Cozy Mysteries With Spring Fever

12 feel-good whodunits for the season

If you love a good whodunit, but can't stomach the bloody bits, you might enjoy cozy mysteries, in which the violence happens off-screen. With bucolic settings, punny humor, and furry sidekicks these playful tales are perfect for spring. Sometimes they even include recipes for the dishes and tasty treats featured in the plot. Here are twelve spring-themed cozy mysteries—all installments in delightful series—to add a little intrigue to your season.

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny  

Book #18 in the award-winning Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series finds the town of Three Pines, Quebec, reemerging after a harsh winter. But as the villagers prepare for a special spring celebration, Inspector Gamache finds himself increasingly worried as several dark mysteries surface.

Dedication to Murder by Lauren Elliott

Wedding bells are about to ring in Greyborne Harbor. As Addie prepares for her marriage, the lifelong bibliophile and owner of Beyond the Page Bookstore is delighted to find a first edition of The Velveteen Rabbit in her attic. But a complex mystery about her family hides within its pages.

Dyeing Season by Karen MacInerney

It's springtime on Dewberry Farm, and homesteader Lucy Resnick is busy preparing for the Easter Market when a tornado rips through her farm. As Lucy searches for two kids lost in the storm, she makes a grisly discovery: her neighbor's home health aide, Eva, strangled by a hand-knitted scarf.

A Flicker of Doubt by Daryl Wood Gerber

Making fairy gardens, and teaching crafters how to create their own, keeps Carmel-by-the-Sea shop owner Courtney Kelly busy—but sometimes she has to make time for a wee bit of detective work. This is the fourth book in the whimsical A Fairy Garden Mystery series.

A Night's Tail by Sofie Kelly

Spring is coming to Mayville Heights, and librarian Kathleen's brother, Ethan, is in town with his band. When one of Ethan's bandmates gets into a fight with a man who later turns up dead, Ethan's friend is implicated in the murder. Can Kathleen and her Magical Cats pounce on the clues to catch a killer?

Cinnamon Twisted by Ginger Bolton

An ordinary late-spring afternoon for Deputy Donut Cafe owner Emily Westhill becomes one that will remain baked into her memory when a recent customer turns up dead. Things get even more complicated when an envelope addressed to Emily is found at the murder scene.

A Whisker of Trouble by Sofie Ryan 

Spring has come to charming North Harbour, Maine, and with the new season comes a new haul for Sarah Grayson's resale shop, Second Chance. But when Sarah's rescue cat Elvis discovers a body at the estate of collector Edison Hall, everything goes paws up. This is the third Second Chance Cat Mystery.

Who Moved My Goat Cheese by Lynn Cahoon 

With three weeks until opening night for her new rural Idaho restaurant Angie's scrambling to line up local vendors, including the goat dairy farm of cantankerous Old Man Moss. When Angie hears the bloodcurdling news of foul play at the dairy farm, she jumps in to help solve the murder in the first Farm-to-Fork mystery.

Easter Bonnet Murder by Leslie Meier 

Known for its cheerful staff and top-notch facility, the Heritage House senior center has a great reputation. But after the unexplained disappearance of a new resident during the annual Easter Bonnet Contest, part-time reporter Lucy Stone sets out to crack the deadly mystery—before it's too late.

A Matter of Hive and Death by Nancy Coco 

For the picturesque town of Oceanview on the Oregon Coast, May brings blossoming fruit trees and the annual UFO festival. But when a bee wrangler is bludgeoned, Let It Bee honey shop owner Wren Johnson makes it her beeswax to solve the crime in the second Oregon Honeycomb Mystery.

Dragonwell Dead by Laura Childs 

Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning barely knows a Phalinopsis from a Bog Rose. But she still enjoys promoting her wares at Charleston's Spring Plantation Ramble. But the party's over when Mark Congdon wins a bid for a rare orchid—and promptly dies in this Tea Shop Mystery.

The Chocolate Bunny Brouhaha by JoAnna Carl 

The approach of Easter means a rush of business at TenHuis Chocolade. When a body turns up in the vacant store next door, chocolatier Lee Woodward knows there's a bad egg in her midst and she's on a hunt to find out who it is. This Chocoholic Mystery features a killer who's hopping mad.

Whether you're already a fan of cozy mysteries or just cozy curious, now is the perfect time to enjoy them.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon