cozy mystery recommendations

December is an exciting time for book lovers. There are plenty of cozy mystery releases in November and December. If you are a prolific reader like me, you are spoiled for choice. I have so many books on my reading list, it’s getting hard to keep track of it. Soon, I will be setting up reading goals for 2019 and will make a list of books I want to read in the new year. But December is still with us and there is plenty of opportunity to get some reading done before we ring in the new year. (Yes, I have started talking about the new year.)

Did you come here because you read something about  a giveaway? Don’t worry, I got you covered. In the spirit of the season, I will be giving away a few things over here. I don’t have a concrete plan for it yet so it’s going to be random. The best way to keep track is to open all the emails and read them. Who knows what surprise you might find inside?

The first giveaway is simple – a copy of the first book in the Pelican Cove series – Strawberries and Strangers.

If you don’t own a copy, this is a great way to test drive the series. If you do own a copy, you can enter for someone else. When you win, just send me the email address of the person – friend, daughter, aunt etc. – you want to get the book and I will send the copy to that person.

How do you win this copy? Simple! Just leave a comment below on this blog post. I will gather all the names and select a random winner.

Let’s get back to the December reading list now.

December Cozy Mysteries

Many of the new releases seem to be later books in the series. All my picks are. But don’t worry. I think they can be enjoyed as standalones. If you are feeling particularly voracious, you can read the whole series.

Reindeer & Robberies: A Cruise Ship Mystery by Hope Callaghan

If you love cruising and cozy mysteries, this series is a match made in heaven for you. I hope I have half Millie’s enthusiasm when I reach her age.

The Christmas Season is in full swing on board the cruise ship, Siren of the Seas thanks to Andy Walker, the ship’s cruise director who is all in on his new holiday theme, “The Reindeer Games.” 

Millie and her co-worker, Danielle, are tasked with taking charge of the holiday theme and everything is running smoothly until one of the reindeer comes up missing. But the missing reindeer is the least of the security staff’s worries after a string of thefts are reported. 

Millie jumps in with an investigation of her own that soon turns south when a stalker surfaces, determined to make her life miserable or worse yet.

Despite escalating incidents from the deranged stalker, Millie sorts the clues and discovers a possible link between the mysterious thefts and her stalker that hits close to home.

Can Millie survive the holiday season…or even more terrifying…make it out alive?

Wedding Cake and Woes: Peridale Café Cozy Mystery by Agatha Frost

If you like British cozies, this one is a must read. Set in the small Cotswolds village of Peridale, this series will have your mouth hanging open with the vibrant characters and fantastic crimes.

After nearly a year of being engaged, the time has finally come for Julia and Barker’s wedding, but like most things in Peridale, things don’t exactly go smoothly. Julia wakes up late on the damp and grey morning of her wedding to find that her cake has been ruined, her flowers are the wrong colour, and the cars are stuck in a flood. However, all of that pales in comparison when the choirmaster, Gloria Gray, drops down dead during her solo in the middle of the ceremony.

With their wedding ruined, Julia and Barker must pick themselves up again, but they soon find purpose when Gloria’s best friend, Flora Hill, begs them to investigate Gloria’s death. Julia soon discovers that Gloria’s dictator-style running of the choir created more than a few enemies, and when the police confirm that the bossy choirmaster was poisoned, Julia vows to solve the case.

Who killed Flora, and more importantly, why in the middle of Julia’s wedding?

Charlotte Murder: A Seagrass Sweets Cozy Mystery by Sandi Scott

If you like cozy mysteries featuring yummy food, you will love the duo of Ashley and Patty, two friends looking to get into the food truck business.

Ashley Adams and her best friend Patty LaFontaine are a day away from realizing their dream of owning a food truck and nothing can dampen their enthusiasm—not even finding a body.

After finding the perfect truck to expand their catering business, Ashley and Patty are dismayed to find the dead body of the owner of the sales lot when they arrive bright and early to take possession of their purchase.

