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Cozy Mystery Authors

A list of cozy mystery authors.

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A Cozy Mystery usually takes place in a benign universe, in a small town setting. They usually involve a domestic crime, one without violence or bloodshed, committed with a blunt instrument or poison. Cozies are most often solved by gifted amateur detectives, and involve solving some form of a puzzle through observation, deduction and the keen understanding of human nature. There is no graphic violence or use of strong language.

(New additions denoted with an * )

Author. Series Characters, Character's Profession, and Character's Hometown

  • Abbott, Jeff Jordan Poteet, Librarian, Mirabeau, Texas
  • Adams, Harold Carl Wilcox, Ex-Convict Sign-Painter, 1930s South Dakota

  • Aird, Catherine Christopher "Seedy" Sloan, Inspector, West Calleshire, England
  • Albert, Susan Wittig China Bales, Herb Shop owner, Texas
  • *Alexander, Ellie.  Sloan Krause, a brewer, Leavenworth, Washington
  • *Alexander, Tasha.  Lady Emily Ashton, a young widow, Victorian England
  • Allingham, Margery Albert Campion, Sleuth, London
  • *Andrews, Donna.  Meg Langslow, decorative blacksmith, Virginia
  • Atherton, Nancy Aunt Dimity, Romantic English Ghost, England

 

  • Ballard, Mignon.  Dimple Kilpatrick, first-grade teacher, World War II-era Elderberry, Georgia
  • Barnard, Robert Charlie Peace, Detective, Scotland Yard, London
  • Barnard, Robert Oddie, Inner city school teacher, London
  • Barnard, Robert Perry Trethowan, Inspector, Scotland Yard, London
  • Barron, Stephanie Jane Austen, author, 19C England

  • Beaton, M.C. Agatha Raisin, Advertising retiree, Cotswolds, England
  • Beaton, M.C. Hamish Macbeth, Police constable, Scotland
  • Beck, K.K. Iris Cooper, Flapper, 1920s Portland Ore.

  • Berenson, Laurien Melanie Travis, Special Ed teacher, Connecticut

  • Bishop, Claudia Sarah and Meg Quilliam, Bed & Breakfast owners, New York
  • Blake, Nicholas Nigel Strangeways, Amateur sleuth, England
  • Bowen, Rhys Evan Evans, Village Constable, Wales

  • Bowen, Rhys Molly Murphy, Irish Immigrant, Early 1900s New York City

  • Boylan, Eleanor Clara Gamadge, Widow of forgery expert, New York City
  • Brand, Christianna Inspector Cockrill, Constable, Kent County, England
  • Braun, Lilian Jackson Jim Qwilleran and cats Koko & Yum Yum, Ex-police reporter, Midwest
  • Breen, Jon Jerry Brogan, Track announcer at Surfside Meadows, California
  • Breen, Jon Rachel Hennings, Bookstore owner, Los Angeles
  • Brett, Simon Charles Paris, Alcoholic actor, England
  • Brett, Simon Melita Pargeter, Widow of a thief, England
  • Brightwell, Emily Inspector Witherspoon and housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries, England
  • Brown, Lizbie Elizabeth Blair, American Quilt Shop Owner, Bath England

  • Bruce, Leo Sgt. Beef, Village constable, England
  • Bruce, Leo Carolus Deene, Master in a boy's school, England
  • Burley, W.J. Charles Wycliffe, CID Superintendent, West Country, England

 

  • Cameron, Dana Emma Fielding, Archaeologist, Various Locations

  • Cannell, Dorothy Ellie & Ben Haskell, Interior decorator & writer/chef, England
  • Carr, John Dickson (also Dickson, Carter) Dr. Gideon Fell, England
  • Carvic, Heron/Crane,Hamilton Miss Emily D. Seeton, Retired Art Teacher, England

  • Caudwell, Sarah Hilary Tamar, Professor of Medieval law, Oxford, England
  • Charles, Nora Kate Kennedy, Senior Citizen, Florida

  • Chesney, Marion Captain Harry Cartwright and Lady Rose Summer, Edwardian England

