Below is the complete list of Ellery Adams’ Book Retreat Mysteries books in publication order. For this series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Book Retreat Mysteries Books in Publication Order
- Murder in the Mystery Suite (2014)
- Murder in the Paperback Parlor (2015)
- Murder in the Secret Garden (2016)
- Murder in the Locked Library (2018)
- Murder in the Reading Room (2019)
- Murder in the Storybook Cottage (2020)
- Murder in the Cookbook Nook (2021)
- Murder on the Poet’s Walk (2022)
- Murder in the Book Lover’s Loft (2023)
About Book Retreat Mysteries
Ellery Adams’ Book Retreat Mysteries revolve around Jane Steward, the manager of Storyton Hall, a book-themed resort in rural western Virginia that caters to readers who want a literary getaway with themed events, libraries, and author-inspired spaces. The series has a strong books-about-books appeal, but it is still very much a cozy mystery at heart: each installment places Jane in the middle of a new murder while the larger world of Storyton Hall gradually opens up around her. Penguin Random House’s series page and Adams’ official bookshelf both position Jane and Storyton Hall as the center of the series.
The series begins with Murder in the Mystery Suite (2014). In that opening novel, Jane hosts a “Murder and Mayhem” week for mystery fans at Storyton Hall. What should have been a playful event turns serious when scavenger-hunt winner Felix Hampden is found dead in the Mystery Suite, and the valuable book he won disappears with him. That setup establishes the series neatly: literary programming, rare books, eccentric guests, and Jane forced to become a real sleuth in a place full of pretend ones.
The second book, Murder in the Paperback Parlor (2015), shifts the theme to romance fiction and Valentine’s festivities. Jane organizes a week for readers of love stories, but one of the featured guests, celebrated author Rosamund York, is murdered. The suspect pool includes rival writers, angry fans, and personal enemies, which gives the book a strong publishing-world angle. It also introduces one of the series’ recurring pleasures: Storyton Hall’s themed gatherings are never just decorative background; they shape the motives, clues, and social tensions of each mystery.
In Murder in the Secret Garden (2016), the series leans harder into Gothic atmosphere. A hidden garden on the Storyton grounds—filled with beautiful but dangerous plants—draws the attention of a guest group called the Medieval Herbalists. When one of them dies, Jane has to untangle whether the visitor came for harmless historical interest or with a more sinister plan. The third book also signals something important about the series as a whole: Adams likes to build each mystery around a specific literary or historical fascination, so the books never feel like copies of one another.
Later books continue to widen Jane’s world without losing the charm of the original setup. Murder in the Locked Library reveals that Jane is balancing resort life with motherhood—her twins are named Fitzgerald and Hemingway—while a spa construction project turns up unusual bones and fragments of an old book. Murder in the Reading Room sends Jane to the Biltmore Estate while she searches for her missing boyfriend Edwin and follows a mystery involving Ernest Hemingway’s lost suitcase. From there the series continues with Murder in the Storybook Cottage, Murder in the Cookbook Nook, Murder on the Poet’s Walk, and Murder in the Book Lover’s Loft, all listed in that order on Adams’ official site.
One reason the series works so well in publication order is that Jane’s life does not stand still between cases. Her relationships deepen, Storyton Hall keeps expanding, and the recurring cast becomes more rewarding as the books go on. The resort itself is part of the draw: the Agatha Christie Tea Room, the libraries, the themed guest weeks, and the bookish atmosphere give the series a distinct identity among cozy mysteries. Penguin Random House explicitly frames the novels as Jane Steward’s ongoing sleuthing adventures at Storyton Hall, and Ellery Adams’ official bibliography confirms the sequence of titles.
Taken together, the Book Retreat Mysteries are a good fit for readers who like traditional whodunits with a literary setting, but they also have more continuity than many cozy series. Jane is not just solving isolated murders in a generic small town. She is protecting a place built for book lovers, and that gives the series a warm, specific personality from the first book onward.