July is over (by quite a bit this time, I’m running very late again), so it’s time to discuss our favorite Cozies that we read this month!
If you read a Cozy mystery this month and want to recommend it to the rest of us, be sure to post it here! For this month, I read the first entry of Lauren Elliott’s Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Series. For the reasons I want to recommend it, be sure to check out the blog entry!
So, what have you been reading that you can recommend in July? Please be sure to tell us why you liked these Cozies so much. I know we’re all always on the lookout for more particularly good Cozy Mystery authors! (If you have a lot of Cozies you think are great, please post the ones you like the most at the top of the list.)
As always, please do not tell us about the Cozy Mysteries you did not like.
What really good Cozy Mystery did you read July 2025 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?
Ellis Blackwood: Samuel Pepys Mystery Series (first entry The Brampton Witch Murders)
V.M. Burns: Baker Street Mystery Series
Ellen Byron (aka Maria DiRico): Golden Motel Mystery Series
Ellen Crosby: Wine Country Mystery Series
Jeanne M. Dams: Dorothy Martin Mystery Series
Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell & Tace Baker): Country Store Mystery Series
Vicki Delany (aka Eva Gates): Tea by the Sea Mystery Series
Jana DeLeon: Miss Fortune Mystery Series
Lauren Elliott: Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Series
Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan): Cat Rescue Mystery Series
Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany): Lighthouse Library Mystery Series
Victoria Gilbert: Blue Ridge Library Mystery Series
Annie McEwen: Northwoods Mystery Series (first entry Resort to Murder)
Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone Mystery Series
Dana Mentink: Shape Shop Mystery Series (first entry Pint of No Return)
Korina Moss: Cheese Shop Mystery Series
Elizabeth Penney: Cambridge Shop Mystery Series
Rosalie Spielman: Hometown Mystery Series (first entry Welcome Home to Murder)
Marty Wingate: London Ladies’ Murder Club Mystery Series AND Birds of a Feather Mystery Series
I will list the authors and series that have been recommended, but I urge you to read the comments below so you can see the reasons other Cozy Mystery readers thought these were their best reads of the month.
♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦
P.S. I usually don’t comment on your recommendations since they speak for themselves.
Regina Williams says
I have so many I want to recommend…LOL! But I’ll recommend 3-
1. Thrown for a Scoop by Dana Mentink: I was so sad when I thought the 3rd book in Dana Mentink’s Shake Shop mystery was the final book so I was so happy when this 4th book was released. One of my favorite series
2. Dead, White, and Blue by Annie McEwen this is the 2nd book in the Northwoods Mystery series and it is even better than the 1st book
3. The Plague Doctor Murders by Ellis Blackwood the 2nd book in the Samuel Pepys (a real person) historical cozy mystery series. This is such a wonderful series with a lot of historical details and multiple POVs I cannot recommend this book enough!
Fortney, Sally says
It’s sad that so many series seem to be ending. I read Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss and Scone Cold Dead by Maddie Day. I mind Maddie’s less because she had developed the characters so much and because she is writing two other series. I’ll miss the Cheese Shop mysteries because I want to know more about the characters’ lives.
Tea with Jam & Dead by Vicki Delany was great because it took most of the characters to Yorkshire where the grandmother had worked before her marriage. Loved the humor of Solid Gold Murder by Ellen Byron. Caturday Crime by Amanda Flower starred many of her rescue cats, whom I know from social media. Hey, Marmie and June Bug! The book’s sale helps fund their cat rescues.
Icing on the Murder by Valerie Burns was a fun read. Home Sweet Homicide by Rosalie Spielman features veterans and some moose.
Georgia says
I heartily second your recommendation of Lauren Elliott. My only complaint: she writes too slow!
I’m making my way through all of the Lucy Stone mysteries by Leslie Meier, beginning with the Mistletoe Murder (I’m currently up to Bake Sale Murder). Love the people and places populating the Maine town of Tinker’s Cove, and Lucy Stone is both an intrepid reporter and loving parent.
A great favorite of the month was The Author’s Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. A locked room mystery set in a Scottish castle, it has both humor and mystery. Highly recommended.
Shot Through the Book by Eva Gates is the latest Lighthouse Library mystery. Librarian Lucy McNeil is a wonderful character, as are her husband and fellow library staff. Gates does not disappoint in this latest mystery centered around the death of festival author Todd Harrison.
I was inspired to read A LOT of mysteries for my local library’s reading Challenge, Color Our World. Participants met the original challenge goal less than 3 weeks into it!
Sally Fortney says
Lauren Elliott died August 11th. I just saw it on Facebook. Such a loss.
Jeanie Jackson says
So sad to learn of Lauren Elliott’s passing. I strongly agree with most of you comments.
Kathleen Parks says
I was faithfully reading all of the Lucy Stone mysteries waiting with anticipation for each one. Then I get to the one where…(spoiler alert), Libby, the family’s beloved dog dies. I’ll never read another one.
