The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

English / British Theme Mysteries… A & B

Here is the beginning of the British (Cozy) Mysteries that I have on the site… Not all of the authors are actually British, but the novels take place in Great Britain.

Cathy Ace: WISE Enquiries Agency Mystery Series – set in Wales

Catherine Aird: Her Inspector Sloan is the head of his local CID.

Susan Wittig Albert: She writes a cozy series featuring Beatrix Potterl

Bruce Alexander: Writes the Sir John Fielding series… an 18th century blind magistrate in London.

Tasha Alexander: Writes the Lady Emily Mystery Series which is set in Victorian England…

Margery Allingham: The Albert Campion series is set in London, and features a very upper-crust sleuth…

Tess Arlen: Lady Montfort Mystery Series is set in Edwardian England…

Margot Arnold: Series features an anthropologist and archaeologist team…

Nancy Atherton: Set in the Cotswold, Aunt Dimity helps solve mysteries… even though she is dead…

Marion Babson: Two British series to pick from…

Jo Bannister: Several series to pick from… including the Brodie Farrell Mystery Series, which is full of suspense…

Jo Bannister: Gabriel Ash & Hazel Best Mystery Series

Robert Barnard: Another author with several series and stand alone novels to choose from… including the Charlie Peace police procedural…

Stephanie Barron: She writes a series with Jane Austen as the heroine/sleuth…

M. C. Beaton: Her Agatha Raisin Cozy is set in the Cotswolds and her Hamish Macbeth is set in Scotland…

Carrie Bebris: Her Mr. & Mrs. Darcy series involves the two main characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice…

C.A. Belmond: Penny Nichols Mystery Series… Penny is a rich American heiress in England.

C. C. Benison: Her Jane Bee series features a housemaid who solves mysteries… with the queen’s help. AND Benison’s Father Christmas features a village vicar…

Ron and Janet Benrey: The Benreys write two series… the Royal Tunbridge Wells Tea Museum is the setting for the series set in England…

Veronica Black: Sister Joan is a nun who investigates mysteries in Cornwall…

Nicholas Blake: Blake is a professor at Oxford who writes a series with an Oxford grad/sleuth…

Alice Boatwright: Boatwright is an American who has lived in England for several years, who writes a series about a vicar’s wife in the English Cotswalds…

Janie Bolitho: The Cornish countryside is the location of Bolitho’s Rose Trevelyan series, which features an artist/sleuth…

Rhys Bowen: Bowen writes the Evan Evans series which is set in Wales, and is starting a new London-based series…

Alan Bradley: Bradley’s Flavia de Luce Mystery Series features an eleven year old girl/sleuth. Bradley has won many mystery writing awards, including the prestigious Agatha Award.

Christianna Brand: Inspector Cockrill series as well as children’s books and stand-alones…

Simon Brett: Several series (based in England) to pick from >>>Fethering Mystery Series, Melita Pargeter Mystery Series, Charles Paris Mystery Series, and several Stand Alones to pick from…

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries is the housekeeper (and sleuth) to Inspector Witherspoon…

Frances Brody: Kate Shackleton Mystery Series – Kate is a WWI widow in a British small milling village in the 1920s.

Barry S. Brown: Mrs. Hudson of Baker Street Mystery Series… Housekeeper for Sherlock Holmes…

Fiona Buckley: A Lady in Waiting in Queen Elizabeth’s court (QE I…)

Other British lists:

Authors beginning with C & D

Authors beginning with E, F, G, & H

Authors beginning with I, J, K, L, M, & N

Authors beginning with P, R, & S

Authors beginning with T , U, & W

***To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.***

Comments

  3. wow..thank you so much….i’ve been looking for a list just like this, but didn’t know quite how to go about it..after about the hundredth try, here you are….i’ll get started soon….thanks again….debbie

    Reply

  5. I just happened upon your site and all I can say is WOW. I’m thrilled to have found it. I am always looking for new cozy mysteries and can’t believe how wonderful your list is. Thank you.

