Esme Addison Books in Order

Esme Addison was born in North Carolina and now lives in Raleigh with her family. A former military spouse, she traveled widely and lived near military bases, experiences that gave her a lasting interest in communities, history, and the details that make a place feel lived in.

Her interest in writing started early. In fifth or sixth grade, she made a small handmade book for a school project, complete with a cardboard cover and illustrations, and loved the feeling of turning an idea into a story. Before long, she was carrying notebooks full of works in progress.

Mysteries were there from the beginning, too. Addison grew up reading Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy, and Encyclopedia Brown, and she remembers wanting to solve a case of her own. Her childhood spy kit did not uncover any neighborhood crimes, but the detective instinct stuck.

It eventually found its way onto the page.

As an adult, Addison worked in libraries at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and Camp Foster in Okinawa. There she fell into espionage novels and fast-moving thrillers, then found her way back to cozy mysteries, drawn to their small towns, strong themes, close friendships, and satisfying puzzles.

That mix of influences shows up in her fiction. Her Enchanted Bay mysteries begin with A Spell for Trouble, which follows Aleksandra Daniels back to coastal North Carolina, where an herbal apothecary, a family secret, and mermaid folklore collide with murder. The book was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

Magic is never far from the mystery.

In A Hex for Danger and A Brew for Chaos, Alex continues to navigate Bellamy Bay, its folklore, and the water-based powers tied to her family line. Addison uses the town's festivals, local businesses, old rivalries, and coastal setting to keep the cases rooted in everyday community life, even when the supernatural stakes grow larger.

Her Secret Society Mystery series takes a different route. An Intrigue of Witches introduces historian Sidney Taylor, whose search for a lost artifact in a North Carolina town leads into hidden history, secret groups, old bloodlines, and her own emerging abilities. The book carries some of the conspiracy-minded energy Addison first enjoyed in thrillers, while keeping history and character at the center.

Outside her novels, Addison founded Due South Magazine and Cozyville, projects shaped by her interest in small-town living and seasonal traditions. When she is not writing, she enjoys reading, traveling, and visiting museums and historical sites. Those interests keep turning up in her books, where a local legend, an old building, or a long-buried story can be the start of a very dangerous mystery.