A Seafood Caper Mystery Books in Order

The Seafood Caper Mysteries are coastal Georgia culinary cozies starring River Holloway, a caterer on Shell Island who has a reputation for finding things that have gone missing. River knows the island's people, its food, its fishing culture, and its complicated family connections. That local knowledge makes her a natural helper when someone disappears or a crime leaves neighbors desperate for answers.

River's catering business keeps her busy with menus, clients, deliveries, and fresh seafood. It also gives her access to the people and events that matter on Shell Island. She is caring, observant, and not especially good at ignoring a friend in trouble. Her work means she often hears the small details that do not reach the sheriff's office right away.

There is always something simmering on Shell Island.

The series begins with the prequel story Trouble with Horses, where River takes a corporate-retreat job for her ex, Pete Merrick. Her sharp-eyed feline sidekick, Trouble, joins the outing as hidden tensions begin to surface. The full first novel, Seas the Day, finds River searching for Chili Bolz, a missing fisherman and longtime friend. When Chili's mother is attacked, the missing-person case becomes a murder investigation.

In Spawning Suspicion, the death of local playboy Curtis Marlin matters to River when her brother and his girlfriend are arrested. River's loyalty pushes her to look beyond the obvious explanation, even as her catering work and family obligations continue. Shrimply Dead begins after veterinarian and amateur naturalist Jasmine Garr is shot. River investigates the former customer's life and finds a long list of people with reasons to resent her.

The tone is warm and food-focused, with recipes and island routines woven into the mysteries. Shell Island is more than scenery. The tides, charter boats, seafood suppliers, wildlife, neighborhood habits, and fragile local reputations all shape the cases. River's relationships with her family, friends, Pete, and her pets keep the stories grounded between the clues.

Start with Seas the Day if you want the main series introduction, or read Trouble with Horses first for a short prequel. The mysteries each have a complete central case, but reading in order lets River's personal life, relationships, and place in the Shell Island community develop naturally.