Favorite Reads This Year
I’ve read a lot of cozy mysteries this year, but here are my five favorites and why:
If you read them, I hope they bring you as much joy to you as they did to me!
Farm to Trouble by Amanda Flower
Book #1 in the Farm to Table Mysteries series
Description: Shiloh Bellamy left her big city job and is using all her savings to help the family farm in Michigan, but turning Bellamy Farms into a organic operation and farm-to-table café is looking increasingly difficult. Especially when her new investor is found dead and everyone is town knows how he and her father feuded. Now, she’ll have to fight harder to save her family name and investigate to catch a killer.
Why I Loved It: I’m a little nervous to say how much I loved this book in case it puts undue pressure on it for new readers, but I really think it will live up to the hype! I was instantly rooting for Shiloh Bellamy as she arrives back in her hometown of Cherry Glen to try and save her family farm, which definitely looks like an uphill battle. I loved the quirky but realistic characters including her father who would rather focus on his antique gun collection instead of the failing farm, her cousin trying to revitalize a local theater, her adorable pug Huckleberry, and the gossipy neighbors at the Farmer’s Market. I loved the farm setting with the descriptions of the lovely cherry trees and tips for gardens, and I enjoyed the complicated potential romance in the story. I am also a huge fan of the mystery aspect of the book! I think it was extremely well-crafted and delightful. (And that is all I will say to avoid spoilers.) This was the first book I had read by this author, but I will definitely be checking out many more.
2. To Fetch a Felon by Jennifer Hawkins
Book #1 in A Chatty Corgi Mystery series
Description: Emma leaves the finance world in London to follow her dream and open a tea shop in Cornwall, content with having her corgi Oliver (who only she can hear speak) at her side. However, the village is not as idyllic as it appears to be when Emma delivers scones to patch things up with a new neighbor and finds her dead body. Now, Emma must find the real killer with her corgi’s help before she is blamed for murder.
Why I Loved It: Oliver is such a delightful character and I loved his voice. It was enjoyable to see how his nose could help Emma solve the case and interesting to see the differences in interpretations between canines and humans. I also loved the setting because this village definitely seemed like a place I would want to visit. The mystery was great and I liked how Emma’s investigation effected the outcome...
3. The Manatee Did It by Kay Dew Shostak
Book #1 in the Southern Beach Mysteries series
Description: Jewell Mantelle moves to the historic North Florida coastal town of Sophia Island, hoping to fix her marriage, but instead finds her husband becoming the prime suspect in a murder. She must investigate to clear his name and while doing so discovers something she never expected - a group of feisty new friends.
Why I Loved It: I was instantly invested in this main character and was rooting for her to fix her situation. I loved the group of ladies that became her friends (the talkative mother of six Annie, the local politician Lucy, the retired teacher Tamela, and the athletic nurse Cherry) and how they were all different but fiercely loyal. I was frustrated by her husband the house they inherited in a compelling way and enjoyed the ending of the mystery. I read this book in one day because I was so captivated!
4. The Ghost and the Haunted Portrait by Cleo Coyle
Book #7 in A Haunted Bookshop Mystery series
Description: While gathering art for a special event at her Rhode Island bookshop, Penelope discovers a spooky portrait that is said to be cursed. When she and her friends encounter some unlucky incidents and the former owner dies, she questions whether the painting is cursed or if a murderer is at work. She turns to an otherworldly source of help and asks her ghostly friend Jack Shepard, PI. for advice. He recounts a case from the 1940s about a comic book cover art murderer that can have bearing on the present.
Why I Loved It: I loved the balance of the present-day investigation and the 1940s Noir case told from the ghost’s memory. I found them both interesting and liked how the complemented one another. I picked up a random book in this series because I liked the premise and I was pleased to have been given all the information I needed about the characters and the world so that I never felt lost. I loved the fleshed-out and funny characters and the bookshop setting. I really enjoyed the writer’s style and will be picking up more books in this series.
5. Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry
Book #1 in the By the Book Mysteries series
Description: Bestselling thriller writer Tess Harrow drags her teenage daughter to a the rustic cabin she inherited, hoping for some peace and quiet after her recent divorce. This hope is shattered when soon after they arrive, an explosion showers them with fish guts and a human arm. Trying to make sense of the situation, Tess begins investigating, much to the chagrin of the local sheriff who harbors a grudge toward her novel’s main character.
Why I Loved It: I loved how fast paced and exciting this book and its mystery were, while still being very funny. There were multiple quips from this thriller writer character that made me laugh out loud and I liked the local quest to find Bigfoot. I also loved the mother-daughter relationship and how it wasn’t always easy to get along - especially in a cabin in the woods without running water.
These were my favorites this year! What are some of yours? What are some other cozies I should check out?
