Cozy Mystery Series Free on Library Apps
One of the best resources available through the library in the US are free audiobook and ebook apps! In Colorado (where I live) winter lasts clear through May, but these cozy mysteries will keep me snuggled up with a good story all season (and not break the bank). Even better, most of these authors (Ellery Adams, Agatha Christie, M.C. Beaton, Sara Rosett, Juliet Blackwell, and Elizabeth Peters) have many other series other than what’s outlined here, so if you find an author whose writing style you like on this list: go nuts, coconuts!
My local library has accounts with Libby and Hoopla, so that’s where I found these books. You might have different availability based on your library’s contract with free apps, and if you’re interested in exploring more audiobook and ebook services, check out this rundown from Book Riot.
Classic Cozy Mysteries
Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries #1) by Ellery Adams
Adams is a prolific writer of cozy mysteries, and in a meta twist, she is a prolific inserter of bookish details into her works. While Secret, Book, and Scone Society is Adams’s most well-known series, if you love books and libraries and history and small-town living and just a hint of Knights Templar-adjacent things, this series is for you. The Book Retreat Mysteries follow the life of widow Jane Steward. Tasked with managing Storyton Hall, a family estate that was moved from England to the mountains of Virginia and converted into a five-star hotel, Jane has enough on her plate when one of the prestigious guests at a conference is found murdered. Adams’s dialogue is often so expository as to be cringingly obvious, but the stories are well-paced, charming, and chock-full of literary references.
Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple #1) by Agatha Christie
I’ll confess: I’m an Hercule Poirot fan through-and-through. But Agatha Christie practically wrote the manual for cozy mysteries with the Miss Marple series, and so it’s on this list. Murder at the Vicarage has all the hallmarks of a good cozy series: a nosy yet self-effacing elderly woman, a charming English village, the rigid class tensions that will never cease to fascinate American audiences. Yet despite these now-stereotypes, the Miss Marple series has all of Christie’s hallmark twists. For many mysteries I know who the responsible party is within about 40 pages, yet Christie never fails to thrill and stump me. It takes quite a while for Miss Marple to enter the story she eventually anchors - which, in my view, is a fascinating look at the artistic process.
The Thursday Murder Club (Thursday Murder #1) by Richard Osman
A group of 4 English retirees - a nurse, a spy, a psychiatrist, and a ball-busting union protester - get together every Thursday to discuss old murder cases. What starts as an interesting way to pass the time quickly evolves into something more when the developer of their retirement community is found murdered. The writing of this book is unlike anything you’ve read in a cozy mystery; a wry blend of cheerful and curmudgeonly. Osman is a comedian in his native UK, and it shows, as I laughed out loud many times reading this series. Come for the mystery and stay for the idiosyncratic and painfully real characters.
Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Ganache #1) by Louise Penny
Chief Inspector Armand Ganache is tasked with infiltrating the remote Québécois village of Three Pines in the first installment bucolic series. The writing of this series is so masterful as to practically be considered literary fiction, and the characters are sharp and deeply flawed. Still, the series still emanates a certain old-fashioned charm; perhaps it’s the small town, perhaps it’s Gamache’s calm, collected, Poirot-esque analysis. Featured in the Amazon Prime show Three Pines, this series is well worth a reading binge before partaking in a watching binge. If you prefer audiobooks, the narrator has a deep gravelly voice with a lovely Québécois accent.
FYI: later audiobooks are narrated by Hugh Bonneville, AKA the Earl of Grantham from Downton Abbey.
Borrower of the Night (Vicky Bliss #1) by Elizabeth Peters
Peters is best known for her Amelia Peabody series, but I am a dedicated fan of Vicky Bliss. Bliss, a self-aware and self-deprecating art historian, is constantly being pulled into art heists and scandals the world over. While the first book takes place in a dank castle in Bavaria, many of the books double as love letters to their settings; Street of the Five Moons in particular will make you feel absolutely transported to Rome. These books were written in the 70s and 80s, as the rampant sexism from male characters will show, but Vicky’s second wave feminism is alive and well as she deftly outsmarts her male counterparts. (Although she and Stephanie Plum both have the “I don’t care one whit about my appearance, but extremely handsome men are constantly hitting on me!” quality). This series is a must for art and travel lovers.
Paranormal Cozy Mysteries
Rivers of London (Rivers of London #1) by Ben Aaronovitch
Peter Grant sits on the lowest rung of London’s metropolitan police force: Probationary Constable. Until one day when he encounters a bizarre murder scene and talks to a witness no one else seems able to see. Peter’s phantasmagorical encounter leads him to the door of DCI Thomas Nightingale, the head of a secret unit that deals in all crimes paranormal and magical. As a love letter to London and a nod to British magical lore, this book does its job splendidly. As a mystery series, Aaronovitch does a masterful job of maintaining a larger arc through the series while plotting one mystery per book. The writing voice is wry and silly, and the series has plenty of material to gobble up.
