Cozy Mystery News and Updates
Read cozy mystery news and find out what’s new on CozyCrimeReads.com
Stay up-to-date on cozy mystery news, books, events, and more with the monthly Cozy Crime Reads Newsletter
Cozy Mystery News
Maya Corrigan
Maya Corrigan, author of the Five-Ingredient Mystery Series, passed away on January 3. She was a wonderful author and an exceptionally kind woman. You can read a statement from her daughter, Nora, about Maya’s passing on Maya’s Facebook Page.
Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder
Kensington Books recently confirmed the cancellation of Joanne Fluke’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Murder, book 30 in the Hannah Swensen Mystery Series. They did not provide a reason for the cancellation.
You Should Totally Write That
Award-winning authors LL Kirchner and Tara Lush recently launched a new podcast on Substack called You Should Totally Write That. This podcast dives into the unfiltered truth about DIY publishing. The first episode focuses on the biggest question every aspiring indie author needs to answer: Do you have what it takes to DIY publish? The second episode covers Publishing terms every author should know.
Amazon Pre-Order Previews
Starting January 2026, Amazon will begin showing “Read Samples” for some ebook pre-orders. This new feature will be similar to the “Read Sample” feature on published books. It will allow buyers to preview up to 10% of the book. If a manuscript has not been uploaded, no reading sample will be shown on Amazon.
Annual Cozy Mystery Book Market Report
The annual Cozy Mystery book market report has been released by K-lytics. According to the report, there has been a steady rise in search interest for cozy mystery books for the first time since 2021. The report also indicates that indie authors are dominating the market—over 70% of authors in the top rankings are indies. The report includes distilled insights from more than 7,000 cozy mystery books and identifies the best categories, most popular themes and market niches, high-selling covers, top authors and publishers, trending keywords, best price points, and more.
Mystery Awards News
2026 Grand Masters, Raven & Ellery Queen Awards
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) announced the recipients of its special awards for 2026. The MWA board chose Donna Andrews and Lee Child as the 2026 Grand Masters. Book Passage is the 2026 Raven Award recipient, and John Scognamiglio of Kensington Books is the Ellery Queen Award recipient. The awards will be presented at the 80th Annual Edgar Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2026 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City.
Lefty Awards
Left Coast Crime 2026 presents four Lefty Awards at its annual convention. The nominees chosen by the convention registrants in each category are:
Lefty Nominees for Best Debut Mystery
Adrian Andover, Whiskey Business
Kristen L. Berry, We Don’t Talk About Carol
Laurie L. Dove, Mask of the Deer Woman
Sue Hincenbergs, The Retirement Plan
Marisa Kashino, Best Offer Wins
Diane Schaffer, Mortal Zin
Lefty Nominees for Best Mystery
Lou Berney, Crooks
Claire Booth, Throwing Shadows
Tracy Clark, Edge
Leslie Karst, Waters of Destruction
James L'Etoile, River of Lies
Gigi Pandian, The Library Game
Lefty Nominees for Best Historical Mystery
Cara Black, Huguette
Mariah Fredericks, The Girl in the Green Dress
Dianne Freeman, A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder
Claire M. Johnson, City Lights
Laurie R. King, Knave of Diamonds
Rob Osler, The Case of the Missing Maid
Lefty Nominees for Best Humorous Mystery
Ellen Byron, Solid Gold Murder
Jennifer J. Chow, Star-Crossed Egg Tarts
Elizabeth Crowens, Bye Bye Blackbird
Catriona McPherson, Scot’s Eggs
Cindy Sample, All’s Faire in Love and Murder
New on Cozy Crime Reads
Featured Cozy
Free Books
Author Interviews
Seasonal Reading
New and Coming Soon
Reading Kits
Cozy Fun
Book Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win the Emelia Walsh Cozy Mystery Series
Enter the Emelia Walsh Cozy Mystery Giveaway for a chance to win all three ebooks in the Emelia Walsh Cozy Mystery Series by Abigail Scott. Read more about the Emelia Walsh Cozy Mystery Series.
The main character in this fun cozy mystery series is Emelia Walsh, and she has one of the most unusual jobs on the planet: a Professional Bridesmaid. Armed with an emergency kit that would impress MacGyver, Emmy steps into strangers' weddings and becomes whatever the bride needs: a confidante, an emotional buffer, or a human fire extinguisher.
