Did I mention that I adore cozy mysteries? They are such perfect escapist reads in a time of turmoil, loss and concern. Perhaps that is why my e-Bookshelf has been super packed with new cozy mysteries over the past 12 months or so.
Here is my very personal collection of the five best cozy mysteries that I have enjoyed during the lockdown- and right now they are all FREE!
Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 1) by Jana DeLeon
It was a hell of a long shot….
CIA assassin Fortune Redding is about to undertake her most difficult mission ever—in Sinful, Louisiana. With a leak at the CIA and a price placed on her head by one of the world’s largest arms dealers, Fortune has to go off-grid, but she never expected to be this far out of her element. Posing as a former beauty queen turned librarian in a small bayou town seems worse than death to Fortune, but she’s determined to fly below the radar until her boss finds the leak and puts the arms dealer out of play. Unfortunately, she hasn’t even unpacked a suitcase before her newly inherited dog digs up a human bone in her backyard.
Thrust into the middle of a bayou murder mystery, Fortune teams up with a couple of seemingly sweet old ladies whose looks completely belie their hold on the little town. To top things off, the handsome local deputy is asking her too many questions. If she’s not careful, this investigation might blow her cover and get her killed. Armed with her considerable skills and a group of elderly ladies the locals dub The Geritol Mafia, Fortune has no choice but to solve the murder before it’s too late.
#My Review.
Straight away you can recognise the classic “fish out of water” idea which is a brilliant device when used for romantic comedies and movies. A CIA trained assassin acting the role of librarian and former beauty queen in a small town in the deep South of the USA. Yikes!
Jana DeLeon pulls out all of the strings and draws on her personal knowledge of the South to create the fictional town of Sinful in the Louisiana bayous, within driving distance of New Orleans.
Sinful is populated by a collection of over the top characters who are struggling to keep secrets from the rest of the town – which is particularly difficult when everyone in Sinful knows all there is about the other residents. Bad and good.
Luckily for us, Jana DeLeon has created three female leads who are a delight from the first page, whose antics combine for a fast paced entertaining cozy mystery and over the top action scenes which will have you laughing out loud and staying up to finish the book. More importantly the central theme of this clean, sex-free, but fast paced book is family and friendship.
Our CIA undercover heroine, Fortune Redding, comes to the town of Sinful friendless and without a family who cares about her, and by the end of the book has made a place for herself with real friends and a community who cares.
We can cheer for the white hats and hiss at the bad guys who want to steal the good people’s money, then cheer when justice is carried out [ with the minimum of blood and gore].
I read several mysteries when I was holiday and this was the clear winner. Loved it.
And the best news? It is a FREE read on most online platforms.
Download your copy here> Louisiana Longshot (A Miss Fortune Mystery, Book 1) by Jana DeLeon
The bad news? It is book one in an 8 book series and if you ever want to read an example of how to hook readers to read more about these characters who you have come to care about, this is it. I have already bought a couple in the series and they are a delight. So be warned – addictive!
Kitty Confidential: A Hilarious Cozy Mystery with One Very Entitled Cat Detective (Pet Whisperer P.I. Book 1) by Molly Fitz
I was just your normal twenty-something with seven associate degrees and no idea what I wanted to do with my life. That is, until I died… Well, almost.
As if a near-death experience at the hands of an old coffeemaker wasn’t embarrassing enough, I woke up to find I could talk to animals. Or rather one animal in particular.
His full name is Octavius Maxwell Ricardo Edmund Frederick Fulton, but since that’s way too long for anyone to remember, I’ve taken to calling him Octo-Cat. He talks so fast he can be difficult to understand, but seems to be telling me that his late owner didn’t die of natural causes like everyone believes.
Well, now it looks like I no longer have a choice, apparently my life calling is to serve as Blueberry Bay’s first ever pet whisperer P.I while maintaining my façade as a paralegal at the offices of Fulton, Thompson & Associates.
I just have one question: How did Dr. Dolittle make this gig look so easy?
#My Review.
This is fun, light-hearted short read with a ditzy young woman sleuth who has the magical ability to talk to the only witness to a murder – the victim’s cat! This is a great premise for what has turned out to be a super-popular series of short mysteries which are a real escapist treat.
Download your copy here> Kitty Confidential
Best Murder in Show (Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries Book 1) by Debbie Young
A dead body on a carnival float at the village show.