Shady Hollow (Shady Hollow #1) by Juneau Black
Okay okay so it’s not magical or paranormal - but I’d argue that talking animals fall into the category of “fantasy” and these charming books don’t fit elsewhere on the list, so here we are. Intrepid reporter and fox Vera Vixen moved to the sleepy enclave of Shady Hollow for a slower pace of life. Too bad her dreams are spoiled when the town curmudgeon is found floating facedown in the millpond. When the sleepy bear sheriff drags his heels, Vera jumps into investigate the mysterious death herself. This series has a quality like a warm blanket being wrapped around your shoulders and lots of great descriptions of food.
Secondhand Spirits (Witchcraft Mystery #1) by Juliet Blackwell
If you are a Halloween and vintage clothing stan, run don’t walk to this series. I’ve mentioned it on the blog before and I will almost certainly mention it again! The series follows a modern day witch and vintage clothing purveyor named Lily as she juggles demons and malcontents along with the cultural clashes of the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. With a memorable cast of characters, and a metric tonne of witch lore, these books will more than scratch an occult itch. The audiobook narrator has a charming, lilting southern accent that makes these books a dream to listen to. Blackwell also wrote a Haunted Renovation series, which I haven’t read but will bet is worth checking out!
Drinks and Sinkholes (The Weary Dragon Inn #1) by S. Usher Evans
If you read Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree and thought, “gosh I wish it included more mystery” - meet The Weary Dragon Inn series. As the proprietor of the eponymous Weary Dragon Inn, Bev has built a lovely life for herself, and a reputation for delicious rosemary bread. However, when mysterious sinkholes appear all over the village of Pigsend, Bev makes it her business to find the culprit, or lose her business. These books have a genuine feeling of small town nosiness and gossip that’s harder to capture than most realize. The warm inn invites readers in with its close coziness, and you can relax knowing the series has low stakes but high warmth.
Broomsticks and Burials (Magic & Mystery #1) by Lily Webb
Halloweentown meets Veronica Mars in this enchanting (see what I did there) series. Recent grad Zoe Clarke is looking for a job in the dying industry of print journalism. When she gets a job offer it doesn’t matter that it’s in a tiny town she’s never heard of called “Moon Grove.” Upon arrival Zoe discovers the town is hidden for a reason - it’s full of magical creatures. As it turns out, Zoe herself is a witch! With a werewolf for an editor and a town full of vampires, witches, and more, Zoe dives headfirst into this magical mystery world when she sniffs something rotten during the election for the Head Witch. This series is written perfectly for a cozy mystery - simple and charming without being shallow or feeling incomplete.
Urban Cozy Mysteries
Florida Roadkill (Serge Storms #1) by Tim Dorsey
Unlike your typical plucky lady detective who runs a B&B and loves tea and cats, Serge Storms operates…in the gray areas of law. Make no mistake, Serge operates under a moral code, it just doesn’t exactly line up with everyone else’s. When a suitcase full of money crosses his path, Serge, his partner Coleman, and their acquaintance Sharon, team up to acquire it. Murder, mayhem, and good, old-fashioned Floridaman nonsense ensue. Chock full of trivia and a sort of twisted affection for the Sunshine state, these books offer the perfect beach read for an entertaining vacation. Whether or not you read them while getting burned to a crisp in South Beach is up to you.
One for the Money (Stephanie Plum #1) by Janet Evanovich
If you’ve never jumped into Stephanie Plum’s world, I hope you give it a shot (especially since the most recent books have genuinely improved). Plum is a bond enforcement agent (bounty hunter) for a working-class part of Trenton, New Jersey, and she is desperately bad at her job. More “light chuckle” funny than “laugh-out-loud” funny, the series of events in Plum’s world are predictable and ridiculous from book to book. It’s not without its problems - Evanovich has really clung to some of the fatphobic jokes about Plum’s partner Lula in an unfortunate way. Lula’s character has gotten her comeuppance in recent books as her undeniable confidence and sparkle anchor Stephanie’s total lack of ability to pull herself together.
“A” is for Alibi (Kinsey Millhone #1) by Sue Grafton
In the midst of John Grisham, or David Baldacci, or any number of gritty men writing gritty stories, Sue Grafton stood proudly with her scrappy, tomboyish protagonist, Kinsey Millhone. Though Grafton sadly died before the series was completed (“Y” is for Yesterday was published posthumously), there are still 25 books to enjoy and read in the series. Grafton did not have a ghost writer for any of her books and her estate would not allow a completely-ghostwritten Z conclusion (respect). Kinsey Millhone is a private detective in Santa Teresa, California, about an hour north of LA. Unlike many of the books in this series, the backdrop of Kinsey’s exploits is far from quaint or picturesque; she frequently takes up in questionable motels and biker bars in pursuit of her cases. The subject matter and pacing of each book vastly differs, and the investigations aren’t always murder. The bad guy doesn’t always get put away in the end, and Kinsey’s life is a mess. The alphabet murders hit close to home, but provide a fast-paced, enjoyable read nonetheless.