  • Chesterton, G.K. Father Brown, England
  • Childs, Laura Theodosia Browning, Tea Shop Owner, Charleston, South Carolina

  • Childs, Laura Carmela Bertrand, Scrapbooking Shop Owner, New Orleans

  • Christie, Agatha Hercules Poirot, Belgian cop-turned private detective, London
  • Christie, Agatha Miss Jane Marple, Spinster, St. Mary's Mead, England
  • Christie, Agatha Tuppence & Tommy Beresford, Adventurers for hire/intelligence agents, England
  • Christmas, Joyce Betty Trenka, Retired Office Manager, Connecticut

  • Christmas, Joyce Lady Margaret Priam, New York City

  • Churchill, Jill Jane Jeffry, Suburban single mother, Chicago
  • Cleeves, Ann George & Molly Palmer-Jones, Ex-Home official/Bird-watcher & wife, Surrey, England
  • Clinton-Baddeley, V.C. Dr. R.V. Davie, Professor, Cambridge, England
  • Comfort, B. Tish McWhinney, 70ish artist, Vermont
  • Conant, Susan Holly Winter, Dog trainer, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Corwin, C.R. Maddy Sprowls, 60+ Newspaper Librarian, Ohio City

  • Coyle, Cleo Clare Cosi, Coffee House Manager, Greenwich Village

  • Craig, Philip J. W. Jackson, Ex-Boston Cop, Martha’s Vineyard,

  • Crispin, Edmund Gervase Fen, Oxford professor of English, England
  • Cross, Amanda Kate Fansler, English professor, New York City

 

  • Daheim, Mary Emma Lord, Newspaper Owner, Alpine, Washington

  • Daheim, Mary Judith McMonigle Flynn, B & B Owner, Seattle

  • Daly, Elizabeth Henry Gamadge, Author & bibliophile, New York City
  • Dams, Jeanne Dorothy Martin, Retired American schoolteacher, England

  • Dams, Jeanne Hilda Johansson, Swedish Immigrant Servant, South Bend, Indiana

  • Davidson, Diane Mott Goldy Bear, Caterer & single mom, Aspen Meadow, Colorado
  • Dean, S.F.X. Professor Kelly, College professor, New England
  • Deere, Dicey Torrey Tunet, Translator, Irish Village

  • Dennison, Hannah Kat Stanford, TV celebrity, Devon, England
  • Dobson, Joanne Karen Pelletier, English Professor, Massachusetts

  • Dunn, Carola Daisy Dalrymple, Aristocrat, Chelsea, England

 

  • Elkins, Aaron Chris Norgren, Art museum curator, Seattle, Washington
  • Elkins, Aaron Gideon Oliver, Anthropology professor, Port Angeles, Washington
  • *Ernst, Kathleen.  Chloe Ellefson, museum curator, rural Wisconsin

 

  • Farmer, Jerrilyn Madeline Bean, Caterer, Hollywood

  • Ferrars, E.X. Andrew Basnett, Botany professor, England
  • Ferrars, E.X. Supt. Ditteridge, Police superintendent, England
  • Ferrars, E.X. Toby Dyke, Amateur sleuth, England
  • Ferrars, E.X. Virginia & Felix Freer, Physiotherapist & businessman, England
  • *Flower, Amanda.  Fiona Knox, florist with a magical garden, Duncreigan, Scotland,
  • Fluke, Joanne Hannah Swensen, Diner Manager, Lake Eden, Minnesota

  • Fowler, Elaine Benni Harper, Folk Art Museum Curator, California

  • Fraser, Antonia Jemima Shore, Television interviewer, England
  • Frazer, Margaret Sr. Frevisse, Medieval nun, Oxford, England

 

  • George, Anne Mouse Hollowell, Retired English Teacher, Sister Crane, Bar Owner, Alabama

  • Graham, Caroline Tom Barnaby, Chief Inspector, Midsommer, England

  • Gray, Gallagher Theodore S. Hubbard & Auntie Lil, elderly personnel manager and dress designer, New York
  • Greenwood, John Inspector Mosley, Yorkshire, England
  • Greenwood, Kerry Phryne Fisher, 1920s Melbourne, Australia

