the woman responsible for the blackmail is found dead, Ricki’s mother becomes the main suspect. Ricki must investigate the murder and uncover the truth about her family’s past.

5. A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras (2026)

Ricki and her friends from Bon Vee join a Mardi Gras krewe to support her chef boyfriend, Virgil, who is expected to become the group’s king. The celebrations take a deadly turn when the krewe’s captain is found strangled with his own medallion. Ricki’s friend, who is also the victim’s wife, becomes the prime suspect, but Ricki is not convinced that the case is as simple as it looks. She must investigate a group of people with plenty of reasons to want the captain dead.

3. Golden Motel Mysteries in Order

The Golden Motel Mysteries move away from Louisiana and take readers to a small California village. The main character is Dee Stern, a former sitcom writer who decides to leave Los Angeles and start a new chapter of her life by running a remote motel.

Dee’s new business brings unexpected challenges, unusual guests, and murder investigations. The series has three books as of October 2026.

1. A Very Woodsy Murder (2024)

Dee Stern is a struggling sitcom writer who feels that her career and personal life need a fresh start. During an unplanned road trip, she discovers an old motel near a national park and decides to turn it into a business with her first ex-husband, Jeff Cornetta. Running a motel in the wilderness proves harder than expected, especially when a guest is murdered and Dee and Jeff become suspects. Dee must use her problem-solving skills to find the killer while trying to save her new business.

2. Solid Gold Murder (2025)

Dee and Jeff are working hard to improve the reputation of their Golden Motel, which has become known as the Murder Motel. Their plans take an unexpected turn when a real gold nugget is discovered, attracting prospectors, tourists, and plenty of attention. The excitement soon leads to trouble when a retired tech executive is found dead at the bottom of a mineshaft. Dee must investigate the growing list of suspects before the motel’s future is put at risk.

3. All Aboard for Murder (2026)

Dee is beginning to feel comfortable in her new life at the Golden Motel. The village is preparing for Halloween and celebrating its local history, including the legacy of the Sprockles family and its historic railroad. But the festivities turn into a murder investigation when Moses Sprockles is found dead on the railroad tracks. Dee follows the clues and investigates a curious group of suspects, including a former child star, a local business owner, and the mayor.

4. Catering Hall Mysteries by Maria DiRico in Order

Ellen Byron uses the pen name Maria DiRico for the Catering Hall Mysteries. This series follows Mia Carina, who returns to Astoria, Queens, after her marriage falls apart. She starts working at her Italian-American family’s catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, where weddings, parties, family drama, and murder investigations seem to go together.

These books have a different setting and feel from Byron’s Louisiana and California mysteries. They also include Italian recipes. There are five novels in the series.

1. Here Comes the Body (2020)

After her husband’s boat goes down, Mia Carina returns to Astoria, Queens, and moves in with her nonna and her oversized cat, Doorstop. She starts working at her father’s catering hall, Belle View, where she hopes to build a new life. But a bachelor party takes a shocking turn when a dead body is discovered inside a giant cake. When the police begin suspecting her father, Mia has to investigate and protect her family.

2. Long Island Iced Tina (2021)

Mia is busy managing Belle View and helping her family when her friend Nicole prepares for a baby shower. Nicole also has to attend an event hosted by her wealthy and competitive stepmother, Tina. Mia sees the party as an opportunity to learn more about a rival catering business, but the discovery of a valuable stolen painting and a dead body turns the situation into a murder mystery. Mia must work out how the clues connect before another family celebration is ruined.

3. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder (2021)

Christmas season keeps Mia busy with events at Belle View, including a themed birthday party and a Sweet Sixteen celebration. Her personal life is also complicated by the return of her estranged mother and a shocking discovery about her longtime friend Jamie. When a body is found among the decorations in a Santa’s-workshop display, Mia has a new murder case to solve. The holiday setting brings together family secrets, suspicious characters, and plenty of festive chaos.

4. Four Parties and a Funeral (2023)

Belle View has a packed schedule of proms, graduations, and weddings, but one unusual booking creates trouble for Mia. A television production company chooses the catering hall for a casting call connected to a reality show about mobsters. The people involved bring plenty of drama, arguments, and suspicious behavior. When a body is discovered at a nearby mansion rented by the production, Mia must investigate another murder connected to the entertainment business.

