Domestic Diva Books in Order: How to Read Krista Davis’s Series?

The Domestic Diva series, written by American author Krista Davis, is a collection of cozy mystery novels set in the historic town of Alexandria, Virginia, near Old Town. Blending elements of culinary culture and amateur sleuthing, the series follows protagonist Sophie Winston, a down-to-earth hostess with a talent for solving murders. While Sophie prefers a simple entertaining style, she proves exceptionally resourceful when unraveling complex criminal cases.

Each entry in the series features not only a deliciously plotted mystery but also includes recipes and practical tips for home entertaining, for readers who enjoy lifestyle-focused fiction alongside traditional whodunits!

How to read the Domestic Diva Books in Order?

Although each book in the Domestic Diva series tells a standalone story, the lives of the characters evolve from one book to the next.

1. The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (2008) – When it comes to entertaining, few can compete with local celebrity Natasha Smith, but Sophie Winston is determined to try. Although her childhood rival may have stolen the spotlight — and her husband — this Thanksgiving, Sophie is determined to beat Natasha to the prize in Alexandria, Virginia’s Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredient. However, Sophie’s quest for the perfect turkey takes an unexpected turn when she stumbles upon a corpse. When the police find her name and photo inside the victim’s car, she will have to put her plans on hold to solve the murder—or she’ll be serving up prison grub…
2. The Diva Takes the Cake (2009) – Sophie Winston’s sister, Hannah, is getting married again! If you ask Sophie, her future brother-in-law is far from a prince. But is he a murderer? That’s the question on everyone’s lips when his ex-wife is found hanging from a pergola. This is one event that Sophie and her sister hadn’t planned on.
3. The Diva Paints the Town (2009) – Sophie Winston’s reclusive neighbour, Professor Mordecai Artemus, has died and left his sprawling home to his Pomeranian. Natasha has arrived at the house with a team of interior designers and contractors to prepare it for the statewide Spring Home and Garden Tour. Sophie has even been assigned a room to decorate: the family room, where the professor spent most of his time—and where he died. While cleaning, spackling and painting, Sophie uncovers a second body—but when she looks again, it has disappeared!
4. The Diva Cooks a Goose (2010) – Sophie’s holiday is looking jolly until a Scrooge steals Christmas gifts from her and her neighbours. The evil elf even steals their Christmas dinner! Sophie puts a stop to the neighbours’ finger-pointing by organising a toy swap for the children, thus restoring the spirit of Christmas. But not for long…

5. The Diva Haunts the House (2011) – Sophie’s decorations for the community haunted house are so impressive that they’re almost scary. Not to be outdone, her rival, the domestic diva Natasha, is throwing a spooktacular Halloween party at her house. However, when Sophie arrives, she finds one of Natasha’s guests lying dead in a hair-raising Halloween display and a pale, fanged partygoer fleeing the scene.
6. The Diva Digs Up the Dirt (2012) – Determined not to be a run-of-the-mill diva, Sophie’s neighbour Natasha cultivates a plan to shine on television using Sophie’s backyard. While the cast and crew of the makeover show Tear It Up With Troy tear through her backyard — and her holiday — Sophie retreats to her boyfriend Wolf’s house to replace a dead rose bush. However, her kind deed goes awry when she digs up a handbag belonging to Wolf’s missing wife. Rumours begin to circulate, Wolf disappears, and then a body is found in the garden. Is Wolf’s thorny past raising a dead head? This is one case the domestic diva can’t let wither on the vine…
7. The Diva Frosts a Cupcake (2013) – Sophie and her best friend, Nina Reid Norwood, both love animals. So Sophie is delighted to help when Nina organises Cupcakes and Pupcakes, a fundraising event for animal shelters. However, trouble brews in Old Town when a former partner of Sugar Baby Bakery opens a competing cupcake shop, Sugar Mama, right at the start of the fundraiser. Just when it seems that nothing else could possibly go wrong, Sugar Baby’s sole remaining employee is found dead.
8. The Diva Wraps It Up (2014) – The holidays are Sophie Winston’s favourite time of year. But this year, mishaps seem to be outnumbering mistletoe. First, Horace Scroggins falls from a balcony at his office Christmas party. Then Sophie’s neighbour falls from his ladder while decorating his roof with lights. However, it’s the cookie swap that really makes her wonder who’s naughty or nice…

