Alice Duncan books

Alice Duncan is an American author of historical romance and cozy mysteries, best known for her long-running Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery series set in 1920s Pasadena.

A Faerie Tale Romance Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Princess & The Pea 1996 Buy
Someone’s Been Sleeping In My Bed 1996 Buy
The Emperor’s New Clothes 1997 Buy
Big Bad Wolf 1997 Buy
Jackie & The Giant 1997 Buy
One Day, My Prince 1997 Buy
Cinderfella 1998 Buy
Cooking Up Trouble 2000 Buy
Let Down Your Hair 2001 Buy
De Buty & The Beast 2002 Buy

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Midsummer Night’s Magic 1997 Buy
The Magic of Christmas 1998 Buy
Hot Off the Press 2014 Buy

Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Strong Spirits 2003 Buy
Fine Spirits 2003 Buy
High Spirits 2008 Buy
Hungry Spirits 2010 Buy
Genteel Spirits 2011 Buy
Ancient Spirits 2012 Buy
Dark Spirits 2014 Buy
Spirits Revived 2014 Buy
Spirits Onstage 2015 Buy
Unsettled Spirits 2015 Buy
Bruised Spirits 2016 Buy
Spirits United 2017 Buy
Spirits Unearthed 2018 Buy
Shaken Spirits 2019 Buy
Scarlet Spirits 2019 Buy
Exercised Spirits 2020 Buy
Wedded Spirits 2022 Buy
Domesticated Spirits 2023 Buy
Library Spirits 2024 Buy
Spirits Adopted 2025 Buy

Haunting Hearts Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Restless Souls 1998 Buy
Heaven’s Promise 1998 Buy
Spirit of Love 1999 Buy
Bittersweet Summer 1999 Buy

Irish Eyes Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
To Marry an Irish Rogue 2000 Buy
Daughter of Ireland 2000 Buy
Midsummer Lightning 2000 Buy
Irish Moonlight 2000 Buy
My Wild Irish Rose 2000 Buy
The Irish Bride 2001 Buy
The Black Swan 2001 Buy
The Highwayman 2001 Buy
Rose in the Mist 2002 Buy
Mulligan Stew 2002 Buy
Irish Gypsy 2002 Buy
Ballyrourke 2002 Buy
Maid of Killarney 2002 Buy
Mulligan Magic 2003 Buy

It’s a Dog’s Life Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Man’s Best Friend 1997 Buy
Molly in the Middle 1997 Buy
Rosamunda’s Revenge 1997 Buy
Stray Hearts 1997 Buy
Kept by a Countess 1997 Buy
Play It Again, Sam 1998 Buy
Lonely Hearts 1998 Buy

Land of Enchantment Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Enchanted Christmas 1998 Buy
A Gentle Magic 1999 Buy
A Gambler’s Magic 2000 Buy

Meet Me at the Fair Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Coming Up Roses 2002 Buy
Just North of Bliss 2002 Buy
A Bicycle Built for Two 2002 Buy

Mercy Allcutt Mystery Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Lost Among the Angels 2006 Buy
Angel’s Flight 2009 Buy
Fallen Angels 2011 Buy
Angels of Mercy 2012 Buy
Thanksgiving Angels 2015 Buy
Angels Adrift 2021 Buy
Christmas Angels 2022 Buy
Hollywood Angels 2023 Buy
Celluloid Angels 2024 Buy
Dancing Angels 2025 Buy

Pecos Valley Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Pecos Valley Diamond 2005 Buy
Pecos Valley Revival 2011 Buy
Pecos Valley Rainbow 2012 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
One Bright Morning 1995 Buy
Texas Lonesome 1996 Buy
Christmas Pie 1997 Buy
Wild Dream 1997 Buy
Sweet Charity 1997 Buy
Secret Hearts 1998 Buy
Gabriel’s Fate 2001 Buy
Heaven Sent 2001 Buy
Phoebe’s Valentine 2003 Buy
Sierra Ransom 2003 Buy
Cactus Flower 2006 Buy

The Dream Maker Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Cowboy For Hire 2001 Buy
Beauty and the Brain 2001 Buy
Her Leading Man 2001 Buy
The Miner’s Daughter 2001 Buy

Alice Duncan is an American author who has been publishing historical romance and mystery fiction since the mid-1990s. Her most sustained achievement is the Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery series, which began in 2003 with Strong Spirits and has continued past twenty entries. The series is set in 1920s Pasadena, California, and follows Daisy Majesty, a young widow who earns a living as a fake spiritualist – conducting seances, reading cards, and pretending to commune with the dead for wealthy clients. The historical setting is carefully rendered, with Pasadena’s class structure, the period’s racial dynamics, and the daily texture of 1920s life all present in the background.

Before the mystery series, Duncan published extensively in historical romance, beginning with Western romances in the mid-1990s. Her early series – A Faerie Tale Romance, Irish Eyes, It’s a Dog’s Life, and others published through Leisure Books and Dorchester – are light historical romances often with a fairy-tale or regional American flavor. She was a prolific contributor to the Leisure Books romance line throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Duncan has also published the Mercy Allcutt Mystery series, set in 1920s Los Angeles, which follows a young woman from Boston who moves west and becomes involved in investigations. The Mercy Allcutt series has now passed ten books and runs alongside the Daisy Gumm series. Across her career, Duncan has shown a consistent preference for the 1920s American West as a setting and for protagonists who are resourceful women navigating limited circumstances with humor and determination.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Alice Duncan written?

Alice Duncan has written 92 books across twelve series.

What was Alice Duncan's first book?

Alice Duncan’s first book is One Bright Morning, published in 1995.

What is the Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery series about?

The Daisy Gumm Majesty series follows Daisy Majesty, a young widow in 1920s Pasadena, California, who works as a fake spiritualist to support her family. She consults for the Pasadena Police Department and investigates murders throughout the series. The first book is Strong Spirits (2003).

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