2025 Christmas Cozy Mysteries I Am Looking Forward To

A Wonderful Christmas Crime by Jacqueline Frost

Innkeeper Holly White has a lot to be joyful about this season, until an attempted robbery throws the town into suspicion in the sixth installment of the Christmas Tree Farm mysteries from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

As Christmas descends on Mistletoe, Maine, Holly White has an extra gift for the season: a new baby on the way. Her husband, Sheriff Evan Gray, has been worried about her elevated blood pressure, and Holly has agreed to take this year easy. Being idle has never been one of Holly’s gifts, so when Evan surprises her with tickets to the town-wide dinner, she and her many cravings thank him. But when a thief tries and fails to steal an antique ornament from the dinner’s holiday display, it’s clear that someone is on the naughty list.

The thief manages to escape, but after dinner, Holly spots their lifeless body. It’s clear that someone in town was keen to kill them. Evan is less than jolly to find his wife at the scene of yet another holiday homicide and asks her to promise that she’ll leave the investigating to the police. But Holly has never been one to turn down a challenge and has to get creative with the help of a few of her friends in order to find this killer.

Will she and her friends be able to stop the killer and uncover the motive behind the attempted robbery, or will the killer strike again and paint the town a bloody red? (from Amazon.com)

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch

It’s Christmas in Penstowan, and local amateur dramatics group the Penstowan Players are putting on their annual pantomime.

This year it’s ‘Aladdin’, and half the town have been drafted in to help, including Shirley Parker, who only has a small part in the chorus but will no doubt upstage everybody, and Tony Penhaligon, who’s treading the boards as the baddie, Abanazar. Ex-Metropolitan police officer turned caterer Jodie Parker has managed to get away with not appearing, but only if she agrees to cater the opening night party.

But it’s not just terrible jokes, quick costume changes and backstage chaos that wait in the wings… When the Widow Twankey (otherwise known as Tim, the mayor’s husband) trips over a corpse lying next to Aladdin’s bloodstained magic lamp, it’s time for Jodie and her partner, DCI Nathan Withers, to find the killer.

Was it the genie of the lamp or an overly harsh theatre critic? Or does someone in the Penstowan Players have a dark secret they will do anything to protect? (from Amazon.com)

Murder at Mistletoe Manor by F.L. Everett

Welcome to Mistletoe Manor Hotel.

Four days before Christmas, twelve stranded strangers gather round a crackling fire…They are sheltering from the storm raging outside. But their relief is short-lived: as the snow deepens, the tree-lined avenue winding through the hotel’s parkland becomes impassable. Their isolation is complete.

The next morning, a body is found in one of the luxurious four-poster beds. As twelve strangers become eleven suspects, who among them has checked in with murder in mind?And will any of them live to see another Christmas…? (from Amazon.com)

Gingerbread, Garlands, and Gunshots by Tonya Kappes

Welcome to NORMAL… where nothing is normal!

It’s a not-so-merry Christmas in Normal, Kentucky! When bossy Gingerbread Gala chairwoman Harper Stewart is found strangled with holiday garland, campground owner Mae West and the Laundry Club Ladies swap cocoa for clues. From feuding bakers to a fake fundraiser—and even Mae’s mother-in-law landing on the suspect list—Happy Trails Campground becomes ground zero for one festive whodunit.

Packed with small-town charm, Southern sass, and Christmas chaos, Gingerbread, Garlands, & Gunshots is the perfect cozy mystery for sleuths who like their holidays sweet…with a dash of murder. (from Amazon.com)

O, Deadly Night by Vicki Delaney

It’s Christmastime in Rudolph, New York, which means it’s time for the December Santa Claus parade. This year, shop owner Merry Wilkinson has decided to decorate her float as Santa’s elves’ workshop and invites her landlady, Mabel D’Angelo, to help supervise the excited children playing the elves. But when Mrs. D’Angelo doesn’t show up, Merry begins to worry.

Worry quickly turns into frustration when Mrs. D’Angelo reveals she was delayed by new neighbors moving in. As the center for all things gossip, Mrs. D’Angelo is determined to introduce the new arrivals to the neighborhood. As the days pass, Mrs. D’Angelo notices strange things about the newcomers, but Merry, busier than an elf in Santa’s workshop, has little time for matters that really don’t concern her. But things turn from jolly to downright concerning when Mrs. D’Angelo disappears and Merry is forced to admit that something might be terribly wrong.

With family and friends counting on her during this stressful holiday season, it is up to Merry to make sure this Christmas doesn’t end up wrapped in blood red. (from Amazon.com)

A Zappy Little Christmas by Paula Charles

Silver bells ring out, but in the air there’s a feeling of…murder.

Pine Bluff, Oregon resembles a perfect cozy Christmas card. Sparkling Christmas trees line snowy main street. Wreaths, red ribbons, and colored lights adorn every door. Hardware store owner Dawna Carpenter is in a festive mood. She invites her elderly neighbor, Smitty, to join her and daughter April on the Christmas Light Tour, a trolley that takes guests through all the best decorated neighborhoods while they enjoy steaming mugs of hot cocoa and scrumptious treats.

But when Smitty spies one of the homeowners dead—a macabre decoration in an otherwise merry display—the cheerful ride turns somber fast. Dawna notices the ghost of the deceased woman standing next to the display, clearly angry over her recent demise. As snow blankets the valley and her newest employee is implicated in the crime, it’s up to Dawna to find out who’s been naughty and who’s been nice—before it’s lights out for her. (from Amazon.com)

A Jingle of Justice by Daryl Wood Garber

Carmel-by-the-Sea garden shop owner Courtney Kelly is merrily preparing the shop for the holidays . . .

