5 Cozy Mysteries To Read If You’re New To The Genre

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It feels like mystery stories are showing up in pop culture and Hollywood more than ever these days. With content like Death on the Nile, Only Murders in the Building, and Shetland gaining popularity with the general public, thrillers have seemingly taken a slight back seat to their “whodunit” predecessors. 

I suppose it shouldn't come as a shock considering the loyal fanbase Agatha Christie has commanded for decades. Gillian Flynn certainly had her moment, but it was only a matter of time before more traditional mystery stories were back in fashion again. 

I was watching Only Murders in the Building the other night and was taken aback when one of the characters mentioned how “cozy” the murder mystery was in the previous season. As a longtime lover and apologist of the cozy mystery genre, this statement brought me no small amount of joy. 

Could pop culture really be wising up, ready to embrace the joy of cozy mysteries? Could these delightful books finally be on the precipice of getting the recognition they deserve? I’m certainly hopeful. 

If you’ve found yourself enjoying any of the recent installments of whodunits in the media, or you are simply looking for a consumable page-turner for a beach read, I have five cozy mystery series you should give a try. Maybe with the momentum provided by Hollywood, this niche book genre can get the recognition that I personally think it deserves.

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

This delightful book hits all the important notes of traditional cozy mysteries while also feeling fresh and modern. In fact, this book is usually always at the top of my list when I’m recommending this genre to a new reader. It’s the perfect place to dip your toe in for the first time because there’s something in it for everyone. The food descriptions are almost as delicious as the page-turning plot and one could not ask for a more entertaining supporting cast.

A Curious Beginning (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn

If you prefer historical mysteries, the Veronica Speedwell series would be your place to start. While it doesn’t entirely fit into the cozy mystery genre point for point, the mystery still takes place in the delicious backdrop of Victorian England. The book provides enough vivid imagery to entice traditional cozy readers while its historical elements give it a fun twist — and I’m always here for any book that Queen Victoria makes a cameo in.

Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor

This book, or this entire series rather, is the quintessential definition of a cozy mystery. There is an abundance of brown bread, old castle ruins, and (of course) murders to solve. The setting had me ready to buy a one-way ticket to Ireland and the stakes of the mystery actually had me quite invested from the very beginning. If you’re an audiobook listener, I highly recommend this one because the accents are simply enchanting.

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

If dark academia, ladies in STEM, or 1920s London is at all your jam, this book is absolutely for you. With a heroine possessing just enough gumption to get herself into scrapes but also enough brains to solve the problem and get herself out of them again, I found this book to be a marvelous page-turner. If romantic plotlines interest you, this book has a great one while still keeping it very much secondary to the main plot of the mystery. This was the type of book that had me longing to go back to a college campus — not as they actually are, but certainly how they exist in my imagination.

Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing

Now as a Colorado resident it may be that I have a bias toward this series, but I truly loved the setting of this Boulder cozy mystery. For hikers and wine lovers alike, this novel really hooked me. I always like a “cozy” that reels its heroine or hero in with high stakes, and this one certainly succeeds at turning up the drama right away. I also loved reading the fictional ins and outs of opening and maintaining a local small business.