  • Grimes, Martha Richard Jury, Investigator, Scotland Yard, England

 

  • Hammond, Gerald John Cunningham, War hero & hunting-dog trainer, Scotland
  • Hammond, Gerald Keith Calder, Gunsmith & sport shooter, Newton Lauder, Scotland
  • Hardwick, Mollie Doran Fairweather, Antiques dealer, Kent, England
  • Hart, Carolyn Annie Laurance & Max Darling, Bookstore owner & investigator, South Carolina
  • Hart, Carolyn Henrietta O'Dwyer Collins, 70ish reporter, South Carolina
  • Haywood, Gar Anthony Joe Dottie Loudermilk, Retired, Traveling in the USA

  • *Hechtman, Betty.  Molly Pink, widow, bookstore owner and crochet group coordinator, Tarzana, California

  • *Hechtman, Betty.  Casey Feldstein, dessert chef and owner of a yarn retreat business, Monterey, California

  • Henry, Sue Maxie McNab, Widow, Traveling in the USA

  • Hess, Joan Arly Hanks, Police chief, Maggody, Arkansas
  • Hess, Joan Claire Malloy, Bookstore owner, Farberville, Arkansas
  • Heyer, Georgette Superintendent Hannasyde, Police superintendent, England
  • Holt, Hazel Sheila Malory, Literary magazine writer, Devon, England
  • Holtzer, Susan Anneke Haagen, Computer consultant, Michigan
  • Hunter, Maddy Emily Andrew, Tour Guide, Various Locations

 

  • Innes, Michael George Appleby, Aristocratic inspector, England
  • Kallen, Lucille Maggie Rome & C.B. Greenfield, Reporter & editor/publisher, Connecticut
  • Kingsbury, Kate Cecily Sinclair, Hotel Owner, Edwardian England

  • Kingsbury, Kate Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton, WWII England

  • Knight, Kathryn Lasky Calista Jacobs, Children's book illustrator, Cambridge, Massachusetts

 

  • Langton, Jane Homer Kelly, Harvard professor & retired detective, Cambridge, Massachusetts
  • Lathen, Emma John Putnam Thatcher, Wall Street financial whiz, New York City
  • Laurence, Janet Darina Lisle, Caterer, West Country, England

  • Lemarchand, Elizabeth Tom Pollard & Gregory Toye, Scotland Yard detectives, England
  • Linscott, Gillian Nell Bray, Suffragette, England

  • Lockridge, Frances and Richard Inspector Merton Heimrich, State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, NYC
  • Lockridge, Frances and Richard Pam & Jerry North, Book publisher & wife, New York City
  • Lutz, Lisa Isabele “Izzy” Spellman, 28-Year Old Private Eye, San Francisco

 

 

  • McCrumb, Sharyn Elizabeth MacPherson, Forensic anthropologist, Southern U.S.
  • McCrumb, Sharyn Dr. James Owens Mega, College professor & science-fiction author
  • McCrumb, Sharyn Spencer Arrowood, Sheriff, Appalachia
  • McKevett, G.A Savannah Reid, Private Eye, Southern California

  • *McKinlay, Jenn.  Lindsey Norris, director of the Briar Creek Public Library, Briar Creek, Connecticut

  • MacLeod, Charlotte Peter Shandy & Helen Marsh Shandy, Botany professor & librarian, Massachusetts
  • MacLeod, Charlotte Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn, Investigators, Boston
  • MacPherson, Rett Victoria O’Shea, Genealogist, Missouri Small Town

  • Maffini, Mary Jane Fiona Silk, Romance Writer, Quebec

  • Maffini, Mary Jane Camilla MacPhee, Violent Crime Victim Advocate, Ottawa

  • Malliet, G. M. Max Tudor, vicar and and former MI-5 agent, Nether Monkslip, England
  • Marsh, Ngaio Roderick Alleyn, Inspector son of a baron, London
  • Martin, Nancy Nora, Emma, and Libby Blackbird, Heiresses, Philadelphia