When the Sheriff’s department confirms that the death is suspicious, Ashley starts poking around to satisfy her curiosity. In the meantime, her boyfriend Ryan is behaving very strangely, and Ashley is worried that he is getting tired of being with her already.

Ashley and Patty plan menus, paint their new truck and work together to find a killer in this delightful Seagrass Sweets cozy mystery series.

What about you? Do you read lots of books during the holidays or do you take a break? Leave a comment below and let me know. It’s a great way to enter my giveaway. You can also just say Hi. I am looking forward to choosing one lucky winner. Happy Holidays!

I grew up reading mystery books by Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie. Almost all of these had a British setting and were set in the early or middle 1900s. There’s something charming about mysteries set in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, isn’t there? That’s the period between the two world wars. Agatha Christie became famous during this period. Although there are many mysteries written at that time that are now being resurrected (British Library Crime Classics for example), many modern writers are also writing stories set in the past.

I am going to tell you about some of my favorite historical mystery series today. Almost all of these star women sleuths. So get ready to load up your Kindle.

Before we delve in the past, an update on what’s happening in the present. Strawberries and Strangers, the first book in my new Pelican Cove series goes live this week. I am so excited I can hardly get anything done. And when that happens, I do what I like best – Read!

Top cozy mystery authors have come together to create an anthology that supports No Kill animal charities. Check this out. It’s on sale now at 99c so this is the best time to grab your copy. You get 12 books for a throwaway price and a ‘howlingly good read’ for the dog days of summer.

Fasten your seatbelts now, and get ready to plunge into the roaring twenties.

Women Sleuths and Historical Mysteries You will Love

These fearless femme fatales dress to kill.

Phryne Fisher – by Kerry Greenwood

Phryne lives in Australia and flies her own plane. Yes. Purists might be shocked by what she gets up to in her spare time. She has a flair for adventure and a devil may care attitude. If you love a strong woman who knows her mind and doesn’t think twice about flaunting established norms, you will love Phryne Fisher.

Lady Hardcastle – by T. E. Kinsey

Lady Hardcastle did her bit for king and country during the war. Now she is living the quiet life in a small village in Gloucester. But there’s a murder or two to keep her busy. Lady Hardcastle has a phone installed and is even learning to drive. Cotswolds fans will love the setting.

Ginger Gold – by Lee Strauss

Ginger Gold was born in Britain but grew up in America. She is now a war widow and also has a title. Lady Gold did some secret work for the government during the war. Now she is back in London, learning to drive on the wrong side of the road. On her first day back home, she finds a ten year old corpse in Hartigan House. Then her ancestral manor in the country is struck by a poltergeist. Ginger fearlessly tackles these obstacles, while trying hard not to fall for the charms of Inspector Basil Reed.

Daisy Gumm – by Alice Duncan

This one is set in the United States in California, a world very different from Downton Abbey. Daisy dabbles in the occult, taking everything from tarot cards to crystal balls in her stride. Daisy marries young but her husband is crippled in the war. She has a strong support system of friends and family. And yes, she solves murder mysteries too.

Flavia De Luce – by Alan Bradley

Flavia is a precocious 11 year old girl who lives at a country estate with her extended family. Left to her own devices, she spends time in a laboratory that belonged to an old uncle. Flavia is banished to a remote school in Canada, far away from her tiresome family. While she does get entrenched in a murder, she can’t wait to get back home to Buckshaw.

 I am sure there are plenty more women sleuths of the 1920s and 1950s but these are my top picks. Have you read any of these? How did you find them? Can you recommend any other historical mystery series for fellow readers?

Please leave a comment below and join the discussion.

Agatha Christie is arguably the most famous mystery writer of all time. She gave us Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, and the lesser known Tommy and Tuppence. I read her books thirty years ago and I read her books today. I confess I just can’t get enough of them. Almost every book written by AC is a gem, so it’s really hard to pick a top 10. I’m sure everyone has their favorites.

These are some of mine.

If you have never read an Agatha Christie book (seriously?), what are you waiting for?

