12 Cozy Mysteries from Around the World
Reading suggestions for the 2025 Cozy Reading Challenge
Reminder: The Cozy Magical Book Club is meeting on Tuesday February 18 at 5:30pm Pacific to discuss A Pirate’s Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne. The Zoom link will be sent out an hour before we meet. All subscribers to SleuthHeroAlien are welcome!
Hi Cozy Reader,
If you missed it, I launched the 2025 Cozy Reading Challenge this January! The challenge is all about bringing more joy and inspiration into your reading life with 12 themed prompts.
The first prompt is: Cozy Mysteries Around the World – Read a cozy mystery set in a country you’ve never visited.
To help you with this prompt, I’ve put together a list of cozy mysteries set in 12 different countries. Some of these I’ve read and loved (I’ll note which ones), while others I found through Google or StoryGraph.
A few things to keep in mind:
📖 I haven’t read every book on this list, so I recommend doing your usual research to make sure a title fits your cozy preferences.
🌎 Most cozy mysteries are set in the U.S. or England, but I’ve worked to gather a diverse selection from across the globe!
💡 If you join the challenge on StoryGraph, you can see books other participants have added to this prompt.
Now, let’s take a cozy mystery trip around the world!
Cozy Mysteries by Country
🇦🇺 Australia
📚 Murder Most Fancy by Kellie McCourt
Series: Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber Mysteries
A glamorous but down-on-her-luck socialite unexpectedly finds herself solving a murder in Sydney’s elite circles—with plenty of humor, charm, and lighthearted fun along the way.
🇧🇼 Botswana
📚 The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Series: No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Mma Ramotswe, Botswana’s first female private detective, solves small-town mysteries with wisdom, humor, and a deep love for her country. (I read this one and enjoyed the sense of place.)
🇨🇦 Canada
📚 Vitamin Sea by Maia Ross
Series: Beaver Island Mystery Series
A newly retired woman moves to a quiet island in Canada, only to find herself solving a murder before she can even settle in.
🇫🇷 France
📚 Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec
Series: Kommissar Dupin Mysteries
A Parisian detective is sent to Brittany, where he must navigate the local culture to solve a murder in a quiet seaside town. (I read this one and particularly enjoyed the narrative voice of Kommissar Dupin.)
🇮🇸Iceland
📚 The Puffin of Death by Betty Webb
Series: Gunn Zoo Mystery
An American zookeeper is sent to Iceland to meet a new polar bear, but soon finds herself investigating a murder on the island. (I read this one and loved it—it might have been the book that got me hooked on cozy mysteries!)
🇮🇳 India
📚 The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra
Series: Bangalore Detectives Club
In 1920s Bangalore, a young wife becomes an amateur detective when a dinner party turns deadly. (I read this one and loved it! Be aware that it touches on difficult topics like forced prostitution and child marriage.)
🇮🇪 Ireland
📚 Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
Series: Irish Village Mysteries
A young woman running a family bistro in a small Irish town gets pulled into a murder mystery that could ruin her family’s reputation.
🇮🇹 Italy
📚 Aunt Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
Series: Aunt Poldi Mysteries
A fiery, retired Bavarian woman moves to Sicily for a quiet life but soon finds herself wrapped up in a local murder case. (This is the one I’m reading for this prompt—so far, so good!)
🇯🇵 Japan
📚 The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai
Series: Kamogawa Food Detectives
A father-daughter detective duo in Kyoto helps clients rediscover lost recipes, uncovering hidden stories along the way.
🇸🇬 Singapore
📚 Aunty Lee’s Delights by Ovidia Yu
Series: Singaporean Mystery
A feisty widow runs a café in Singapore and becomes an amateur detective when a customer is found dead.
🇿🇦 South Africa
📚 Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew
Series: Tannie Maria Mysteries
A middle-aged woman in rural South Africa writes an advice column with recipes—until a letter leads her into a murder investigation.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom (England)
📚 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Series: Thursday Murder Club
In a quiet retirement village, four unlikely friends solve cold cases—until a real murder lands in their laps. (I read this and loved it! England has tons of cozy mysteries, so if this one isn’t your style, there are plenty of others to choose from.)
Where Will Your Cozy Mystery Adventure Take You?
This list gives you 12 cozy mysteries set in different countries, perfect for completing your Cozy Mysteries Around the World challenge.
Have you read a cozy mystery set in a unique location? Share your recommendations in the comments—I’d love to add more books to the list! (Note: To keep the comments section safe and kind, it's open exclusively to paid subscribers, helping us keep out the trolls!)
Happy reading,
Emma
Hi there! I’m Emma Veritas, your cozy reading enthusiast. I delight in escaping to small towns filled with endearing characters—and a touch of mystery, dragons, or aliens! When I'm not sharing bookish musings here, you’ll find me crafting fictional tales in my notebooks, spending quality time with my adorable pet bunny, or savoring a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
You might also enjoy my other newsletter, Soul Weaver’s Haven, where I write essays for seekers, dreamers, and magic-makers daring to create unconventional and wildly fulfilling lives.
This is a great list! I’ve read Thursday Murder Club and The Kamogawa Food Detectives more recently and read the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency many years ago. I’m excited to check some of these out!