Cooks book series in reading order

Josi S. Kilpack, born May 26, 1974, is an American novelist whose work includes a 13-book culinary mystery series. Kilpack has won a Whitney Award from LDStorymakers, a guild for authors who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a Best of State award for fiction in Utah. The catalogue lists 45 books from Earning Eternity (2000) to A Lady's Wager (2023), with titles such as English Trifle (2009) and Lemon Tart (2009). Series include A Proper Romance and the Mayfield Family. Subjects include cooks, murder investigation, Sadie Hoffmiller, Mormons, single mothers, weddings and Regency romance.

Dean Koontz, born on July 9, 1945, is an American novelist of suspense thrillers that mix in horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery and satire. Koontz published early work under pen names including Deanna Dwyer, K. R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, David Axton and Brian Coffey. The catalogue holds 164 books, from Star Quest / Doom of the Green Planet (1968) to The Friend of the Family (2026), with A Storm So Bright and Beautiful set for 2027. Jane Hawk, Nameless and Dean Koontz's Frankenstein are Koontz series, and Odd Thomas appears among the characters. Fourteen Koontz hardcovers and sixteen paperbacks reached number one on The New York Times list, and sales top 500 million copies.

Anthony Bourdain

23 books• 3 series

Anthony Bourdain (June 25, 1956 – June 8, 2018) was an American celebrity chef, author and travel documentarian. A 1978 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Bourdain spent several years as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan, and an essay in The New Yorker in the late 1990s launched the writing career. The catalogue opens with Bone in the Throat (1995) and Gone Bamboo (1997), then Kitchen Confidential (2000), A Cook's Tour (2001) and Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook (2004). The Anthony Bourdain Reader (2025) is the newest title, and Hungry Ghosts and Get Jiro Graphic Novels are the listed series. Cooking, restaurants and food share the subjects with mystery and detective fiction.

Six mystery series make up most of Daryl Wood Gerber's 33 catalogued books: Cookbook Nook Mysteries, Fairy Garden Mystery, Aspen Adams, French Bistro Mystery, Literary Dining Mysteries and An Aroma Wellness Mystery. Gerber writes women-sleuth mysteries built around cooking, bookstores and California settings. The run opens with Final Sentence (2013) and continues to Murder in a Lavender Daze (2026).

Regency England is where Andrea Penrose sets her work, split between historical mystery and historical romance. Wrexford and Sloane is the current mystery series, preceded by the Lady Arianna Hadley books. Penrose has also published as Andrea Pickens, for the Intrepid Heroines, Merlin's Maidens, Lessons in Love, Scandalous Secrets and Dangerous Liaisons series, and as Cara Elliott for Circle of Sin and Lords of Midnight. The catalogue reaches 51 titles from The Defiant Governess (1997) to The Price of Paradise.

Poppy Z. Brite

29 books• 6 series

Poppy Z. Brite is the former name of William Joseph Martin, an American author born on 25 May 1967 who rose to prominence in gothic horror in the early 1990s through novels and short story collections. Lost Souls (1992), Drawing Blood (1993) and Exquisite Corpse (1996) are the best-known novels. Later work turned to dark comedy, much of it set among New Orleans restaurants, and many characters are openly gay or bisexual. The catalogue lists 29 books from Seed of Lost Souls (1988) to Portrait of a Phantom (2017), including His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood and Other Stories (1995). Rickey and G-Man is the series on record, and subjects include cooks and New Orleans.

Gordon Ramsay

27 books• 1 series

Gordon Ramsay, born 8 November 1966, is a British chef, restaurateur, television presenter and writer. Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, founded in 1997, has earned 17 Michelin stars in total and holds eight. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London, has kept three stars since 2001 and is run by chef Matt Abé. Ramsay first became famous through the 1999 British miniseries Boiling Point. The catalogue lists 27 books from 2000 to 2023, starting with Passion for Flavour, A Chef for All Seasons and Passion for Seafood (2000). Humble Pie (2006) and Playing with Fire (2007) are listed, and Gordon Ramsay's Uncharted (2023) is the newest. Quick and easy cooking and British cookery appear in the subject tags.

Elin Hilderbrand is an American novelist, born July 17, 1969, who writes mystery and romance. Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket, and the novels are typically set on and around the island. The 39 catalogued books start with The Beach Club (2000) and reach The Thoroughbreds (2026). Named series include Nantucket, Paradise and 28 Summers. Subject headings return to family secrets, female friendship, summer resorts and love stories. In 2019 New York magazine called Hilderbrand "the queen of beach reads".

Janet Evanovich

79 books• 13 series

Stephanie Plum, a bail bond agent turned bounty hunter, is the recurring lead of Janet Evanovich's longest series. Evanovich writes humorous mystery and romance, and the catalogue holds 79 books from Full House (1981) to Split Second in 2026. Other recurring lines include Kate O'Hare & Nicolas Fox, Lizzy & Diesel, Knight and Moon, Alexandra Barnaby and the Culhane Family.

Wanda E. Brunstetter writes Amish romance and has sold more than 10 million books, with titles on the New York Times Best Seller list; Brunstetter is based in Washington. The catalogue lists 125 books from A Merry Heart (1997) to A Castle of Sand (2026). Series include Brides Of Lancaster County, Brides Of Webster County, Brides Of Lehigh Canal, Daughters Of Lancaster County, Sisters Of Holmes County, Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club, Amish Millionaire, Creektown Discoveries and Rachel Yoder: Always Trouble Somewhere. Subjects include Amish women and children, Pennsylvania and Amish cooking.

26 catalogued books stand under Julie Hyzy's name, published between 2004 and 2018 and opening with Artistic License (2004). Hyzy is an American author of mystery fiction. The White House Chef Mysteries run through the middle of that list, with the cook Olivia Paras investigating murders in Washington, D.C. Manor of Murder Mysteries, the Alex St. James series and Riley Drake Mystery follow, and the catalogue closes with Virtual Sabotage (2018).

Dogs run through Susan Conant's mysteries. Holly Winter, a journalist in Cambridge, Massachusetts, leads the Dog Lover's Mysteries, which open with A New Leash on Death (1990). The Cat Lover's Mysteries and the Gourmet Girl Mysteries follow. Twenty-seven books are catalogued, closing with Sire and Damn (2015). Dog trainers, dog owners and murder are the standing subjects.

Gail Oust's catalogue covers historical romance and mystery fiction. Eighteen books run from Sweet Possession (1986) to The Twelve Dice of Christmas (2018), with the 2010s the heaviest decade. Two mystery series carry the later work: the Bunco Babes Mysteries, built around Kate McCall, and the Spice Shop Mysteries. Forbidden Fires, Fortune's Captive, Midnight Rain, Bayou Magic and Whack 'N' Roll sit in the run. Murder investigation, female friendship, retirement communities, cooks and businesswomen recur as subjects.

M.L. Buchman has 269 catalogued books spanning 1997 to 2026, from Cookbook from Hell (1997) to Galactic Gastronomy (2026). Romantic suspense, special operations, women helicopter pilots and wildfires are recurring subjects. Buchman's series include Night Stalkers CSAR, Delta Force, Miranda Chase NTSB, White House Protection Force Short Stories, Henderson's Ranch and Dead Chef. M.L. Buchman is still publishing.