Lady Darby Books in Order
Part ofAnna Lee Huber Books in OrderThis page lists all Lady Darby mysteries by Anna Lee Huber in order, with short summaries, series background, and clear guidance on the best place to start.
Last updated: January 13, 2026
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).
Publication Order
15 books
A Bitter Cut
by Anna Lee Huber
2026
Settling into their renovated country home, Kiera and Gage host a summer house party meant to celebrate Kiera's brother and his hoped for bride. When the bride's abrasive industrialist father is found over his secretary's body, they must prove he was framed before family loyalties shatter.
A Tarnished Canvas
by Anna Lee Huber
2025
In Edinburgh for the winter, Kiera looks forward to quiet hours in her studio until an invitation to an exclusive art auction ends in disaster. After the gallery floor collapses, killing a bidder, she and Gage investigate sabotage tied to priceless paintings and a carefully planned misdirection.
A Deceptive Composition
by Anna Lee Huber
2024
Autumn finds Kiera and Gage in Cornwall, where they are summoned after the murder of Lord Gage's uncle, a member of the notorious Roscarrock family. Surrounded by lies, whispered tales of treasure, and a string of old deaths, they must untangle generations of secrets to prevent another killing.
A Fatal Illusion
by Anna Lee Huber
2023
On their way to introduce their infant daughter to Sebastian's estranged father, Kiera and Gage learn he has been brutally attacked. In a suspicious Yorkshire village already plagued by robberies and disappearances, they must discover who wants Lord Gage dead before the assailant strikes again.
A Perilous Perspective
by Anna Lee Huber
2022
Traveling to a Highland estate for a family wedding, Kiera is asked to admire the marquess's art collection and instead spots what looks like a forgery. When a local maid is found murdered near the suspect painting, she and Gage uncover a scheme as ruthless as it is elegant.
A Wicked Conceit
by Anna Lee Huber
2021
In Edinburgh, a wildly popular book and play dramatize the exploits of a notorious criminal and thinly veiled versions of Kiera and Gage. When crimes begin to mirror the fictional scenes and the publisher is killed, they have to clear their names and expose the real mastermind.
A Stroke of Malice
by Anna Lee Huber
2020
Invited to a lavish Twelfth Night house party at a Scottish castle, Kiera expects mischief, not murder. When a decomposed corpse is discovered in the crypt, apparently someone thought to be abroad, she and Gage must unpick a maze of family tensions and forged notes.
An Artless Demise
by Anna Lee Huber
2019
Newly returned to London, Kiera is forced to relive the worst parts of her past when copycat body snatchers spark public panic and a blackmailer threatens to link her late husband to their crimes. As a young aristocrat turns up dead, she and Gage hunt a killer exploiting the chaos.
A Brush with Shadows
by Anna Lee Huber
2018
When Sebastian Gage is called home to brooding Langstone Manor after a cousin disappears on the moors, Kiera insists on joining him. There they confront family grudges, eerie superstitions, and a landscape where accidents are easy to stage and hard to question.
As Death Draws Near
by Anna Lee Huber
2016
During their honeymoon, Kiera and Gage are summoned from England's Lake District to an Irish abbey where a young nun has been murdered. As unrest outside grows and more lives are threatened, they probe a cloistered school full of frightened girls and dangerous secrets.
A Pressing Engagement
by Anna Lee Huber
2016
On the eve of her wedding to Sebastian Gage, Kiera is distracted from her nerves by the sudden appearance of a priceless Celtic necklace tied to an old case. Storms, houseguests, and family drama threaten the ceremony as she races to solve one last mystery.
A Study in Death
by Anna Lee Huber
2015
Commissioned to paint the portrait of a prominent Edinburgh hostess, Kiera arrives to find her subject lying dead on the floor. The doctor calls it natural causes, but Kiera's instincts and eye for detail suggest a subtle poisoning no one else wants to see.
A Grave Matter
by Anna Lee Huber
2014
Back at her childhood home for Hogmanay, Kiera hopes for peace but instead finds a murdered caretaker and a ransacked grave at nearby Dryburgh Abbey. With Gage's help she tracks a macabre blackmailer who steals bones, holding grief stricken families to ransom.
Mortal Arts
by Anna Lee Huber
2013
In Edinburgh to support her pregnant sister, Kiera is drawn into the troubles of a childhood friend whose brother has returned after years in an asylum. When a village girl vanishes, she and Gage must untangle rumors of madness, art, and cruelty.
The Anatomist's Wife
by Anna Lee Huber
2012
Recently widowed Lady Kiera Darby retreats to her sister's Scottish estate, shadowed by scandal over her late husband's anatomical work. When a guest is murdered, her knowledge of the human body forces her into an uneasy partnership with investigator Sebastian Gage.
Series background & context
Set mainly in 1830s Scotland, the Lady Darby mysteries follow Lady Kiera Darby, a gifted portrait artist who would much rather be left alone with her sketchbook than dragged into scandal. Unfortunately, scandal has already found her.
In the years before the first book, Kiera's late husband, a celebrated anatomist, forced her to illustrate his dissections. When his work was exposed, society chose to blame her as much as him. She survived the ordeal with a detailed knowledge of the human body and a reputation for being unnervingly familiar with death.
When murder intrudes on what should have been a quiet country house party in The Anatomist's Wife, Kiera is pressed into helping an inquiry agent, Sebastian Gage. Their reluctant partnership quickly proves effective: her eye for physical detail and his experience with investigation make them a formidable team. Over time the guarded respect between them deepens into trust, love, and eventually marriage.
Each book sends Kiera and Gage into a different corner of Britain, from crumbling abbeys and Highland estates to the streets of Edinburgh, London, and Dublin. They confront grave robbers holding corpses for ransom, political and religious intrigue in an Irish convent school, whispers of madness in an asylum, art forgery and theft, and body snatchers whose crimes echo the real Burke and Hare cases.
The tone is gothic and atmospheric, with plenty of fog, candlelight, and looming ruins, but the stories never lose sight of the people at their center.
Kiera begins the series isolated and deeply shaken by abuse and public shaming, unsure she will ever belong in society again. Through the investigations she regains a sense of purpose, builds new friendships, and learns to trust her own judgment. Gage brings his own family secrets and painful history, and the books trace how the two of them negotiate marriage, parenthood, and dangerous work in a world that would prefer Kiera stay silent and decorative.
Across fourteen novels and a novella, the Lady Darby series blends intricate mysteries with emotional character arcs and rich historical detail. Readers can expect high stakes, slow burn romance, and a heroine who refuses to let the worst chapters of her life define the rest.
Edited by
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

































Comments
Did we miss something? Have feedback?
Help us improve this page by sharing your thoughts