Lizzy & Diesel (Phoef Sutton) Books in Order

Lizzy and Diesel is Janet Evanovich's paranormal caper series, and Phoef Sutton joins her as co-author on Wicked Charms. Even before Sutton arrives, the books already have the mix that defines them: comic mystery pacing, flirtatious friction, and a supernatural treasure hunt built around old relics with bad ideas baked into them. When Sutton steps in, he fits the tone naturally.

The series centers on Lizzy Tucker, a pastry chef trying to build a reasonably normal life on Massachusetts' North Shore, and Diesel, a charming trouble magnet with unusual powers and a talent for showing up when normal is about to end. Their partnership starts when ancient relics tied to the Seven Deadly Sins surface in the region. Those objects are dangerous on their own, but they get even more dangerous because Diesel's cousin Wulf is hunting them too, and he wants Lizzy almost as much as he wants the stones.

Setting matters here. These books use Salem, Marblehead, Boston, and the surrounding coast as more than wallpaper. You get old houses, tourist-witch energy, harbor towns, hidden corners, and just enough local history to make the magic feel half ridiculous and half plausible. The supernatural pieces are never especially solemn. That is part of the fun. The books know that treasure hunts, cursed objects, and seductive villains work better when the story lets itself be playful.

They are breezy on purpose.

Lizzy is the series anchor because she reacts like someone who did not ask to spend her days chasing charmed relics. She wants stability. She wants work, home, and some kind of emotional order. Diesel is almost the opposite. He operates on instinct, swagger, and secret knowledge, which means he can be useful and exasperating in the same scene. Wulf adds the recurring threat, not just because he is dangerous, but because he turns every hunt into a contest of temptation as well as speed.

By the time you get to Wicked Business and Wicked Charms, the series is comfortable being both mystery and magical romp. Wicked Charms, the Sutton collaboration, sends Lizzy and Diesel after pirate treasure and the Stone of Avarice, with boats, maps, greedy rivals, and plenty of comic chaos along the way. It is a good example of what these books do best. They keep the stakes clear, the mood lively, and the page turns coming.

If you want dark, rule-heavy fantasy, this is not that. If you want paranormal adventure with jokes, romantic tension, and a heroine who keeps trying to stay sensible while the world refuses to cooperate, it is easy to see the appeal. For the full arc, start with Wicked Appetite and read forward. If you are here specifically for Phoef Sutton, Wicked Charms shows exactly how well his rhythm meshes with Evanovich's comic supernatural setup.