Gayle Trent books

Gayle Trent writes cozy mysteries under multiple pen names, with series set in bakeries, embroidery shops, vintage fashion boutiques, and small Southern towns.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Mysteries, Midsummer Sun and Murders 2022 Buy

Daphne Martin Mystery Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Murder Takes the Cake 2008 Buy
Dead Pan 2009 Buy
Killer Sweet Tooth 2011 Buy
Killer Sweet Tooth: A Daphne Martin Cake Mystery 2011 N/A
Battered to Death 2013 Buy
Killer Wedding Cake 2015 Buy

Down South Café Mystery Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Calamity Café 2016 Buy
Silence of the Jams 2017 Buy
Honey-Baked Homicide 2017 Buy
Apples and Alibis 2019 Buy
Fruit Baskets and Holiday Caskets 2020 Buy
Truffles and Tragedy 2021 Buy
Cake and I Scream 2023 Buy

Embroidery Mysteries Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Quick and the Thread 2010 Buy
Stitch Me Deadly 2011 Buy
Thread Reckoning 2011 Buy
The Long Stitch Good Night 2012 Buy
Thread on Arrival 2012 Buy
Cross Stitch Before Dying 2013 Buy
Thread End 2014 Buy
Wicked Stitch 2015 Buy
The Stitching Hour 2015 Buy
Better Off Thread 2016 Buy

Ghostly Fashionista Mystery Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Designs On Murder 2019 Buy
Perils and Lace 2020 Buy
Christmas Cloches and Corpses 2020 Buy
Buttons and Blows 2021 Buy
Secrets and Sequins 2023 Buy
Corsets and Casualties 2025 Buy

Kinsey Falls Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Hightail It to Kinsey Falls 2012 Buy
Putting Down Roots in Kinsey Falls 2018 Buy
Sleighing It in Kinsey Falls 2018 Buy

Literatia Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
An Eyre of Mystery 2022 Buy
A Tale of Two Enemies 2023 Buy

Mossy Creek Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Mossy Creek 2001 Buy
Reunion at Mossy Creek 2002 Buy
Summer in Mossy Creek 2003 Buy
Blessings of Mossy Creek 2004 Buy
A Day in Mossy Creek 2006 Buy
At Home in Mossy Creek 2007 Buy
Gone But Not Forgotten 2008 Buy
Critters of Mossy Creek 2009 Buy
Homecoming in Mossy Creek 2011 Buy
Closer Than They Appear 2014 Buy
Christmas in Mossy Creek 2017 Buy

Movie Memorabilia

Title Published Buy on Amazon
We’ll Always Have Murder 2023 Buy

Myrtle Crumb Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Between a Clutch and a Hard Place 2004 Buy
When Good Bras Go Bad 2012 Buy
Claus of Death 2013 Buy
Claus of Death: A Myrtle Crumb Mystery 2013 N/A
Soup…Er…Myrtle! 2014 Buy
Perp and Circumstance 2015 Buy
The Party Line 2015 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Laughing and Learning 2003 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Photo Finish 1999 Buy
Anything for a Buck 2001 Buy
The Mourning Ring 2006 Buy
Broken Promise 2011 Buy
The Perfect Woman 2012 Buy
In Her Blood 2015 Buy
The Flame 2016 Buy

Victoria Square Mystery Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Crafty Killing 2010 Buy
The Walled Flower 2012 Buy
One Hot Murder 2013 Buy
Dead, Bath, and Beyond 2016 Buy
Yule Be Dead 2018 Buy
Murder Ink 2019 Buy
A Murderous Misconception 2020 Buy
Dead Man’s Hand 2021 Buy
A Lethal Lake Effect 2024 Buy

Gayle Trent has been writing cozy mysteries since the late 1990s, building a catalog of over 70 books across more than a dozen series. She writes under her own name and as Amanda Lee and Gayle Leeson, with each pen name associated with different mystery series. Her books typically feature small-town settings, quirky supporting casts, and protagonists who solve murders while running businesses.

Her Embroidery Mysteries, written as Amanda Lee, ran for ten books and followed a needlework shop owner who keeps stumbling into murder investigations. The Down South Cafe Mystery series, as Gayle Leeson, centers on a woman who inherits a cafe and the crimes that come with small-town life. Trent is also part of the collaborative Mossy Creek series, contributing to a shared fictional community created by multiple authors.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Gayle Trent written?

Gayle Trent has written 71 books across thirteen series.

What was Gayle Trent's first book?

Gayle Trent’s first book is Photo Finish, published in 1999.

Does Gayle Trent write under other names?

Yes. Gayle Trent also publishes as Amanda Lee and Gayle Leeson. Her Embroidery Mysteries are written as Amanda Lee, while the Down South Cafe Mystery and Ghostly Fashionista Mystery series appear under the Gayle Leeson name.

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