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The cozy British village of King’s Abbot has typical inhabitants. There is the harried Dr. Sheppard who lives with his spinster sister. The local squire is Roger Ackroyd who has amassed millions but has no children. He does have a house full of family members though. Ralph Paton is the step son and has been with Ackroyd since childhood. Flora is the niece from Canada and makes her home with Ackroyd along with her mother. Major Blunt is a visiting friend. Raymond is the devoted assistant. Mrs. Ferrars is a village widow and there is talk of Ackroyd and her hooking up.

The first difference you will notice here from other Hercule Poirot mysteries is that there is no Captain Hastings. I really miss him here. And so does Poirot. As it turns out, his dream retirement of growing marrows has lost its charm. He happens to be the doctor’s neighbor and tells him how he misses his friend’s stupidity (poor Hastings)!

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a must read because its end is more shocking than the typical Poirot novel. The plot is ingenious, and the true culprit is beyond your wildest imagination. Hercule Poirot is slightly low key here. We do not hear much about his mustaches or sirops or gourmet meals, nor about the formidable Miss Lemon. But The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is quintessentially Hercule Poirot, and a must read for all Agatha Christie fans.

2. And Then There Were None

Ten seemingly random people are chosen and invited to spend time on a remote island in a grand mansion. Each is invited on a different pretext. But they have something in common. Each of them has committed a murder and got away with it. Dr. Armstrong has accidentally caused a death during surgery. Marston is a drunk driver. Lombard abandoned an African tribe and left them to die. You get the idea.

On arriving at the island, the visitors are told that their hosts will arrive shortly. A poem about 10 Soldier Boys is framed and there are 10 small statues on a table. As the bodies drop one by one, the soldiers decrease in size. Of course, it takes the guests some time to figure out that they are being killed according to the poem, and that the little statues represent the people on the island.

There is a certain aura of danger and uncertainty in the book that will rival any Gothic novel. You can’t help but get goosebumps as the people start disappearing. The eerie song that plays in the background adds to the atmosphere.

3. The Moving Finger

Jerry Burton is an ex pilot who was in a crash. He has been severely injured and is convalescing in the village of Lymstock with his sister Joanna. Both of them are very urban and slightly older and sophisticated. As soon as they settle in, Jerry gets a nasty letter. So does Joanna. A Poison Pen is at work.

The Posion Pen is wreaking havoc in the village and Jerry Burton is tired of hearing the words ‘No smoke without Fire’. Mrs. Symmington is found dead from an overdose and everyone thinks it is suicide brought about by the Poison Pen. The mystery deepens when a maid in the Symmington household is found murdered. Jerry does some amateur sleuthing to help the police. The vicar’s wife calls in an expert, namely Miss Marple, who is mostly reduced to sitting in a corner knitting something. Does she provide any insight toward finding the culprit? Yes and No.

The Moving Finger is absorbing and complex, and it is almost certain you will not guess who the real killer is until the end. There are twists you don’t expect, but all ends are neatly tied before the book ends.

4. Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

This book was also published as The Boomerang Clue. This does not feature any of Agatha Christie’s known characters.

Bobby Jones has been dispatched from the Navy due to poor eyesight. The youngest son of the vicar in a Welsh village, he is at a loose end. He is enjoying a game of golf with the local doctor when they hear a cry and find that a man has fallen off the cliff in the mist. Bobby is left with the dying man as the doctor goes for the police. The dying man suddenly wakes up, asks ‘Why didn’t they ask Evans?’ and takes his last breath. Bobby finds the photograph of a beautiful woman in the man’s pocket. Another stranger turns up, and Bobby hurries back home for a sermon.

There is an inquest where the dead man’s sister turns up and the death is termed accidental. Bobby meets Frankie or Lady Frances who he has grown up with. Class differences have driven a wedge in their relations, but they still adore each other. When an attempt is made on Bobby’s life, the two get talking and suspect that there is more to the dead man than meets the eye.

