Jessica Fellowes Books in Order (Mitford Murders)

All of Jessica Fellowes’ Mitford Murders Books in Order!

Who is Jessica Fellowes?

English author and freelance journalist, Jessica Fellowes is known for writing the Mitford Murders series-her name may also sound familiar because she is the niece of Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey’s creator (she wrote the companion books to the TV series).

Golden Age mysteries set amid the lives of the glamorous Mitford sisters, the Mitford Murders series focuses on Louisa Cannon, chaperone and confidante to the girls and a former criminal, as she investigates murder mysteries (as you may have guessed).

How to read Jessica Fellowes’ Books in Order?

The Mitford Murders Series

1. The Mitford Murders (2017) – It’s 1919, and Louisa Cannon dreams of escaping her life of poverty in London, and most of all her oppressive and dangerous uncle. Louisa’s salvation is a position within the Mitford household at Asthall Manor, in the Oxfordshire countryside. There she will become nurserymaid, chaperone and confidante to the Mitford sisters, especially sixteen-year-old Nancy – an acerbic, bright young woman in love with stories. But when a nurse – Florence Nightingale Shore, goddaughter of her famous namesake – is killed on a train in broad daylight, Nancy and amateur sleuth Louisa find that in postwar England, everyone has something to hide . . .
2. Bright Young Dead aka The Mitford Affair (2018) – Meet the Bright Young Things, the rabble-rousing hedonists of the 1920s whose treasure hunts were a media obsession. One such game takes place at the 18th birthday party of Pamela Mitford, but ends in tragedy as cruel, charismatic Adrian Curtis is pushed to his death from the church neighbouring the Mitford home. The police quickly identify the killer as a maid, Dulcie. But Louisa Cannon, chaperone to the Mitford girls and a former criminal herself, believes Dulcie to be innocent, and sets out to clear the girl’s name . . . all while the real killer may only be steps away.
3. The Mitford Scandal (2019) – The year is 1928, and after the death of a maid at a glamorous society party, fortune heir Bryan Guinness seizes life and proposes to eighteen-year-old Diana. The maid’s death is ruled an accident, and the newlyweds put it behind them to begin a whirlwind life zipping between London’s Mayfair, chic Paris and hedonistic Berlin. Accompanying Diana as her lady’s maid is Louisa Cannon, as well as a coterie of friends, family and hangers on, from Nancy Mitford to Evelyn Waugh. When a second victim is found in Paris in 1931, Louisa begins to see links with the death of the maid. Now she must convince the Mitford sisters that a murderer could be within their midst…

4. The Mitford Trial (2020) – It’s lady’s maid Louisa Cannon’s wedding day, but the fantasy is shattered shortly after when she is approached by a secretive man asking her to spy on Diana Mitford―who is having an affair with the infamous Oswald Mosley―and her sister Unity. Thus as summer 1933 dawns, Louisa finds herself accompanying the Mitfords on a glitzy cruise, full of the starriest members of Society. But the waters run red when a man is found attacked.
5. The Mitford Vanishing (2021) – 1937. War with Germany is dawning, and a civil war already rages in Spain. Split across political lines, the six Mitford sisters are more divided than ever. Meanwhile their former maid Louisa Cannon is now a private detective, working with her policeman husband Guy Sullivan. Louisa and Guy are surprised when a call comes in from novelist Nancy Mitford requesting that they look into the disappearance of her Communist sister Jessica in Spain. But one case leads to another as they are also asked to investigate the mysterious vanishing of a soldier.
6. The Mitford Secret (2022) – It’s 1941, and the Mitford household is splintered by the vicissitudes of war. To bring the clan together – maybe for one last time – Deborah invites them to Chatsworth for Christmas, along with a selection of society’s most impressive and glamorous guests, as well as old family friend Louisa Cannon, a private detective. One night, a psychic arrives, and to liven things up Deborah agrees she may host a séance. But entertainment turns to dark mystery as the psychic reveals that a maid was murdered in this very same house – and she can prove it.

Jessica Fellowes’ non-fiction books

• Mud and the City: Dos and Don’ts for Townies in the Country (2008)
• The Devil You Know: Looking Out for the Psycho in Your Life (2011)
• The World of Downton Abbey (2011)
• The Chronicles of Downton Abbey (2012)
• A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey: Seasonal Celebrations, Traditions, and Recipes (2014)
• Downton Abbey – A Celebration: The Official Companion to All Six Seasons (2015)
• The Wit and Wisdom of Downton Abbey (2015)

If you like Jessica Fellowes’ books, you may also want to see our Kate Shackleton reading order, or Elly Griffiths reading order. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.