A cozy mystery is a story that makes you want to lose yourself in its warmth and fun, and possibly move to a small town while you’re at it. Originally popularized by Agatha Christie’s cunning Miss Marple, the small towns with charming names are only a small part of what makes these stories so enjoyable. In fact, they’re so enjoyable that we’ve compiled yet another list of cozy mysteries for you to enjoy on a cool autumn afternoon. Time to wrap yourself in an oversized flannel and solve a mystery.
*Disclosure: We only recommend books that we love and would read ourselves. This post contains affiliate links, as we are part of the Amazon Services LCC Associate Program and others, which may earn us a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Death by Dumpling by Vivian Chien
Lana Lee-recovering from a recent breakup-has recently returned to the Cleveland area to lick her wounds at her family’s restaurant, Ho-Lee Noodle House. Waiting tables should, in essence, be a fairly simple gig, but things are thrown out of whack when the property manager turns up dead, having suffered an allergic reaction to dumplings from Lana’s restaurant. With her family’s lives and their business reputation at stake, Lana has no choice but to track down the real killer before anyone else gets hurt.
RelatedCulinary Cozy Mysteries: The Genre’s Love of Food
The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren
Imagine how many sweaters I could knit for the price of your golf membership.
Vampires, witches, knitting clubs and murder. Just your average English town, but a beyond average cozy mystery. Lucy Swift has moved to Oxford to take over her grandmother’s knitting shop following her death. Only thing is, Gran isn’t really dead… she’s a vampire. And she didn’t turn peacefully in her sleep; she was murdered. Lucy will need to unmask the killer-without letting law enforcement find out there’s no body-all while navigating the affections of a detective inspector and a 600 year-old vampire. No pressure.
A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
As a lover of ice cream, a cozy mystery series set in an ice cream shop is the perfect combination. Bronwyn Crewse is restoring her family’s Ohio ice cream joint to its original glory, using family recipes to add delicious flavours to the menu. Of course, delays have taken the shop’s grand opening from the summer heat to an unexpected cold front, and the first snowfall of the season. Oh, and the dead guy outside the shop in the snow isn’t helping matters either. No one ever said running a small business was easy…
The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton
The other diners studied him with the polite frozen smiles the English use for threatening behaviour.
Every cozy mystery list needs at least one quaint English village setting. It’s mandatory. Thankfully, MC Beaton delivers as usual with Agatha Raisin. Having given up a successful London PR firm, she sells her flat and moved to the picturesque town of Carsely. After entering a local baking contest-even though she can’t bake a thing-Agatha is shocked to discover that her store bought quiche contained poison, and has killed the judge of the contest. To clear her own name, already sullied with the local residents, Agatha will have no choice but to track down the killer… and her next meal might be her last.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
A culinary cozy mystery is a special kind of fun, no matter what kind of restaurant they’re set in. In this first entry, Lila Macapagal is working day and night to save her Tita Rosie’s restaurant. She’s got a huge undertaking, including dealing with a miserable restaurant critic, who just so happens to be her ex-boyfriend. Things get even more complicated when said ex-boyfriend turns up dead, right after they have an argument. Lila will be working double time to clear her name and save Tita Rosie’s, all before the real killer decides to come for her next.
Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing
My success or failure hinges on a glass of chardonnay. I’ve poured everything into opening my own winery
A wine brewery gets a killer makeover in this cozy mystery series. Parker is beyond excited to open her winery in Boulder Colorado. She needs things to go perfectly; one bad review could ruin her chances at a successful launch. When a nit-picky wine critic drops dead moments after sampling her vintage, Parker has no choice but to sleuth out the real culprit in order to clear her name as well as the reputation of her winery.
Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
Cozy mysteries don’t always take on the paranormal all that well, but when a good series comes along it’s so worth checking out! Lily Ivory has recently moved herself and her witchy magic to San Francisco, opening a vintage clothing store and using her gifts to help folks pick out the items best suited to them. However, following the murder of a client and the disappearance of several children in the area, Lily will need to investigate things herself… while trying to keep her identity a secret. No problem.
Murder at Pirate’s Cove by Josh Lanyon
All you had to do was flip through a couple of titles in the cozy-mystery section to know that evil lurked in the cutest, quaintest corners of the universe.
Ellery Page is looking for a change, so when he finds out he’s inherited a rundown bookstore and old mansion in Pirate’s Cove Rhode Island, he leaps at the chance to take on a new project. However, things hit a bit of a hiccup when the owner of a rival bookstore and general miserable presence drops dead during the annual Buccaneer Days celebration. Along with the handsome widowed police chief, Ellery will need to crack the case, before he winds up on the chopping block.
A High-End Finish by Kate Carlisle
You didn’t think we’d leave out a cozy mystery series turned Hallmark movie did you? In the small seaside town of Lighthouse Cove, Shannan Hammer is the best contractor in the business. But when her blind date turns up dead in the Victorian manor she’s been hired to restore, all eyes are on her. Shannan will have to work overtime to clear her name. Luckily, she’ll have the help of her best friends, quirky father and the handsome crime writer who’s just moved to town. This may be her toughest restoration yet.
Murder in G Major by Alexia Gordon
A detective identified a singer’s killer by studying the audience in concert footage. The killer—a stalker—showed up in every film.
We love a cozy mystery with a haunting. Gethsemane Brown accepts a job teaching classical music in a tiny seaside town in Ireland. The cottage she’s been given to live in should be ideal, except for one tiny detail. The former murdered owner of the house haunts the place. Oh, and he needs Gethsemane to clear his name for the murder of his wife so that he can rest in piece. Piece of cake…
Quirky characters and small town sleuths are the kinds of things that keep readers coming back for more, and we can certainly see why. These stories are engaging and enjoyable, and these self proclaimed detectives are what we mystery lovers aspire to. We can’t wait to see what sorts of crazy shenanigans they get up to next.
