Unravel mysteries with comfort! Delve into the best cozy mystery books where intrigue meets charming settings and endearing sleuths.
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
These snowy mysteries are filled with atmosphere.
If you're a fan of seasonal cozy mystery books, check out my recommendations for the Halloween season! You'll find one you will love!
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
I obviously love reading to Charlotte, but I have been a bookworm every since I was her age. I read a little bit of everything, but my favorite genre would have to be a good cozy mystery. A cozy mystery is exactly just that. It is a story full of fun characters who try to solve a good mystery. A mystery that is light and entertaining instead of dark and gory. I love them because they are a quick read that keeps the focus on spotting the clues to solve the crime and highly revolve around character development. I look forward to "visiting" my favorite characters and catching up with them in new books. Each series revolves around a theme such as: cooking, gardening, sewing, or running some sort of business. Many of these books will often include recipes or extra facts about their theme. The story takes place in a small town so you really get to know the layout and all of the local characters if you keep up with a series. There is usually a love interest that often ends up being a member of the local law enforcement. The chapters are typically just a few pages long so they are perfect if you have limited reading time. If you go to the bookstore and check out the cozy mystery section, you can easily become overwhelmed because there are so many selections to choose from. I have been reading cozy mysteries for almost fifteen years now and wanted to share my top ten favorite series with you in case you are interested in trying the genre out. (Pictured are the first book in each series. Clicking the picture will take you to my affiliate link on Amazon in case you wish to learn more about a certain title or series) China Bayles Herbal Mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert: This is the series that got me hooked on cozy mysteries in the first place. I love gardening and I'm from Texas so it was an easy match for me. Once I started reading it however, I quickly realized that the areas the author was describing in each book sounded really familiar. I ended up chatting with Susan a few years back and she confirmed the fact that she loosely based the locations off of the town where I attended college and some of the surrounding areas that I live in now. Kinda neat. I adore this fictional town and its inhabitants. They feel like close friends. It reminds me of all of those small country towns where everyone knows everyone and of course all of their business too. You will definitely want to start an herb garden after reading this series. It inspired me to and I'm glad it did. Main character: China Bayles the owner of Thyme and Seasons Herb Shop in Pecan Springs, Texas. Regular cast: Ruby Wilcox - China's best friend and owner of a New Age Shop (trust me she is a hoot) Mike McQuaid - private investigator and China's main squeeze. Includes: Recipes (made the mint nut bread numerous times) and numerous facts about herbs. There are currently 21 books in this series. Author's website A Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs: If you follow me on Instragram, you will know that I'm a huge fan of drinking tea. The Indigo Tea Shop is one place that I would love to hang out at. It's the perfect place for friends to meet for brunch or to host a party for your favorite organization. I love the main character. She's seems very intelligent and strong. You will love touring Charleston with her too. Main Character: Theodosia Browning the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, South Carolina. Regular Cast: Drayton - master tea blender Haley - pastry chef (her menus will have you drooling) Burt Tidwell - local detective Dalanie Dish - the nosy friend that you can't help but put up with and love. Includes: Recipes and facts about every tea imaginable. There are currently 15 books in this series. Author's website Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle: Don't worry coffee drinkers, there is one for you too. This is what I picture a favorite coffeehouse to be like. A place where you have amazing baristas that truly love what they do and go the extra mile to help you find your favorite brew. It's a place where people regularly meet to relax and catch up with friends or snuggle up on a couch to get some work done. This series is so well written. The crimes are always believable and will have you chasing all over the Big Apple in search of the culprit. Main Character: Clare Cosi who manages the Village Blend Coffeehouse in New York City. Regular Cast: Matteo - coffee buyer and Clare's ex Madame Dreyfus Allegro Dubois - owner of the Village Blend and Matteo's mom Mike Quinn NYPD detective. Includes: Recipes There are currently 13 books in this series. Author's website A Flower Shop