Cozy mystery book series in reading order

by Joanne Fluke

by Cleo Coyle

by Lilian Jackson Braun

by Laura Levine

by Laurien Berenson

by Jeanne M. Dams

by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Joanne Fluke is the pen name of Joanne Fischmann, an American writer born Joanne Gibson around 1943 in Swanville, Minnesota. Fluke is chiefly known for the Hannah Swensen cozy mysteries about a small-town baker, and six Hallmark Channel films draw on that series. The catalogue counts 64 books between 1980 and 2024, opening with The Stepchild (1980), The Other Child (1983) and Winter Chill (1984); the newest entry is Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder (2024). Other pen names include Jo Gibson, Chris Hunter and Kathryn Kirkwood.

Barbara Allan writes the Trash 'n' Treasures Mysteries, a cozy series whose amateur sleuths are a mother and daughter dealing in antiques. The 24 catalogued books open with Antiques Roadkill (2006) and reach Antiques Web (2026), every title beginning with the word Antiques. Vivian Borne is the recurring character named in the catalogue. Murder, small-town dealing and a dog recur throughout, and the series is ongoing.

Cozy mysteries filled Sheila Connolly's list: the Orchard Mysteries around apple growing, the Museum Mysteries in Philadelphia, the County Cork books in Ireland, a Victorian Village series and the Relatively Dead novels. One Bad Apple (2008) opens 51 catalogued books, which end at Fatal Roots in 2020, with the early glassblowing titles written as Sarah Atwell.

Juliet Blackwell writes cozy mysteries. The Witchcraft Mystery series and the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series are the two named series, and standalone novels and novellas sit beside them. The catalogue counts 30 books from Secondhand Spirits (2009) to The Séance Garden (2026). Witches, magic, San Francisco, vintage clothing, remodeling and women business owners appear in the subject tags.

Needlework is the organising idea of Monica Ferris's cozy mysteries, in which Betsy Devonshire runs a small-town needlecraft shop and keeps finding murders. Crewel World (1999) opens the series, followed by Framed in Lace, A Stitch in Time, Unraveled Sleeve, A Murderous Yarn and Cutwork. Nineteen books make up the run, which ends at Knit Your Own Murder in 2016, at a median of 268 pages.

Laurie Cass is the author of the Bookmobile Cat Mysteries. Subjects include cozy mystery, cats, librarians, murder and women sleuths. The catalogue holds 15 Cass books published from 2013 to 2026. Lending a Paw (2013) is first, followed by Tailing a Tabby (2014), Borrowed Crime (2015) and Pouncing on Murder (2015). Gone with the Whisker (2020) and Checking Out Crime (2021) are later titles, and Murder on Thin Ice (2026) is the newest. Large print editions appear among the subjects.

Two cozy mystery series account for most of Cleo Coyle's work: the Coffeehouse Mysteries, in which the coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi investigates murders, and the Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, which put a bookseller alongside a ghost. On What Grounds (2003) opens the catalogue of 32 titles, which reaches Eat, Drink, and Get Buried. Coyle titles run to coffee puns, among them Through the Grinder, Latte Trouble and Murder Most Frothy.

JoAnna Carl's Chocoholic Mysteries put Lee McKinney Woodyard and the chocolate trade at the centre of murder investigations. Carl's catalogue holds 25 books, from Death Down Home (1990) to The Chocolate Raccoon Rigmarole (2021), with the Sam and Nicky Titus and Nell Matthews series alongside. Women detectives and cozy mystery are the standing subjects. No new Carl title has appeared since 2021.

Lilian Jackson Braun wrote the Cat Who mysteries, in which the journalist Jim Qwilleran solves crimes alongside his Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum. 32 catalogued books span 1966 to 2007, among them The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (1967), The Cat Who Turned On And Off (1968), The Cat Who Saw Red (1986), The Cat Who Played Brahms (1987) and The Cat Who Played Post Office (1987). The last catalogued title is The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, and short stories sit alongside the novels.

Melissa Bourbon has 35 books in the catalogue, from Living the Vida Lola (2008) to Hem Fatale (2025). Subjects on file include cozy mystery, dressmaking, magic, ghosts and women business owners. Series include the Magical Dressmaking Mysteries, Lola Cruz Mysteries, Pippin Lane Hawthorne Mystery / Book Magic Mysteries, Deadly Legends and Foxy Ladies Mystery. Pleating for Mercy (2011) and A Fitting End (2012) are among the earlier titles.

Laura Childs writes cozy mysteries in three series: the Tea Shop Mysteries, with Theodosia Browning in Charleston, South Carolina, the Scrapbooking Mysteries and the Cackleberry Club Mysteries. Death by Darjeeling (2001) opens the catalogue, which holds 56 books and reaches Death at a Firefly Tea. Buttermint Bomb is scheduled for 2027.

Jaine Austen, a writer turned amateur sleuth, is the lead of Laura Levine's cozy mystery series. Twenty-three catalogued books run from This Pen for Hire (2002) to Murder Buys a One-Way Ticket (2024), taking in Last Writes (2003), Killer Blonde (2004) and Death by Pantyhose (2007). Murder, amateur detection and a cat are the recurring elements, at a median length of 256 pages.

Sue Minix writes the Bookstore Mystery series, cozy crime built around a small-town bookshop. Eight titles are catalogued, opening in 2023 with A Chapter on Murder, Murder at the Bookstore and The Murderous Type, followed by A Cover for Murder (2024), A Murderous Plot (2024) and Sentenced to Murder (2024). A Christmas Bookstore Murder is the newest title, and the series is ongoing.