Ainee Beland says
I am recommending Marty Wingate’s The Rhyme of the Magpie and A Body on the Doorstep. I have enjoyed getting to know one of her more favorable characters, a Mabel Canning who moved to London so that she could become an Independent Woman because she is that person when she sets her mind to doing something; she goes and does it.
Mabel left Peasmarsh for the city of London to become the independent woman that was her, and she’d made friends with two professional women and this detective Winstone Park of Scotland Yard, who was enamored with Mabel; he had his dog Gladys, who was also part of this family residing at New River House in Islington.
She’d gotten a small flat of her own and had found employment with Miss Lillian Kerr who ran the Useful Women agency, as she was on their roster. The New River House was well looked after because of the reception it got from Mr. Chigley, who kept a watchful eye on everything and made sure the tenants were pleased. They all make for a good family at New River House in Islington.
MJ says
July 2025 Recommendations
Deeds Left Undone — Ellen Crosby
This is the 13th book in the Wine Country series. I believe I’ve recommended each book in this series. Cosby was a journalist for ABC and the Washington Post, thus developing great writing skills.
But does she have the creative skills for fiction. The answer is a resounding ‘YES’.
Oftentimes I like a witty cozy with some humor. This series is more intense – ALWAYS a compelling read. This particular story is written with some emotion. Parts of it may bring tears to your eyes (as it did mine).
After reading the story, you MUST read the accolades. You’ll understand why this story touches the heart.
The setting is a small farming community west of DC. There is an argument about non-paved roads and paved roads. Each side has a committee pushing their opinions. This has resulted in two deaths. The premise seems simplistic, but the story is quite complex (as is all her stories). It’s why the reader stays engaged
Cosby’s characters are well developed with much depth. The story is well paced and a quick read — only because you just can’t put it down. You’ll be totally surprised at a culprit, which you just don’t see coming.
I normally recommend you read a series, starting with book one. However, this particular book can be read as a stand-alone. Cosby explains the regular characters well so you understand their interactions.
I highly recommend this book — it’s a GREAT read!!
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Death of a Librarian — Victoria Gilbert
This is the 9th book in Gilbert’s Blue Ridge Library series. It’s an enjoyable series with diverse and complex characters. It was another book I had difficulty putting down. I like this author and have read most of her books.
There is a murder at the local arts festival which has some possible ties to a decades old death.
Throughout this series is the questionable past of Kurt, a prominent character in each story. Some revelations are uncovered about his past. I’m really generalizing here, but it’s a pleasant read (as is the whole series).
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Chapter and Curse — Elizabeth Penney
Molly Kimball and her mother Nina move (from VT) to a small community in England to help an aunt (Violet) with a book store.
A murder of an old friend of Aunt Violet’s takes place near the bookstore.. As it turns out this old (not well-liked) friend
has several enemies dating back to her college days. Initially, Aunt Violet is the main suspect.
This story is SOOOO good, I encourage you to give it a try. GREAT, unique, and varied characters! Also, a very complex storyline with numerous twists and turns. Penney includes nifty descriptive writing of community scenery, neighborhoods, and buildings.
I’m excited to find this new-to-me author. I’m really looking forward to the second book (it’s on my shelf).
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I wanted to mention the Jeanne Dams ‘Dorothy Martin’ series (26 books). I stopped reading this series a few years ago. No reason, just did. I recently read some of her later releases. I believe I’ve previously recommended most of the books I’ve read.
Other than reading the first few books as the characters are introduced, the rest of the stories can easily be read as a ‘stand-alone’. Most of the stories have a variety of settings throughout England (one in the US and one in Canada).
Other than Dorothy and her husband Alan, the characters in each story are all new. She develops each new character
so well, the reader feels a real affinity to them. You’re unlikely to see these characters again. The exception are the stories in their hometown which may mention some of the hometown characters (not usually a major part of the story, though).
What I’m trying to say is each story concentrates on the murder(s) and is original. Dams ALWAYS writes a great mystery story. You can pick up ANY of her books and sit back for an entertaining read.
BTW: In one of the earlier books (#13 ?), Penny Brannigan (from the Elizabeth Duncan series) makes an appearance, helping some with the investigation. I was so shocked at this, that I mentioned it on this post years ago.
Well ………Brannigan makes another (VERY brief) appearance in one of these more recent books. She goes out to dinner
with Dorothy and Alan. THAT’S IT!! I didn’t see any point for this particular scene to be in the book. It adds nothing to the story.
I’d like to know the ‘reasoning’ to include it. Go figure!
Kathryn J. says
So many to choose from. I LOVE it! I’m going to pick three (at least) as a treat to myself, as soon as I dig my way out from my own writing deadlines.
Charlie says
Miss Fortune Louisiana series by Jana Deleon