Mystery by Kate Collins: I love this series. The mysteries are always good, but the cast of quirky regulars are highly entertaining. When the crew is not solving mysteries, they are busy filling numerous flower orders. Let's face it, we all wish and think that we are masters when it comes to arranging flowers. It's fun to do and it always brightens your room and day to have a fresh bouquet around. Main Character: Abbey Knight who owns Bloomers, a local flower shop in New Chapel, Indiana. Regular Cast: Grace - one of Abbey's assistants who offers advice in the form of a good quote. Marco - owner of the local bar and grill, PI and definite love interest. Maureen - Abbey's mom who drops off her bizarre artwork in hopes it can be sold in the flower shop. Jillian - Abbey's cousin who doesn't think before she speaks. We all know someone like Jillian. There are currently 14 books in this series. Author's website A Domestic Diva Mystery by Krista Davis: This is such a fun series. The characters feel like family and best friends. Sophie's house is always so warm and inviting. She is the neighbor that you wish you had because her front door is always open, she helps out at a moments notice and fixes you amazing meals the moment you come over. I really love the events that Sophie is working on in each book too. Each chapter begins with a "dear abbey" type advice column. They either provide some good tips or some great laughter! Main Character: Sophie Winston an event planner in Alexandria, Virginia. Regular Cast: Natasha - the other local event planner who is always in competition with Sophie. Mars - Sophie's ex husband, neighbor and Natasha's boyfriend! Nina - Sophie's best friend and a huge animal lover. Daisy and Moiche - Sophie's beloved pets. There are currently 7 books in the series. Includes: recipes. Author's website A Cupcake Bakery Mystery by Jenn McKinnlay: Cupcakes are such a likeable treat these days. Trust me when I say that this series will have you craving those little cups of sweetness immediately!! After you are done licking your lips, you will instantly fall in love with the cast. The three main characters share a bond that has developed from being best friends since childhood. They are experts at quoting favorite movies and there just might be some hidden feelings amongst two of them. The rest of the crew is just as loveable and definitely entertaining! Main Character: Melanie Cooper the co-owner of Fairy Tale Cupcakes Bakery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Regular Cast: Angie DeLaura - Co-owner of the bakery, best friend and the only girl in a family full of very protective brothers. Tate - Mel and Angie's longtime best friend. Joe DeLaura - A District Attorney, one of Angie's many brothers, and a highly likeable love interest. There are currently 6 books in the series. Includes: tasty cupcake recipes. Author's website A White House Chef Mystery by Julie Hyzy: I look forward to reading every new book in this series as soon as it comes out! Not only are the mysteries highly intriguing, but the location is the White House! I know it's fiction, but it's kind of interesting to imagine what it must be like to work behind the scenes there. Hyzy does such a great job of making everything seems so incredibly real that each book instantly draws you in and has you eagerly flipping the pages until the very end. Main Character: Olivia "Ollie" Paras an executive chef at the White House in Washington D.C. Regular Cast: Bucky and Cyan - two more White House chefs Peter Everett Sargeant - do you love him or hate him, it's hard to tell. He's the sensitivity director at the White House and easily gets on everyone's last nerve. Thomas MacKenzie - secret service agent Mrs. Wentworth - Ollie's neighbor who knows everything that goes on in the her apartment building. Gavin - a mysterious special agent who shares some intense chemistry with Ollie. There are currently 7 books in the series. Includes: recipes for a complete presidential menu. Author's website. A Charmed Pie Shoppe by Ellery Adams: If you have never read a book by Adams, then I highly suggest you resolve that soon. She has such a talent for creating characters that you love to watch develop. This is a new series with only a few books, but I am already hooked and eager for many, many more. I love the main character, her loveable family and of course all of the ways the cast use their magical abilities to help others. If you look beyond the mystery, you will also notice a twist on a classic story. Main Character: Ella Mae LaFaye owner of the enchanted Charmed Pie Shoppe in Havenwood, Georgia. Regular Cast: Hugh Dylan - hunky firefighter and Ella's old crush. Dee, Verena, Sissy - the most magical and lovable aunts you will ever meet. Reba - licorice loving waitress and family caretaker. Loralyn - the annoying arch nemesis Chewy - Ella's Jack Russell terrier and constant companion. Includes - recipes There are currently 3 books in the series. Author's website. A Cheeseshop Mystery by Avery Aaemes: From the moment I read the first book in this series, I