The best mystery books to cozy up with on a cold night

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of the cozy mystery series Samantha Davies Mysteries. Before beginning to write my series, I read hundreds of cozies and loved each one, especially those featuring a small-town setting, an amateur sleuth, and a dog. Since I live in a small upstate New York town, am married to a retired state trooper, and am the mom to a lovable dachshund, what better than to feature all this in a cozy mystery series. So, the Samantha Davies Mystery series was born.


I wrote...

Kibbles and Death

By Syrl Kazlo,

Book cover of Kibbles and Death

What is my book about?

When Samantha Davies discovers the owner of the local pet shelter murdered, she and her lovable dachshund, Porkchop, suddenly find themselves thrust onto the trail of a killer!

With the help of her Southern Belle cousin, Sam vows to find the truth...even if she has to go toe-to-toe with the handsome new detective in town to do it.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Bake, Batter, and Roll

Syrl Kazlo Why did I love this book?

I loved this book for its strong characters, especially the quirky Nicoletta Gavelli and her sharp tongue. I love the hometown atmosphere, which is such a part of cozy mysteries.

Another favorite in the book is Sally Muccio, the amateur sleuth who solves the murder. She has the support of a loving family, especially her husband. 

Book cover of Game Over at Guild Hall

Syrl Kazlo Why did I love this book?

I loved that just when I thought I knew who killed William Bassette, I was proven wrong. The twists and turns are many.

I love the setting of rural Vermont, since I am familiar with that area, living close to it. I love the surprising reason for the murder.

By Amy Patricia Meade,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Game Over at Guild Hall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“It’s game on when the longtime organizer of the annual Game Supper is murdered right in front of the diners. Readers who enjoy mysteries set in colorful rural settings will love Game Over at Guild Hall.” —Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey and Ghost of Granny Apples mysteries

In rural Vermont, where hunting and trapping are a way of life, nothing is bigger than the annual wild game supper at Guild Hall. Stella can’t wait to sample the exotic dishes prepared by her neighbors, but when the longtime organizer of the supper falls dead, a victim of poisoning,…


Book cover of Motto for Murder

Syrl Kazlo Why did I love this book?

I love the humor in the cozy mysteries I read, and this book is full of it.

I love that impossible situations are thrown into the mix, but the author makes it all seem believable. I could almost envision myself in the same types of situations or at least having a best buddy who was. 

By Leslie Langtry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Motto for Murder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From USA Today bestselling author, Leslie Langtry comes another hilarious Merry Wrath Mystery... For ex-CIA Agent turned Girl Scout troop leader, Merry Wrath, planning a wedding is infinitely more terrifying than the time she was a mole in Carlos the Armadillo’s drug cartel. To make matters worse, while plagued by insomnia (brought on by diabolical details that include bizarre things like "boutonnieres") Merry and her cat, Philby, witness a midnight murder next door. Or do they? With her record of sleeplessness, everyone from her fiancé, Rex, to her Girl Scout troop are questioning her sanity. And when strange incidents of…


Book cover of A Stitch to Die For

Syrl Kazlo Why did I love this book?

Like the main character in this series, I'm a big crafter, and I love how the crafts are woven into the books.

I love the quirky characters. They are laugh-out-loud funny, another favorite in the books that I love.

They may be murder mysteries, but they don't weigh me down.

By Lois Winston,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Stitch to Die For as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ever since her husband died and left her in debt equal to the gross national product of Uzbekistan, magazine crafts editor and reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack has stumbled across one dead body after another—but always in work-related settings. When a killer targets the elderly nasty neighbor who lives across the street from her, murder strikes too close to home. Couple that with a series of unsettling events days before Halloween, and Anastasia begins to wonder if someone is sending her a deadly message.Knitting and crochet projects included.


Book cover of Dying for a Date

Syrl Kazlo Why did I love this book?

Again, humor is a biggie for me in the murder mysteries I read, and this book checks that off.

I love the family interaction that is in this book. I especially love how strong a person the main character is.

Once again, I was kept guessing until the end as to who committed the murder, so I was fully engrossed in the book.

By Cindy Sample, Karen Phillips (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Dying for a Date as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dying for a Date by Cindy Sample, five-time LEFTY Award Finalist for Best Humorous Mystery

Unsure if she is looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Every Other Saturday Night, divorced mother of two, Laurel McKay reluctantly joins THE LOVE CLUB, a popular local dating service. Dressed to kill, she meets bachelor number one at a trendy restaurant. But the date is a bust, literally, when the guy decides Laurel is dessert, and she breaks his nose with her cell phone. It gets even worse when the man is found murdered the next morning, and Laurel has his blood on her…


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Returning to Eden

By Rebecca Hartt,

Book cover of Returning to Eden

Rebecca Hartt Author Of Rising From Ashes

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Idealistic Storyteller Teacher Mother Seeker

Rebecca's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Looking for clean romantic suspense with spiritual undertones?

Look no further than the Acts of Valor series by Rebecca Hartt. With thousands of reviews and 4.7-5.0 stars per book, this 6-book series is a must-read for readers searching for memorable, well-told stories by an award-winning author.

A dead man stands on her doorstep.

When the Navy wrote off her MIA husband as dead, Eden came to terms with being a widow. But now, her Navy SEAL husband is staring her in the face. Eden knows she should be over-the-moon, but she isn’t.

Diagnosed with PTSD and amnesia, Navy SEAL Jonah Mills has no recollection of their fractured marriage, no memory of Eden nor her fourteen-year-old daughter. Still, he feels a connection to both.

Unfit for active duty and assigned to therapy, Jonah knows he has work to do and relies on God, who sustained him during captivity, to heal his mind, body, and hopefully his family.

But as the memories lurking in his wife's haunted eyes and behind his daughter's uncertain smile begin to return to him, Jonah makes another discovery. There is treachery in the highest ranks of his Team, treachery that not only threatens him but places his new-found family in its crosshairs.

Returning to Eden

By Rebecca Hartt,

What is this book about?

Presumed Dead, Navy SEAL Returns Without Memory of His Ordeal in the Christian Romantic Suspense, Returning to Eden, by Rebecca Hartt

-- Present Day, Virginia Beach, Virginia --

A dead man stands at Eden Mills' door.

Declared MIA a year prior, the Navy wrote him off as dead. Now, Eden's husband, Navy SEAL Jonah Mills has returned after three years to disrupt her tranquility. Diagnosed with PTSD and amnesia, he has no recollection of their marriage or their fourteen-year-old step-daughter. Still, Eden accepts her obligation to nurse Jonah back to health while secretly longing to regain her freedom, despite the…


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