Party-Planning Mysteries Books in Order

The Party-Planning Mysteries follow Presley Parker, an event planner in the San Francisco Bay Area whose jobs keep turning into crime scenes. It is a strong cozy setup because parties already come with deadlines, pressure, money, and people trying to look better than they really are. Add murder, and Presley never gets a quiet night.

She would probably like one.

Presley runs her business from Treasure Island, and the series uses that Bay Area base well. Each book drops her into a different event and a different landmark setting, from Alcatraz to the de Young Museum, the Winchester Mystery House, Colma, and Napa wine country. That changing backdrop keeps the books fresh while still giving them a familiar lead and supporting cast.

What ties the series together is Presley's mix of professional know-how and personal chaos. She is trying to build a business and protect her reputation, so every murder threatens more than her curiosity. If a client dies, a party collapses, or the wrong person gets blamed, her career can go down with it. That gives the investigations a practical edge. She is not solving crimes because she is bored. She often has something real to lose.

The books also make room for the mechanics of events, themes, guests, props, and location headaches, which is part of the fun. Warner clearly enjoys the details of putting a party together, and that background helps each mystery feel specific. A murder mystery fundraiser does not feel like a séance party, and neither feels like a cemetery wrap party or a Napa tasting event.

Brad Matthews, the crime scene cleaner who becomes a recurring romantic interest, adds another offbeat layer. He fits the tone of the series well, practical, capable, and just unusual enough to belong in Presley's orbit. The supporting characters help keep the books light even when the body count rises.

Readers who like location-driven cozies usually want atmosphere without losing momentum. That is exactly what this series does. The Bay Area settings give each book a visual hook, the event-planning angle gives Presley a believable reason to be in the middle of everything, and the tone stays brisk, funny, and easy to settle into.