was hooked! The main setting takes place in a quaint little specialty cheese shop. They offer samplings, deli sandwiches and even great suggestions on wine pairings. It should come as no surprise that the owner's family is French. The characters are warm and seem so real. You get a sense that you've already known them for years. The mystery is always intriguing and keeps you guessing from a handful of suspects until the very end. Main Character: Charlotte Bessette owner of Fromagerie Bessette in Providence, Ohio. Regular Cast: Bernadette - Charlotte's fiesty Grandmere, local mayor and theater director. Etienne - Charlotte's Grandpere who's incredibly loveable and an expert cheese snacker. Matthew - Charlotte's cousin and proud father of adorable twin girls. In charge of the wine annex. Rebecca Zook - the recently shunned Amish assistant who is hooked on crime shows. Jordan Pace - mysterious new resident and easy love interest. Urso - "U-ey", chief of police and an old high school friend. There are currently 5 books in the series. Includes: recipes Author's website. A Magical Bakery Mystery by Bailey Cates: I know, another magical cozy, but it's so good! I happen to like paranormal books too so when you mix the two together I get very excited. Throw in a good love triangle and I'm hooked. This book follows a young woman as she discovers she is a witch and just needs to learn to tap into her special abilities. The relationship amongst all the characters really makes this one an easy favorite. Main Character: Katie Lightfoot - head baker at the family run Honeybee Bakery in Savannah, Georgia Regular Cast: Lucy and Ben - Katie's Aunt and Uncle who run the bakery. Mimsey, Bianca, Jaida, and Cookie - coven of witches and members of the enchanted book club. Declan - macho firefighter and possible love connection. Steve - reporter, warlock and equally possible love connection! There are currently 3 books in the series. Author's website. I honestly could go on and on and recommend so many other books in this genre. Have you read any of these or do you have another favorite cozy series that you follow? I have two shelves full of cozy mysteries just waiting to be read. You can check out my Goodreads page to view any of the mysteries that I have read. If you have a question about any of them, don't hesitate to ask! Now go relax and curl up with a good book!!!
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
The best cozy mystery series to pick up right now, whether you're new to the cozy genre or a seasoned reader.
“A super cozy mystery… The perfect pick up for a weekend read by the fire. It has everything… Hijinks, who-dun-its, loveable characters, and a wonderful setting. And a main character who is FIERCE” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ She can write the perfect murder mystery… But can she solve one in real life? Meet Jen Dawson, mystery writer, coffee lover, and amateur detective? Crime writer Jen returns to her small hometown with a bestselling book behind her and a bad case of writer’s block. Finding sanctuary in the local bookstore, with an endless supply of coffee, Jen waits impatiently for inspiration to strike. But when the owner of the bookstore dies suddenly in mysterious circumstances, Jen has a real-life murder to solve. The stakes are suddenly higher when evidence places Jen at the scene of the crime and the reading of the will names her as the new owner of the bookstore … Can she crack the case and clear her name, before the killer strikes again? Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Lauren Elliott and Ellery Adams, this is an absolutely gripping new bookish cozy crime series that will have you hooked from the very first page. Murder at the Bookstore:“Warm, amusing, and relatable… A very entertaining cozy mystery… A relaxing night-time read, and it was perfect for that… I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I loved trying to figure out the murder before I got to the end. This was a cozy, page-turning read” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This ingenious author has written a cannot put down novel” NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Product DetailsISBN-13: 9780008584627 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: HarperCollins UK Publication Date: 05-02-2023 Pages: 336 Product Dimensions: 5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.81(d) Series: The Bookstore Mystery SeriesAbout the Author Sue Minix is a member of Sisters in Crime, and when she isn’t writing or working, you can find her reading, watching old movies, or hiking the New Mexico desert with her furry best friend.
*Puts on detective cap.*
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
This post is all about cozy mysteries (“cozies”)! These books usually come in series, but there are some that are published as standalone novels, too. I’ve been looking into this genre more recently, since I love a good mystery but I haven’t have much of a taste for really graphic or depressing books as of ...
will you solve the case before the big reveal?
This post is all about cozy mysteries (“cozies”)! These books usually come in series, but there are some that are published as standalone novels, too. I’ve been looking into this genre more recently, since I love a good mystery but I haven’t have much of a taste for really graphic or depressing books as of ...
Just when the women of Read Wine are ready to say their new bookstore is a success, someone reappears to get revenge.
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
The best cozy mystery series to pick up right now, whether you're new to the cozy genre or a seasoned reader.
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
A startling crime? Check! A quaint setting? Check! A lovable amateur sleuth? Check! Cozy mysteries deliver all this and more. We rounded up 10 of our favorite cozies by bestselling authors Abby Collette, @laurachildsauthor, @authorpaigeshelton, @AuthorOliviaBlacke, @MPMtheWriter, Sofie Ryan, Vicki Delany, @JenJChow, @mintyfreshbooks and @authortonyakappes
An aspiring suspense novelist lands in the middle of a real crime in the first Writer's Apprentice mystery. Lena London's literary dreams are coming true—as long as she can avoid any real-life villains... Camilla Graham’s bestselling suspense novels inspired Lena London to become a writer, so when she lands a job as Camilla’s new assistant, she can’t believe her luck. Not only will she help her idol craft an enchanting new mystery, she’ll get to live rent-free in Camilla’s gorgeous Victorian home in the quaint town of Blue Lake, Indiana. But Lena’s fortune soon changes for the worse. First, she lands in the center of small town gossip for befriending the local recluse. Then, she stumbles across one thing that a Camilla Graham novel is never without—a dead body, found on her new boss’s lakefront property. Now Lena must take a page out of one of Camilla’s books to hunt down clues in a real crime that seems to be connected to the novelist’s mysterious estate—before the killer writes them both out of the story for good... Product DetailsISBN-13: 9780425282601 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group Publication Date: 07-05-2016 Pages: 304 Product Dimensions: 4.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.00(d) Series: Writer's Apprentice Mystery #1About the Author Julia Buckley is the author of the Undercover Dish Mysteries and the Writer's Apprentice Mysteries. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the Chicago Writer's Association. She has taught high school English for twenty-nine years.
*Puts on detective cap.*
In Nine Lives and Alibis, the seventh in Cate Conte's Cat Café beloved cozy mystery series, Daybreak Island is gearing up for Halloween--but this year it seems like it'll be all tricks and no treats. It's October in Daybreak Harbor, which means everything Halloween. The town is going all out for the holiday, hoping to one-up the festivities in neighboring Salem, Massachusetts, and Maddie James is delighted to be part of the planning for the annual happenings. But trouble brews when Maddie's youngest sister, Sam, books a famous medium, Balfour Dempsey, to come to town for the celebrations and stay in the local haunted inn--along with his equally famous black cat. The town busybody books a secret reading with Balfour and doesn't want anyone to know why. Maddie's best friend Becky is hell-bent on getting Balfour to help her solve two 40-year-old mysteries--a murder and a missing maid. And the psychic has a stalker who's followed him here to the island, demanding he connect with her dead husband. When Balfour is pushed off the cliffs behind the inn to his death and his beloved cat goes missing, it throws the whole town into a frenzy. And Maddie and her family find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery straight out of a Halloween movie. Product DetailsISBN-13: 9781250883933 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group Publication Date: 08-22-2023 Pages: 336 Product Dimensions: 4.10(w) x 6.70(h) x 1.00(d) Series: Cat Cafe Mystery Series - #7About the Author Cate Conte writes the Cat Cafe Mysteries and the Full Moon Mysteries. As Liz Mugavero, she writes the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, the first of which was an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. She lives in Connecticut with her rescue pals.
This post is all about cozy mysteries (“cozies”)! These books usually come in series, but there are some that are published as standalone novels, too. I’ve been looking into this genre more recently, since I love a good mystery but I haven’t have much of a taste for really graphic or depressing books as of ...
Historical cozy mysteries are the perfect combination of two favourite genres - cozy mysteries and historical fiction.
