Cozy Christmas Mysteries To Read This Holiday Season
I only recently started getting into cozy mysteries and I’m wondering where they’ve been my whole life! How I didn’t discover them sooner is baffling to me. My favorite cozy mystery author? I’ve only dipped my toe in these waters but I do love anything set in Ireland or England so I’ve really been enjoying The Irish Village Mystery Series by Carlene O’Connor . I’ve also enjoyed Joanne Fluke series about Hannah Swensen, a dessert baking crime solver. I seem to gravitate toward the series where the main character is a plucky woman.
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But for the holiday season? This whole new world of cozy mysteries has opened up! Right around Thanksgiving, I start to read novels that take place around Christmas and the holiday season. It just puts me in the mood for all things festive. And now, I’m putting together a list of all the holiday cozy mysteries for an extra festive season!
It Came Upon A Midnight Shear by Allie Pleiter
Libby and her friends at Y.A.R.N. are gearing up for a festive holiday season in Collinstown, complete with a community Christmas tree and a special visit from a rare vicuña known for its incredibly luxurious wool. But the festivities take a dark turn when Libby’s ex-husband arrives unexpectedly and is soon found murdered. With valuable yarn missing, family drama mounting, and suspicion falling her way, Libby must unravel the mystery before she finds herself behind bars.
Lowcountry Boughs of Holly by Susan M. Boyer
Private investigator Liz Talbot is having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit, especially with her best friend missing and her husband planning an elaborate holiday celebration. Things take a deadly turn when Liz discovers a man dressed as Santa Claus washed ashore in a rowboat, only to learn he’s the wealthy patriarch of a prominent Charleston family with plenty of secrets. Despite their complicated history with the family, Liz and her husband Nate must investigate the murder and uncover who’s behind it before another name gets crossed off the killer’s Christmas list.
Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier
Lucy Stone has more than enough on her plate this Christmas, juggling family traditions, holiday preparations, and a part-time job at the popular mail-order company Country Cousins. But when she discovers the company’s wealthy founder dead in his car, Lucy begins to suspect his apparent suicide was actually murder. As she digs into the secrets surrounding his death, she uncovers a dangerous plot that could make her the killer’s next victim.
Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue by Victoria Thompson
Christmas is approaching in nineteenth-century New York City, but newlyweds Frank Malloy and Sarah Brandt find their honeymoon overshadowed by a troubling murder case. When a family friend’s daughter is accused of killing her wealthy new husband, her mother turns to Frank for help, especially since the young widow has been left unable to speak after the ordeal. With Frank and Sarah away, their household takes on the investigation, uncovering surprising secrets about the victim and his mysterious past.
Twelve Slays of Christmas
After her fiancé unexpectedly calls off their Christmas Eve wedding, Holly White returns to her hometown of Mistletoe, Maine, hoping for a little holiday comfort at her family’s Christmas tree farm. But her plans for a peaceful getaway are interrupted when a prominent local woman is found murdered on the property, and Holly’s father becomes a prime suspect. Determined to clear his name, Holly sets out to find the real killer before the holiday season takes an even more sinister turn.
Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen by Vicki Delany
In the charming town of Rudolph, New York, Christmas is celebrated year-round, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus’s Treasures, is looking forward to the town’s festive Santa Claus parade. But when her parade float is sabotaged and a visiting journalist is later found murdered, the holiday cheer quickly disappears. With her best friend suspected of poisoning the victim with a gingerbread cookie, Merry takes matters into her own hands to uncover the real killer and save her friend from a Christmas behind bars.
Lady Cavendish’s Christmas Caper by Camille Cabera
Lady Charlotte Cavendish, better known as Charlie, has one year to track down a valuable piece of hidden artwork if she hopes to inherit her grandmother’s castle and everything that comes with it. While exploring the charming town of Haversham, a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger leads to a playful wager and an unexpected commitment to host a Christmas Eve party. As Charlie settles into her new surroundings, she must navigate small-town secrets, holiday festivities, and the search for her inheritance before time runs out.
Murder on Mistletoe Lane by Clara McKenna
American heiress Stella Kendrick is looking forward to her first Christmas as Lady Lyndhurst, embracing English holiday traditions while organizing a charitable project in the countryside. But the festivities take a troubling turn when the household’s housekeeper is found dead, followed by another suspicious death at a Boxing Day horse race. As secrets, scandals, and hidden identities begin to surface, Stella and her husband Lyndy must uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.
The Christmas Cookie Killer by Livia J. Washburn
Retired teacher and amateur sleuth Phyllis Newsom is ready to put a difficult year behind her and enjoy the Christmas festivities in Weatherford, Texas, starting with a little friendly competition at the annual holiday cookie contest. But when she discovers an elderly neighbor dead in a pile of cookies suspiciously similar to her own prized lime sugar cookies, the season takes an unexpected turn. With plenty of potential suspects and secrets to uncover, Phyllis finds herself investigating a murder instead of simply enjoying her holiday baking.
The Christmas Candle Murders by Benedict Brown
Christmas is approaching in the snowy English village of Kilston Down in 1928, but the holiday celebrations take a sinister turn when a notoriously unpleasant local man dies under suspicious circumstances. While most residents assume his death was natural, Lord Edgington suspects otherwise, especially when several more villagers are mysteriously found dead. With the help of his young assistant, the detective must untangle a web of village secrets and uncover the killer before Christmas Day brings another victim.
Murder at an Irish Christmas by Carlene O’Connor
I had to include a Carlene O’Connor pick! Garda Siobhán O’Sullivan is looking forward to spending Christmas with her family in West Cork, even if it means postponing her own wedding plans. But the holiday gathering takes a deadly turn when a renowned orchestra conductor, and grandfather of her brother’s fiancée, is found crushed beneath a heavy harp. With several family members under suspicion, Siobhán must sort through complicated relationships and hidden motives to catch the killer before another holiday guest meets an untimely end.
There are just so many good cozy holiday mysteries out there and it was so hard to pick! But i have no doubt that anything you pick, will be a fun read as we head into the holiday season. And remember, use your local library to find a lot of these or their apps for audio books like Libby and Hoopla.
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