Mysteries to Cozy Up With

by Elizabeth Spann Craig
|
7 books
Sometimes it's nice to read mysteries that don't make you wince or scare you to death. These will work nicely on a rainy or snowy day with the wind whistling at your windows. Make yourself a nice cup of tea, curl up in a blanket, and get absorbed in these stories in which all the unpleasantness is tidied up neatly by the end.
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The Thursday Murder Club

Richard Osman, 2020
This is not your typical group of seniors. Each has a unique skill, almost a superpower. These talents help them solve the cold case mysteries during the weekly Thursday Murder Club meetings at their retirement home. Come for the amazing characters, stay for the mystery.

Death of a Cad

M. C. Beaton, 2013
Hamish Macbeth, a lazy policeman in a sleepy Scottish town, is unexpectedly presented with a murder. Even more unexpectedly, it's at the manor house belonging to a member of the local aristocracy. Who killed this houseguest during the grouse hunt? And can lovesick Hamish save the woman he loves from marrying her fiance?

The Man with a Load of Mischief

Martha Grimes, 2013
I've loved this series since I was a teenager. In this first book in the series, readers are introduced to Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury, but also the lovable, quirky characters that will make up his sidekicks for the series. Two British pubs and two murder victims. Can the inspector find the killer before he strikes again?

The Body in the Library

Agatha Christie, 2000
You knew there had to be a Christie book on the list. Any of hers will do nicely, but this one is especially full of cozy tropes . . . although they weren't tropes when Christie wrote them. Colonel and Mrs. Bantry, respectable folks, awaken to discover a body in their library. Worse, they have no idea who the young woman is. No worries with elderly Miss Marple on the case. To the police's dismay, she quickly works to uncover the murderer, using her knowledge of human nature.

Murder on a Girls' Night Out

A Southern Sisters Mystery
Anne George, 2009
This series starter will have you laughing as you work with the two sisters to learn the killer's identity. The sleuthing sisters differ greatly from each other, but their individual gifts help them solve the mysteries that present themselves. When one sister finds a body at the country western bar she recently purchased, the two women must work together to uncover the killer.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

A Flavia de Luce Novel
Alan Bradley, 2009
The sleuth in this charming series is eleven-year-old Flavia, a budding chemist and member of a most eccentric family. When Flavia discovers a dying man in the family's cucumber patch, she's determined to find out who was responsible for his death. A fun, unexpected read.

Checked Out

Elizabeth Spann Craig, 2019
Let's put one of mine on the list. :) This series starter features a small-town library, a library cat, and a librarian who's a gifted amateur at sleuthing. When a blind date goes horribly wrong, can this intrepid librarian solve the murder before someone else is permanently checked out?