It just feels right to read a mystery novel in wintertime.
If you're looking for a great mystery to read, check out our list of the best 2023 cozy mysteries. From small-town dramas to intrigue and danger, these cozies are sure to entertain!
Halloween-Themed Cozy Mysteries There are lots of Halloween-themed cozy mystery books available. Here are several that have come out in the last few years. The first five have been published in 2022. Just click each title to learn more about each book. Mouse of Ill Repute by Ellen Riggs This mouse is anything but quiet… and she may hold the key to a Halloween crime. Fright Night Chocolate Delight by Addison Moore Halloween has arrived and—so has a killer. Welcome to Honey Hollow—where the treats are sweet, the scares are sweeter, and murder is just the icing on the cake. Halloween at the Haunted House by Cindy Bell Join Maddie and the gang when they find themselves knee-deep in a murder investigation on Halloween. Confections, Clues, and Chocolate by Kathleen Suzette Every year Pumpkin Hollow gleefully awaits its grand Halloween ball. But this year, as lanterns glow and shadows dance, the festivities take a chilling turn when one of the revelers is destined for the city morgue. An Unforeseen Halloween by R. R. Wilds In a town that’s covered in Halloween decorations, June assumes the body she stumbles on at the Halloween Festival is just a fake but fake bodies aren’t typically warm. 15 Minutes of Flame by Christin Brecher As Stella Wright’s Nantucket candle store thrives, her knack for solving mysteries burns equally bright—especially when a Halloween haunted house uncovers evidence of a centuries-old murder . . . Halloween Homicide by Addison Moore and Bellamy Bloom A Halloween spooktacular cozy mystery boxed set! Fall is in the air and murder abounds. Howloween Murder by Laurien Berenson As the town of Greenwich, Connecticut, counts down to a spooky celebration on October 31st, a horrifying murder leaves Melanie Travis pawing for clues in a hair-raising game of trick-or-treat . . Gourd to Death by Kirsten Weiss This Halloween, pie shop proprietor Val Harris must patch together clues to solve a murder by pumpkin . . . The Magic of Halloween Night by Kathi Daley How is a woman to start again after losing the one thing that speaks to her heart and fuels her passion? The Inn at Holiday Bay: Haunting in the Hallway by Kathi Daley Book 6 in a heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again. Swamp Spook (A Miss Fortune Mystery Book 13) by Jana DeLeon When black cats roam, and spooks are seen, Come celebrate, it’s Halloween. Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 5) by James J. Cudney It’s Halloween, and excitement is brewing in Braxton. The Halloween House: A Cozy Mystery (A Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Kathi Daley Every town has one. The big old house which has stood empty for so long that no one really remembers anyone living there. . . Sugared Demise: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, Book 5 by Kathleen Suzette "Ethan, there's been another murder!" I whispered into the phone as I stared at the body in front of me.
Historical cozy mysteries are the perfect combination of two favourite genres - cozy mysteries and historical fiction.
If you're not already familiar with the genre, cozy mysteries are a sub-section of mystery fiction where sex and violence are softened. Crazy and terrible
will you solve the case before the big reveal?
