There is a reason I set my cozy mysteries in lovely towns where I would like to visit or live in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. I need an escape. Every time I write a new book, I get to visit that town and the characters I created. I imagine it is like that for most cozy mystery writers.
I’ve pulled together a list for you to lose yourself in this summer. Whether you’re on vacation or sitting in your living room with the air conditioner full blast, you’ll have a fun time visiting these cozy mystery locations.
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Amanda Ashby, The Widows’ Guide to Murder
In Amanda Ashby’s The Widows’ Guide to Murder, amateur detective Ginny Cole believes her lifetime of bad luck is over. Her move to the beautiful, and quaint, Little Shaw in the English countryside , is the new beginning she’s been hoping for, but then she finds a dead body. Her friend’s daughter is the main suspect, so it’s up to Ginny to find out what is going on in their quirky small town.
Allison Brennan, Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds
Allison Brennan’s Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds is set in the Caribbean at a luxurious resort. Accountant Mia Crawford is always the responsible one. She takes care of her demanding job, her grandmother and her cats. But when she’s forced to go on a long-overdue vacation, she sees it as. Chance to reinvent herself for a little while. But when guest disappear and she finds hand-written notes in her book that could be clue, what’s she to do but investigate.
Annie McEwen, Dead White and Blue
Dead White and Blue by Annie McEwen is set in the Wisconsin Northwoods in the small town of Lake Covington. Intrepid heroine, Emmy Cooper, trips over a dead body at the Fourth of July celebration. The man she finds has no shortage of enemies. She finds more people want to kill him than ants at a picnic.
Emily Sullivan, A Death on Corfu
Hanging out in Greece sounds like a great idea and it is. Minnie Harper lives in Corfu and is shocked when she’s offered a well-paying gig by a mystery author Stephen Dorian. While handsome, it turns out he’s grumpy, but she can’t turn down the money. When a local made is murdered, she’s determined to solve the case, into which Stephen inserts himself. But is he helping or is he the killer?
Nova Walsh, Death and Peaches
When Abby Hirsch moves from L.A. to the sweet town of Sugar Creek, the last thing she thinks she’ll see is a councilman drop from poisoning in the middle of the Peach Festival in Death and Peaches, by Nova Walsh. Oh, and she’s also the prime suspect. She and her partner in crime, rescue dog Cassie, are on the hunt for the killer before she ends up in jail.
Shelley Marsh, Dying to Live Here
Techie Emma Stewart is burned out and looking for a new home. The quaint beachside town, Shores, Florida, seems like the perfect prescription. And it is, right up until the moment where she finds the HOA president lying in a pool of blood. It doesn’t help that she is the prime suspect. She must navigate nosey neighbors and passive-aggressive cocktail hours to solve the crime in Dying to Live Here, by Shelley Marsh.
Colleen Cambridge, Mastering the Art of French Murder
While Paris isn’t exactly considered a cozy mystery sort of town, it is made exactly that in Mastering the Art of French Murder, by Colleen Cambridge. Set in midcentury Paris, Julia Child’s fictional best friend is American Tabitha Knight. When a body is found in the building they share, Tabitha becomes a suspect in the murder. While she’s solving the case, she’s eating Julia’s delicious food and sampling Paris sites.
Agatha Christie, The Body in the Library
Agatha Christie was never fond of the term, cozy mystery, but The Body in the Library, which is a Miss Marple adventure, is exactly that. The body of a beautiful, young woman is found in the library of a respectable home, and no one seems to know who she is. It’s the classic English village mystery and Miss Marple sees way more than anyone gives her credit.
M.C. Beaton, The Quiche of Death
M.C. Beaton is another author who wasn’t crazy about the term, cozy mystery. But she knew how to write them. Her Agatha Raisin series begins with The Quiche of Death. Agatha has just moved from London to the quiet English village of Carsley. As she tries to fit in, she discovers that isn’t always easy in small towns. Especially, when everyone suspects her of murder.
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