When you're looking to get lost in a book, sometimes you need your reading material to match your mood. With Marie Claire's series "Buy the Book," we do the heavy lifting for you. We're offering curated, highly specific recommendations for whatever you're looking for—whether you're in your feels or hooked on a subgenre trending on #BookTok.
Nothing ushers in the winter season like hot chocolate, Mariah Carey, big sweaters, and…murder. Hear us out. This time of year can be intense. There’s the relentless travel, year-end deadlines, parties where you might run into your ex, and a lot of family time. Sometimes the best reprieve is curling up on the couch and reading a “cozy mystery,” or a murder mystery that channels genre purveyors like Agatha Christie but manages to be more wholesome than more gruesome thrillers.
With their lovable characters, charming settings, and feel-good subplots that balance the suspense, cozy thrillers keep you turning page after page. To boot, resolutions in these novels often arrive in welcome surprises, nearly as satisfying as the first snow of the season.
Because there’s little better material to enjoy when all you want to do is stay in, get lost in a book, and avoid the cold temps outside, we rounded up some of the subgenre’s must-reads—from classic detective novels to frostbitten thrillers. Below, find the 13 best cozy mysteries to enjoy all season long.
This novella has it all: a blustery country estate, boarding schools, an unsolved murder, and a surprise ending juicier than your mom’s holiday roast. Ashley Smith, an American art student in London is staying with a university pal, Emma Chapman, and her family for Christmas. The Chapman’s Cotswolds manor brims with holiday opulence and festivities. That is until Ashley learns that Adam, her crush and Emma’s brother, is under investigation for a recent murder. Then, it gets weirder.
This little novel packs a lot in for its brief length, making it—or its excellent audiobook—a strong contender for holiday travel.
Hal works as a tarot reader at a seaside boardwalk, leading an isolated, yet burdened life. Then, she receives a letter that changes everything. In the note, Hal learns she’s to receive a significant inheritance from Mrs. Westaway—who she’s never heard of. Hal untangles a series of mysteries to receive the inheritance, but her investigation turns out to be more dangerous and surprising than she could have ever imagined.
This nail-biter will likely appeal to lovers of Clue (the game or the ‘80s movie—a classic in its own right). Friends and family are cozied up for Christmas at Warbeck Hall, a country manor. But, when a blizzard knocks down the phone lines, someone turns up dead and the hosts, guests, and staff are shocked to discover they’re both suspects and detectives.
Right this way, fans of The Great British Baking Show. You’ll devour Jessa Maxwell’s charming novel about the fictional cooking show Bake Week. In the book, the biannual show follows England’s most promising home bakers through a competition at the childhood home of the show’s super host. This is a cozy mystery, though—so if you were wondering what could go wrong, well, everything. Sugar is swapped for salt, knives are sharp, and the competition is mean. When a body turns up, bakers will have to look for proof in the pudding to discover who’s behind the murder.
What would you do if a fortune teller told you that, in the future, you’re going to be murdered? Such is the case for Frances Adams, who collects dirt on just about everyone in her village after hearing the news. But, when the fortune teller’s prediction finally comes true, it’s Frances’s great-niece, Annie, who will have to piece together the clues to figure out who was behind the murder based on the clues she left behind.
Twins Mercy and Lizzie have inherited their grandfather’s bookshop in Shamrock Cove, Ireland. But, when Mercy happens upon a dying neighbor, she inadvertently becomes embroiled in a homicide investigation. Mercy and her sister must race against the clock to clear her name—and stay alive.
Crime books don’t come much cozier than this nesting doll of a novel. Susan Ryeland finds herself in a mystery, much like one of the detective novels she edits for well-known author, Alan Conway. Susan must turn to one of Conway’s recent manuscripts to uncover clues to help her solve her real-life case. Readers searching for a modern Sherlock Holmes story will delight in Horowitz’s twisty, tweedy novel with no shortage of red herrings, local color, and tea-splattered dialogue.
This list wouldn’t be complete without at least one title by the OG herself, Agatha Christie. While the author almost single-handedly put cozy mysteries on the map—and has penned more than several holiday procedurals, The Murder at the Vicarage marks the first installment of the iconic Miss Marple series. Miss Marple, an unlikely gumshoe, comes across the murder of a detested business owner in her village, St. Mary Mead, a sleepy English country town. Weeding through unassuming suspects and local gossip, Mrs. Marple uses all her resources to collar the culprit.
Reach for this thriller if you want a book like Only Murders Left in the Building. Jess is down and out when her half-brother, Ben, invites her to stay with him at his epic Paris apartment. Only when Jess shows up, it turns out that he’s MIA. As time passes, Jess wonders if his neighbors had anything to do with his disappearance. The problem? No one is saying a word.
In a different sort of detective novel, the father-and-daughter duo, Nagare and Koishi, run a diner in Kyoto with a special focus: recreating dishes for their clients. Nagare and Koishi hunt down secret ingredients and culinary tricks all to achieve the perfect bite. By sleuthing and creating culinary delights, Nagare and Koishi help their clients answer larger questions. Succinct and heartwarming, these stories are ideal for reading before bed.
Getting snowed in at a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps sounds pretty great, right? Well, not if you’re detective Elin Warner. Currently off duty, Elin joins her brother and his fiancée on vacation at a former sanatorium converted into a five-star hotel. But when Laure, Pearce’s future sister-in-law, goes missing in the middle of a blizzard, the detective must use all her sleuthing skills to locate her before it’s too late.
Claire Keegan’s novella bursts with inner conflict. It’s just before the holidays in Ireland, and Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant is helping out his staff by pitching in by doing some deliveries. While dropping off coal at a local convent, Bill encounters a girl in dire need of help. As the church works to conceal the issue, he must confront his own misgivings to follow his moral compass. There’s no body count here, so if you’re not a fan of murder but searching for a tension-filled plot, this one’s for you. (More reason to read: It’s been adapted into one of this year’s must-watch dramas, with Cillian Murphy leading the cast.)
From Holmes and Watson to Mulder and Scully and yes, even Buffy and Angel, detective duos make for some of the most entertaining watches and reads. Steve and Amy Wheeler, the main characters in Osman’s 2024 mystery, are no exception. A heart-thumping thriller, Steve exits retirement to help Amy pin down a murderer. Hijinks and holy shits ensue, making this a cozy mystery you won’t want to put down.