The Boomerang Clue is really like peeling an onion. The plot thickens as the story progresses. In the end, the real culprit almost hoodwinks Frankie and Bobby. Badger, the loyal friend, provides some comic respite.

Who is Evans, and why was he left out? Will Frankie or Lady Frances work it out with Bobby? Will Bobby find gainful pursuits that please his father? Don’t miss reading The Boomerang Clue or Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?.

5. The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side

Miss Marple is recovering from bronchitis. The doctor has ordered her to have round the clock care bringing the over zealous Miss Knight to take care of her. Miss Marple’s sarcasm is lost on the uptight Miss Knight. As old Dr. Haydock says, the only thing needed to cheer up Miss Marple is a nice juicy murder. Little does he know one is just around the corner.

Marina Gregg is a famous movie star. She has been suffering mental illness for some years but has bought Gossington Hall. She is working on a new picture and is all optimistic about living in an English village in her old fashioned Victorian mansion. She invites Dolly Bantry to a fete that is organized for some charity. St. Mary Mead has grown a lot and there is a new development near the village, with semi detached houses and a host of new residents. The Badcocks are just such a couple and Heather Badcock is a devoted worker for the charities.

The day of the fete dawns. The Hall is crowded with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the great film star. Heather heads the charity committee and is invited up among some exclusive guests to meet Marina Gregg is person. So is Mrs. Bantry. Heather Badcock is very excited and tells some story about how she had got Marina’s autograph as a child. Dolly Bantry is astounded to see a frozen look on Marina’s face but the attention soon shifts to Mrs. Badcock when she drops dead. The investigation begins and murder is announced.

Inspector Craddock consults Miss Marple. Although she cannot do any leg work, she has all the information at hand. It turns out that Mrs. Badcock was killed instead of the film star. Many things about her past come to light. As always, people panic and others try to take advantage of the situation. There are more murders and the police and Miss Marple are both stumped.

In the end, it is going to take some deep sleuthing from Miss Marple before she can solve the murder. But will she be in time?

6. Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express is one of the most famous Hercule Poirot mysteries. Unfortunately, many people seem to have seen the TV or movie version rather than read the book. I remember reading this as a precocious teen, when we bartered books amongst kids. Owning a copy of this book was very valuable, because almost everyone wanted to read it. This was a time before the current era of excess, when you had to do something spectacular like be at the top of the class or have a birthday for someone to buy you a book.

The Orient Express is a luxurious train that ran between Istanbul in Turkey and Paris, France. Hercule Poirot books a first class compartment on the train while rushing to answer a summons to London. His services are propositioned by a wealthy American called Ratchett. Finding the man odius, Poirot declines. The next night, the train encounters a snowdrift. The morning reveals that Ratchett has been murdered. Hercule Poirot, being on the scene, is asked to investigate.

Just imagine the scene – a train full of different characters, stuck in the snow in a remote area. There is no where the murderer can escape. As Poirot investigates, he finds that almost everyone on the train had a reason to kill the old man. Hector MacQueen, the secretary, Masterman the valet, Mrs. Hubbard, a famous American actress, a Countess, a Princess, an English spinster, an American car salesman, a Swedish missionary – all seem totally unconnected and the most unlikely to have had any connection whatsoever with the dead man. But there is a common thread that binds them. Wouldn’t it be easier to assume that some stranger boarded the train, killed Ratchett and jumped off?

Hercule Poirot has to make a choice. Will he choose to overlook a cold blooded murder?

7. Death on the Nile

Death on the Nile is another Agatha Christie mystery in an exotic location where the culprit doesn’t have much room to escape.

Linnet Ridgeway has it all – an obscene amount of money and radiant beauty. As someone in the village says, it’s not fair that she has both money and beauty. She ought to have been ugly! Linnet breaks the girl code when she snatches fiancé Simon Doyle away from her best friend Jackie who is penniless. Hercule Poirot comes across Simon and Linnet when they are honeymooning in Egypt. The Doyles bump into Jackie, appearently accidentally. When Poirot learns that Jackie has been stalking Linnet and her husband, he implores her to leave them alone.

