Reading list: Halloween Book Bingo - Cozy Mystery

Created by: Murder by Death

I could go on forever on this list. But I won't. ;) To keep the list under control, only the first in a series is included here.

This square covers 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.

Please include any suggestions in the comments.

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Books: 89

Murder With Peacocks

by Donna Andrews

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Catering to Nobody

by Diane Mott Davidson

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Tail and Trouble

by Victor M. Catano

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The Cracked Spine

by Paige Shelton

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A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder

by Julie Anne Lindsey

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Never Buried

by Edie Claire

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Designed for Death

by Jean Harrington

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Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic

by Meghan Ciana Doidge

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Trouble in Mudbug

by Jana Deleon

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10.

Crocodile on the Sandbank

by Elizabeth Peters

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11.

Grave Sight

by Charlaine Harris

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12.

Working Stiff

by Annelise Ryan

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13.

Shadowland

by Meg Cabot

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14.

Brownies and Broomsticks

by Bailey Cates

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15.

A Man Lay Dead

by Ngaio Marsh

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16.

The Cat Who Could Read Backwards

by Lilian Jackson Braun

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17.

A Killer Plot

by Ellery Adams

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18.

Thyme of Death

by Susan Wittig Albert

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19.

The Trouble With Magic

by Madelyn Alt

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20.

Counterfeit Conspiracies

by Ritter Ames

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21.

Aunt Dimity's Death

by Nancy Atherton

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22.

Murder 101

by Maggie Barbieri

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23.

Grounds for Murder

by Sandra Balzo

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24.

Death of a Gossip

by M.C. Beaton

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25.

A Pedigree to Die for

by Laurien Berenson

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26.

A Taste for Murder

by Claudia Bishop

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27.

If Walls Could Talk

by Juliet Blackwell

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28.

Secondhand Spirits

by Juliet Blackwell

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29.

The Case of the Hook-Billed Kites

by J.S. Borthwick

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30.

Pleating for Mercy

by Melissa Bourbon

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31.

Her Royal Spyness

by Rhys Bowen

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32.

Lowcountry Boil

by Susan M. Boyer

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33.

Homicide in Hardcover

by Kate Carlisle

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34.

How to Murder Your Mother-In-Law

by Dorothy Cannell

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35.

Grime and Punishment

by Jill Churchill

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36.

Even Cat Sitters Get the Blues

by Blaize Clement

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37.

Night of the Living Deed

by E.J. Copperman

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38.

Witch Way to Murder

by Shirley Damsgaard

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39.

Death At Wentwater Court

by Carola Dunn

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40.

A Murder of Magpies

by Judith Flanders

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41.

Fool's Puzzle

by Earlene Fowler

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42.

The Dead Cat Bounce

by Sarah Graves

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43.

Them Bones

by Carolyn Haines

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44.

Unzipped

by Lois Greiman

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45.

Death on Demand

by Carolyn G. Hart

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46.

Unbound

by Julie Kaewert

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47.

Murder by Death

by Neil Simon, H.R.F. Keating

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48.

Bad Manners

by Marne Davis Kellogg

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49.

Murder in the Rue Dumas

by M.L. Longworth

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50.

How to Murder a Millionaire

by Nancy Martin

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51.

Lye in Wait

by Cricket McRae

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52.

Woof at the Door

by Laura Morrigan

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53.

With Friends Like These

by Gillian Roberts

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54.

Whose Body?

by Dorothy L. Sayers

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55.

Truly, Madly

by Heather Webber

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56.

Grey Mask

by Patricia Wentworth

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57.

Sympathy for the Devil

by Jerrilyn Farmer

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58.

Death by Darjeeling

by Laura Childs

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59.

Cat on the Scent

by Rita Mae Brown, Sneaky Pie Brown

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60.

Murder Past Due

by Miranda James

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61.

The Whole Cat and Caboodle

by Sofie Ryan

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62.

The Man With a Load of Mischief

by Martha Grimes

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63.

The Crime at Black Dudley

by Margery Allingham

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64.

