A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery Books in Order

A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery Series by Alyssa Maxwell is a cozy historical mystery series set in the Gilded Age world of Newport, Rhode Island's summer elite — the Newport 400, their grand cottages, and the elaborate social rituals of America's wealthiest families. Amateur sleuth Emma Cross moves between the world of the servants and the world of the guests, giving her a unique perspective on the crimes that disrupt each glittering season.

Maxwell writes with loving attention to the historical detail of the Gilded Age: the fashions, the social hierarchies, the real families (the Vanderbilts appear as characters) and the particular tensions of an era when new money and old values were in constant negotiation. The mystery plotting is pleasurable and the atmosphere is richly evoked.

The series launched in 2015 and built a following among readers who love historical cozy mysteries — the kind that deliver period atmosphere, social comedy, and satisfying puzzle-solving without graphic violence or dark psychological territory. Maxwell's Newport is a place you'll want to visit repeatedly.

Each mystery stands alone, but Emma's relationships and the recurring Newport setting reward reading in order. Start with Murder at the Breakers. If you enjoy Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy or Royal Spyness series, or Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell, this series belongs in your collection.