Stella and Lyndy Mysteries in Order: How to Read Clara McKenna’s series?

Written by the American crime writer Clara McKenna, The Stella and Lyndy Mysteries is a historical cozy mystery series set in Edwardian England. The story starts with the introduction of strong-willed Stella Kendrick, an all-American heiress, to the British aristocracy as she left her Kentucky countryside to be wed to the Earl of Atherly’s son.

Reluctant at first, Stella realized that she found her match in Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst. Now, Stella and Lyndy try to go ahead with their new relationship, but murder doesn’t stop interrupting them! Between petty scandals and bloody cadavers, joining the British aristocracy is not without its challenges.

How To Read The Stella and Lyndy Mystery Series in Order?

Every entry in the Stella and Lyndy book series works as a standalone story, but the lives of the different characters evolve from one novel to the other.

1. Murder at Morrington Hall – Spring, 1905: When Stella is asked to attend a strange wedding in rural England, she seizes the opportunity with both hands, taking adventure by the reins like the Thoroughbreds she rides over the Kentucky countryside. When she gets to the opulent Morrington Hall estate, however, her chilly and aspirational father reveals that he has arranged to marry off his daughter to the financially challenged son of the Earl of Atherly in addition to giving away his best racehorses as gifts. Stella will not be bought and sold like a valuable pony. Nevertheless, despite a rocky beginning, she finds the Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst, her intended spouse, to be interesting. The unusual couple may possibly be a good match until they discover the vicar who was supposed to marry them dead in the library.
2. Murder at Blackwater Bend – After a brief engagement to Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst, Stella is now establishing herself in a prestigious social scene in lovely rural England. However, engaging in conversation with sophisticated friends might be more risky than committing a faux pas, particularly when doing so with Lady Philippa, the lady Lyndy was once engaged to marry, and her flamboyant husband, Lord Fairbrother. After Lord Fairbrother’s pony wins best in breed for the seventh year in a row, outrage breaks out and allegations start to fly. The guy has his share of enemies and secrets, but Stella and Lyndy are in for a shocking discovery when, on a peaceful morning fishing excursion, they come upon his body floating in the river.
3. Murder at Keyhaven Castle – Stella suddenly feels less like an out-of-place American and more like a revered aristocrat between elaborate bridal gown fittings and encounters with Lyndy’s distant family. Everything changes when her controlling father returns and an anonymous present arrives, casting a gloomy shade over the festivities and bringing back painful memories and fresh anxieties. When a day excursion to Southampton ends with a mysterious visitor being crushed by a horse-drawn taxi, tensions rise. Prior to anybody being able to explain why the victim had a newspaper clipping about the planned ceremony at Morrington Hall, tragedy strikes once more, this time in the form of a murder that utterly upends Stella’s life while also involving one of Lyndy’s esteemed family members.

4. Murder at the Majestic Hotel – Travel-weary Stella and Lyndy arrive at the opulent Majestic Hotel in York to still more misfortune-their stately honeymoon room has been given away to Horace Wingrove, proprietor of England’s largest confectionary. Leaving behind tragedies surrounding their wedding at Morrington Hall. When Horace suffocates in the room that she and Lyndy were supposed to stay in, Stella loses hope that an innocent booking error will ruin the atmosphere. Stella disagrees with the responding authorities who claim the business magnate’s death was an accident. Strange whispers in the corridor, secretive hotel workers, and a stolen recipe for Wingrave’s renowned chocolate are just a few of the alarming clues.
5. Murder on Mistletoe Lane – Assuming the duties of Lady Lyndhurst, Stella is eager to participate in holiday customs in the Edwardian English countryside and utilize her considerable social influence for good. She becomes so preoccupied in organizing a horse farm charity for the holidays that she hardly pays attention to the typical peculiarities associated with her upper-class way of life. At least, not until her bedroom’s contents disappear and Mrs. Nelson, the resented housekeeper, falls ill, only to pass away in the cold on Mistletoe Lane. The untimely death dampens everyone’s mood, especially after Stella wonders if her own staff knows what-or who-killed the woman. When a second individual passes away under mysterious circumstances during the annual Boxing Day Point-to-Point race in the New Forest, her suspicions grow.

If you like the Stella and Lyndy reading order, you may be interested in the Railway Detective series, the Wrexford & Sloane books, the Lady Darby Mysteries.