18 Cozy Mysteries to Crack Open This Fall

A group of former Chosen Ones come together to spend their tranquil retirement running a peaceful book and gift shop in Salem, MA. What was intended to be a calm, tourist-packed oasis quickly spirals into a chaotic site for summoning ancient creatures.

As the locals discover that the shop’s basement just may be the portal to the underworld, the retired-hero shop owners are called back into action in an effort to save the world, for once and for all. This cozy mystery is witty, heartwarming, and full of fun. 

Annie Hart, daughter of Bryan Hart – talent agent to the stars – spends her time helping her father with whatever task he needs to do for his VIP clients. When she inherits a yarn shop in small town Indiana, she’s eager to get a taste of autonomy and authority.

Upon her arrival, she’s greeted by local law enforcement–Annie quickly learns that something is off in this seemingly idyllic town. She makes the chilling discovery that the previous yarn shop owner was killed, strangled by her own yarn.

Annie, with the help of a few local yarn artists, sets out to get to the bottom of this murder mystery. 

Screenwriter Georgie Johansen hasn’t visited her Aunt Olivia’s farm in the coastal town of Twilight Cove in years. As she returns, she realizes that the town has changed drastically—her aunt’s farm is now an animal sanctuary, and there’s a new farmhand who’s equally mysterious and handsome.

 Georgie also meets the rumored witch of Twilight Cove, an eccentric older woman who lives in a cabin in the woods, Dorothy Shale.

When Dorothy ends up murdered, Georgie becomes the prime suspect—she was the one to discover Dorothy’s body, and the town quickly learns that Dorothy left her valuable plot of land to Auntie Olivia! Georgie must act fast to clear her name by finding the real killer.

But as bodies start to pile up, the pressure intensifies. With the help of the unusual powers of Dorothy’s two dogs and her great-horned owl, Georgie races to uncover the truth before she becomes the killer’s next target. 

When coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen's business partner's sister is hospitalized right after their mother's funeral, Maggy is immediately suspicious. 

Determined to find out if it was an accident or something more sinister, Maggy and her partner join forces with the niece to investigate the fractured family. Their search for answers about the present leads them into the past to uncover the family's darkest secrets.

Six struggling people with ties to crime writing are invited by a mysterious trust to play a game: solve a fictional murder in a remote, snowy Yorkshire village for a life-changing prize.

As the contestants and their shadowy overseers gather, the village is cut off by a snowstorm, forcing everyone to be on high alert. However, with fortunes on the line, the participants soon realize that playing fair is the least of their worries.

Shiloh Bellamy's perfect Thanksgiving is shattered when her pug, Huckleberry, unearths decades-old human remains on her newly reclaimed farm. The startling discovery threatens to tarnish the beloved reputation of Shiloh's late grandmother, who has been tied to the mystery.

Determined to protect her family's legacy, Shiloh dives into the investigation to uncover long-hidden truths that the quiet town of Cherry Glen would rather keep buried. With secrets surfacing and danger closing in, Shiloh races against time to expose the killer before they strike again.

In 1952, a snow-covered Yorkshire village is shocked when a dead stranger is found lodged in the chimney of Holly House just before Christmas. 

Inspector Frank Grasby is called in to investigate what initially seems like a simple robbery, but his investigation is complicated when the local doctor's husband is brutally murdered. Grasby quickly realizes that the seemingly quaint village is full of secrets, and he must uncover the truth quickly.

Failure to solve the escalating mysteries in Elderby will have a dreadful price, affecting not just the village but the entire country.

Book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright returns to investigate another mysterious novel.

Savoring their honeymoon, newlyweds Brooklyn and Derek are strolling along the Seine when Brooklyn spots a first-edition James Bond novel at a bookstall. The Spy Who Loved Me is the perfect gift for Derek, a former spy himself.

The couple brings the book back to the states, where they learn that it’s much more valuable than they originally thought. Soon, a string of bizarre and violent incidents convinces them that somebody is willing to kill to get their hands on the book...

And you thought your PTA meetings got ugly. In this clever new mystery, a PI joins forces with a PTA president to investigate a mysterious murder case set at a local school. 

Tensions are running high at Portland High when a gossipy website called Dirty Laundry threatens to dismantle the reputations of PTA members and administrators—but the matter only escalates when the mastermind behind the website is found dead. Though the death is ruled a suicide, two parents aren’t buying it.

Tough single mom and private investigator Maya never thought she’d agree with Sandra, a do-gooder PTA president and the wife of a scandalous politician. Yet the unlikely duo is soon putting their heads together to find out who’s behind the foul play.

“Cozy goes hard-boiled” (Kirkus Reviews) in this suspenseful series debut that will have readers clamoring for the next installment.

Set for publication October 29, this new cozy mystery series by bestselling author Bethany Blake is sure to be a hoot. Quirky Willow Bellamy has channeled her artistic talent into teaching classes at the Owl and Crescent Studio, a barn that she refurbished into her own small business.

But painting isn’t her only gift—Willow also has the ability to “see” things invisible to others, just like her mother and grandmother before her. When an unsavory local restaurant owner is murdered, Willow relies on her clairvoyance to search for the killer.

