Nora Breen is a former nun who has recently left her religious order and is adjusting to life on the outside when she arrives in the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea, Kent. Her years in the convent gave her a habit of watching and listening that turns out to be surprisingly useful when people around her start dying in suspicious circumstances.
Nora is warm, sharp, and occasionally bewildered by the secular world, but she is never less than observant. Jess Kidd writes her as someone whose faith and discipline have left her with a particular kind of clarity that cuts through the noise of other people’s assumptions and lies.
Reading Order#
See the complete Nora Breen Investigates reading order for all books in the series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nora Breen?
Nora Breen is a former nun who has recently left her religious order. She settles in the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea in 1950s Kent, where her gift for quiet observation, developed over years in the convent, helps her notice things others miss and solve murders.
What order should I read the Nora Breen books?
Start with Murder at Gulls Nest (2025), then read Murder at the Spirit Lounge (2026). Each book has a self-contained mystery, but the same characters and setting carry across both.
Is the Nora Breen series connected to Jess Kidd's other novels?
No, the Nora Breen Investigates series is separate from Kidd’s standalone literary novels like Himself and Things in Jars. It has a lighter, funnier tone than her earlier work, fitting the cozy mystery genre while keeping her trademark wit.