When the weather gets blustery, it’s nice to read something cozy. Cozy mysteries generally include whodunits that take place in charming towns and villages, are solved by a lead who isn’t necessarily a detective, and don’t involve gory details or explicit situations. Most cozies are part of a series so you get to know not just the main character, but a whole slew of charming and quirky friends and family. These books are like a warm cup of tea to read. Here are a few popular cozies to get started with, and a few brand new ones too.
A hallmark of many cozy series are pun-ny names, and this series has some good ones like Some Like It Hawk or Toucan Keep a Secret. These humorous stories follow an amateur blacksmith who keeps getting pulled into new mysteries.
Sometimes it’s nice to read about something familiar. Hopefully the murders won’t be, but the setting will. This series is set in the fiction town of Beacon Harbor, MI, but you’ll recognize towns like it along Lake Michigan. These stories follow Lindsey Bakewell who is leaving her high-powered job in the big city to open a bakeshop. Unfortunately, mysteries begin to crop up around her.
With the 29th book coming out this spring, these mysteries revolve around a very popular cozy theme-food! These mysteries come complete with recipes.
Some cozies are set in the past like this series, which takes place at the end of the nineteenth century. Molly Murphy is an immigrant from Ireland, escaping troubles from home, but caught up in mysteries in this new land.
Another popular theme for cozies is books. You can find all kinds of series set at bookstores, libraries, bookmobiles, the list goes on. In fact Ellery Adams has multiple book themed series. In this series, though, all of the mysteries happen at a book-themed resort.
Sometimes cozy mysteries will either feature a recognizable name as either the hero or a side character. Phyllida Bright is imagined as the housekeeper of the one and only Agatha Christie. This makes lots of opportunities for cool historical tidbits as well as sets the scene for a really fun and engaging mystery.
Finally, cozies can be a way to explore somewhere you’ve never been. This new series takes place in L.A., a slightly more fast-paced setting than other mysteries. But with the more specific setting of the Eastwood Village Night Market, you still have your cast of characters you get to know and love.