The White Cottage Mystery

by Margery Allingham

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65.

The Anteater of Death

by Betty Webb

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66.

A High-End Finish

by Kate Carlisle

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67.

Glazed Murder

by Jessica Beck

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68.

Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth

by Tamar Myers

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69.

Russian Roulette

by Mike Faricy

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70.

The Garden Plot

by Marty Wingate

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71.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

by Douglas Adams

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72.

The Salmon of Doubt

by Douglas Adams

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73.

Goodnight Nobody

by Jennifer Weiner

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74.

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat

by Sofie Kelly

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75.

The Accidental Alchemist

by Gigi Pandian

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76.

Framed in Lace

by Monica Ferris

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77.

Killer Librarian

by Mary Lou Kirwin

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78.

Devil May Care

by Elizabeth Peters

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79.

It Takes a Witch

by Heather Blake

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80.

A Dark and Stormy Murder

by Julia Buckley

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81.

Real Murders (An Aurora Teagarden Mystery #1)

by Charlaine Harris

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82.

A Deadly Brew (A Tourist Trap Mystery)

by Lynn Cahoon

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83.

To Love and Be Wise

by Josephine Tey

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84.

Brat Farrar

by Josephine Tey

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85.

Miss Pym Disposes

by Josephine Tey

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86.

The Singing Sands

by Josephine Tey

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87.

The Mystery of the Yellow Room

by Gaston Leroux

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88.

Nine Coaches Waiting

by Mary Stewart

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89.

Laurels Are Poison

by Gladys Mitchell

Note:

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Comments

Comments:

Mary's Books 12 months ago

Have you read "How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams" by Dorothy Cannell (same at the mother-in-law)? I read it a few years ago because of the title. It was funny.

Murder by Death 12 months ago

I think I have years ago - was it the first in the series or was it the MIL book? It's been so long...

Mary's Books 12 months ago

I don't know. I just was cruising the stacks at the library and saw the title and LOL and had to read it. I will read a book because of the title, the picture on the cover or because I like the author. I will even read if someone says it is a good book. I am not a fan of romance novels so I don't read those too much. My mother at the end of her life was consumed with romance novels. The same for my husband's aunt. Those are difficult to get rid of, since there are so many printed.

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 12 months ago

From my limitted exposure to cozy mysteries:

Jerrilyn Farmer - "Dim Sum Dead" (etc.)
Laura Childs - "Death by Darjeeling", "Shades of Earl Grey" (etc.)
Rita Mae Brown - Mrs. Murphy mysteries
Miranda James - "Murder Past Due"
Sofie Ryan - "The Whole Cat and Caboodle"
... and arguably also the first entries in Martha Grimes's Richard Jury series, including the very first one, "A Man With a Load of Mischief"

Mary's Books 12 months ago

Sorry, Themis, I was not trying to overwhelm. I just saw the mother-in-law story and marked for me to remember to read and just wanted to share about the Man of the Your Dreams because it was such a funny title. My husband said, "Should I be worried?" when he saw me reading it. I kept putting the other off because my mil had had a stroke and people would not have laughed at the title the way I had. There are tons of fantastic cozy mysteries and you did a great job in choosing.

Murder by Death 12 months ago

@Mary: No need to be sorry at all - I encourage everyone to add books to the list if they know of good ones I'm missing. :) But yes, there are SO many incredibly good cozies out there (lots of dross too). I tried to add from my shelves the good ones and the good ones that might be a bit older that people might not know about. :)

@Themis: Added. I was going to do Jerrilyn Farmer b/c I loved her series, but I was worried about availability. Since you brought it up, I added the first of the series. :)

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 12 months ago

Cool, thank you!

Yes, I thought I'd detected the list creator's personal input here ... :D

Btw, if we're adding Marsh, Wentworth and Sayers, then certainly Allingham should be on this list as well. I haven't read the first "Campion" (though I'm planning to read it for this year's bingo), but from having read other books in the series, I'd wager that "The Crime at Black Dudley" fits this list about as well as Wentworth's, Marsh's and Sayers's first books do.

