When it comes to the seasons, there’s no better time of year to snuggle up with a hot cup of tea and a book than winter. While there are no rules about what types of books you should read each season, we tend to find ourselves reaching for cozy mysteries during the colder months. If solving mysteries, winter wonderland scenery, and low-stakes investigations sound right up your alley, you may want to consider adding a few of our recommended titles to your bookshelf before autumn ends.
What is a Cozy Mystery Book?
Cozy mystery is a popular subgenre that features lighthearted or comedic plots, idyllic small-town settings, loveable main characters (often amateur sleuths), occasional spice-free romance, and little to no violence. Unlike more thrilling or suspense-filled titles in the mystery genre, these books avoid anxiety-inducing twists and turns, focusing more on offering fun escapism in each chapter. Set the summer beach reads down this winter—it’s time for cozy mysteries.
Curl Up with These 7 Cozy Mysteries this Winter
Everyone has their favorite book genre—and there’s a chance cozy mysteries are about to become yours! Listen to one on audiobook or pick up a physical copy of these titles to see for yourself:
1. Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Contrary to the title, Finlay Donovan isn’t killing it—in fact, her life is complete chaos. As a stressed-out single mom and a struggling novelist who hasn’t started the book she promised her agent, nothing seems to be going her way. But, when Finlay is overheard explaining the plot of her next suspense book, she’s mistaken as a contract killer—and even accepts an offer to dispose of a problematic husband! As she becomes entangled in a real-life murder investigation, she soon discovers that crime in real life is a little harder to navigate than her fictional plots. Get a glimpse of the witty and authentic depiction of motherhood and potential murder in Finlay Donovan is Killing It!
Continue the Finlay Donovan Obsession:
- Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead
- Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun
- Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice
- Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave (out March 4th, 2025!)
2. Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes
Be honest—who hasn’t ever wondered for a split second what would happen if the person you hate most in the world ceased to exist? Well, at the McMasters Conservatory, that’s the name of the game! To get in, students must have an ethical reason for wanting to “get rid of” someone in their life. But, once there, they may very well find themselves the practice target of a classmate—after all, the thesis requirement for graduation demands you get away with the perfect murder! In Murder Your Employer, witness the slow-burning backstories come to light as this cozy mystery unfolds before your eyes.
3. Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Dial A for Aunties asks the very important question: what happens when you mix one (potentially accidental) murder with two thousand wedding guests and three generations of women from a Chinese-Indonesian immigrant family? Amateur sleuths, obviously! When Meddelin Chan accidentally kills her blind date, her mother calls for her meddlesome aunties to help dispose of the body. But after, the corpse is accidentally shipped in a wedding cake cooler to the billionaire wedding the family is working, and the ex-love-of-her-life makes a surprise appearance. The Chans must save the wedding, their business, and the family name all in one weekend!
Next in the Aunties Series:
- Four Aunties and a Wedding
- The Good, The Bad, and the Aunties
- Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers
4. We Wish You a Murderous Christmas by Vicki Delany
As far as cozy mysteries go, We Wish You a Murderous Christmas is a wintertime must. When Merry Wilkinson is enjoying a rare evening from running her year-round Christmas shop, she decides to stop by the local Yuletide Inn, where she runs into the owners, Grace and Jack Olsen. After telling her their plan to hand over day-to-day operations to their son, Gord, Merry and the other shopkeepers begin to fret about how his new plans to transform the quaint inn into a bland franchise hotel will affect their lives and businesses. But when Gord is found stabbed to death, the entire town becomes a list of potential suspects, and it’s up to Merry to determine who decided to add homicide to their holiday.
5. End Me a Tenor by Joelle Charbonneau
In End Me a Tenor, Paige Marshall has her work cut out for her: singing in a production of the Messiah, rehearsing her show choir lineup for the holiday concert, and, unfortunately, having to deal with the overblown ego of world-renowned tenor, David Richard. When they find out that not one but two other high schools are performing the same arrangement for an upcoming competition, they have to scramble for a new number. But everything goes awry when the tenor drops dead during rehearsal after drinking poisoned water. Now, Paige has to compose herself and perform a new solo act as an amateur sleuth to find the killer before it’s too late!
6. Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala
Mia P. Manansala is making quite the name for herself in the world of cozy mysteries with her second book, Blackmail and Bibingka. It doesn’t matter that her café business is turning a profit this Christmas season, and she’s taken her romance to a new level—things are far from holly jolly for Lila Macapagal. Her troublesome cousin Ronnie is back in town to make things right with the family. But when she learns that he’s a suspect in a murder case, she finds herself desperate to prove his innocence. Because he is innocent … right?
7. Murder in an Irish Castle by Verity Bright
What screams “cozy mystery” more than rolling green hills, traditional Christmas feasts, a mysterious invitation, and a murder? In Murder in an Irish Castle, we follow Lady Eleanor Swift as she attends a party at her late uncle’s estate in the rural west of Ireland in the 1920s. But, before the mingling can begin, she and her butler find a body in the snow—and they’re sure he was connected to their uncle. Undeterred by the immediate gossip spreading around town about her possible involvement, Eleanor is determined to get justice for the victim—even if it means she, herself, becomes a target for the killer.
Whether you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift for an avid cozy mystery reader in your life or searching for a new title to choose from on your favorite audiobook service, we’ve got you covered. Check these seven cozy titles out and fall in love with the slow-moving and charming mystery genre today!
