Most Recommended Books

Track reading, wishlists & new-book alerts

Get
Skip to content
Share:

Nancy Martin Books in Order

Browse Nancy Martin books in order, with quick summaries, series guides, and tips on where to start, from the Blackbirds to Roxy Abruzzo.

Last updated: June 9, 2026

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases (at no extra cost to you).

View

Publication Order

Sort:

37 books

Showdown

by Nancy Martin

1980

Flying cowboy Ross Fletcher runs a one-man air service out of Montana and loves calling the shots. Then romance throws him into a showdown he cannot charm or pilot his way around.

Black Diamonds

by Nancy Martin

1984

Bree Dalton runs a coal company and walks a hard line between business demands and the land she wants to protect. Ryan Kelsey arrives under fire, and their uneasy connection only raises the stakes.

Beyond the Dream

by Nancy Martin

1985

Amnesia patient Beth Doe wakes with no past and no one claiming her, until news of a husband changes everything. Recovering her memory may be harder, and riskier, than trusting the life offered to her.

An Unexpected Pleasure

by Nancy Martin

1986

Journalist Bret Donovan meets the celebrated David Whittaker and quickly understands his pull. Professional admiration turns personal after one charged night forces them both to rethink what comes next.

Nightcap

by Nancy Martin

1986

Katherine Theodopolis expects a controlled, proper life, not rescue by a pirate-like stranger in the South Pacific. Adventure with Blackie Lowell forces her to drop the manor-lady pose and face something wilder.

Sable and Secrets

by Nancy Martin

1988

Alex Varanov is trying to find out who is stealing fur coats from his father's Chicago boutique. All signs point to salesclerk Caroline Conover, which becomes a problem the moment he starts wanting her.

Hit Man

by Nancy Martin

1989

A little boy's claim that his father is a hit man sounds absurd, until danger walks straight into Maggie Kincaid's Caribbean hideaway. Fast-talking Mick Spiderelli brings trouble, and possibly romance, with him.

A Living Legend

by Nancy Martin

1990

Tabloid reporter Catty Sinclair heads to a secluded island hunting the scoop of a lifetime. Instead she finds a gruff recluse, a mystery worth chasing, and feelings that complicate the story.

Looking for Trouble

by Nancy Martin

1990

Cop Sheila Malone is under pressure and does not need a rich, smart-mouthed man getting in her way. Unfortunately he may be the key to solving a five-year-old murder, and to unsettling her heart.

Ready, Willing and Abel

by Nancy Martin

1990

Professor Abel Fletcher does not believe in love at first sight, until a strange love stone seems to upend his better judgment. Suddenly the cool, distant Samantha is impossible for him to ignore.

Monkey Wrench

by Nancy Martin

1992

Television personality Susannah comes home to Tyler for Christmas after concern grows over her grandmother Rose. Local contractor Joe Santori is waiting, and the visit soon becomes a choice between career and a different kind of future.

Whirlwind

by Nancy Martin

1992

Liza Baron returns home to the old family lodge and finds a reclusive man, Cliff Forrester, already there. When a body is uncovered on the grounds, buried family secrets make the homecoming far more dangerous.

Fortune's Cookie

by Nancy Martin

1993

Hotshot reporter Nick Fortune is punished with a babysitting assignment that sounds beneath him. The boss's niece has dreams of reporting too, and their collision of ambition and desire quickly gets complicated.

Good Golly, Miss Molly

by Nancy Martin

1993

Molly Pym has every reason to hate Dash O'Donnelly and the family behind him. Meeting him in person turns an old grudge into a much more dangerous problem, unwanted attraction.

Wish Upon a Star

by Nancy Martin

1994

A free-spirited psychic is pushed into helping a very serious man search for missing papers. Their clashing styles turn a practical job into a lively battle of skepticism, attraction, and inconvenient chemistry.

The Cop and the Chorus Girl

by Nancy Martin

1995

A nice-guy New York cop is blindsided when a runaway bride in a wedding dress hijacks his motorcycle. The chase that follows turns into a romance neither of them expected to trust.

The Pauper and the Pregnant Princess

by Nancy Martin

1996

Princess Cordelia thinks a shocking match is the perfect way to escape royal duty. Then she meets Crash Craddock, broke, common, and entirely too hard to dismiss, and her carefully reckless plan turns personal.