Murder by Death 12 months ago

No way I couldn't take a little editorial license on this list, lol. ;)

Definitely re: Allingham - I'd meant to add The White Cottage Mystery b/c it's the only one I've read so far and it's definitely cozy qualifying, but I forgot. :P

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 12 months ago

Yeah -- you must have books-to-add coming out of your ears at this point ... :~

Mary's Books 12 months ago

There are so many fun cozy mysteries...
"The Anteater of Death" by Betty Webb
"Murder with Peacocks" by Donna Andrews or any of the later Meg Langslow Mysteries, but this was the first.
"Homicide in Hardcover" by Kate Carlisle, I haven't read this one yet, but I have read 3 of her others with this protaganist
"A High-End Finish" by Kate Carlisle, this is the 1st in the series and was a good read. These groups are being made into movies which I am not enjoying.
"Glazed Murder" by Jessica Beck (Penname of Tim Myers). They even have recipes in them.

I like the cozy mysteries because I am homeschooling so we are reading some things that the girls are not enjoying so I have to read the books I assigned (again) and try to make them fun for the girls so that we can move along.

Murder by Death 12 months ago

Thanks Mary - I've added these too (although Donna Andrews and Kate Carlisle's books were already there).

Thanks for the suggestions. :)

Mary's Books 12 months ago

You're welcome. While I would love to participate in the Bingo, I have to read so many other kinds of books with the kids for school this year to keep them on track. They are battling me since I am double dipping on the books (can be used for Literature and History) and so they are struggling through. I read the books in high school and college, but have to reread and then discuss with them. So I'll be coming here for books that aren't so hard to read.

Also, Donna Andrews just released "Gone Gull" in August. I borrowed from the library. Loving it so far.

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 12 months ago

One more: Tamar Myers's Pennsylvania Dutch mysteries, beginning with "Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth".

Murder by Death 12 months ago

Added! :)

Murder by Death 12 months ago

PS from your PM: I didn't add the Deadwood books b/c I've read them and they're not cozy. They're really good - but not cozy. :p

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 12 months ago

No prob witih me -- they're part of the stuff culled from other folks' reading lists. Want to drop a comment there?

Murder by Death 12 months ago

Nah - this bingo is supposed to be just for bragging rights, and I don't want to sound militant and rain on someone's bingo fun. :)

SusannaG - Confessions of a Crazy Cat Lady 12 months ago

The Garden Plot, by Marty Wingate

Murder by Death 1 week ago

Added

XOX 12 months ago

Dirk Gently: The Salmon of Doubt #1 by Arvind Ethan David
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

Murder by Death 1 week ago

Added

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 1 week ago

Books from Halloween Bingo 2018 participant reading plan lists posted to date:

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly (9780451232496)
The Accidental Alchemist by Gigi Pandian (9780738741840)
Framed in Lace by Monica Ferris (9780425171493)

Murder by Death 1 week ago

Added. :)

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 1 week ago

Thank you! :)

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 1 week ago

More books from the participants' reading plan lists -- including unassigned / "free square" / "wild card" books that would fit this category:

Killer Librarian by Mary Lou Kirwin (9781451684643)
Devil May Care by Elizabeth Peters (9780062087799)
It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake (9780451235527)
A Dark and Stormy Murder by Julia Buckley (9780425282601)
Real Murders by Charlaine Harris (9780425218716)
A Deadly Brew by Lynn Cahoon (ASIN: B078LNGPBJ)
To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey (9780099556749)
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey (9780099536840)
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey (9780099556695)
The Singing Sands by Josphine Tey (9780099556732)
The Mystery of The Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux (9780008167035)
Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart (9781444711073)
Laurels are Poison by Gladys Mitchell (9781601870704)

Murder by Death 1 week ago

Added. :)

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 7 days ago

Thank you! :)

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Reading list: Halloween Book Bingo - Cozy Mystery

Created by: Murder by Death

Books: 89

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