Holmes & Moriarity Books in Order

The Holmes & Moriarity books are Josh Lanyon in a particularly sharp, mischievous mood. The series follows Christopher Holmes, a successful and thoroughly irritable mystery writer, and J.X. Moriarity, his polished, exasperating former lover. Their names tell you right away that Lanyon is having fun, but the books are more than a joke. They are smart, affectionate mystery novels built around two men who know exactly how to get under each other's skin.

Christopher is not the breezy kind of amateur sleuth. He is suspicious, vain, quick to judge, and usually convinced he is the most sensible person in the room. Unfortunately, he is often trapped in rooms full of writers, publishers, conference guests, and other people with strong opinions and weak alibis. J.X. is the perfect foil, cooler, smoother, and usually better at dealing with the world, which naturally annoys Christopher even more.

The first book, Somebody Killed His Editor, sets the tone beautifully. A mystery conference at a remote winery turns into a classic trapped-suspects setup, and Christopher is dragged into a real murder that feels suspiciously like one of the books he writes. From there, the series keeps circling the literary world, book people, old grudges, inflated egos, hidden histories, and the romantic mess Christopher and J.X. never quite manage to tidy up.

That is the real engine of the series. The cases matter, but so does the running emotional argument between the leads. These are books about attraction after disappointment, affection buried under irritation, and the strange intimacy of two people who know each other too well.

The tone is cozy, but not fluffy. The clues are fair, the settings are often deliciously closed off, and the banter does a lot of the heavy lifting. If you like traditional mysteries with wordplay, literary sniping, and a romance that never behaves in a simple or tidy way, Holmes & Moriarity is a very easy series to get attached to.