So many cozy mysteries to read, so little time!
Please only add cozy mysteries to the list. If you're not sure what the difference is between a regular mystery and a cozy mystery, please see this definition.
See also:
100 Mysteries and Thrillers to Read in a Lifetime Readers Picks
Best Mysteries of the 21st Century
Best Mysteries of the 20th Century
Popular Highly Rated Mystery
Best Mysteries by Subgenre
Best Cozy Mystery Series
Best Crime Mystery Books
Best Historical Mystery
Best Literary Mysteries
Best Thrillers
Edgar Awards:
Edgar Award Winners
Edgar Award Winners for Best First Novel
Edgar Award Winners for Fact Crime
Edgar Award Winners for Best Young Adult Fiction
Best Mysteries By Decade
1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020
Best Mysteries By Ratings
100,000 or more
50,000 to 99,999
25,000 to 49,999
10,000 to 24,999
Please only add cozy mysteries to the list. If you're not sure what the difference is between a regular mystery and a cozy mystery, please see this definition.
See also:
100 Mysteries and Thrillers to Read in a Lifetime Readers Picks
Best Mysteries of the 21st Century
Best Mysteries of the 20th Century
Popular Highly Rated Mystery
Best Mysteries by Subgenre
Best Cozy Mystery Series
Best Crime Mystery Books
Best Historical Mystery
Best Literary Mysteries
Best Thrillers
Edgar Awards:
Edgar Award Winners
Edgar Award Winners for Best First Novel
Edgar Award Winners for Fact Crime
Edgar Award Winners for Best Young Adult Fiction
Best Mysteries By Decade
1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020
Best Mysteries By Ratings
100,000 or more
50,000 to 99,999
25,000 to 49,999
10,000 to 24,999
2,532 books ·
2,677 voters ·
list created December 14th, 2009
by Jo ☾.
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Comments Showing 1-35 of 35 (35 new)
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Jamese
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Nov 23, 2010 12:21PM
there have been a lot of votes on here
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I love so many of the books on this list, but a lot of them don't fit my idea of cozy mysteries.For me, cozies are separate from what I think of as rom.com. mysteries, in which the humor and romance are as important, if not more so, than the mystery element (such as Janet Evanovich's books, much as I love them). I also view cozies as separate from the more suspenseful mysteries in which a happy ending isn't a sure thing. And, in general, while I love YA books there aren't many YA mysteries that I would consider cozies.
The Death of Perry Many Paws is the first in a series of cozy humorous mysteries featuring 'women of a certain age' and a small town filled with people you want to visit again and again. It has a five star rating on Amazon. It's available on Kindle also. It's a definitive cozy mystery.
gaah it annoys me that a Janet Evanovich book is number one on this list. I get that they're popular BUT people so often vote for books because they like them, and not because they actually are the best fit for the list description! The thing is people who are looking at the list want to read books that fit the description.Anyways - if the definition of cozy mystery is the same as the one on the website referenced (http://www.cozy-mystery.com/Definitio...), then "no graphic violence, no profanity, and no explicit sex." There definitely is graphic violence in the Stephanie Plum books, and the romance is pretty explicit. I would say her books are more about thrill, humor, and sex than about a cozy mystery! (It's maybe more of a humorous mystery...)
Basically, I hadn't quite found a description for the books that I really like to read until just now, and Cozy Mystery is definitely it! So I was excited to find this list...and then disappointed to see Stephanie Plum right at the top because that is definitely NOT what I'm looking for, personally!
The Connie Shelton series are great Cozy mysteries. Both Charlie Parker and Samantha Sweet are interesting and they have been getting better and better through the years.
Rebecca wrote: "gaah it annoys me that a Janet Evanovich book is number one on this list. I get that they're popular BUT people so often vote for books because they like them, and not because they actually are the..."Though I really love the Stephanie Plum books I have to agree with you. I mostly listen to the audio editions of those book and often find myself cringing at the cursing and skipping ahead to avoid the sexual talk. They are not cozy mysteries at all.