From New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams, the third installment in her beguiling cozy mystery series featuring librarian-turned-bookseller Nora Pennington who has a penchant for bibliotherapy and solving crimes. While people visit Miracle Springs for healing treatments, it's Nora who helps them find peace by prescribing the perfect book along with a fresh-baked scone. After all, sometimes the key to happiness, friendship—or solving a murder—can simply be found within the pages of the right book. It's been a very wet spring in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, and the rain has been relentless—and a flood of trouble is about to be unleashed... As the owner of Miracle Books, Nora Pennington figures all the wet weather this spring is at least good for business. The local inns are packed with stranded travelers, and among them Nora finds both new customers and a new friend, the sixty-something Sheldon, who starts helping out at the store. Since a little rain never hurt anyone, Nora rides her bike over to the flea market one sodden day and buys a bowl from Danny, a Cherokee potter. It'll make a great present for Nora's EMT boyfriend. But the next day, a little rain turns into a lot of rain, and the Miracle River overflows its banks. Amid the wreckage of a collapsed footbridge, a body lies within the churning water. Nora and the sheriff both doubt the ruling of accidental drowning, and Nora decides it's time for the Secret, Book, and Scone Society to spring into action. When another body turns up, it becomes clearer that Danny's death can't be blamed on a natural disaster. A crucial clue may lie within the stone walls of the Inn of Mist and Roses: a diary, over a century old and spattered with candle wax, that leads Nora and her friends through a maze of intrigue—and onto the trail of a murderer... Product DetailsISBN-13: 9781496712448 Media Type: Paperback Publisher: Kensington Publication Date: 12-29-2020 Pages: 320 Product Dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d) Series: Secret Book & Scone Society Series #3About the Author Ellery Adams has written dozens of mystery novels and can’t imagine spending a day away from the keyboard. Ms. Adams, a native New Yorker, has had a lifelong love affair with stories, food, rescue animals, and large bodies of water. When not working on her next novel, she reads, bakes, gardens, spoils her three cats, and rearranges her bookshelves. She lives with her husband and two children (aka the Trolls) in Chapel Hill, NC. For more information and a list of bibliotherapy titles, please visit www.elleryadamsmysteries.com.
Browse our latest titles in the Cozy Mysteries category to discover your next read from PenguinRandomHouse.com
This post is all about cozy mysteries (“cozies”)! These books usually come in series, but there are some that are published as standalone novels, too. I’ve been looking into this genre more recently, since I love a good mystery but I haven’t have much of a taste for really graphic or depressing books as of ...
Author: Kathleen Suzette Genre: Mystery Paperback; Digital Book ISBN #: 9781983100765 Independently Published 140 Pages $7.99; $2.99 Amazon June 6, 2018 ⭐⭐⭐ "Hazel Martin is the meanest woman in all of Pumpkin Hollow," I said. Everyone knew it. But I may have said it one time too many, because when she turned up dead, the police were looking at me. Mia Jordan has just moved home after being gone ten years, and when she discovers a neighbor has been murdered, it casts a shadow on the town's year-round Halloween theme. Can Mia find the killer and save the town's Halloween celebration before it's too late? ✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽ Mia Jordan has returned home after ten years away at college, chasing degrees. She has the degrees, but still doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. So she's working in her family's candy store, along with her mother. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with cranky customers, including Hazel Martin, the meanest woman in town, and the Jordans' next-door neighbor. Hazel hates Halloween, which is ironic since she lives in Pumpkin Hollow, a town that celebrates the holiday year-round. She also spends her time reporting infractions of all the neighbor's to the HOA board, which keeps her pretty busy. Mia also learns that the town wants to do away with the Halloween celebrations, so she attends a council meeting and stands up against it. But when the mayor tells her there's no budget for it, she has to figure out a way to keep it going, with the help of the townspeople who have shops dedicated to the holiday. But after a long day at the store, Mia and her mother return home and Mia notices something is wrong with Hazel's home. There's a scarecrow on the porch, and Hazel wouldn't do that. Upon closer inspection, Mia sees that it's not a scarecrow -- it's Hazel. Now there's a murderer on the loose, and with Mia wondering if she and her mother are suspects, she's out to find out who killed the woman -- and hopes she's not next on the list... This is the first book in the series, and I wanted to read something that had to do with Halloween, so this is why I chose it. The story was cute enough, and the plot was decent, but this is a pretty short book, and you can't really 'know' the characters in a short book. However, since I wanted to find out the killer, I pressed on. I also wanted to know if Halloween would be saved in the town, too. Well, I got the answer to one of the questions, but not the other. It seems the author has given us a bit of a cliffhanger -- which I detest -- and we have to read the next in the series to find out the answer. I don't really mind, since I had planned on reading it anyway, but I've always felt that cliffhangers are a bane to the reader, and let's face it, the author could have added several more pages and finished that, too, but chose not to. So I will reserve judgement and just rate the story I've read. https://www.amazon.com/Candy-Coated-Murder-Pumpkin-Mystery/dp/1983100765/ref Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4286834768 More on Kathleen Suzette's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/kathleen-suzette/