9. The Diva Steals a Chocolate Kiss (2015) – Domestic diva Sophie Winston is in charge of the sweetest event in Old Town this summer. To celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, Amore Chocolates is holding a chocolate tasting at the home of its CEO, Joe Merano, and Sophie is in charge of the proceedings. With cookies, sweets, and five kinds of chocolate cake, it’s a chocolate lover’s dream! However, when Joe goes missing, the celebration takes a turn for the worse. And when Sophie finds a competing chocolatier’s body in the guesthouse, the event turns deadly.
10. The Diva Serves High Tea (2016) – When The Parlour opens in town, domestic diva Sophie Winston finally has a place to satisfy her cravings for all things tea- and crumpet-related. The shop also serves as the perfect meeting place for the town’s ladies to gather and gossip, especially since it is conveniently located right across the street from the new antique store run by the handsome and charming Robert Johnson. However, speculation about Robert really boils over when he is found dead.
11. The Diva Cooks up a Storm (2018) – Sophie Winston can organise an elaborate event in her sleep, but she rarely gets to experience being a pampered guest. Fortunately, her best friend has just introduced her to the latest culinary craze: a pop-up gourmet dinner party. With a celebrity chef, an epicurean menu, and high-profile attendees, the decadent dining experience is set to be the hottest ticket in Old Town Alexandria. Sophie is thrilled to be joining in the fun—until the posh party turns out to be a recipe for disaster.
12. The Diva Sweetens the Pie (2019) – Nothing heats up Old Town quite like the annual Pie Festival, and this year is no exception — especially since Sophie’s professional rival, Natasha Smith, has been barred from participating. Meanwhile, Sophie has been asked to oversee the pie-eating contest. However, the drama really begins when celebrity judge Patsy Lee Presley, host of the most popular cooking show on television, takes a bite out of one of the pies during the competition and Sophie’s friends become the prime suspects.

13. The Diva Spices It Up (2020) – Sophie had never considered ghostwriting as a side gig until Tilly Stratford, a former actress and aspiring lifestyle guru who is the trophy wife of Wesley Winthrope, needed someone to write her celebrity cookbook. Sophie agreed, hoping that she would earn enough on this assignment to finish renovating her bathroom. However, it transpires that Sophie isn’t the first foodie to develop a taste for ghostwriting recipes, and if the marginalia is anything to go by, this project could be deadly…
14. The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit (2021) – With the DIY Home Decorating Festival in full swing in Old Town, Sophie is snowed under, juggling a host of artisans, antique dealers, and decorators for the busy street fair. Nevertheless, when her best friend Nina suddenly needs a lift from the airport, Sophie is happy to help. That is, until she sees Nina disembarking in a state of disarray. It’s clear that something went wrong on her trip to Portugal. But when one of Nina’s travelling companions is found murdered the following day, Sophie realises that something is truly rotten…
15. The Diva Says Cheesecake! (2022) – Old Town’s midsummer festivities are set to get a tasty addition this year. To coincide with a public performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bobbie Sue Bodoin, the Queen of Cheesecake, has hired Sophie to organise a dinner with a dessert buffet on the waterfront. Bobbie Sue’s homegrown business is booming, and she wants to reward her employees by treating them to a special meal.
16. The Diva Delivers on a Promise (2023) – Sophie is busy handling the first-ever Association of Ghost Kitchens convention—restaurants that only do deliveries—but she’s taking a little time out for a lunch meeting organised by A Healthy Meal. The group is dedicated to providing meals for children in need, and, as an added bonus, it will give Sophie the perfect opportunity to admire the lavish Old Town home of socialite Geraldine Stansfield. Gerrie’s dining room is impeccably furnished, with a table laden with gleaming crystal and prized china. If it weren’t for the dead man on the floor, everything would be perfect…

17. The Diva Goes Overboard (2024) – In an unlikely match for Old Town Alexandria, Natasha Smith’s free-spirited mother, Wanda, has become engaged to antiques dealer Orson Chatsworth, leaving Natasha to plan the entire wedding, beginning with an elaborate engagement party. For this extravagant event, Natasha splurges on fashionable food boards created by Orson’s daughter, the up-and-coming media star Stella St. James. The sumptuous boards go way beyond basic cheese and crackers, with Stella dazzling guests with her picture-perfect butter boards, dessert boards, and doughnut boards. Just as Natasha had planned, the food is to die for — until someone actually does.
18. The Diva Poaches a Bad Egg (2025) – Stylish brunches are all the rage in Old Town Alexandria this autumn, with everyone posting pictures of their parties on social media. But while Sophie Winston, the Domestic Diva, juggles her event-filled calendar, she is approached by local designer Mitzi Lawson, who is afraid that someone is following her. The very next day, Mitzi loses her best friend and business partner, Denise. The two had been renovating a house that had been in the family for generations when Denise died unexpectedly. Mitzi fears that it wasn’t a medical condition that killed her, but murder.

Recommended Series for Fans of the Domestic Diva Mysteries

Readers who enjoy Krista Davis’s Domestic Diva series may find similar appeal in other cozy mystery series that combine culinary themes, amateur sleuths, and charming small-town settings. Notable recommendations include Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen Mysteries, which center around a Minnesota baker with a knack for solving crimes; Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mysteries, set in Arizona and filled with sweet treats and suspense; Eva Gates’s Lighthouse Library Mysteries, featuring a librarian turned detective on North Carolina’s Outer Banks; and Lorna Barrett’s Booktown Mysteries, which follow a mystery bookstore owner in a quaint literary village.

These series offer comparable tones, recurring characters, and lighthearted yet engaging mysteries, making them ideal for fans of Krista Davis’s work.