    Reply

  6. Wow! This is what I’ve been looking for. I love mysteries but I have difficulty finding good ones at the library. This is awesome! My reading list is going to greatly increase! Thank you!

    Reply

  7. Welcome to the site, Mel. There certainly should be a few authors who might interest you on the site. When I started the site I only had Cozy Mystery authors who I had personally read, but once I started posting recommendations, the site took on a life of its own!

    Reply

  8. I have just stumbled across your site and I am absolutely amazed!! I am starting to struggle to find new titles at the library but no more!! I have added you to my favourites so I can access your website whenever I need to so I know I will never be stuck for a new author to try.

    Thank You, and keep up the hard work!!

    Reply

  9. Hi Jo,

    I sure hope that you will be able to find at least a few new authors who you will enjoy, amongst all of the ones posted on the site. I have read a lot of them, and of course, the others come recommended by Cozy Mystery site readers.

    Welcome to the site!

    Reply

  10. Like some of the others, I would go to the library looking for good mysteries. But since I found this site, I can just let my fingers do the walking since I’m in a wheelchair. Our library has volunteers who deliver books to the homebound. I come to this site, make a list of the books I want and e-mail it to the library and they have them brought to me. This site is my favorite source for great cozy mysteries. Thank you.

    Reply

  11. Hi Linda,
    Your library sounds truly awesome! I hope that you are able to find some authors who you really enjoy.

    When I started the site I only posted authors with whom I was familiar. Since then, I have been adding more and more authors – thanks to site readers recommendations. And, I have found many authors from those recommendations who I now consider my favorites!

    Reply

  12. My favorite read is British Mysteries. I’ve come to your website when someone would recommend an author. This time I stayed on the site and discovered your jewel that lists a whole new world of authors to me. Thank you for all the work you do.

    Reply

  14. I love cozy British mysteries! I love Christie and Peters and Marsh. I prefer the writers of a few decades ago. Is there a place on this site that will tell me if an author is current or not?

    Reply

  16. I imagine that Ruth is asking whether the writers are living, or possibly just producing new books: I note that all three of her listed favorites are deceased.

    Reply

  18. Help!! I really enjoy Nancy Athertons’ “Aunt Dimity”. I am looking for other authors who write the same type of stories. She sets Aunt Dimity in the U.K. and thats what I am looking for. I can’t afford to jump on a plane and go to england every year, so reading those kinds of stories are like a “minni vacation”. Any help would be appreciated!

    Reply

  19. I’d like to be able to access some modern writers who fit this genre. I quite like Beaton’s Agatha Raisin and Simon Brett’s Fering series. As a previous poster asked, do you have a list of writers who have published in the last 20 years?

    Reply

    • No, Gen, I don’t. That certainly would make a great theme on the Cozy Mystery site. As you noted, Simon Brett’s Fethering and Beaton’s Agatha are great examples of authors who have been “published in the last 20 years”… Carola Dunn comes to mind with her Daisy Dalrymple series, Susan Wittig Albert’s Beatrix Potter, Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity… the list goes on and on.

      Thanks, Gen and Ruth! I’ll soon write an entry with a whole list of “current” British Cozy Mystery series.

      Reply

  20. I found your wonderful website a couple of years ago and bookmarked it. Whenever I need to see book order or find a new author to try, I come here first! Like Gen and several above, I too love British mysteries, both past and recent. I found Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple series (thanks to you!) and LOVE them. Another series set in Britain in the 20s/30s (but currently being written) is Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisy Dobbs. A more serious series, certainly, but so well written and interesting!! This is one of the series that I have tried to “pace” myself with so that I don’t run out!

    Please keep up the wonderful work on your site! It’s an absolute gem and invaluable resource!!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Susan S., for the very kind words about the site.

      As you know, I am a Carola Dunn follower. Aha! So you’re another “pacer” with your favorite authors.

