What is a Cozy Mystery?
The case on “what is a cozy mystery?” is solved! Lets us explain.
Cozy: (adj.) giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation.
1- A cozy mystery isn't completely warm and fuzzy like its adjective might lead on to be. It is still a mystery novel as well. However, it is more gentle than a typical mystery. There tends to be less violence, graphics, sexual activity, and omits any harsh or extreme tones of voice.
2- A cozy mystery's main character is usually an amateur detective or “sleuth”. Think Nancy Drew, Veronica Mars, Miss Marple, and more. Usually someone who was thrown into mystery or crime and forced to help solve it based based on their situation. Usually the protagonist is also a woman, but not always!
If you love the TV show, Only Murders in the Building, starring Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, you will love cozy mysteries!
3- To go along with the first qualifier for a cozy mystery, there is usually a comedic addition to the mystery. This could be from finding humor in watching someone new navigate their way through the criminal world or perhaps the crime committed itself is humorous. It also could create a laugh for younger crowds as they they work their way to solving less of a crime and more of just a conundrum or riddle.
To quickly answer the question, “What is a Cozy Mystery?”
It is a sub-genre to the crime and mystery category. Still a thrilling story, but more wholesome and makes you want to curl up under a soft blanket, sip some hot chocolate, and try to guess whodunit before the amateur detective does!
Now it's time to start reading!
12 “Unsolved” Cozy Mysteries From 2023
Above the Bay of Angels
by Rhys Bowen
A single twist of fate puts a servant girl to work in Queen Victoria's royal kitchen, setting off a suspenseful, historical mystery by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and The Victory Garden.
Isabella Waverly only means to comfort the woman felled on a London street. In her final dying moments, she thrusts a letter into Bella's hand. It's an offer of employment in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace, and everything the budding young chef desperately wants: an escape from the constrictions of her life as a lowly servant. In the stranger's stead, Bella can spread her wings.
Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective
by Katie Siegel
For anyone seeking to satisfy their Harriet the Spy, Encyclopedia Brown, or Nancy Drew nostalgia, this charming, entertaining debut based on the popular @katiefliesaway TikTok series stars a twentysomething former kid detective who's coaxed out of retirement for one last case.
As a kid, Charlotte Illes' uncanny sleuthing abilities made her a minor celebrity. But in high school, she hung up her detective's hat and stashed away the signature blue landline in her "office"--aka garage--convinced that finding her adult purpose would be as easy as tracking down missing pudding cups or locating stolen diamonds. Now twenty-five, Charlotte has a nagging fear that she hit her peak in middle school. She's living with her mom, scrolling through job listings, and her love life consists mostly of first dates. When it comes to knowing what to do next, Charlotte hasn't got a clue.
Clutter Corpse (First World Publication)
by Simon Brett
Ellen Curtis runs her own business as a declutterer, helping people who are running out of space. When Ellen stumbles across the body of a woman in an over-cluttered flat, suspicion immediately falls on the deceased homeowner's son, who has recently absconded from prison. No doubt Nate Ogden is guilty of many things - but is he really the killer?
Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes and the Crusader's Curse
by Stuart Douglas
A new novel from the author of acclaimed Sherlock Holmes patisches The Albino's Treasure, The Counterfeit Detective and The Improbable Prisoner
The last Lord Thorpe, reclusive owner of Thorpe Manor, has died. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are invited to the auction at which the estate will be sold off, in hopes Holmes can uncover the whereabouts of the missing De Trop Diamond, a jewel-encrusted gemstone brought back from the Crusades by an earlier member of the Thorpe dynasty - and the source of a legendary curse.
Golden Spoon
by Jessa Maxwell
Only Murders in the Building meets The Maid in this darkly beguiling locked-room mystery where someone turns up dead on the set of TV's hottest baking competition--perfect for fans of Nita Prose, Richard Osman, and Anthony Horowitz.
Every summer for the past ten years, six awe-struck bakers have descended on the grounds of Grafton, the leafy and imposing Vermont estate that is not only the filming site for "Bake Week" but also the childhood home of the show's famous host, celebrated baker Betsy Martin.
Matchbox Full of Pearls
by Kamille Roach
'Don't say anything. Now or ever.'
In a small town in the West Australian wheatbelt, a ramshackle house and town rebel once provided refuge for gutsy orphan, Lola.
Lola makes a homecoming for a funeral and discovers a town reeling with the return of an insidious attacker who terrorises young women, and a familiar boy who freshens bittersweet memories. Alone in the old house, Lola notices a neighbour's strange nocturnal activities, as she unearths a memento from her foster mother. The gift leads to a long-forgotten murder and a dancer called Lorrelai. As Lola digs deeper, she finds disturbing connections between past and present.
Most Agreeable Murder
by Julia Seales
When a wealthy bachelor drops dead at a ball, a young lady takes on the decidedly improper role of detective in this action-packed debut comedy of manners and murder.
Feisty, passionate Beatrice Steele has never fit the definition of a true lady, according to the strict code of conduct that reigns in Swampshire, her small English township--she is terrible at needlework, has absolutely no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it frightens people. Nevertheless, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother, prankster father, and two younger sisters-- beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary. But she harbors a dark secret: She is obsessed with the true crime cases she reads about in the newspaper.
Murder in First Position: An On Pointe Mystery
by Lori Robbins
Ballerina Leah Siderova knows the career of a professional dancer is short. But rarely is it as brief as that of her rival, Arianna Bonneville, whose rise to stardom ends when she is stabbed in the back. New York City police detective Jonah Sobol fixes upon Leah as the prime suspect. After all, she was the one who found the body, she had the most to gain from Arianna's death, and it was her name Arianna whispered, just before she died. Leah is desperate to clear her name, and she begins her own investigation, collaborating with her best friend and her ballet coach.
Obelists at Sea
by C Daly King
The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity -- but it's less common for it to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to Paris, this is precisely what happens; in the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when the light is restored, a man is found dead. The situation becomes all the more curious when it's discovered that the deceased had apparently ingested cyanide just seconds before being penetrated by the bullet.
Paperback Sleuth - Death in Fine Condition
by Andrew Cartmel
Launching a new series, a cast of lovable rogues face fiendish puzzles and murderous villains in this love letter to Agatha Christie murder mysteries and classic whodunnits.
Introducing a new series from the creator of the beloved, bestselling Vinyl Detective novels.
Cordelia knows books. An addict-turned-dealer of classic paperbacks, when she's not spending her days combing the charity shops and jumble sales of suburban London for valuable collector's items, she's pining for the woman of her dreams and nimbly avoiding her landlord's demands for rent.
Venice Sketchbook
by Rhys Bowen
Love and secrets collide in Venice during WWII in an enthralling novel of brief encounters and lasting romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and Above the Bay of Angels.
Caroline Grant is struggling to accept the end of her marriage when she receives an unexpected bequest. Her beloved great-aunt Lettie leaves her a sketchbook, three keys, and a final whisper...Venice. Caroline's quest: to scatter Juliet "Lettie" Browning's ashes in the city she loved and to unlock the mysteries stored away for more than sixty years.
Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
by Joanne Fluke
Fans of deliciously charming, page-turning whodunits rejoice! Beloved New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Culinary Mystery Joanne Fluke delivers the A Hannah Swensen Mystery!
The Tri-County Summer Solstice Celebration has come to town, and even among local artisans, athletes, and marching bands, Hannah attracts fans of her own while serving lip-smacking pink lemonade desserts. But the mood sours when a body turns up, leading revelers to wonder if the festivities mark both the longest day of the year and the deadliest . . .
Features Over a Dozen Cookie and Dessert Recipes from The Cookie Jar!