Easier said than done; the suspect list is long, comprised of the countless enemies that the victim accumulated over her lifetime.

By her side is Bradley Wheeler, an attractive detective who doesn’t put much stock into potions and visions. Though they have very different ideas of how to proceed, Willow and Bradley are soon making headway on the confounding investigation—and Willow finds that there may be some truth to the old adage that opposites attract. Pre-order your copy today. 

If you’ve got a match that needs making or a feud that needs diffusing, then Jane Darrowfield is your go-to gal. Jane never expected to be paid for her sparkling social skills and discretion, but after a year of retirement, she’s willing to do anything to spice up her life.

Her first assignment as a professional busybody is to infiltrate a cantankerous retirement community and try to dissolve the vicious cliques that have formed. But when one of the residents is found bludgeoned to death with a golf club, Jane’s determination to do some serious sleuthing is par for the course.

Her resolve will get her into some sticky situations with her fellow retiree community, who are much sharper—and more dangerous—than they first appear. Join Jane to find out which grandparent is capable of murder in this irresistible new whodunit.

There’s a spooky surprise in store for Abby McCree in this chilling seasonal mystery. As part of her planning duties for the Halloween Festival in Snowberry Creek, Washington, Abby is picking up some pumpkins from Ronald Minter's farm when she stumbles upon Ronald's corpse.

The crotchety farmer was stabbed to death in his own corn maze, and the talk of the town is that a homeless veteran was responsible.

But when Abby’s tenant reveals that he’s convinced the vet didn’t do it, she’s swayed to look into the tragedy to ensure an innocent man isn’t put behind bars—and a killer allowed to walk free.

Maggie Crozat faces an uphill battle to clear her friend’s name in the fifth installment in the Cajun Country series.

The proprietor of a successful B&B, Maggie’s taking some well-deserved time off to attend Cajun Country Live!, where her friend Gaynell will be performing alongside her band the Gator Girls.

But the tunes will have to wait. Tammy Barker, a devious diva with the voice of an angel, concocts a plan to sabotage Gaynell—by pinning a murder on her competitor. Now Maggie must go undercover as a groupie to infiltrate Tammy’s inner circle and prove Gaynell’s innocence before it’s too late.

Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Ellen Hart “ramp[s] up the creepiness” (Kirkus) in the latest addition to her long-running series. Years after Rashad May was convicted of his husband’s murder, questions remain.

So when Rashad contacts his defense attorney Ray Lawless—private investigator Jane Lawless’s father—with evidence that may point to a different perpetrator altogether, the case is officially reopened.

Jane is prepared to ask her brother, Peter, some tough questions about the case, including vital information that he may be able to divulge. The only trouble is, Peter’s been missing for years…

Inspired by a childhood spent traipsing around the bayou, New York Times-bestselling author Janet DeLeon’s Louisiana-set mystery series continues with Cajun Fried Felony. Troublemaker and scammer Venus Thibodeaux isn’t exactly well-liked in her hometown of Sinful, and is known for occasionally slipping off the grid completely. So when she disappears yet again, no one is concerned or surprised—until the woman’s body is discovered during the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Run. Suspicion points to a local man who swears he's innocent. Desperate to clear his name, the prime suspect hires CIA agent Miss Fortune to do some undercover digging. Miss Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie—otherwise known as Swamp Team 3—are on the case, and readers are in for a zany adventure through the bayou.

Related: 9 Fun and Quirky Whodunits by Female Mystery Authors 

Library director Lindsey Norris has a wedding to plan, and the last thing she needs is some unwanted attention from town newcomer Aaron Grady.

The gardening enthusiast is stirring up controversy with his overtly flirtatious behavior, and all of Briar Creek is starting to talk. But when her would-be suitor is found dead outside the library, Lindsey finds she has an even thornier problem on her hands. Lindsey’s fiancé Sully is the obvious suspect, and all clues are pointing to his guilt.

Lindsey has to rely on the research skills gained during her tenure as a librarian to comb through Grady’s past and figure out who the real killer is—before the man of her dreams is locked up for a murder he didn’t commit.

Foodies are in for a treat with this latest installment in the Noodle Shop Mystery series. Lana Lee, the proprietor of Ho-Lee Noodle House, has been looking forward to Cleveland’s Asian Night Market for months.

The summer festival will be packed with customers and the innovative new food trucks that are giving more traditional establishments a run for their money.

But the night ends in chaos when someone at the festival decides to kill the competition. When the truck housing Wonton on Wheels explodes, Lana puts her vacation plans on hold and her sleuthing skills to the test.

With the help of her boyfriend, Detective Adam Trudeau, Lana cooks up a plan to find out whodunit.

Bay Area witch Lily Ivory finds herself puzzling over a supernatural mystery in this wickedly delightful cozy.

When she’s not busy running her vintage boutique or resolving family drama (you know how covens are), Lily is planning her fast-approaching wedding ceremony. But her upcoming nuptials are threatened by a dangerous spirit currently haunting San Francisco.

A high-level kidnapping and the discovery of a uniform once worn by an Alcatraz prisoner only confirm Lily’s fears. She’ll have to summon all her powers to crack the case.