I agree that this is not the listing I would hope for so I guess I'll have to start posting to it rather than to Amazon Kindle listings. Since Cozies are by nature series books, perhaps it would be better to list only the series name. That would leave room to include a wider selection of books. There are great cozy series not mentioned. I do agree that Stephanie Plum, while well written is not a cozy.
On the top of the list pictured, there is a tab to add other books that you don't see on the list. I added my favorites and when other reader's saw the books on there, they moved up through the ranks.
Rebecca wrote: "gaah it annoys me that a Janet Evanovich book is number one on this list. I get that they're popular BUT people so often vote for books because they like them, and not because they actually are the..."and this is the truth..... No offense but yeah, this is the truth
I would add "Fool's Puzzle" by Earlene Fowler, "Caught Dead in Philadelphia" by Gillian Roberts, "Board Stiff" by Kendel Lynn, "Frontpage Fatality" by LynDee Walker "Murder 101" by Maggie Barbieri and Diners, Dives, and Dead Ends by Terri Austin
Edie wrote: "I would add "Fool's Puzzle" by Earlene Fowler, "Caught Dead in Philadelphia" by Gillian Roberts, "Board Stiff" by Kendel Lynn, "Frontpage Fatality" by LynDee Walker "Murder 101" by Maggie Barbieri ..."Edie, you can add your choices to the list by clicking on the "Add Books to This List" tab at the top of the list.
It's funny how everyone is different, Janet Evanovich's books have totally fitted the 'cozy read' category for me. They are a very light reading style; nothing heavy to digest - and totally for fun.
Helen wrote: "It's funny how everyone is different, Janet Evanovich's books have totally fitted the 'cozy read' category for me. They are a very light reading style; nothing heavy to digest - and totally for fun."I totally agree :-) Janet Evanovich with Stephanie Plum and Agatha Christie with Miss Marple. Lovely books for me, and like you said, nothing too heavy - and totally for fun.
Unfortunately, I've watched Miss Marple televised too many times to be able to read the books with the requisite anticipation. But on the topic of Janet Evanovich, Plum Spooky has to be the book that has given me the most laughs in the last ten years. How about other readers in Readerland, did anyone else besides me particularly fall about over that one? (I have fond memories of it.....)
Booklovinglady wrote: "Someone added Shakespeare's Hamlet (#1048). Odd choice, if you ask me..."Agree. Book asking/touching on some of the the deepest questions of the human condition in a timeless fashion = 'cozy read'. Well if philosophical conundrums have that nostalgic aura about them for you.. that somewhat comfy and homey feel...
Smyle wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "gaah it annoys me that a Janet Evanovich book is number one on this list. I get that they're popular BUT people so often vote for books because they like them, and not because they ..."Well, each to their own, but at the time, after jousting with university level texts and questions, reading Plum Spooky was like jumping into a wonderfully warm bubble bath and sipping on a spritzer.
I question whether Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series (Track of the Cat, presently at #158) should be here. She's a forest ranger, which is a kind of cop. Jo, do you want me to pull it down? She also appears twice in the 300s.The system found and removed 7 duplicates.
The following books are not cozy mysteries:Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, #1) (#140) conspiracy thriller and contains graphic violence
The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) (#382) mystery thriller
1st to Die (Women's Murder Club #1) (#419) - hard-boiled Crime Thriller with lots of graphic violence (physical, emotional and sexual)
Jayne Ann Krentz: Fired Up (The Arcane Society #7) (#656) / Dream Eyes (Dark Legacy, #2) (#686) / Lost and Found (#746) / Gift of Fire (Gift, #2) (#749) - the author writes romantic suspense (nothing for the faint of heart)
I suspect this one is not a cozy as well, but didn't read it yet:
Elly Griffiths: The Crossing Places (#412) / The House at Sea's End & A Room Full of Bones (Ruth Galloway, #4) (both #746) - as far as I know this author writes Mystery (Crime)-Thrillers
The Face of Deception (Eve Duncan, #1) (#640) - according to my friends from Thriller group it's a rather dark and disturbing Thriller
Agnieszka wrote: "The following books are not cozy mysteries:Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon, #1) (#140) conspiracy thriller and contains graphic violence
The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1) (#382) mystery t..."