The Doyles employ evasive tactics and book passage on a Nile cruise on the Karnak. Poirot is on the same cruise. There is a motley crew of Americans and Europeans on the boat and Jackie turns up again like a bad penny. An attempt is made on Linnet’s life and Jackie is implicated. The next day, Linnet is found dead and there are plenty of clues pointing to Jackie as the murderer.

You can apply your little grey cells to your heart’s content, but I doubt you will be able to guess who is the culprit here. This is one classic plot which I am sure must have been used in many contemporary novels. Death on the Nile is one of Poirot’s more interesting cases, and is a must read for Agatha Christie fans.

8. A Murder is Announced

Miss Marple is enjoying a visit at a spa to get over her rheumatism, funded by dear nephew Raymond West. She notices a handsome young man in her hotel who is good with the ladies. In the nearby village of Chipping Cleghorn, a strange notice appears in the paper. A murder is announced, to take place at seven at Little Paddocks, the residence of Miss Letitia Blacklock.

Various people in the village read it and have mixed reactions. An odd group of people live at Little Paddocks. Patrick and Julia are distant cousins of Miss Blacklock, Bunny is an old friend and Philippa is their lodger. Various people turn up at seven – the colonel and his wife, Hinch and Murgatroyd, two spinster ladies, Edmund Sweetenham and his mother, and the vicar’s wife. Only the vicar’s wife is naïve enough to ask when the murder is going to be committed. Just then the lights go off, there are shots fired and screams abound. When the lights come on, the body of a young man is found. It turns out to be the handsome young man working at the hotel. Inspector Craddock starts investigating.

A Murder is Announced is comfortable territory for Agatha Christie fans. You will be hard pressed to guess who is at the bottom of the whole thing. In the end, the culprit is apprehended and the young people find love.

9. What Mrs. McGillicudy Saw

This is one of my absolute favorites! Also known as the 4:50 From Paddington.

Miss Marple is almost 90 in this story. The whole thing starts when Mrs. McGillicudy, all agog with her Christmas shopping, witnesses a man strangle a woman. What is different is that she is traveling in a first class compartment going toward Market Basing, and the murder happens in another train that is passing by. Miss Marple believes her friend Elspeth and they tell the police about it. But no dead body turns up anywhere. Mrs. McGillicudy goes to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) but Miss Marple wants to get to the bottom of this funny business.

Never known for her leg work, Miss Marple writes to the forces – her grand nephew and the vicar’s son. Based on information she gathers, she deduces where the body may have been dumped. Then she hires a woman – Lucy Eyelesbarrow – to go and get hired in a property she zeros in on.

What Mrs. McGillicudy Saw or 4:50 from Paddington starts off really farfetched. But the industrious ‘old biddy’ Miss Marple makes a tangible picture out of it. This is an absolute must read for all Agatha Christie fans and mystery fans.

10. The Body in the Library

Miss Marple fans can rejoice. The Body in the Library is a book where she is idolized by three big policemen – a prior head of Scotland Yard, a Superintendent and the Chief Constable. The village of St. Mary Mead is in a furor when a young girl’s body is found in the library of its top citizen.

Arthur and Dolly Bantry have appeared in other Miss Marple books. So have some of the characters in St. Mary Mead. The Bantrys wake up one morning with the shocking news that a dead body lies in their library. Miss Marple is summoned without preamble by Mrs. Bantry and the police also get there. The investigation leads to a nearby seaside town where the young girl was a substitute dancer. Who killed Ruby Keene and why?

Like any Agatha Christie story, there is a large cast of characters. The important one is Conway Jefferson, an invalid rich man who is staying at the Majestic Hotel with his family. He was quite taken with the young girl. Mark Gaskell is the shady son in law and Adelaide the obedient daughter in law. There is a child in the picture who has been raised as a grandson. Raymond Starr is the flamboyant tennis pro and Josie is the dance hostess. Josie is the one who got Ruby hired at the hotel and is sad at her demise.