      Reply

  21. A newly published book that I certainly consider a “cozy” with the advantages of it being British and with some plot twist and an quirky protagonist, is Homicide in Hampshire by Barbara Bothwell.
    This is her first published mystery, available on Kindle and in my opinion fits the genre perfectly.
    Cleo, the main character is quite remarkable and believable in that she has come to her present position by a singular quirk of fate.
    The author is an experienced writer but this is her first mystery, definitely a cozy, and I hope there will be many more along the same lines.
    Her bio is on her blog.
    http://barbarabothwell.blogspot.com/

    Reply

      • Thanks to Andi for her kind comments about Homicide in Hampshire. Two more published books (on Amazon):

        Writing can be Murder (set in Florida)
        Rock’n’Roll Murders (1958 on England’s south coast).

        Another book about Cleo (Homicide in Hampshire) is in the pipeline.

        Reply

        • Barbara, Andi has been a great “comment-er” on the site. Congratulations on your new book!

          Reply

  22. Simon Beckett and Lindsay Ashford also write British mysteries, more on the order of Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone series than true cozies, but still good reading.

    Reply

  24. I discovered this website when I googled “cozy” mysteries.
    Thanks so much. I’ll be visiting this site often. Love the release dates of new books.

    Karen

    Reply

    • Welcome to the site, Karen. I hope you are able to find some new authors you enjoy reading.

      Reply

  25. Hi Danna; 5/13/12

    HAPPY MOTHER”S EVERYONE…….Smile.

    Now I came across a british author….VERONICA HELEY
    She writes two series; one is the Ellie Quicke mysteries and the other series is: The new Abbot Agency mystery series.
    I have read all of the 1st series, and second I am beginning to work on….and the series is different, but mysteries. I got started with the first series Murder at the Altar….I liked it and very quickly read them all…..I found the first at Alibri, and now you might be able to find them at other used bookstores, or maybe the library…..have fun shopping and then enjoying…..I looked, find and read……..smile.

    Reply

  26. I have fallen in love with Kate Atkinson, she would go on the not so cozy list, but she does have her stories set in the UK. Her style is very different and by the time you get to the end, it is always a surprise (both how you got there and “who dunnit”).

    Reply

  27. I have been a reader of horror and sword and sorcery (Conan The Barbarian haha!) for years. I recently stumbled upon your site, read some recommended books and now I am totally hooked on the cozy mystery genre. Thank you for creating this site it has opened a new world for me.

    Reply

  28. I feel so lucky to have found this site it is almost like being home that is the midlands but I now live in southern florida

    Reply

  29. Love this site! I’ve found several new series and authors to enjoy.

    One of my favorites is MC Benton’s Agatha Raisin. I know she’s not for everyone. I recommended her to my sister and she found Agatha to be repelling, but I think, while her faults are exaggerated, we can all find bits of ourselves in her. They may be the bits we’d rather not show to the world, but she is very human.

    Reply

  32. I’ve been searching for a book that I read quite a few years ago. I think it was a Patricia Wentworth, but I’m not sure. It started out with a young woman caught in a fog in London who took refuge in an empty house with a young man and an older man. They fell asleep on the stairs and when they woke up the older man was gone. Of course the young man and young woman were the love interest but I cannot for the life of me remember the book. Does anyone have a clue?

    Reply

    • SusanL, it doesn’t ring a bell for me. I’ll post an entry asking for help.

      Reply

    • Hello Susan,
      It is Patricia Wentworth, her Miss Silver series. She has 32 total Miss Silver books and they are all great. The one you are speaking of is called The Girl in the Cellar, her last Miss Silver book written in 1961. Start with the Grey Mask and work your way down the list, happy reading!

      Reply

        • Hi,

          Thank you but that’s not the one. I re-read that one recently and enjoyed it very much. I can see why you thought the Girl in the Cellar was it, but the one I’m looking for starts with a young woman having lunch and when she leaves she is caught in a dense fog, runs into a young man and an older man. They enter a vacant house and sit on the stairs to wait out the fog. She falls asleep and when she wakes up, the older man is gone. She and the young man go to his flat where his old nanny,who is now his housekeeper, meets them.

          I think it was post WWII and probably the early to mid fifty’s.