Vanilla Blood

by Nancy Martin

1996

Cowboy and the Calendar Girl

by Nancy Martin

1998

Calendar publisher Carly Cortazzo goes to South Dakota to meet the rugged cowboy she has been dreaming about. Hank Fowler looks perfect, but the truth about him could wreck the fantasy before it becomes something real.

How to Murder a Millionaire

by Nancy Martin

2002

After her parents abscond with the family money, Nora Blackbird takes a job covering Philadelphia society. At her very first party she finds a murdered host, and steps into a world of scandal, danger, and Mick Abruzzo.

Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds

by Nancy Martin

2003

Nora Blackbird's new life as a society columnist gets uglier when a glamorous thief and socialite winds up dead. With suspicion edging her way, Nora has to investigate before she loses more than her reputation.

Some Like It Lethal

by Nancy Martin

2004

A killing at an exclusive hunt club drops Nora Blackbird into another tangle of wealth, gossip, and bad behavior. Teaming up with Michael Abruzzo may be risky, but she needs every edge she can get.

Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die

by Nancy Martin

2005

Nora Blackbird's nasty boss is murdered, and the case lands right in Nora's working life. Society parties, newsroom politics, and Mick Abruzzo's less civilized methods all collide as she hunts for the killer.

Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too

by Nancy Martin

2006

When a thoroughly unpleasant old man dies, Nora Blackbird is the one stuck sorting through the scandal. To solve the murder, she has to balance her shaky career, her eccentric sisters, and the dangerous appeal of Mick Abruzzo.

Mick Abruzzo's Story

by Nancy Martin

2006

Fresh out of prison, Mick Abruzzo is trying to decide whether he can leave crime behind. A tempting mob job makes that choice a lot harder, and shows how close he came to a very different future.

A Crazy Little Thing Called Death

by Nancy Martin

2007

Nora Blackbird is engaged to Mick Abruzzo, but wedding plans take a back seat when death strikes at a polo match. Another high-society murder forces Nora to choose between romance and investigation, again.

Murder Melts in Your Mouth

by Nancy Martin

2008

A Philadelphia philanthropist dies in spectacular fashion, and Nora Blackbird's best friend lands under suspicion. To clear her, Nora has to navigate scandal, society, and the inconvenient usefulness of Mick Abruzzo.

Our Lady of Immaculate Deception / Foxy Roxy

by Nancy Martin

2010

Roxy Abruzzo runs an architectural salvage business and tries to stay mostly straight, despite her Mafia family. A stolen classical statue and the murder of a wealthy steel heir drag her into a fast, dirty Pittsburgh mess.

Sticky Fingers

by Nancy Martin

2011

Cash-strapped Roxy Abruzzo is already doing shady favors for her mob uncle when a kidnapping job crosses the line. Then the intended victim turns up dead, and Roxy becomes the easiest person for the police to blame.

No Way to Kill a Lady

by Nancy Martin

2012

When the Blackbird sisters inherit their great-aunt's crumbling estate, Nora expects family trouble, not murder. Missing treasures and a suspicious death pull her into another stylish, dangerous hunt for the truth.

Slay Belles

by Nancy Martin

2012

Christmas shopping goes very wrong when a star personal shopper is found murdered in a department store display. Nora Blackbird has to solve the case while her sisters spin off in opposite directions.

Little Black Book of Murder

by Nancy Martin

2013

Society columnist Nora Blackbird is shoved into celebrity gossip territory when a billionaire fashion designer turns up dead. To keep her job and her footing, she has to untangle the murder before her messy personal life swallows her whole.

A Little Night Murder

by Nancy Martin

2014

Pregnant Nora Blackbird is covering Philadelphia society when a death tied to a Broadway show rehearsal lands close to home. Between family drama and Mick's formidable mother, she has plenty to juggle before she finds the killer.

Lady Be Good

by Nancy Martin

2014

Grace Vanderbine takes over her mother's etiquette empire and expects a smooth publicity tour. Instead she collides with former football star Luke Lazurnovich and finds herself brushing up against an old Blackbird family mystery.