  • Meier, Leslie Lucy Stone, Wife and Mother, Maine Small Town

  • Monfredo, Miriam Grace Glynis Tryon, Librarian and suffragette, Seneca Falls, NY
  • Morice, Anne Tessa Crichton, Actress sleuth, England
  • Mortimer, John Horace Rumpole, Barrister, London

  • Murphy, Haughton Reuben Frost, Retired Wall Street attorney, New York City
  • Myers, Tamar Abigail Timberlake, Antique Shop Owner, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Myers, Tamar Magdalena Yoder, Mennonite Inn Owner, Pennsylvania

 

  • Page, Katherine Hall Faith Sibley Fairchild, Minister's wife/culinary artist, Massachusetts
  • Paige, Robin Kathryn Ardleigh, American author, Victorian Dedham, England
  • Penny, Louise Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector, Québec

  • Peters, Elizabeth Amelia Peabody, Victorian feminist archaeologist, Kent, England
  • Peters, Elizabeth Jacqueline Kirby, Librarian romance writer, New York
  • Peters, Elizabeth Vicky Bliss, Art historian, Bavaria, Germany
  • Peters, Ellis Brother Cadfael, Medieval monk & herbalist, Shrewsbury, England
  • Peters, Ellis George, Bunty & Dominic Felse, Family of detectives, Comersford, Shropshire, England
  • Pickard, Nancy Jenny Cain, Foundation director, Port Frederick, Massachusetts
  • Pulver, Mary Monica Peter & Kori Price Brichter, Police detective & horse breeder, Illinois

 

  • *Raybourn, Deanna.  Veronica Speedwell, adventuress, 1880s England
  • Rich, Virginia Eugenia Potter, Widowed chef, Maine & Arizona
  • Roberts, Gillian Amanda Pepper, Private Prep School Teacher, Philadelphia

  • Rowe, Jennifer Birdie Birdwood, TV Researcher, Australia

  • Rowlands, Betty Melissa Craig, Mystery writer, Cotswolds, England
  • Runcie, James Sidney Chambers, bachelor and vicar, Cambridgeshire, England

 

  • Sayers, Dorothy L. Lord Peter Wimsey, Pianist, bibliophile & criminologist, London
  • Scoppettone, Sandra Faye Quick, Private Eye, 1940s New York City

  • Scoppettone, Sandra Lauren Laurano, Lesbian Private Eye, Manhattan

  • Sherwood, John Celia Grant, Widowed owner of a horticultural business, England
  • Simpson, Dorothy Luke Thanet, Police Inspector, England

  • Smith, Alexander McCall Isabel Dalhousie, Amateur Philosopher, Edinburgh

  • Smith, Alexander McCall Mma Precious Ramotswe, Private Eye, Botswana

  • Sprinkle, Patricia Sheila Travis, Public relations executive, Atlanta
  • Strohmeyer, Sarah Bubbles Yablonsky, Hairdresser and Journalist, Lehigh, Pennsylvania

  • *Swanson, Denise.  Skye Denison-Boyd, school psychologist, Scumble River, Illinois

 

  • Taylor, Phoebe Atwood Asey Mayo, Sailor & auto racer, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
  • Tey, Josephine Alan Grant, Inspector, Scotland Yard, England
  • Thompson, Victoria Sarah Brandt, Midwife, 1890s New York City

  • Trocheck, Kathy Hogan Callahan Garrity, Cleaning service operator, Atlanta

 

  • Viets, Elaine Francesca Vierling, Journalist, St. Louis
  • Viets, Elaine Helen Hawthorne, Minimum-Wage Worker, Florida

  • Viets, Elaine Josie Marcus, Undercover Store Spy,  St. Louis

 

  • Walsh, Jill Paton Imogene Quy, School nurse, Cambridge, England
  • Watson, Colin Walter Purbright, Inspector, Flaxborough, England
  • Wentworth, Patricia Ernest Lamb, Police inspector, London
  • Wentworth, Patricia Miss Maud Silver, Retired governess & spinster P.I., London
  • Winspear, Jacquelin Maisie Dobbs, Psychologist and Private Eye, 1920s – 30s London

  • