Laura Lippman Books in Order (Updated February 19, 2026)

Laura Lippman is an American crime novelist best known for her Baltimore-set fiction. Her reading order is simple once you separate the Tess Monaghan continuity from her standalone novels and the newer Mrs Blossom offshoot.

Quick answer

• If you like long-running series detectives with relationship continuity: start with Baltimore Blues (Tess Monaghan #1).
• If you like modern standalones with a strong “what really happened?” pull: start with What the Dead Know (standalone).
• If you like lighter, travel-forward mystery with an older heroine: start with Murder Takes a Vacation (Mrs Blossom Mystery #1).

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First, pick your lane

Lane A: Tess Monaghan (one continuous series) → read in order.
Lane B: Mrs Blossom (spins out of the Tess world) → readable on its own, but richer if you already know Tess’s orbit.
Lane C: Standalones → read anywhere, any time.

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Lane A: Tess Monaghan series (publication order)

1. Baltimore Blues: Tess, newly cut loose from journalism, stumbles into her first “accidental PI” case and the series’ core friendships.
2. Charm City: A Baltimore mystery pulls Tess into a mess of loyalties and attention she isn’t sure she wants.
3. Butchers Hill: A request from a man linked to an old murder turns into a chain of danger that tests Tess’s judgment.
4. In Big Trouble: Tess leaves Baltimore for a job that looks personal, and becomes dangerous for reasons she didn’t predict.
5. The Sugar House: A cold case with a nameless victim forces Tess to navigate politics, grief, and hidden histories.
6. In a Strange City: An annual Baltimore ritual becomes deadly, and Tess learns how quickly “local legend” can turn real.
7. The Last Place: An old set of killings won’t stay dormant, and Tess’s own past ties tighten the stakes.
8. By a Spider’s Thread: A missing family case drags Tess through a web of control, charm, and escalating violence.
9. No Good Deeds: Tess tries to protect a vulnerable witness and collides with institutions that don’t play fair.
10. Another Thing to Fall: Tess moves through a film/TV production in Baltimore where “accidents” don’t look accidental.
11. The Girl in the Green Raincoat: A shorter Tess case where a seemingly small assignment reveals a darker pattern.
12. Hush Hush: Tess is pulled into a high-heat case with personal consequences, best read after the full build-up.

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Lane B: Mrs Blossom Mystery (publication order)

1. Murder Takes a Vacation: Muriel “Mrs” Blossom, formerly connected to the Tess books, steps into the spotlight when a European trip turns into a dangerous puzzle.

Continuity note: This is designed to work without reading Tess first, but it’s not a “replacement” for Tess Monaghan, think of it as a side door into the same broader Baltimore-adjacent world.

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Lane C: Standalone novels (publication order)

1. Every Secret Thing: A child’s disappearance fractures families and the city, and the story lives in the aftermath as much as the crime.
2. To the Power of Three: Three teenage friends sit at the center of a school tragedy, and the book asks what “cause” really means.
3. What the Dead Know (also published as Little Sister): A decades-old missing-sisters case reopens when a woman appears and can’t, or won’t, prove who she is.
4. Life Sentences: A woman’s past comes back with a vengeance, turning old choices into present-day leverage.
5. I’d Know You Anywhere (also published as Don’t Look Back): A reformed man from a notorious case returns, and the question becomes who benefits from reopening the story.
6. The Most Dangerous Thing (also published as The Innocents): A childhood incident won’t stay buried, and adult lives start unraveling around it.
7. And When She Was Good: A woman with a carefully constructed identity finds that reinvention has limits, and enemies.
8. After I’m Gone: A family’s long shadow stretches across decades as old crimes and old love stories collide.
9. Wilde Lake: A prosecutor’s present case forces her to re-examine a defining event from her youth.
10. Sunburn: A hard-edged noir-leaning story where desire, money, and self-protection crash into each other.
11. Lady in the Lake: 1960s Baltimore, a woman remaking her life, and a mystery that exposes what the city prefers to hide.
12. Dream Girl: A novelist trapped by illness becomes obsessed with a voice on the phone, and what it might be steering him toward.
13. Prom Mom: A woman living with a tabloid-level past is pulled back into the night that defined her, and the fallout isn’t finished.

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Reading rules that keep you spoiler-safe

• Never start Tess at random if you care about character growth and relationships; begin at #1 and move forward.
• Standalones are truly standalone, choose by premise without worrying about crossover spoilers.
• Mrs Blossom is fine as a first read, but it can feel warmer if you already know Tess’s Baltimore.

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Latest release status

• Most recent new novel (as of this update): Murder Takes a Vacation (2025).
• Most recent major standalone before that: Prom Mom (2023; paperback release followed later in some markets).

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FAQs

Do I have to read The Girl in the Green Raincoat to understand the Tess series?
It’s a Tess entry and sits best in order, but it’s shorter and can be treated as “extra Tess” rather than a main pillar.

Are any of the standalones secretly connected?
Not in a way that requires a shared reading order; treat them as separate continuities.

Why do some titles look different in different places?
A few standalones have alternate titles in different markets; the story is the same even when the cover name changes.

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Conclusion

If you want the full long-form experience, start with Baltimore Blues and read Tess straight through. If you want one book that shows Lippman’s standalone strengths, start with What the Dead Know. If you want something breezier without losing craft, start with Murder Takes a Vacation.