September Cozy Crime Reads Newsletter

Happy September!

The September Cozy Crime Reads Newsletter has news, free cozy mysteries, promotions, book recs, recipes, giveaways, & more!

COZY MYSTERY NEWS

1.) Ellie Alexander’s new cozy thriller novel, Murder Moves In, is now available for pre-order. Book advocates and industry professionals can request an advance reader copy on NetGalley.

Pitched as Agatha Christie meets The Americans, Murder Moves In features husband-and-wife sleuths whose fresh start in a picturesque seaside town turns deadly when they discover that their charming neighbors—and the entire community—are hiding secrets worth killing for.

2.) New books were added to the Cozy Crime Reads Free Cozy Mystery Books page on 9/10/2026. There are now 90 free cozy mystery books available for download.

3.) Ellen Byron has a new series in the works: the Local Needlepoint Shop Mysteries, pitched as Gilmore Girls with needles, thread and murder, about a Gen X mom who's been downsized and her Gen Z daughter who can't find a job, who decide to open the NOLA Needlepoint Club, becoming amateur sleuths when murder casts a shadow over their new French Quarter shop. The first two books in the series are Hanging by a Thread and Halloween is a Stitch. Look for the new series in 2027.

4.) Jane Friedman. is hosting a candid Ask Me Anything webinar on Zoom on Tuesday, October 6 @ 1pm EDT to tackle the questions crime writers care about most. With more than 25 years of experience helping creatives navigate the ever-changing publishing industry, Jane will answer your questions on everything from finding an agent to succeeding in self-publishing, sending meaningful newsletters to understanding shifts in today’s publishing landscape—and everything in between. You can submit your questions in advance and watch a recording of the event later if you can’t attend. The webinar is free for Sisters in Crime Members and $15 for Non-Members. Register for the webinar.

5.) Seven for a Secret Never to Be Told by Derek Wheeless won the 2026 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award in the cozy mystery category on August 22, 2026. This book is the first in the Resorted to Murder series. It features married sleuths who are invited to a gorgeous old inn in the heart of beautiful historic Charleston, only to discover that they must work with six old college friends to solve the twenty-year mystery of the murder of one of their own.

6.) The summer saw some really big cozy mystery releases, and there is a lot more to come in the last four months of the year. See some of the recommended new cozy mystery releases and take a look at books coming soon.

7.) Today is Agatha Christie’s birthday and National Cozy Mystery Day!

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FREE COZY MYSTERIES

Books, Banshees, and Beginnings is the first book in The Hauntings of Red Oaks Library by C.L. McClellon.

In this midlife cozy paranormal mystery, librarian Dawn Keen arrives in Bannon Mills looking for a quiet new beginning. Unfortunately, the ghosts of Red Oaks have other plans, and Dawn must follow the clues buried in the library’s past to save a restless spirit.

Get Books, Banshees, and Beginnings Free from Amazon

Death By Chocolate is the first book in the Death By Chocolate Mysteries by Sally Berneathy.

In this mystery, Lindsay’s only secret is the recipe for her chocolate chip cookies, but she is surrounded by people with deadly secrets. Suddenly, she finds herself battling poisoned chocolate, a psycho stalker, and a dead man who seems awfully active for a corpse. This book has 4.5 stars on Amazon and nearly 10,000 reviews!

Get Death By Chocolate free from Amazon

BOOK GIVEAWAYS

Enter the Murder in the Upper Crust Book Giveaway for a chance to win a paperback copy of Murder in the Upper Crust, the brand-new book in the Deep Dish Mystery Series by Mindy Quigley. The giveaway ends September 30, 2026.

Enter the Shifting and Shenanigans Book Giveaway for a chance to win one of three paperback copies of Shifting and Shenanigans, the first book in the Magical Cozy Mystery Book Club Series by Elizabeth Pantley. The giveaway ends September 30, 2026.

COZY FALL READING

Check out September’s Featured Cozy Mysteries to see seven new indie book releases you don’t want to miss.

Greet the first days of fall with these six books set in the month of September.