          Susan

          Reply

  33. Canadian author Louise Penny writes wonderful cozies set in a small village in Quebec. I also enjoy Elizabeth Duncan’s series set in Wales and Jeanne M. Dams’ series set in the Cotswolds.

    Reply

  34. I just finished an English village cozy that I really enjoyed called “Under an English Heaven” by Alice Boatwright. An American woman is married to the village vicar. It’s the first book and I’m looking forward to future books in this series.

    Reply

  35. Hello Danna,

    Thanks so much for this cozy mystery list. Especially, the British authors. I am familiar with most of them as British cozy mysteries are my favorite. I’m so glad I came across your post in the Cozy Mysteries 24/7 FB page. Can’t believe I haven’t noticed it before today. Well thanks again. I’m loving this site.

    Reply

  36. Love that I found your website. Excited about all the historical cozies I found here!

    You do need to add Alan Bradley and the Flavia De Luce series, however! Flavia is an eleven year old genius who loves chemistry and solving crime in early 1950’s in the small town of Bishop Lacey, England. The books are clever, have loveable characters and are well written. They have also won several mystery fiction awards.
    I think they’re wonderful and have gorged on four this week, and I just requested three more from my library.

    After I finish those three, your site will give me some more series to focus on until the the next Flavia is published. How I wish my favorite authors could write as fast as I devour their books!

    Reply

  38. I love Martha Grimes and Anne Perry, but sometimes I want something “lighter” (that doesn’t tie my brain in knots and is actually fun to read). Something in the vein of Kate Kingsbury, Robin Paige, Carola Dunn, C.C. Benison… does anyone have any ideas (author’s names)?

    Reply

  39. Hi! Thank you so much for this compilation!

    There are soooo many English ones! I wanted to add a really cute series I started by Amanda Frazer called “A lady Amanda Golightly mystery.”
    I really liked the first two books A lot. The writing style is super fun and the descriptions of everyday retorts and thoughts are perfectly written, imo., unfortunately, Audible only has the first two on audio book. I’d love to read more from this series.

    My question is – can you recommend any English cozies that are high in humor?

    Reply

  40. Thank you for creating this site! Real life has enough drama.:-) Light reading such as M.C. Beaton can be a pleasurable escape. I was wandering the internet looking for more authors similar to her. Happily I found your blog. Again thank you for compiling so many options.
    Jane G.

    Reply

  41. I’ve read the first book in this series so far, but, I loved it, and I have fallen in love with the series. It’s not cozy, but, still good. The series is called the Lacey Flint series, and is written by S. J. Bolton. It’s about a policewoman in London who has a tragic past. The first book is called Now you see me, in which Lacey Flint is on the hunt for a serial killer, who has links to her tragic past, that if revealed could destroy every thing.

    Reply

  42. I’ve got 2 Brittish series that are great reads, although they are not cozy, and one has a paranormal element to it.
    The first one is called The Peter Grant series, or The Rivers of London series, I’ve seen it called both before, so that’s why I said that. It’s by Ben Aaronovitch and the first book is called Midnight riot. The series is set in London, and the main character is a police constable named Peter Grant, who gets assigned to the Supernatural department of the Metropolitan police in London, after interviewing a ghost at a crime scene. I’ve read the first 3 or 4 books so far, and have really enjoyed them! Especially with the paranormal element in them!
    The second series is called the Jackson Brody series and it’s by Kate Atkinson, and it’s based in England. It’s about a PI named Jackson Brodie. I can’t remember what the first book is called. It’s another non-cozy series. While I like the series, it can get overwhelming, because each chapter and also mid-chapter it can jump around a lot, from the people that are the subject of the cases he’s working on, to Jackson himself. Also, there’s often background to cover from before each case. So, it can seem a little tedious. Plus, it can kind of drag. But, it’s still a good series, I would just only read it if you’re in the mood for it, or really enjoy those types of books.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Please don't tell us about Cozy Mystery authors or books you don't enjoy.

Please use a nickname or your first name and last initial (unless you are an author and want your full name to appear).

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MENU