A pastry chef who bakes cupcakes in Salem. A big, blond man who walks in through a locked door. A monkey with a rude middle finger. The Lizzy and Diesel series by Janet Evanovich is her paranormal side project, and it is a fun read from the first page. Here are all the books in order and the story behind the seven stones. We also answer the big question: will there be a next Lizzy and Diesel novel?
How Many Lizzy and Diesel Books Are There?
There are three Lizzy and Diesel books. Fans also call it the Wicked series, because every title starts with the same word. Each book is a full novel with a paranormal mystery at its heart, and each one sends the pair after a different stone. You can read the trilogy in a long weekend.
Lizzy and Diesel Series in Order: The Wicked Book Titles
- Wicked Appetite (2010): the Stone of Gluttony
- Wicked Business (2012): the Luxuria Stone, the stone of lust
- Wicked Charms (2015): the Stone of Avarice, co-written with Phoef Sutton
Read them in this order. Book 2 and book 3 build on the partnership and the rivalry set up in the first novel.
Wicked Appetite: Lizzy Tucker Meets Diesel
Lizzy Tucker works as a pastry chef at Dazzle’s Bakery in Salem, Massachusetts. She has just inherited a house from her great-aunt. Then Diesel shows up and tells her she has special abilities: she can sense enchanted objects. He needs that gift to find the stone before his cousin Wulf does. Our Wicked Appetite review covers the first book in detail.
Wicked Business: Boston and the Power of Lust
Gilbert Reedy, a romantic Harvard University English professor, is murdered and thrown from his balcony. For twenty years he had been searching for the Luxuria Stone. This ancient relic is believed to hold the power of lust. The clues hide in an old book of sonnets. Lizzy and Diesel follow them through Boston, from catacombs to government buildings and multimillion-dollar residences. They leave public disturbances and a little spontaneous seduction behind them. A new enemy called Anarchy joins the hunt.
Wicked Charms: Pirate Treasure on the New England Coast
In the third book, Lizzy and Diesel are back for a treasure hunt. Nearly a century ago, a notorious bootlegger, Collier “Peg Leg” Dazzle, found a famous pirate’s treasure. Then he hid it again somewhere along the coast. Somewhere in that chest lies the Stone of Avarice. The trail runs through harbor towns, an old ship and plenty of dust. Emmy Award-winning co-author Phoef Sutton joined for this wicked adventure from Janet Evanovich. The book became a New York Times bestseller.
Will There Be More Lizzy and Diesel Books?
No fourth book has been announced. Wicked Charms came out in 2015, and neither Janet Evanovich nor her publisher has named a next book in the series since then. Four of the seven stones are still missing, so the story is open. But for now, the trilogy is complete.
Many readers love this series and hope it will continue. If you are one of them, the three books still work as a set. Each novel ends with its stone found intact and the bad guys stopped, at least until the next hunt.
The Seven Deadly Sins and the SALIGIA Stones
The whole trilogy is built around seven stones. Together they are called SALIGIA, a word made from the Latin names of the seven deadly sins. Each stone holds the power of one sin. Whoever gathers all of them could bring chaos and disaster to the world.
Diesel’s job is recovery: he finds each stone and delivers it to a safe place to save it from the wrong hands. His cousin Gerwulf Grimoire, called Wulf, wants the stones for himself. Wulf is dark, enigmatic and dangerous. Hatchet, his minion in medieval clothes, adds the comic relief. Lizzy is the one who can feel a stone’s pull, so every hunt depends on her.
Who Is Diesel in the Stephanie Plum Books?
Diesel first appeared in the Stephanie Plum series, not in the Wicked books. He is an “Unmentionable”: a man with powers he doesn’t explain. He shows up in the four holiday novellas “between the numbers”:
- Visions of Sugar Plums (2002)
- Plum Lovin’ (2007)
- Plum Lucky (2008)
- Plum Spooky (2009)
In these stories he drops into Stephanie’s life with a strange job for her. Plum Spooky also brings in Wulf and Carl the monkey. After that, Janet Evanovich gave Diesel his own series with a new heroine. You don’t need to read the Plum novels first, but fans will enjoy the familiar faces. See all the Stephanie Plum books in order on our series page.
Who Are the Authors of the Lizzy and Diesel Series?
Janet Evanovich wrote Wicked Appetite and Wicked Business alone. She is a New York Times bestselling author, best known for the Stephanie Plum series. For Wicked Charms she worked with Phoef Sutton, a screenwriter who won an Emmy for Cheers. The two also wrote the Knight and Moon novels together. Read more on our Janet Evanovich author page.
Which Janet Evanovich Series Is Considered the Best?
The Stephanie Plum series is her most loved book series. It has run for more than thirty novels and made her one of the best-selling authors in crime fiction. The Wicked books are smaller and lighter. It trades the bail bonds office for a bakery, a haunted old house and magic. If you like cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist, this trilogy may be your favorite. The books feature more magic than murder, and more jokes than clues. For more books like these, browse our list of paranormal cozy mysteries.
Lizzy and Diesel Books Reviewed on This Site
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read the Lizzy and Diesel books in?
Start with Wicked Appetite, then read Wicked Business and finish with Wicked Charms. The first book introduces the stones, Lizzy’s gift and Wulf.
Is the Wicked trilogy finished?
The trilogy is complete, but the story is not closed. Four stones are still out there, and no fourth book has been announced.
Do I need to read Stephanie Plum before the Wicked books?
No. Diesel’s earlier appearances are a bonus, not a requirement. Book one explains everything you need.
Where can I find reviews of the Lizzy and Diesel series?
Goodreads and Amazon collect thousands of customer reviews for each book. Our own review of the first novel is linked above, with more to come.