The Homeswappers Books in Order

The Homeswappers books begin with a smart, slightly cheeky idea. Etta and Dora are retired teachers from southern Italy, old friends with very different temperaments and matching worries about money. Faced with the reality of modest pensions, they decide they are not done seeing the world. If they cannot afford grand holidays, they will travel another way, by swapping homes and making themselves at home in other people's towns, villages, and kitchens.

Before the travel really takes off, Castelmezzano, The Witch Is Dead shows how sleuthing enters their lives. Out walking near their mountain villages, Etta and Dora find the body of a woman locals think of as a witch. Dora leads with sympathy and instinct. Etta leads with logic, suspicion, and the sort of stubbornness that can be very useful when a case goes sideways. That contrast becomes the heart of the series, and it never stops being fun.

Then they start swapping homes.

From The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies onward, each trip drops them into a different corner of Europe and a different kind of trouble. Medieval German towns, grand houses in Mecklenburg, a Danish island at Christmas, Prague, the Scottish Highlands, a Hebridean castle, the Lake District, Cornwall. These are cozy mysteries, but they are also travel stories. The borrowed homes, ferry crossings, village festivals, local food, weather, folklore, and awkward encounters with neighbours all matter because the setting usually shapes the crime as much as the suspects do.

Leon, their stubborn Basset Hound, is part mascot, part accomplice, and part chaos machine. He is not there just to look charming. He wins hearts, causes delays, notices things the humans miss, and often helps shift the tone from tense to funny in a single scene. Around him, Etta and Dora grow into a proper team. Etta is sharp, prickly, and analytical. Dora is warmer, more trusting, and often better at reading what people feel but do not say.

The mysteries themselves tend to grow out of recognisably human problems rather than shock tactics. Family grudges, property fights, old betrayals, social ambition, local superstition, inheritance games, and wartime secrets show up again and again. Some books feel playful and festive. Others lean toward ghost stories, historical shadows, or communities divided over what should happen to a beloved place. The violence stays offstage, but the stakes are real.

What keeps the series moving is the pleasure of watching two ordinary women become braver and more capable with every journey. Each book works on its own, but the bigger reward comes from seeing the friendship deepen, the map widen, and Leon settle more firmly into the middle of the action. If you like cozy mysteries with older sleuths, strong sense of place, and a generous dose of travel, this series offers exactly that.