Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Staged to Death | 2013 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
| 2 | Deadly Decor | 2014 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
| 3 | Gilt by Association | 2015 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
| 4 | Drape Expectations | 2015 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
| 5 | Silence of the Lamps | 2016 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
| 6 | Shades of Wrath | 2016 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
| 7 | Slay Bells Ring | 2017 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
| 8 | Cut to the Chaise | 2018 | Karen Rose Smith | Buy |
The Caprice De Luca Mystery series ran for eight books between 2013 and 2018, published by Kensington Books. The series is set in the fictional small town of Kismet, Pennsylvania, where protagonist Caprice De Luca runs a home staging business. Her career brings her into contact with clients at vulnerable moments in their lives, which repeatedly lands her in the middle of murder investigations.
Beginning with Staged to Death in 2013, the series drew on the cozy mystery formula of a resourceful amateur sleuth with a strong community and family network. Smith gave Caprice a large, warm Italian-American family and a cast of recurring supporting characters that fans followed across all eight books. The series concludes with Cut to the Chaise in 2018.
The books are best read in publication order, as Caprice’s personal life – her relationships, her family, and her community standing – develops across the series. The mysteries themselves are self-contained, but the character development rewards readers who follow the series from the beginning.