Cozy mysteries are perfect for those who want a "whodunnit" without seeing the gore on the page. These books are typically set in a small town or suburb, and the main characters are amateur sleuths (usually women) who stumbled into detective work through either a connection to the victim or because they discovered the victim. She may also have a friend, relative, or love interest working on the police force or coroner's office that can help her access information not available to the public.
Individual books in a series can often be read as a standalone novel. However, the characters sometimes refer back to old cases. Cozies also tend to lack profanity and sex scenes, and feature cover art with cute village scenes, animals, food, or cartoon drawings of people. These mysteries unfold in a fast-paced, character-driven style that draws readers into untangling the clues and determining who killed the (often unlikeable) victim. Make a mug of hot chocolate and dig into these cozies.
The holiday season in Briar Creek takes a startling turn when the local library director invites a reclusive writer named Helen, who has recently moved to the town, to her crafternoon club. Unbeknownst to Helen, a woman named Jackie, who declares herself Helen's "number one" fan, moves to Briar Creek shortly after. When Jackie turns up dead with Helen's latest unpublished manuscript in her hand, the writer becomes the subject.
The second book in Romeril's Killer Chocolate Mystery series finds bookstore-owning twins Alex and Hannah preparing for their high school reunion. The dramatic reunion comes to a halt when former star quarterback Kyle is found bludgeoned to death by a nutcracker hours after someone saw Hannah slap him, and she must work with her sister and their friends to clear her name.
Hidden away in Kyoto is the mysterious Kamogawa restaurant where visitors come to ask "food detectives" to recreate elusive recipes from their pasts. Father-daughter duo Koishi and Nagare Kamogawa recreate their customers' most treasured culinary memories in this delightfully cozy mystery filled with mouth-watering food.
The Village Library Demon-hunting Society
Just when Sherry, a librarian and amateur sleuth in a small village begins to suspect the high number of residents' deaths has a supernatural explanation, her cat is possessed by a demon! Sherry must work together with the village priest and a group of friends who call themselves the "Demon-Hunting Society" to save her cat and solve the latest village murder.
Add a comment to: Curl Up with a Cozy Mystery