Are you obsessed with the element of mystery books that keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, but aren’t so much a fan of intensely dark scenarios and violent outcomes? Well, then the cozy mystery genre is quite literally perfect for you. Think of these novels as a more light-hearted, gentle crime fiction experience that still give you the “I just can’t put this down” phenomenon we all know and love without making you straight-up terrified.
If this type of read sounds right up your alley, you’re in luck. With the help of countless rating and reviews found on Goodreads, we’ve compiled a list of the very best cozy mystery books of 2022. Read on, and get to reading:
The Maid
Molly Gray isn’t like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. But since Gran passed away, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all alone. Nevertheless, she throws herself into her work as a hotel maid and, even thought it can be difficult, does a fantastic job. But one day, Molly's orderly life is turned upside down upon entering the suite of the wealthy and infamous Charles Black to find him dead in his bed. Unfortunately, Molly's unusual and quirky demeanor lead to the police targeting her as their lead suspect. Her and her friends begin to search for clues to prove her innocence and clear her name, but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
Devil's Chew Toy
One morning, Hayden McCall, a Seattle teacher and part-time blogger, wakes up in a stranger's bed alone. Before she knows it, the police come knocking on the door looking Latino dancer Camilo Rodriguez, suspecting foul play in his disappearance. What happened the night before? To find answers, Hayden seeks out two of Camilo's two close female friends to help, and learns that Camilo is a "Dreamer" whose parents had been deported years earlier. Convinced that the authorities won't take a brown boy's disappearance seriously, the girls join Hayden's hunt for Camilo. The trio begins to make connections between Camilo’s boss and ex-boyfriend, and end up discovering a twisted scheme that could potentially lead them to the truth about his disappearance and the fate of his family.
The Bangalore Detectives Club
When courageous and clever Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry a young, handsome doctor named Ramu, she looks forward to living a quiet, reserved life. However, that plan quickly changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she spots an uninvited guest in the shadows of the garden. Within 30 minutes, the lively party turns into a murder scene, and a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime. Because Kaveri knows this wasn’t her doing, she launches a private investigation to find the real killer and discovers that hunting for a killer isn’t all too difficult when you have a talent for mathematics, a head for logic, and a doctor for a husband.
A Fatal Crossing
When an older gentleman is found dead at the foot of a staircase, ship's officer Timothy Birch is quick to declare it a unfortunately tragic accident. But a strong-minded Scotland Yard inspector by the name of James Temple is is positive that there’s more to this misfortune than meets the eye. Eventually, Birch agrees to investigate, and the trail quickly leads to the theft of a priceless painting—so priceless that its very existence is known only to its owner, and now the dead man. With only a few days until they reach New York, and even Temple's purpose on board the Endeavour proving increasingly suspicious, Birch's search for the culprit becomes quite dangerous.
Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder
Following the suspicious death of her father, the Earl of Morton, and the discovery that she and her much younger sister have been left without income or home, Lady Caroline takes a post as a lady’s companion to the wealthy widow Frogerton. Just as she is getting accustomed to her new position, her aunt, Lady Eleanor Greenwood, invites her and her employer to a house party in the countryside to celebrate her youngest daughter’s birthday. Mrs. Matilda Frogerton sees this as an opportunity to introduce her own rather wild daughter, Dorothy, and Caroline is eager to see her sister again. But all is not well at the Greenwood estate, as an elderly family member is found stabbed by a knitting needle. As Caroline and an unexpected ally—Mrs. Frogerton—attempt to solve the crime, they discover the culprit may be leaving bizarre clues as to who will be next.
The Murder of Mr. Wickham
The happily married Mr. Knightley and Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new friends alike. But, Mr. Wickham is most definitely not invited, as his latest financial scheme has resulted in quite the array of enemies. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got what he desevred. But when they all discover someone has actually murdered him, shock runs through the air—except, of course, for the killer hidden who’s among them. With everyone at the party being a suspect, it’s up to the two youngest guests to solve the mystery: Juliet Tilney, the smart and resourceful daughter of Catherine and Henry, and Jonathan Darcy, the Darcys’ eldest son. The unlikely pair must put aside their own poor first impressions and uncover the guilty party—before an innocent person is falsely convicted.
A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poison
In 1923 London, Saffron Everleigh is in a race against time to free her wrongly accused professor before he’s put in jail forever. While at a dinner party for the university staff as a new research assistant, Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect, due to having had a massive argument with Dr. Henry just a few days prior. As evidence mounts against Dr. Maxwell, Saffron realizes if she wants her mentor's name cleared, she’ll have to do it herself. Joined by enigmatic Alexander Ashton, a fellow researcher, she uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to uncover the truth of the investigation.
Flight Risk
When psychic travel agent Leda Foley is approached by a man searching for his sister, she immediately agrees to help. The missing woman disappeared with a vintage orange car, a fat sack of her employer’s cash, and a grudge against her philandering husband—a man who didn’t even bother to report her as missing. In the mean time, detective Grady Merritt has misplaced his dog, and while he’s passing out bright pink “Lost” flyers, the wayward his pet appears—with a human leg in his mouth. Grady learns that the leg has something to do with Leda’s new client, and soon the two cases become completely intertwined. Even though leads and evidence are low, Leda has a few ideas that might just be crazy enough to work. They’ll need one yellow dog, a fair share of teamwork, and perhaps a bit of Klairvoyant Karaoke to piece together the clues they need.