NO PURCHASE IS REQUIRED to enter this contest. You must be 18+ years old to enter. The giveaway ends February 3, 2026.
Books Coming Soon
Home for the Homicides
Hannah Morrissey and Elle Cosimano recently announced their upcoming rom-com-murder-mystery-mashup Home for the Homicides. In this book, Special Agents Holly Frost and Mark Shepherd report to the idyllic town of Christmas to investigate a very less than idyllic murder, and quickly discover they’re in for more than the average whodunnit. Home for the Homicides will be out on October 13, 2026 and is available for pre-order. See Home for the Homicides on Amazon.
Golden Girls
Death on the Lanai, the second book in the NY Times bestselling Golden Girls Mystery Series by Rachel Ekstrom Courage will be released on April 28, 2026 and is available for pre-order. The Golden Girls accept a very strange invitation to a lavish party on a remote island estate and get embroiled in a murder mystery. See Death on the Lanai on Amazon.
Amanda Flower
Amanda Flower has two new mystery series in the works. The first is the Amish Country Cafe Mysteries. This spinoff from the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries and the Amish Matchmaker Mysteries features Lois Henry’s granddaughter Darcy Woodin as the main character. The second is a new historical mystery series called The First Ladies Murder Club. The first novel is set in 1894 and involves the current and former First Ladies of the United States. Julia Dent Grant (Ulysses S. Grant’s widow) and her daughter, Nellie Grant, are the main characters.
More Cozies Coming Soon
There are lots of highly anticipated cozy mystery books coming out in 2025 and 2026. See other cozy mysteries coming soon.
Cozy Mystery TV and Movie News
Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials
Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, a new adaptation of the novel, The Seven Dials Mystery, by the Queen of Crime, premiered on Netflix on January 15, 2026. In this series, an unlikely sleuth investigates a lavish country house party in 1925 England. The three-episode limited series stars Mia McKenna-Bruce, Helena Bonham Carter, and Martin Freeman. Watch a Seven Dials Trailer on Netflix .
Hannah Swensen Movie
Murder At The Masquerade, the next Hannah Swensen Mystery movie, is in the works for Hallmark. The movie is based on Joanne Fluke’s cozy mystery novel Red Velvet Cupcake Murder. Alison Sweeney, Barbara Niven, and Gabriel Hogan will be returning to reprise their roles as Hannah Swensen, Delores Swensen (Hannah’s mother), and Doctor Norman Rhodes (Hannah’s close friend), respectively.
Murder, She Wrote Movie
A Murder, She Wrote reboot is in the works. Jamie Lee Curtis will star in the Universal Pictures film as Jessica Fletcher. Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo (writers of Dumb Money) are writing the script. No release date announced.
Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club
The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club film rights were recently sold to Wendi McLendon-Covey, Gladys Gonzalez, and Sophia Lucchesi at Strong Beach Productions. The book’s author, Gloria Chao, will be adapting the story.
Cozy Mystery Events
Kensington Cozy Con South
Kensington Publishing and All Booked Up bookstore are hosting a Cozy Con in The Villages/Wildwood area of Florida on January 31, 2026.
Cozy mystery authors will attend to participate in meet-and-greets and brief talks about their books. Books will be available for purchase, and a light lunch will be served.
The event will be held at the Wildwood Community Center, 6500 Powell Road, Wildwood, Florida.
2026 Left Coast Crime
The 36th annual Left Coast Crime Convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building from February 26 through March 1, 2026. This annual convention for mystery readers and writers features a Thursday Opening Reception, a Friday Meet the New Authors Breakfast, a Saturday Breakfast, and a Saturday Awards Banquet, as well as interviews, panels, and other opportunities for readers, authors, critics, librarians, publishers, and other fans to meet, greet, and learn. You can register for the event as a reader/fan or an author/panelist.
2026 Ashland Mystery Festival
The dates for the 2026 Ashland Mystery Festival have been announced. The festival will be held October 8-11, 2026 in Ashland, Oregon. More info on attending authors and the event schedule will be announced at a later date. Ashland Mystery Festival is an annual immersive, cozy mystery-themed event where fans meet authors and attend panels, workshops, and other special events.
This page may contain affiliate links. Cozy Crime Reads may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.