The idea of the “cozy” mystery—stories that feature quaint settings, quirky characters, a bit of warmth, and most importantly the feeling that you’re in safe hands as a reader (that the killer will, in fact, be found out and face the consequences), has been around for a very long time.
And because of its longevity, there are volumes of wonderful books around for readers to pore over. In case you’ve exhausted the lists of Agatha Christie or more recently, Richard Osman, here are a few gems you might not have heard of that are well worth your attention.
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A.A. Milne, The Red House Mystery
Did you know that the author of Winnie the Pooh wrote a murder mystery? Neither did I, until a friend recommended it to me.
The Red House Mystery is of course not completely unknown, it’s among the classics, but gets overshadowed by Milne’s more famous children’s work. But it has all the elements of Golden Age detective fiction—a large country house with party guests among the suspects, an amateur sleuth who can make connections and find answers the police miss, and the warm sly humor running throughout that immerses the reader in witty observations in that classic cosy atmosphere.
Milne’s love of the genre really shines through in the book, and it’s wonderful to read such versatility from an author better known for his other, later work.
Christina Lynch, Pony Confidential
I guarantee you haven’t read a murder mystery like this one, and it’s got all the things I love—it’s hilarious, heartfelt, charming, and also expertly plotted. It’s also got one of the most unique dual point-of-view set ups I’ve ever read.
You’ve got Penny, a woman who gets arrested out of the blue for a murder that happened back when she was a kid, and you’ve got Pony—the cynical old Pony who was Penny’s beloved pet back when the crime was committed. Pony knows the truth of what really happened back then, and he sets out on a quest to reunite with Penny and help clear her of the crime.
It’s lighthearted while also hitting on some deeper truths about people, animals, and their relationship to each other and the world around them, and has a ton of heart. Think Remarkably Bright Creatures with an adventurous equestrian twist.
Kate Wells, Murder on the Farm
One of the things I love the most about cozy mysteries is that often a setting can feel like another character, and Murder on the Farm does this exceptionally well. Set on a working sheep farm in the English countryside, this book features a widow named Jude who is thrown into a murder investigation when a friend of her late husband’s is found dead on her farm.
This one doesn’t hold back on the mounting tension relating to the unsolved crime, and has a slightly darker feel to it at times, but this is balanced expertly with the warmth of Jude’s relationships with her sister and nephew, and there are also some very poignant reflections on love, family, and grief that make for a really well-rounded reading experience.
Masateru Konishi, My Grandfather, Master Detective
Translated from Japanese, this is book is the true definition of a cozy escape. Schoolteacher Kaede visits her grandfather regularly, where the two talk through mysteries from each of their lives and riddle them out together. Their conversations feel like a series of mystery vignettes that all feed into the overarching problem Kaede is dealing with, in a format that is unique and satisfying.
It pays homage to a wide range of golden age detective fiction, in a way that feels like the author is really shaking hands with the genre. It’s rather like When the Coffee Gets Cold meets Agatha Christie, and is certainly one I’ll come back to again and again when I need a comforting and rewarding read.
Tom Mead, Death and the Conjurer
I love a historical mystery, and Tom’s Mead’s Joseph Spector series really hits a sweet spot of locked room mysteries for me. Death and the Conjurer features Spector, a retired stage magician in 1930s London, who has a particular skill for solving murders that seem impossible.
Mead has a real skill for coming up with clever setups and reveals, and in this first installment in the series, a famous psychiatrist is murdered in a sealed room and Spector’s experience with elaborate illusions makes him the perfect mind for the case. The writing is intricate and atmospheric, with theatrical flair shining through.
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And of course, if you like the sound of all of the above, the most recent book in my own series, How to Cheat Your Own Death plays with all of these elements in its own way. Out on April 28th, you can venture to London with my two amateur sleuths solving crimes decades apart—Annie in Chelsea in the present day, and Frances having adventures in Soho 1969.
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