Courtney cherishes the festive season. She loves displaying jingle bells and creating seasonally-themed fairy gardens. She looks forward to the book club tea when she will serve delicious gingerbread cookies and discuss a darling mystery set at the holidays.

But when a stranger comes in talking about buried treasure in the courtyard and, soon after, the stranger is found dead in the shop while clutching one of the shop’s jingle bells, Courtney’s joy fizzles. Although she knows the police are savvy, she intends to discover the truth. Did the town grinch kill the stranger? Did another treasure hunter end the woman’s life? Or did the clockmaker decide it was the woman’s time to die? It might take a dash of fairy dust and some holiday magic for Courtney to identify the killer. (from Amazon.com)

Deck the Halls with Homicide by Christina Romeril

Perfect for fans of Hoanne Fluke and Laura Childs, when a holiday decorating contest turns deadly, twin sisters Alex and Hanna trade tinsel and twinkle lights for tracking the twists and turns of a cunning killer.

Alex and Hanna, owners of Murder and Mayhem book and chocolate shop, are hoping for a quiet holiday. That is, after Alex is finished judging the Deck the Halls contest organized by Vanessa, nicknamed “The Dragon.” The whole experience has turned Alex’s usual festive spirit a little grinchy. Instead of inspiring holiday cheer with fun lawn displays, the contest has turned cutthroat and decorations have started disappearing. After Alex’s beau, Tom, is seen in a heated argument with the Dragon about his stolen trimmings, Alex finds him dressed as Santa, kneeling over Vanessa’s dead body…with one of his missing candy cane decorations buried in her chest. It’s no surprise he becomes the sheriff’s top suspect.

Alex and Hanna quickly amass a cast of suspects deeper than Santa’s reindeer roster, including an old family friend tasked by their mother with romantic interference; a nosy reporter eager to reveal Alex’s previous murder-y exploits; and the victim’s psychologist-to-the-stars husband with a spicy secret. But as they try to catch a crafty killer, Alex also grapples with the escalating wrath of Tom’s daughter, and a mysterious psychic dropping cryptic clues, while Hanna deals with her own Christmas crisis.

Murder puts a bitter spin on the twins’ sweet confections and they must find the killer and wrap up the case to keep Santa off the naughty list. (from Amazon.com)

The Twelve Lies of Christmas by Ella Strike

December 1923, London

Kitty Goring isn’t in the mood for tinsel or trifle. But when her mother insists she attend Lady Penelope Ponsonby’s legendary Christmas masquerade at Frostbrook House, Kitty dons her peacock mask, her emerald velvet gown, and prepares for a night of brittle small talk and bottomless champagne.
What she didn’t prepare for was murder.

As snow drifts settle over the grand estate and champagne glasses clink beneath chandeliers, Lady Penelope unveils a scandalous parlour game: The Twelve Lies of Christmas.

But when one guest is found dead beside the punch bowl, the game turns deadly. And the lies begin to snowball.Trapped in a house full of high society’s most cunning socialites, rivals, and a few too many “coincidental” strangers, Kitty must race to uncover which lie was worth killing for…before the killer strikes again.

With her loyal Scottie dog by her side, an increasingly irate Detective Inspector Henry Burton underfoot, and mistletoe concealing more secrets than kisses, Kitty must solve the case before the twelve lies turn into twelve corpses. (from Amazon.com)

A Very Merry Murder by Kate Wells

When Jude Gray inherited Malvern Farm, she never thought she’d become so used to farm life, let alone be good at it! But now a beloved national TV show is coming to film their Christmas special on her land, celebrating the charm of rural living.

At least, that’s the plan… until one of the crew is found dead in suspicious circumstances.

At first, it looks like a tragic accident, but when alibis start to crack, it seems like anything but. With a growing list of suspects and enough behind-the-scenes drama to rival anything the cameras are capturing, Jude must dig deep to uncover the truth.

Because someone on her farm is hiding a deadly secret – and this year, the season of goodwill may come with a killer twist… (from Amazon.com)

The Mistletoe Murder Club by Katie Marsh

When Clio – a former actress and current struggling private detective – manages to score a key role in the town’s Christmas pantomime, she’s secretly delighted. At last, perhaps, her talents will be recognized?

It’s all going dramatically well, until their esteemed director is found murdered on the opening night. And Clio knows it’s up to her to find out who the mistletoe murderer is.

She knows her best chance of capturing the culprit is to bring her best friends Amber and Jeanie into the cast. Even if the best way to sneak them in is to carefully conceal them both in a pantomime cow costume.

But before she can cry ‘he’s behind you’, all of them will be in danger for their lives, as there’s a murderer with only one thing on their mind… to bring the curtain down on the Mistletoe Murder Club. Forever. (from Amazon.com)

Death at the Village Christmas Fair by Debbie Young

It’s been a busy year for Alice Carroll, with her Curiosity Shop opening for business, and not one but two murders shaking things up in her quaint Cotswold village. She’s looking forward to her first countryside Christmas, complete with traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run.

But her hopes for innocent festive fun are thwarted when one of the Santa Runners steals something from her mum’s knitting stall. His festive outfit makes him hard to spot, until he’s found fatally injured outside the village hall with the stolen item.

Despite what the police say, Alice suspects there’s more to his murder than meets the eye. She’s determined to solve the mystery – including why, once more, a stranger thought something from her Curiosity Shop was worth killing for. (from Amazon.com)

In Conclusion

I hope that you enjoyed this list of 2025 Christmas Cozy Mysteries to read this Christmas season. While all of these mysteries are different they all feature small towns, a murder investigation, and plenty of holiday spirit. They are perfect for the reader who loves solving mysteries with a warm beverage and festive cheer.

And if you know a reader who you need to buy a gift for, these titles would make great holiday gifts.

So with that being said… If you’re reading this at the end of the year, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all are enjoying the most wonderful time of the year.