Duffy Brown writes cozy mysteries in two series, Consignment Shop Mystery and Cycle Path Mysteries, with 11 books between 2012 and 2021. Iced Chiffon (2012) comes first, followed by Killer in Crinolines (2013), Geared for the Grave (2014) and Pearls and Poison (2014). Later titles include Demise in Denim (2015), Braking for Bodies (2016) and Tandem Demise (2018). Subjects include consignment shops, bicycle stores, divorced women and political campaigns. Wedding Day and Foul Play (2021) is the newest.

Amanda Flower, born January 23, 1980, in Akron, Ohio, is an American mystery novelist who also writes as Isabella Alan, for both adults and children. Maid of Murder (2010) opens a catalogue of 55 books that reaches Truffle Trouble in 2026, with Strawberry Scam due in 2027. Andi Unstoppable won the 2015 Agatha Award for Children's/Young Adult Book, and Maid of Murder, Andi Unexpected and Andi Under Pressure earned Agatha nominations. Series include Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, Amish Matchmaker Mysteries, Magical Bookshop Mysteries, Farm To Table Mysteries and Katharine Wright Mysteries, and cozy and amateur-sleuth mysteries figure in the subjects.

Two cozy mystery series carry Heather Webber's early work: the Nina Quinn books, which put a landscape gardener into murder investigations, and the Lucy Valentine novels, where a private investigator works with psychic ability. Surrender, My Love (2002) opens the catalogue of 24 titles, which turns later to small-town fiction with a magical streak and reaches The Magic of Chamomile Cottage in 2026.

Liz Ireland's catalogue spans historical and contemporary romance, westerns and holiday cozy mysteries, with 35 books from Man Trap (1993) to Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding (2026). Mrs. Claus is the named series, and Christmas and murders feature in its subjects. Earlier titles include Birds and the Bees (1994), Cecilia and the Stranger (1995), Heaven Sent Husband (1996), The Groom Forgets (1997) and Prim And Improper (1998). Frontier and pioneer life also appears among the subjects.

Addison Moore has 221 books in the catalogue from 2011 to 2027, with cozy mystery, paranormal and romance among the subjects. The earliest titles, from 2011, include Ethereal, Burn, Tremble, Vex and Wicked. Series include Murder in the Mix, Country Cottage Mysteries, 3:AM Kisses, Celestra, Brambleberry Bay Murder Club, Meow for Murder and Hot Flash Homicides. Black Forest Cake and Bigfoot (2026) is the newest release, and Atomic Blondies is scheduled for 2027.

Maggie Barbieri writes cozy mysteries with amateur sleuths in ordinary jobs. The Murder 101 series follows Alison Bergeron, a women's college teacher, with detective Bobby Crawford alongside, and runs from Murder 101 (2006) through school-themed titles such as Extracurricular Activities, Quick Study, Final Exam, Physical Education and Extra Credit to 2012. A second series centres on Maeve Conlon, beginning with Once Upon a Lie (2013); bakers and divorced women appear in the subject record. Ten books are catalogued, closing with Lie in Plain Sight (2016).

Cozy mystery with amateur women sleuths is Lauren Elliott's line. The Beyond The Page Bookstore Mysteries include Murder by the Book (2018), Prologue to Murder (2019), Proof of Murder (2020) and A Margin for Murder (2022), and the Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery series sits beside them. Elliott's 15 catalogued titles start with Mixed Drinks to Impress (2017) and reach Epilogue to a Christmas Murder.

Death of a Kitchen Diva (2012) is the first title in the Lee Hollis catalogue of 33 books, which reaches The Actor's Guide to Greed in 2026. Series include Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mysteries, Desert Flowers Mysteries, Maya and Sandra Mysteries and Jarrod Jarvis Mystery. Women food writers, Maine, amateur sleuths and cozy mysteries feature in the subjects. Further titles include Death of a Chocoholic (2014), Death of a Lobster Lover (2017) and Poppy Harmon Investigates (2018).

Simon Brett writes English detective fiction across several long-running series. Charles Paris, an actor, heads one; the Fethering Mysteries follow Carole Seddon; Mrs Pargeter, Blotto and Twinks, and the Decluttering Mysteries make up the rest. Brett's catalogue holds 107 books, from Cast in Order of Disappearance (1975) to A Shock to the System (2026), with plays, short stories and non-fiction alongside.

Melanie Travis, a dog owner and private investigator in Connecticut, leads Laurien Berenson's mystery series. Berenson's catalogue holds 51 books, opening in 1984 with titles published as Laurien Blair and reaching Peg and Rose Deck the Halls (2026). The Senior Sleuths Mysteries are a second line. Dogs, murder and women sleuths recur as subjects.

Laura Bradford writes mysteries across 6 listed series: Amish Mysteries, Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries, Jenkins & Burns Mysteries, Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, Tobi Tobias and Friend for Hire Mystery. Subject headings name the Amish, sewing, South Carolina, librarians and murder, and romance appears too. The catalogue counts 48 books from Jury of One / Deadly Readings (2005) to The Big Picture (2026). Sew Deadly (2009), Death Threads (2010), Pinned for Murder (2010), Dangerous Alterations (2011) and Deadly Notions (2011) are among the titles, alongside Kayla's Daddy, A Mom for Callie and Miracle Baby from 2010.