Cozy Mystery Series Recommendations

Cozy Mystery Series- first in series titles

Updated February 9, 2023
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
Meet your baker
Alexander, Ellie
Welcome to Torte-a friendly, small-town family bake shop where the treats are so good that, sometimes, it's criminal... After graduating from culinary school, Juliet Capshaw returns to her quaint hometown of Ashland, Oregon, to heal a broken heart and help her mom at the family...
Murder, with peacocks
Andrews, Donna.
In this winner of the 1997 St. Martin's Malice Domestic Award, hectic plans for three family weddings in one summer are made even more hectic by murder. A bridesmaid three times over, for her best friend, her sister-in-law to be, and her mother, Meg returns to the little Virginia town in which she...
Agatha Raisin and the quiche of death
Beaton, M. C.
'Every new Agatha Raisin escapade is a total joy' ASHLEY JENSEN 'No wonder she's been crowned Queen of Cosy Crime' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A Beaton novel is like The Archers on speed' DAILY MAIL The first...
The sweetness at the bottom of the pie
Bradley, C. Alan
WINNER OF THE AGATHA * ARTHUR ELLIS * DILYS * DEBUT DAGGER AWARDS  "Wonderfully entertaining . . . sure to be one of the most loved mysteries of the year . . . [Flavia is] a delightful, intrepid, acid-tongued new heroine."--Chicago Sun-Times...
The cat who could read backwards
Braun, Lilian Jackson.
THE FIRST COZY MYSTERY IN THE BELOVED NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING CAT WHO SERIES! The world of modern art is a mystery to many. But for Jim Qwilleran, it turns into a mystery of another sort when his assignment for The Daily Fluxion leads down the path to murder.<...
Death overdue
Brook, Allison
The delightful first installment in The Haunted Library Mysteries, featuring "ghosts, libraries, and cats-all my favorite cozy things" (Ali Brandon, author of the Black Cat Bookshop mysteries) Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's...
Wish you were here
Brown, Rita Mae.
Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her human companion, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen.Small towns are like families-Everyone lives very close together. . .and everyone keeps secrets.Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town-until its secrets explode into murder.Crozet's thirty...

First in the Mrs. Murphy mystery series

Death by Darjeeling
Childs, Laura.
FIRST IN THE TEA SHOP MYSTERY SERIES! When a man is poisoned by tea, Charleston shop owner Theodosia Browning must prove her innocence and track down the real killer...before someone else takes their last sip. Meet Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston's...
On what grounds
Coyle, Cleo.
The first charming mystery in the New York Times bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery series-where caffeine and crime are always brewing... Clare Cosi used to manage New York City's historic Village Blend coffeehouse, until she opted for quieter pastures and a more suburban...
Chocolate chip cookie murder : a Hannah Swensen mystery
Fluke, Joanne
No one cooks up a delectable, suspense-filled mystery quite like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke's dessert-baking, red-haired heroine whose gingersnaps are as tart as her comebacks, and whose penchant for solving crimes--one delicious clue at a time--has made her a bestselling favorite. And it all...
Murder past due
James, Miranda.
FIRST IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING CAT IN THE STACKS MYSTERY SERIES! Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows Charlie Harris, the good-natured librarian with a rescued Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash.  He's returned to his hometown to immerse...
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
McCall Smith, Alexander
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Fans around the world adore the bestselling No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series and its proprietor, Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's premier lady detective. In this charming series, Mma  Ramotswe--with help from her loyal associate, Grace Makutsi--navigates her...
Books can be deceiving
McKinlay, Jenn.
Lindsey Norris is getting into her groove as the director of the Briar Creek Public Library when a New York editor visits town, creating quite a buzz. Lindsey's friend Beth wants to sell the editor her children's book, but Beth’s boyfriend, a famous author, gets in the way. The women decide...
Open and shut
Rosenfelt, David.
Defense attorney Andy Carpenter manages to sail through any tough situation, whether inside the courtroom or in his personal life. But this all changes when his marriage breaks up and his father suddenly dies, leaving him distraught--and 22 million dollars richer.
The sound of gravel : a memoir
Wariner, Ruth
This is a riveting, deeply affecting true story of one girl's coming-of-age in a polygamist family. Recounted from the innocent and hopeful perspective of a child, The Sound of Gravel is an intimate, gripping tale of triumph, courage, and resilience.

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.