New Cozy Mysteries to Curl Up With This Fall
There is something so comforting about a cozy mystery, especially during the autumn season. You make a hot cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa and sit in a comfy chair—perhaps with a warm and fuzzy blanket—and you grab your cozy mystery and escape into a story that you know will be about a charming small town with interesting and sometimes quirky characters. And best of all—a murder mystery!
Not familiar with the term "cozy mystery"? Sometimes shortened to "cozies," they're a crime fiction subgenre for...the more faint of heart. Usually set in a small community and primarily starring an amateur, woman detective, they are quick, lighthearted reads in contrast to unsentimental, hard-boiled detective fiction.
Below is a list of new cozy mysteries, all published in 2020, that are available now on our shelves for grab-and-go service or you can download the e-book and/or e-audiobook versions from home. Happy Reading!
The Book of Candlelightby Ellery Adams
The owner of a local book store finds an old diary that somehow holds a clue to several recent, suspicious deaths in her small town.
Handbook for Homicideby Lorna Barrett
Tricia Miles must swim against the tide to catch a killer when Haven't Got A Clue's assistant manager is accused of murder.
Death at High Tide by Hannah Dennison
Death at High Tide is the delightful first installment in the "Island Sisters" series featuring two sisters who inherit an old hotel in the remote Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall and find it full of intrigue, danger, and romance.
A View to a Kilt by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Unexpectedly heading the annual springtime community celebration to boost the local economy after a long winter, Liss discovers a murdered man in the melting snow who is identified as her long-lost uncle, who went missing during the Vietnam War.
A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton
In 1890s England, mystery author Lady Amy Lovell becomes desperate to clear her name after her fiancé is found murdered in her library and launches an investigation with Lord William Wethington, a fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club.
Careless Whiskers by Miranda James
When his lead-actress daughter is wrongly accused of poisoning a fading, drama-prone actor during a local stage production, Charlie teams up with feline sidekick, Diesel, to identify the true killer.
Playing the Devil by R.J. Lee
A sequel to Grand Slam Murders finds investigative reporter Wendy Winchester opening a new bridge club that is thrown into turmoil by the murder of a brutish local with numerous enemies.
Murder in an Irish Cottage by Carlene O'Connor
In a remote—and superstitious—village in County Cork, Ireland, Garda Siobhán O’Sullivan must solve a murder where the prime suspects are fairies.
Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.
Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.