I see the problem, but I also can see that in some ways the list has either gotten away from its original purpose, or else is just very difficult to define. I voted for Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, yet I must be the first to admit that these are not cozies; they are too steamy and often too raunchy to be so defined. And then for those that use "cozy" as a code that means suitable for precocious young readers, or for religious folks, I wonder whether the titles that have cozy-looking art on the cover, but also include witchcraft in their titles, are suitable candidates.
When push comes to shove, I have to admit these issues are not my issues, and so I will leave it up to listmaker Jo and other librarians to tease out what goes and what stays here. Looks like a stinker of a job.
Donna wrote: "I voted for Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, yet I must be the first to admit that these are not cozies; they are too steamy and often too raunchy to be so defined...."To me, 'cozy' mysteries are the ones I can really snuggle up with. It depends on what one likes and one's idea of 'cozy', I guess. Like you, I too am very fond of the Stephanie Plum series and consider them 'cozy' mysteries. To me, like I said earlier, it is important that cozies provide a 'light' read.
According to Wikipedia "cozy mysteries, also referred to as "cozies", are a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community. Cozies thus stand in contrast to hardboiled fiction, which feature violence and sexuality more explicitly and centrally to the plot." So not only in my opinion, but also in Wikipedia's, the Stephanie Plum novels definitely fit on this list, as they are humorous.
But like you said, I'll leave it up to the creator of the list to decide what is cozy and what's not.
I'm with you on this. Cozy is supposed to be the very definition of no sex, no violence, no language! We need a new list, designed for those of us who want true Cozies.
I agree with you, Paula. The series that I enjoy usually include a murder, but not a vivid description of violence. There is usually a some romance, but no steamy or raunchy segments. Curious what some of your favorites are. I've enjoyed Cleo Coyle (both series), Philip Craig, Amanda Flower (Candy Shop and Bookshop), Barbara Connolly, and Earlene Flower, to name a few.
I'm afraid I won't be much help. Most of what I read is nonfiction. When I do read fiction it is usually classic, or literary. Mystery writers I'd class as literary are among my favorites: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton (Father Brown), Daphne du Maurier, Graham Greene, and so forth. When I do read something light (and who doesn't love to sometimes?) it is generally a mystery, and a cozy mystery if I can find it. My very favorite is Dorothy Sayers, followed by Agatha Christie. I also have enjoyed books by Josephine Tey, Patricia Wentworth, Margery Allingham, and Dorothy Gilman (Mrs. Pollifax series). I will have to try some of your favorites. Thanks so much for the suggestions!
Andréa wrote: "I love so many of the books on this list, but a lot of them don't fit my idea of cozy mysteries.For me, cozies are separate from what I think of as rom.com. mysteries, in which the humor and roma..."
I was wondering about that as I didn't think I liked cozy mysteries and yet some of my favorite books are on here.
I enjoy the cozy mystery genre and a few weeks ago (3-24-2020) commented about what I thought was included in most of them. I think some books on this list don't fit my definition. If you are curious about cozy mysteries, there is a well done site called Cozy Mystery List that lists books by author. Here is the url; https://www.cozy-mystery.com/ . I hope it is useful for you.
I really wish this list was limited to only the first book in a series so that it is easier to discern the top series. As it stands there are many books from the same series which clutters a "true ranking" of SERIES as the list name indicates. In the top 100 list results there are only 66 separate series represented by my count. Rather frustrating for someone looking for a true list of series rather than books or characters.
Eventually, every list on goodreads WILL contain every single book ever published. It's a law of physics, I forget which one. To those of you monitoring these lists, thanks so much, but the universe and authors who haven't sold many books are against you.
Courtney wrote: "I really wish this list was limited to only the first book in a series so that it is easier to discern the top series. As it stands there are many books from the same series which clutters a "true ..."Courtney, at the library or in a bookstore, I'd like 'series' books to be noted on the spine, maybe "FIC S" for fiction, series. Cause sometimes I just want a stand-alone, and they are getting harder and harder to find.
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