By the Sea Mysteries Books in Order

The By the Sea books shift Kathleen Bridge's cozy mystery world to Melbourne Beach, Florida, where novelist Liz Holt comes home after years in Manhattan. The series opens with Death by the Sea. She moves back into the family orbit at the Indialantic by the Sea, an old hotel and emporium on a barrier island. The plan is simple enough: regroup, write, help out, and breathe easier. Instead, Liz finds herself surrounded by suspicious deaths, buried secrets, and more local drama than any quiet beach town should be able to hold.

Island life is the hook.

The hotel gives the series a perfect home base. Guests come and go. Relatives, old family friends, and long-term residents all have opinions. Festivals, weddings, cruises, and community events keep pushing strangers and locals together. That means every book can bring in fresh trouble while still feeling anchored in the same small, eccentric world. Liz is never solving a mystery in a vacuum.

Bridge makes strong use of the setting. Storms roll in. Bodies wash ashore. Treasure stories, archaeology digs, masquerade balls, Wiccan ceremonies, and local history all become part of the plots. The barrier island atmosphere keeps the tone bright and breezy on the surface, but there is always a sense that weather, tide, or rumor could turn the day sideways.

Liz is not a police investigator, and that is central to the series' charm. She is a writer with good instincts, a stubborn streak, and a personal reason to protect the hotel and the people around it. As the books go on, recurring friends, family members, and a PI boyfriend help flesh out her world. The cases tend to grow out of threats to the hotel, the community, or someone Liz cares about, so her involvement feels natural rather than forced.

The sea is beautiful, but it never lets anyone relax for long.

If you like coastal cozies with a strong sense of home, this series is easy to sink into. The murders matter, but the books also make room for humor, local color, and the everyday business of running a beloved old property. You get colorful side characters, bits of Florida history, and a heroine who keeps asking questions long after other people would rather move on. It is a good fit for readers who want seaside atmosphere without giving up a solid mystery.