Cozy mysteries often feature a protagonist stepping into the shoes of a detective as they try to solve a murder mystery or recover a stolen object in the nick of time. Add some fantasy or eldritch elements into the mix—such as dragons, vampires, witches, and the like—and you can double the excitement and suspense!
After all, wouldn’t your life be more interesting if you had to interview a 600-year-old vampire as part of your job, collect clues from a talking cat, or investigate some supernatural hijinks in the quaint neighborhood?
These stories combine the best of both worlds, allowing the reader to travel to lands filled with enchantment and intrigue, while also testing their amateur sleuthing skills.
So, if you’re in the mood for a cozy mystery set in a fantasy world, add these charming books to your TBR pile right away!
The Vampire Knitting Club
While some vampires like to drink blood, others just like to knit cardigans and gossip with neighbors—at least that’s the premise of Nancy Warren’s cozy paranormal mystery series.
It follows the misadventures of Lucy Swift, who travels to Oxford to visit her grandmother, only to discover that the old lady has been murdered. It’s up to Lucy to find out the killer.
With a cast of mischievous characters, plenty of humor, and a storyline filled with twists and turns, this book will keep you hooked to the last page.
The Fox Wife
Yangsze Choo’s The Fox Wife is a sweeping historical epic, delving into the folklore of fox spirits and featuring more than one murder mystery at the heart of the narrative.
The story unfolds amidst a frosty landscape, from two alternating points-of-view: Snow, a fox spirit disguised as a woman who seeks revenge for her murdered child, and Bao, an aging human detective with an uncanny ability to detect lies who's hired to uncover the true identity of a dead courtesan.
Yet, despite the high body count, the story remains delightful and sweet, allowing for second chances and old loves to reunite. This is an enjoyable and cozy read for a cold winter’s night.
Water Moon
If you’re in the mood for a romantasy novel with Studio Ghibli vibes and some light mystery elements, you’ll adore Samantha Sotto Yambao’s Water Moon.
The tightly-plotted story follows Hana, who inherits a pawnshop where one can pawn their regrets. One day, Hana finds the shop ransacked with her father missing.
When a charming young physicist stumbles in, determined to help her, they embark together on a fantastical journey filled with origami cranes, a night market among the clouds, magical tattoos, and more.
But it isn’t just the fantastical elements that will keep you hooked—there’s also the disappearance of Hana’s father, the unsolved mystery of her mother’s death, and why the perfect boyfriend has suddenly shown up on her doorstep.
A Sprinkling of Murder
Those longing for some fey magic to spice up their lives can give a Daryl Wood Gerber’s A Sprinkling of Murder a try. This delightful tale is filled with miniature fairies, intricate fairy gardens, and fairy figurines.
The story follows Courtney, who starts her own fairy garden business and teashop. But it’s not all smooth-sailing running a start-up, especially when a neighboring business owner is found dead beside the fountain, and the police suspect Courtney to be the killer.
Now Courtney must clear her name—with help from the fairies, of course! Packed with magic, intrigue, and whimsical fun, A Sprinkling of Murder will appeal to lovers of both fairy stories and cozy murder mysteries.
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Patricia C. Wrede’s The Enchanted Forest Chronicles has a bit of everything—magic, mystery, and a plucky princess who runs away to live with dragons. Although aimed at a younger audience, these are the perfect cozy books to help you unwind after a hectic day.
Most of the books follow young Cimorene, a tomboyish princess who shirks her royal duties to go on quests and adventures, subverting common fairytale tropes with wit and charm.
If you’re in the mood for a nostalgic feel-good comfort read, get the boxed edition collecting the four books in a beautiful package.
Brindlewood Bay
Finally, if you’d rather run a cozy mystery game, or you’re looking for some inspiration to write your own, check out Jason Cordova’s Brindlewood Bay. This is a tabletop roleplaying game about a group of elderly women solving mysteries and murders in their small town, even as occult forces loom in the background.
The game draws upon the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Murder, She Wrote, with simple mechanics so that anyone can read the rulebook and start playing.
While Brindlewood Bay mostly lays out the rules, game mechanics, and world building (combining cozy aesthetics with some eldritch spooks) there’s also a supplement, Nephews in Peril, packed with cozy murder mysteries that you can run as one-shots or as part of a longer campaign.
