Must-Read Library Cozy Mysteries
Cozy Mystery Books With Librarian Sleuths
Library cozy mysteries are a subgenre of mystery fiction that focuses on books and the people who work in libraries. The amateur sleuths in these cozy mysteries are usually a librarian, library director, or researcher who works in a small town or specialty library. They are naturally observant, skilled at finding information, and important to their community. Many of them have sidekicks who are fellow librarians, library patrons, or rescue cats who help solve the mystery or hang out among the stacks.
The settings in library cozy mysteries often include charming reading nooks, secret rooms, or community libraries that double as refuges or places to conduct research or discover clues. The mystery plots can center on anything, but commonly feature rare books, local history, community events, or other bookish elements that appeal to library lovers.
If you're looking for a few library cozy mysteries to try, this list will help you begin your journey. All of the books on this list are the first in a series of books featuring small-town librarian protagonists and traditional puzzle plots.
The Bodies in the Library is the first book in the First Edition Library Mystery Series by Marty Wingate. In this library cozy mystery, the curator of The First Edition Society's library in Bath, England gets involved in a murder mystery with an Agatha Christie fanfiction writing group.
Crime and Parchment is the first book in the Rare Books Cozy Mystery Series by Daphne Silver. In this award-winning cozy mystery, a rare books librarian investigates a curious case involving an ancient Celtic manuscript found in a Maryland cemetery.
Checked Out is the first book in the Village Library Mysteries by Elizabeth Spann Craig. In this library-themed cozy mystery, a a small town North Carolina librarian solves a mystery with the help of quirky library patrons and her rescue cat after her date unexpectedly “checks out.”
Lending a Paw is the first book in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series by Laurie Cass. In this bookish cozy mystery, A bookmobile librarian and her rescue cat deliver books and overdue justice in a Michigan resort town.
Bait and Witch is part of the Witch Way Librarian Mysteries by Angela M. Sanders. In this paranormal library mystery, a witchy Oregon librarian must use her new magical abilities to save her life and library after finding a body in the woods.
A Murder for the Books is the first book in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery Series by Victoria Gilbert. In this library-themed mystery, A librarian and her neighbor investigate a decades-old murder in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
By Book or By Crook is the first book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery Series by Eva Gates (Vicki Delany). In this cozy mystery, a lighthouse librarian in the Outer Banks gets ensnared in a mystery involving a priceless Jane Austen novel.
Death Checked Out is a Larkspur Library Mystery by Leah Dobrinska. In this library-themed cozy mystery, a library director in a lakeside town catalogs clues with fellow librarians and her lawyer mom to solve a mystery.
Curiosity Thrilled the Cat is the first book in the Magical Cats Mystery Series by Sofie Kelly. In this enchanting library mystery, a Minnesota librarian and her two magical stray cats solve the purr-fect murder at a summer music festival.
Murder at the Lakeside Library is the first book in the Lakeside Library Mystery Series by Holly Danvers. In this library-themed mystery, a woman turns her family’s rustic Wisconsin cabin into a cozy community library and tries to solve a mystery to exonerate her mother.
Murder Past Due is the first book in the Cat Among the Stacks Mystery Series by Miranda James. In this library cozy mystery, a good natured Mississippi librarian and the Maine coon cat he rescued paw through their small town's grudges to solve a mystery.
Books Can Be Deceiving is part of the Library Lover's Mystery Series by Jenn McKinlay. In this bookish mystery, a library director in a cozy Connecticut town gets mixed up in a mystery to make sure law enforcement doesn’t throw the book at the wrong person.
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