A Death in Door County
When she's not tending the store, Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin, she's likes to hunt cryptids—creatures whose existence is rumored, but are never actually proven to be real. Even though it's a hobby that cost her parents their lives, she refuses to give up on it. So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with injuries that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, the authorities turn to Morgan for help. She and her beloved rescue dog, Newt, journey to the Death's Door strait to hunt for the killer monster in the lake--but if they're not careful, they could very well be it’s next victims.
Homicide and Halo-Halo
Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping low-key despite the attention of two eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can't bring herself to open her new cafe after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt's Filipino restaurant. No, things are only heating up since summer, her least favorite season, has just started. To add to her feelings of uneasieness, Lila's little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago, which her cousin and rival Bernadette still holds against her. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two put aside their differences and solve the case—because one of them could very well be next.
A Killer Sundae
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is gorgeous in the fall, and Bronwyn Crewse, owner of Crewse Creamery, knows just how to welcome the new season. At the annual Harvest Time Festival, residents will get a chance to enjoy hot-air balloons and hayrides, crown a new Harvest Time Festival Queen, eat delicious ice cream from Bronwyn’s truck. But, she ends up getting into some trouble when a festivalgoer is poisoned. Although the victim was a former Harvest Time Festival Queen, she was not a widely liked individual, which left no shortage of suspects at the festival. To clear her name before the chill of winter sets in, Bronwyn will have to investigate and hope that her detective skills won’t dessert her.
A Bullet That Missed
Trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A local news legend is on the hunt for a sensational headline, and soon the gang are hot on the trail of two murders, ten years apart. To make matters worse, a new nemesis pays member Elizabeth a visit, presenting her with a deadly mission: kill or be killed. While she grapples with her conscience, the gang and their unlikely new friends (including TV stars, money launderers and ex-KGB colonels) unravel a new mystery. But will they be able to catch the culprit and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?
Hot and Sour Suspects
When Lana Lee’s best friend Megan asks her to help host a speed dating contest, she doesn’t see the harm in lending a hand. The night goes better than expected, and both Lana and Megan are thrilled with the results. But before they can celebrate, Rina Su, fellow Asia Village shop owner and speed dating participant, calls to inform Lana that the date she’s just matched with has been murdered. Under suspicion of foul play, Rina enlists Lana’s help in finding out what really happened that night. Without hesitation, Lana begins to dig into the man in question, quickly finding that Rina’s date has an unsavory past, leading to a long line of slighted women, angry neighbors, and perturbed co-workers—all of whom seem to have a motive.
Murder in Westminster
When Lady Abigail Worthing discovers dead body on her property, she quickly realizes it is her neighbor Stapleton Henderson’s wife. Although Abigail has very little connection to the deceased woman, she expects to be under immediate suspicion due to the color of her skin and her mother’s notorious past combined with her proximity to the crime. Because she can’t admit that she was attending a secret pro-abolition meeting at the time of the murder, Henderson surprisingly offers her an alibi in an effort to discover who really committed the murder. Together, him and Abigail investigate to find the killer, even with all of the odds stacked against them.
Caramel Pecan Roll Murder
When Hannah gets asked to help bake pastries at her town’s local inn for a big fishing competition filled with big prizes and even bigger celebrities, the fun of it all comes to an abrupt halt when she spots a runaway boat on carrying the lifeless body of the event’s A-list spokesperson, TV show host Sonny Bowman. Right off the bat, it’s widely suspected that his overworked sidekick, Joey, had a hand in the case, as no one knew and had more bitterness towards Sunny than he did. So, did Joey finally take revenge on his pompous boss? Or, did a jealous contestant act in a fit of rage and knew Joey would be the easy target to blame?Determined to make sense of what she saw, Hannah joins forces with her sister, Andrea, to pinpoint the culprit before an innocent person is found guilty.
Peg and Rose Solve a Murder
Rose Donovan looks for the good in everyone, but her sister-in-law, Peg, can make that a bit difficult for her at times. Even a former nun like Rose has her limits, and Peg definitely knows how to push them. But after forty years of bickering, they’re attempting to start over, and decide to join the local bridge club together o find some common ground. But, Peg and Rose barely have a chance to celebrate their first win before one of the club’s most accomplished players is killed in his home. As the newest members, they fall under an instant spotlight of suspicion, so they decide to start some digging of their own to keep their names clear. Bridge is typically seen as a wholesome pastime, yet this group of senior citizens hold a ton of unexpected vices that make anyone a plausible suspect.
The Twist of a Knife
'Our deal is over.' That's what reluctant author Anthony Horowitz tells ex-detective Daniel Hawthorne in an awkward meeting. The truth is that Anthony has other things on his mind. His new play is about to open in London's Vaudeville theatre, and on opening night, Sunday Times critic Harriet Throsby gives the play an awful review, focusing particularly on the writing. The next morning, she is found dead, and the dagger used to kill her has Anthony’s finger prints all over it. Once he’s found guilty of the murder and thrown into prison, Anthony soon realizes there’s only one person who can help him.
Blackmail and Bibingka
It's Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business is looking to turn a profit in its first year, and she's even taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the whole family 15 years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he's back on his feet. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the his return, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows, and she's quickly proven right when he’s accused of murder. Now, Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin's innocence, because although he’s a pain, he’s still family.
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