A clear case of murder in plain sight, thinks new arrival Sophie Sayers – but why do none of the villagers agree?
What dark secrets are they hiding to prevent her unmasking the murderer, and who holds the key to the mystery?
– Hector, the gorgeous but enigmatic owner of the village bookshop
– Joshua, the intrusive yet insightful old man from next door
– Carol, village shopkeeper, the fount of village gossip, not all of it reliable
And what is that mysterious ingredient that almost knocks Sophie out when she takes tea at the village bookshop? (Not the best way to start a job interview.)
Can Sophie unearth the clues tucked away in this outwardly idyllic Cotswold village before anyone else comes to harm, not least herself?
#My Review.
This is a very traditional English mystery novel, where the murder does not appear until Chapter 22 – and it is off-screen and only alluded to. So, no gore or graphic details.
Instead the author invites us to join her in exploring the antics of a small English village, where everyone knows one another and where they stand in the class structure and social position of the community. The local rivalries, individual character quirks and relationships are given time to develop in this well-written fish out of water story. Yes, some characters are exaggerated for dramatic effect and there are very few real suspects, but if you want to escape to a quiet English village, then this is for you.
Download your copy here> Best Murder in Show (Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries Book 1) by Debbie Young
Starboard Secrets: A Cruise Ship Mystery (Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Series Book 1) by Hope Callaghan
Millie Sanders’ happily ever after is suddenly destroyed when her husband of 35 years comes home one day and informs her that he is leaving her for another woman. To make matters worse, the other woman happens to be her “friend” and hairdresser, Delilah Osborne!
After months of mourning and moping around the house, she stumbles upon a help wanted ad in the newspaper for the perfect job as an assistant cruise ship director. Before Millie can talk herself out of it, she fills out the application and mails it in. Much to her surprise, not only does the company contact her, they hire her!
Determined to start a new life and new career, Millie boards the ship, ready for a new adventure. She isn’t on board the massive floating city – her new home – more than ten minutes when a dead body is discovered near the atrium bar.
Her curiosity gets the best of her and before she knows it, Millie finds herself right in the thick of the investigation. With a little help from a new friend and shipmate, the amateur sleuth discovers that the deceased had more enemies than friends making this murder an even tougher case to crack.
Will Millie delve too deeply and risk losing her job – and possibly her life?
#MyReview.
Millie’s first day in her new job on a cruise ship does not get off to a good start when she sees the dead body of a young woman on the deck. This is a lively, page-turning mystery with some Christian elements, featuring a great older sleuth.
Download your copy here> Starboard Secrets: A Cruise Ship Mystery (Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries Series Book 1) by Hope Callaghan
Southern Spirits (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries Book 1) by Angie Fox
One simple mistake…
When out of work graphic designer Verity Long accidentally traps a ghost on her property, she’s saddled with more than a supernatural sidekick—she gains the ability see spirits. It leads to an offer she can’t refuse from the town’s bad boy, who also happens to be the brother of her ex and the last man she should ever partner with.
Ellis Wydell is in possession of a stunning historic property haunted by some of Sugarland Tennessee’s finest former citizens. Only some of them are growing restless—and destructive. He hires Verity to put an end to the disturbances. But soon, Verity learns there’s more to the mysterious estate than floating specters, secret passageways, and hidden rooms.
There’s a modern day mystery afoot, one that hinges on a decades-old murder. Verity isn’t above questioning the living, or the dead. But can she discover the truth before the killer finds her?
#My Review.
Southern Spirits is the first book in the Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries. It features a great female southern belle, Verity Long, a skunk owning graphic designer who is now considered an outcast in home town after she left the favourite son of the town’s matriarch standing at the altar after she found out he was cheating on her – and now she has to repay the wedding costs.
When Verity accidentally traps the spirit of Frankie the German, a gangster from the 1920’s on her property, she is caught up in a fun, witty mystery featuring poltergeists, ghosts and murder with an underlying hint of forbidden romance as Verity tries to raise the money to save her home. This is a different take on the paranormal cozy and I loved it.
Download your copy here> Southern Spirits (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries Book 1) by Angie Fox
Please note that all links are Amazon affiliate links – it does not cost you a penny more if you order a free copy, but it helps boost my cake and wine fund.
And if you are looking for more Cozy Mysteries to enjoy, my new Kelly’s Deli Series is released 08 March.