Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic (say that 3 times fast) over at The Broke and the Bookish is “Books I’d Give to Readers Who Have Never Read X”. I chose one of my favorite feel-good genres: the Cozy Mystery.
“Cozy mysteries, also referred to simply as “cozies”, are a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.” Thank you Wikipedia. 😉
Cozies always seem to be series, so I’ve listed the first book in 10 of my favorite cozy series:
Modern:
One For the Money by Janet Evanovich – This first novel in the Stephanie Plum series is darker in tone than most cozies, but the scrappy heroine and hilarious hijinks make it a must read for me.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke – There are a plethora of culinary sleuths and Hannah Swensen is one of my favorite.
The Quiche of Death by M. C. Beaton – Agatha Raisin is an anti-heroine that I can’t help but love.
Historical:
Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn – The Daisy Dalrymple series is perfect for Downton Abbey fans!
The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert – This series features Beatrix Potter as the amateur sleuth, weaving real events from her life with animal stories to create a unique cozy experience.
Anything Goes by Jill Churchill – The Grace and Favor series is well researched, combining a history lesson on 1930s Americana with a fun cozy mystery.
Oddball:
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde – A sci-fi cozy! See my review here. I’m looking forward to reading more about Thursday Next.
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman – This series successfully combines a traditional cozy heroine, Emily Pollifax, with the fast paced world of espionage.
Classic:
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie – Miss Marple is the consummate female amateur sleuth. A must read!
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie – Hercule Poirot is the only professional detective on the list and one of my favorite literary characters!
Linking up: 
I’ve never heard the term Cozy Mysteries, but I think it’d be right up my alley. Thanks for the suggestions!
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Cozies are my go-to for quick, lite reads. Enjoy!
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I need to read The Eyre Affair. I mean, a character whose name is Thursday Next? Awesome. I’m going to see if my library system has it!
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We do! Going to check it out soon.
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Awesome! You’ve read other Jasper Fforde books, haven’t you? I could’ve sworn you’ve talked about him.
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Yeah! The Big Over Easy and Shades of Grey. 🙂 Only the first in each series though. I need to reread both and read some more of the series.
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Question: do you have to read the Thursday Next books in order?
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I’ve only read the first one so far and it really sets up the world and introduces a ton of characters. I would definitely read it first.
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Okay. Will do! 🙂
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I honestly didn’t realize Agatha Christie is considered a cozy mystery. I love And Then There Were None. I didn’t think I had read any cozy mysteries until I saw your list.
My TTT Post
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The Miss Marple books really fall very squarely in the Cozy category. Christie’s other works hover around the outskirts of Cozy territory. 😉 And Then There Were None is a fabulous stand alone!
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I LOVE this list and Cozy Mysteries! I was just eyeing the Mrs. Pollifax books at the library this weekend but wasn’t sure was book one. Now I do:) It sounds more espionage-y. I really like the Carola Dunn series but have a complicated relationship with M.C. Beaton. Have you read any of her Hamish MacBeth series?
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Yay, I’m glad you like it! It’s been a long time since I read the Mrs. Pollifax books – I need to re-read them. 🙂 I haven’t read any of the Hamish MacBeth books. Are they good?
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The simple answer is they are fun. I am also obsessed with the three season BBC series featuring Robert Carlyle from the mid-1990s. I just struggle a little with M.C. Beaton because of her writing style. It’s very abrupt or something and throws me off. But I generally love her characters and subject matter. It’s weird and unique among my relationships with authors. If you like Agatha Raisin though, I would definitely give Hamish a try. And the TV Show is super awesome.
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Ooh, my local library system has the DVDs. How fun to see Robert Carlyle as a good guy!
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I’ve been wondering if the Evanovich books might be worth reading. I like Grafton’s novels and have heard they are similar. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for a fun mystery.
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I haven’t read Grafton’s books but Evanovich’s are great fun. One For the Money is darker than the other books in the series. Evanovich creates a host of hilariously flawed characters.
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Styles is a fave of mine.
http://she-read.blogspot.com/2014/08/ttt-new-adult-books.html
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I adore Poirot! 🙂
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The Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs are also great cozy mysteries 🙂
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Thanks for the rec Whitney! I’m mostly caught up on all my series and looking for new ones. 🙂
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