Find a cozy mystery book recommendation for every fall month and mood:

BOOK DEALS

$1.99 For a Limited Time

The ebook version of Murder at the Breakers is $1.99 on Amazon for a limited time. This is the first book in the Gilded Newport Mystery Series by Alyssa Maxwell. The amateur sleuth is Emma Cross, an intrepid reporter determined to solve a murder that occurred in the Vanderbilts’ opulent summer home in Rhode Island in 1895.

See Murder at the Breakers on Amazon

$0.99 For a Limited Time

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is $0.99 on Amazon for a limited time. In this classic Agatha Christie mystery (now an exclusive series streaming on Brit Box), a dying man’s bewildering last words pull an inquisitive young man and his beautiful companion into a dangerous web of lethal secrets.

See Why DIdn’t They Ask Evans on Amazon

MYSTERY OF THE MONTH

The CozyCrimeReads.com Mystery of the Month is Six Feet Deep Dish, the first book in the Deep Dish Mysteries by award-winning author Mindy Quigley. If you love deliciously witty, twisty mysteries with great characters, tasty pizza, and big-boned cats with attitude, you'll love Six Feet Deep Dish.

See a Reading Guide for Six Feet Deep Dish with a spoiler-free overview, reader reviews, and more
Get a Reading Kit for Six Feet Deep Dish with reader questions, activities to take you beyond the book, recipe cards, and other fun extras
Get a printable Recipe Card for Italian Beef Crostini, a dish created by author Mindy Quigley
Read an interview with author Mindy Quigley
Visit Mindy Quigley’s website to learn more about her books

COZY MYSTERY RECIPE

This Recipe for Coconut Layer Cake With Coconut Lemon Frosting is excerpted from Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook: Hannah Swensen's Recipes from The Cookie Jar. This yummy cookbook includes all the recipes from Joanne's original 2012 cookbook as well as the title recipes from the entire Hannah Swensen series. The Coconut Layer Cake Recipe With Coconut Lemon Frosting also appeared in Coconut Layer Cake Murder (book 25 of the Hannah Swensen Mysteries) by Joanne Fluke.

NEW RELEASES

At fifty-two, newly single, and trying to rebuild her life, Vivian Salvatore has settled into the rhythms of San Francisco’s most beautiful staircase: coffee at the corner cafe, morning walks on the Filbert Steps, old neighbors, and the comforting illusion that everyone knows everyone. Then, on a bright October morning, she finds a dead body on the third landing and quickly discovers that Telegraph Hill is full of secrets.

See The Filbert Steps on Amazon

When the sponsor of a regional potions competition turns up dead, Lena Knox's best friend becomes suspect number one. Lena—green witch and reluctant amateur sleuth—has to prove Faye's innocence before the real killer disappears into the crowd. All the while, her opinionated Maine Coon familiar, Thorn, offers help and snarky commentary she didn't ask for.

Shop For Angelica Under Glass

COMING SOON

In an utterly charming new mystery from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle, a small-town Rhode Island bookshop owner investigates the death of an eccentric librarian with the help of a wisecracking, 1940s gumshoe ghost. Their investigation into who "checked out" the librarian takes them from a ghost town's ancient cemetery to a posh Newport mansion.

Preorder The Ghost and the Dead Librarian on Amazon

A country Christmas in Victorian England takes a murderous turn in Agatha and Lefty Award winning author Dianne Freeman’s delightful mystery featuring Frances Hazelton, the former Countess of Harleigh. Frances is looking forward to a Christmas season enlivened by all the diversions London can provide. Instead, Frances finds the body of a neighbor and must stop a killer whose heart is as cold as the season.

Pre-order A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder

Get 1,000+ handpicked cozy mystery book recommendations by theme in the Cozy Crime Reads Amazon Bookstore.

COZY MYSTERY EVENTS

2026 Ashland Mystery Festival

The 2026 Ashland Mystery Festival will be held October 8-11, 2026 in Ashland, Oregon. Ashland Mystery Festival is an annual immersive, cozy mystery-themed event where fans meet authors and attend panels, workshops, and other special events.

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COZY MYSTERY SERVICES

Joyce Mochrie, Certified Copyeditor and Proofreader and owner of One Last Look, offers copyediting and proofreading services.