Cornwall Murder Mystery Books in Order

The Cornwall Murder Mystery series follows DCI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price as they investigate serious crime against the backdrop of one of Britain's most picturesque regions. The books are modern police procedurals, but the cliffs, coves and tourist towns of Cornwall are always close to the surface.

When readers first meet Lauren in The Lost Girls of Penzance, she is part of the Penzance police force in a place that rarely sees a major crime. That changes when decades-old bones are found behind a derelict cottage and, on the same day, a young child vanishes from her nursery. The mix of cold case and urgent manhunt sets the template for the series: the past rarely stays politely in the past.

Lauren's partner, Matt Price, arrives soon after and quickly becomes a steady presence in both her life and the narrative. He is methodical where she is instinctive, and their partnership grows book by book. They are deeply rooted in their community, which means every new case sends ripples through people they know: shopkeepers, fishermen, retired performers, tourists who return each year.

Each novel takes a different corner of Cornwall and gives it a dark twist. The Hidden Graves of St Ives deals with missing women and a suspected serial predator whose victims share more than they first appear to. In Murder at Land's End, a young woman is found posed on the rocks with a cryptic line of poetry hidden in her mouth. Later stories bring in murdered former police officers, deadly attacks on a picture perfect engaged couple at Porthcurno Cove, suspicious deaths inside a care home for entertainers in Marazion, and an archaeological dig that uncovers the bones of a teenager who disappeared thirty years earlier.

The setting is not just decoration. Stormy weather cuts off villages, cliffs provide both beauty and danger, and the seasonal flow of holidaymakers complicates Lauren and Matt's work. The books pay attention to how locals and visitors share the same streets but live very different lives, and how old loyalties in a small town can either help or hinder an investigation.

Tonally, the series balances atmosphere with pace. There are plenty of red herrings and twists, yet the focus stays on Lauren's team, the victims and their families rather than graphic violence. Readers who enjoy British coastal crime fiction will find familiar comforts here, from pub scenes and harbourside cafés to dog walks that turn into discoveries. Starting with The Lost Girls of Penzance and continuing through The Hidden Graves of St Ives is the easiest way to settle into the world before exploring the later cases.