The Body in the Library has a slightly refreshing point of view. That is because no one thinks of Miss Marple as senile. Almost everyone is eager to know what she thinks and solicits her services. At some times, it feels as if they expect something fantastic from her. But Miss Marple does not disappoint.

Best Agatha Christie Books

I have gone through several phases in terms of having a favorite. There was a time when I preferred Poirot over Miss Marple and didn’t even touch the Beresfords. Then I started liking Tommy and Tuppence. Miss Marple became my favorite for a while too. So I won’t mind if you have other favorites.

I want to know what your best picks for Agatha Christie books are. Please feel free to add yours in the comments below.

Have you heard? Cozy mysteries are killing it. If you love reading as much as I do, especially cozy mysteries, I am sure you had plenty of new books to read in 2017. Many good writers are finally taking the plunge and dipping their feet in the indie publishing waters. And cozy mystery seems to be the genre many of them are going for.

Cozy mysteries offer everything I love in books. Suspense, intrigue, crime without guts and gore, and sometimes even yummy food and puppies. What’s not to like, huh? As an avid reader, I gobble up every new cozy mystery series I come across. These are some of the series that came up in 2017. They ruled the roost and the authors kept delighting us with plenty more books in the series.

Top Cozy Mystery Series of 2017

I read more than I write. And I search the book sites high and low for good books. These are some of the new cozies that were very popular this year.

Peridale Café Cozy Mystery Series

Author Agatha Frost released Pancakes and Corpses in January and never looked back. She is now coming up with Book 10 in the series, right in time for Christmas.

Set in the British Cotswolds, this cozy series brings us Julia South, a divorced woman who is back home in her hometown of Peridale. She is running a café and discovering bodies. There is a handsome policeman she falls for, and plenty of other enjoyable characters like her grandmother.

Ravenwood Cove Cozy Mystery Series

Carloyn L. Dean takes us to a small beach town in the Pacific North West with this charming series. Amanda Graham inherits a bed and breakfast which seems like the perfect new start she needs. Before she can start remodeling, a body turns up in her yard. There’s plenty of small town characters to keep you interested. There are nine books in the series with a new one coming up next year.

Amanda gets into some scrapes alright so you won’t be starved of action here. There’s yummy food and a touch of romance too.

Oceanside Hotel Mystery Series

Ceecee James brought us a second series this year, this one set in Florida. Maisie Swenson is the manager at a Florida hotel and lives there with her mother. She handles your usual five star hotel crises and a dead body or two with aplomb. You will love Maisie’s Mom, especially if you like some good home style food. Maisie’s basset hound Bingo is an active participant.

Red Pine Falls Cozy Mysteries

Here is another new cozy mystery series set in the PNW. Author Angela C. Blackmoore brings us to the small town of Red Pine Falls. Abby Morgan is trying to build a new life after losing her husband. She moves to Red Pine Falls to be with her husband’s family. She’s got new friends, a loving grandma and a handsome park ranger who she’s getting plenty friendly with. There’s an evil senator and treasure!

Just the thought of hidden treasure makes any story better, right? There’s an over arching story arc that makes sure you’ll wait impatiently for the next book in the series.

Movie Club Mysteries

 Author Zara Keane’s Movie Club Mysteries couldn’t be more different. Set on a small island in Ireland, it introduces us to Maggie Doyle, an ex-police officer from San Francisco. Maggie is about to be divorced and looking for a clean break. She starts helping out in her aunt’s café and reconnects with old friends. When an odious local woman drops dead after drinking a cocktail Maggie mixed, both she and her aunt become suspects.

Cozy readers love scenic locations and Whisper Island is going to be your next favorite. Maggie comes off as a know-it-all but we hope her heart’s in the right place.

 Have you read any of these ‘hot’ mystery series of 2017? What are you waiting for? Another new cozy mystery series that is not part of this list is the Meera Patel Cozy Mystery series written by yours truly. Don’t forget to check it out too :).