5. The Witless Protection Program (2024)

Mia has helped turn Belle View into one of the most popular party venues in Astoria, and her personal life seems ready for a happy new chapter. But her hopes of marrying her boyfriend Shane are complicated when she spots her supposedly dead first husband, Adam. If Adam is alive, Mia may still be legally married, and the situation puts her future at risk. She must figure out what is happening while dealing with people who may want Adam dead.

Ellen Byron Books in Publication Order

If you want to read all the novels by Ellen Byron and Maria DiRico in the order they were first published, rather than completing one series at a time, use this combined list.

The combined list includes the 20 main novels across all four series. The publication order is useful if you want to explore how Byron’s writing developed over time, but you do not have to follow it to understand any individual series.

Which Ellen Byron Series Should You Read First?

Not sure where to begin? Your choice can depend on the kind of cozy mystery you enjoy most.

• For Southern charm and family stories: Start with the Cajun Country Mysteries. Maggie Crozat’s family, the small-town setting, and Louisiana traditions make this series a great introduction to Byron’s work.
• For food, cookbooks, and New Orleans culture: Choose the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries. Ricki’s interest in vintage cookbooks gives the stories a distinctive culinary atmosphere.
• For a quirky setting and a fresh start: Try the Golden Motel Mysteries. Dee’s attempt to run a motel with her ex-husband creates plenty of opportunities for humor and trouble.
• For Italian-American family drama: Read the Catering Hall Mysteries by Maria DiRico. Mia’s family business and life in Queens provide a different kind of cozy mystery experience.

You can start with any of the four first books without reading the others. If you want to follow one character’s journey, however, read that series in its numbered order.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ellen Byron Books

How many books has Ellen Byron written?

Ellen Byron has published 15 novels under her own name across three series: Cajun Country, Vintage Cookbook, and Golden Motel. She has also published five Catering Hall Mysteries under the name Maria DiRico. That makes 20 main series novels across the four series as of October 2026.

What is Ellen Byron’s first book?

Plantation Shudders, published in 2015, was Ellen Byron’s debut novel and the first book in the Cajun Country Mysteries. It introduces Maggie Crozat and her family’s plantation bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana.

Is Maria DiRico the same person as Ellen Byron?

Yes. Maria DiRico is the pen name used by Ellen Byron for the Catering Hall Mysteries. The series follows Mia Carina and her family’s catering business in Astoria, Queens.

Do you need to read Ellen Byron’s series in order?

You can read the four series independently because they have different main characters and storylines. However, it is best to follow the numbered order within each series to enjoy the characters’ development and ongoing personal stories.

What is Ellen Byron’s latest book?

As of October 2026, All Aboard for Murder and A Murderer’s Guide to Mardi Gras are her latest listed releases, both published in 2026. The first is the third Golden Motel Mystery, while the second is the fifth Vintage Cookbook Mystery.

What genre does Ellen Byron write?

Ellen Byron is best known for cozy mysteries. Her books often feature amateur detectives, small communities, family relationships, food, humor, and murder investigations without focusing on graphic violence.

Which Ellen Byron book should I read first?

Plantation Shudders is the best starting point if you want to read her work in debut order. If you are more interested in New Orleans food culture, start with Bayou Book Thief. For her California mysteries, choose A Very Woodsy Murder.

Are the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries and Cajun Country Mysteries connected?

Both series are written by Ellen Byron and feature Louisiana settings, but they have different main characters and central storylines. You can read either series without knowing the events of the other.

Final Thoughts on Reading Ellen Byron’s Books

Ellen Byron offers several different cozy mystery worlds, each with its own setting, characters, and personality. The Cajun Country Mysteries are ideal for readers who enjoy Southern traditions and family-centered stories, while the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries bring food history and New Orleans culture into the picture. The Golden Motel books offer a quirky California setting, and the Catering Hall Mysteries by Maria DiRico add Italian-American family life and plenty of humor. With 20 main novels across these four series, there is plenty to explore. Pick the setting that interests you most, begin with the first book in that series, and enjoy following the clues alongside Byron’s memorable amateur sleuths.

Written by

Emon Anam

Hi, I’m Emon. I’m the voice and heart behind Whimsy Read. After nine years in the world of banking, I followed my passion for storytelling into the world of SEO and content strategy. Now, I blend that analytical eye with a deep love for literature to bring you book reviews that are thoughtful, honest, and always focused on the stories that stay with you. When I’m not reading or writing, you’ll find me enjoying joyful chaos with my wife and three kids, getting lost in a new series, or revisiting my old loves: theater, music, and gaming. At the end of the day, I believe great books are meant to be shared, and I’m so glad you’re here to share them with me.