The Stranger Diaries (Harbinder Kaur #1) by Elly Griffiths
When you think “urban” you probably think a huge, bustling city like Paris or Beijing. But given that so many cozies take place in fictional towns with 150 residents, I think Brighton, UK counts for our purposes. Grouchy lesbian Sikh Harbinder Kaur spends her days investigating crime and her nights fending off questions about dating from her parents. Luckily, a strange case comes in to distract her - a woman is found murdered at a local school with a cryptic note left near her body. The note’s text comes from a short story by a famous local author, and all signs seem to point to the victim’s friend and confidante Clare Calloway. As always, there’s more to this case than meets the eye. This series has a delightful gothic quality with a heavy dose of exceptional characters.
Historical Fiction Cozy Mysteries
The Ripper’s Shadow (Victorian Mysteries #1) by Laura Joh Rowland
What true crime and history lover hasn’t fantasized about going back in time and bringing Jack the Ripper to justice? In this book, you can play out that fantasy in your head. Photographer Sarah Bain is roped into the crimes of Jack the Ripper when two of her boudoir clients are found murdered in Whitechapel, London, in 1888. With the help of a (perhaps unrealistic, but we’ll let that slide) band of misfits, Bain sets out to find Jack the Ripper before he can silence her. A touch more dark than a typical cozy, the gaslamp setting and persistent amateur sleuth nevertheless contribute to a charming, plucky tale.
Murder on the Lustania (Ocean Liner Mysteries #1) by Edward Marston
When you think about it, an Edwardian ocean liner makes for an amazing historical mystery setting. High-class glamor, a seedy underbelly, lots of places to hide yet a set cast of characters. In this series, Marston wrote different stories on a series of mysteries on the famous high-class ocean liners of the early 20th century (though, thankfully, he avoided the Titanic). This murder takes place in 1907 - 8 years before it was tragically sunk by a German u-boat - on the Lusitania’s maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York. Undercover detective George Dillman was hired by the line to keep a lid on petty crimes. His boredom is quickly stamped out by the discovery of a body - and missing ship’s blueprints.
The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry #1) by Sujata Massey
Many authors have revisited the 1920s over and over, typically with the same settings (the English countryside, Paris, or New York). Sujata Massey puts a new twist on this era with her Perveen Mistry series set in Bombay. Perveen stands out in Indian society. She’s an Oxford-educated Zoroastrian and one of India’s first female lawyers. While handling the estate of a rich muslim man with three wives, she realizes that all three have signed over their significant inheritances to charity. Spidey senses tingling, Perveen’s instincts sadly prove correct when a body turns up as a result of her investigation. Equal parts decadent and seedy (like the best period mysteries are), Massey offers a little something extra with her books: the chance to dive into a time and place that few people in the US learn about in school.
Murder at Archly Manor (High Society Lady Detective #1) by Sara Rosett
Poor, but educated, aristocratic, and well-mannered Olive Belgrave is desperate for money. She takes a job as a private investigator looking into her cousin’s shady fiancé, and gets more than she bargained for when their engagement party turns deadly. Each book takes place at an aristocratic residence - either a manor or a posh building in Mayfair, and each book is imbued with the tightly-held ritual that was early 20th century aristocratic socialization. Rosett incorporates a fad or fact from the 1920s into each mystery; Archly Manor, for example, includes the protagonist’s need for special cigarettes to treat her asthma (a real thing). She also goes out of her way to point out Olive’s reflections on societal expectations of women at the time. Downton Abbey meets Nancy Drew in this light-hearted and enchanting series.
A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1) by Sherry Thomas
In Victorian London, Charlotte Holmes is straining against the bonds of her aristocratic upbringing when her family is roped into a salacious murder. Adopting the pseudonym Sherlock Holmes, Charlotte sets out to solve the mystery, and disentangle her family. It’s a fun take on an idea - what if Sherlock Holmes were actually a man? Every title is a take on a famous Sherlock Holmes story. Part mystery, part romance, part historical fiction, this series is juicy and fun and unputdownable.
Starting a new cozy mystery series means you automatically have entertainment for at least a few weeks (months in the case of Sue Grafton, Agatha Christie and Janet Evanovich!). Library apps are a great way to get your fix without spending money. Plus, you can rest easily knowing you’re supporting community institutions.
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