What Is a Cozy Mystery? A Beginner’s Guide with 12 Cozy Series to Try

My favorite genre in the world is the cozy mystery. If you go through my shelves, about eighty percent of what you’ll see are books about small-town bookshops, bakeries, nosy neighbors and at least one dead body that somehow always turns up.

If you’ve ever looked at the mystery section and thought, “This all seems a bit… violent,” the cozy mystery is what you need. You still get the puzzle, clues and red herrings, just without the gore or lingering dread.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through what makes a mystery “cozy” and then share some of my favorite series so you can build your reading list around small towns, quirky side characters and deeply satisfying justice.

Also, if you’re building your own cozy reading life, you might also like my guides to building a personal library and cozy things for fall.

What is a cozy mystery? 

A cozy mystery is a subgenre of crime fiction that keeps the danger off the page and the focus on characters and community.

A few trademarks:

• The sleuth is an amateur, not a hardened detective. She might run a café, a bookshop or a craft store.

• The story usually takes place in a small town or tight-knit community, where everyone knows everyone.

• There is always a murder, but the violence happens off page and isn’t described in graphic detail.

• You get a cast of recurring, colorful side characters that you come to love as much as the sleuth.

• Justice is always served. You close the book feeling comforted, not haunted.

Only Murders in the Building and Murder, She Wrote are classic examples of cozy-ish mystery TV shows: murders, yes, but wrapped in humor, friendship and community.

Why I love them

I love trying to solve mysteries. At the same time, I don’t like reading or watching anything with violence. The cozy mystery checks these boxes for me. Plus, I love the tight knit community in which they take place, the fun characters, and justice is always served in the end! Another reason I love cozy mysteries is they are often serialized so I can revisit the town and characters again and again. 

Best Cozy Mystery Series to Start With

If you’ve never read a cozy mystery, then I have to ask…what are you waiting for? I must admit though, there are so many to choose from that it’s almost overwhelming. There’s at least one out there for every taste. There are historical cozies, paranormal ones. Personally I love culinary or bookish cozies so my recommendations are based around these themes.

Bookish & library cozies

• Secret, Book and Scone Society by Ellery Adams
  A small-town bookseller secretly “prescribes” the right novel to each customer while she and her friends solve mysteries and heal their own past traumas.

• Book Retreat Mystery by Ellery Adams
  Set at a luxury retreat for book lovers, this series is a dream if you like references to classic literature with your murder puzzles.

Culinary & café cozies

• Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle
  A New York coffeehouse manager solves crimes between espresso shots; ideal if you like city settings and detailed foodie descriptions.

• Bakeshop Mysteries by Ellie Alexander
  A baker returns to her hometown in Oregon to help in the family pastry shop and, naturally, trip over a steady stream of bodies.

• Cupcake Bakery Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay
  Light, funny and frosting-heavy, these are perfect when you want pure comfort.

Small-town favorites

• Hannah Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke
  A classic culinary cozy set in a small Minnesota town, with a long-running love triangle and lots of recipes.

• Port Danby Series by London Lovett
  A florist with a secret talent for solving crimes teams up with a handsome detective in a seaside town.

Quirkier and historical picks

• Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
  A broke minor royal in 1930s London stumbles into murder investigations; cozy but with a historical, slightly madcap twist.

• Noodle Shop Mysteries by Vivien Chien
  Set in a Chinese noodle shop in Cleveland’s Asia Village, this series is fun, flavorful and a bit different from typical village cozies.

Ready to try your first cozy? Pick one series from this list and start with book one. Then come back and tell me which one you read!