Mick Abruzzo: The Second Wire

by Nancy Martin

2014

Mick Abruzzo wants a normal future with Nora, but the family business has other ideas. When his brother Frankie needs help, Mick is pulled toward one last job that could cost him everything.

Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything

by Nancy Martin

2015

When Honeybelle Hensley dies and leaves her fortune to her dog, the whole town of Mule Stop erupts. Outsider Sunny McKillip must protect Miss Ruffles, sort through the suspects, and decide whether Honeybelle really died naturally.

Bye, Bye Blackbird

by Nancy Martin

2016

Nora Blackbird is finally on the verge of both motherhood and marriage, if her sisters can help without wrecking everything first. What should be a happy ending turns into one more round of Blackbird chaos.

Where should I start?

If you want the signature Philadelphia mysteries: How to Murder a MillionaireDead Girls Don't Wear DiamondsSome Like It Lethal
If you want the full Blackbird family drama: How to Murder a MillionaireCross Your Heart and Hope to DieA Little Night Murder
If you prefer a tougher Pittsburgh heroine: Our Lady of Immaculate Deception / Foxy RoxySticky Fingers
If you want a lighter, dog-centered cozy: Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything
If you want the early category romances: The Pauper and the Pregnant PrincessThe Cop and the Chorus GirlThe Cowboy and the Calendar Girl

Author bio

Nancy Martin is a Pennsylvania writer who built a long career before most mystery readers met her. She studied at Westminster College, taught English in Williamsport, and has also directed Shakespeare plays. Like the Blackbird sisters she later created, she comes from an old Pennsylvania family, with Betsy Ross and a signer of the Declaration of Independence in the family line.

Writing was not a side hobby for her. It was work, and practical work at that. While raising two daughters, Martin wrote romance novels because writing from home let her keep building a career and bringing in income at the same time. That early stretch gave her something readers still feel in her books now, a strong sense of pace, lively dialogue, and people who sound as if they have histories before page one.

Then she followed the pull of mystery.

Martin had long loved crime fiction, and in 2002 she launched the Blackbird Sisters series with How to Murder a Millionaire. The book introduced Nora, Libby, and Emma Blackbird, three Philadelphia blue bloods left with debts instead of trust funds when their parents disappear. It won the RT Book Reviews award for Best First Mystery, was nominated for an Agatha Award, and was a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award.

That turned out to be the right move.

Readers kept coming back for the Blackbird books because they mix murder with money trouble, sister drama, old houses, and a sharp eye for class. In Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds, Some Like It Lethal, and A Little Night Murder, Martin keeps Nora moving through Philadelphia society with equal parts wit and alarm, usually in good clothes and often in real danger. The long-running relationship between Nora and Mick Abruzzo, a man with mob ties and a stubborn streak of his own, gives the series a stronger emotional thread than many light mysteries manage.

Martin did not stay in one lane.

With Our Lady of Immaculate Deception, later reissued as Foxy Roxy, she shifted to Pittsburgh and created Roxy Abruzzo, a tougher, louder heroine who runs an architectural salvage business and keeps getting pulled toward family trouble. Sticky Fingers pushes that world even harder, mixing mob pressure, money problems, and the everyday strain of being a mother. On a lighter note, Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything moves to Texas and builds a cozy mystery around a dog, a suspicious inheritance, and a newcomer trying to make sense of a very local world.

Her earlier romances matter too. Books like Whirlwind, The Pauper and the Pregnant Princess, and The Cop and the Chorus Girl show the same interest she would later bring to her mysteries, mismatched people, social pressure, family baggage, and women forced to think fast. Across genres, Martin tends to write smart heroines, messy relatives, and places that feel specific, whether that means Philadelphia's Main Line, Pittsburgh streets, or a small town with everybody in everybody else's business.

By 2009, she had written enough mysteries to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews for mystery writing. She has also been active in the writing community for years, serving with Sisters in Crime and helping found Pennwriters, a group that has supported many other writers in Pennsylvania and beyond. She lives in Pittsburgh, still tied to the state that shows up again and again in her work, and still seems to like a good mix of sharp women, trouble, and bad behavior.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

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

We only use your email to notify you about replies.

All comments are moderated.

Discover and track your reading on the go

Track your reading, manage wishlists, and get notified when new books are added.

All 37 Nancy Martin Books in Order (Complete List 2026)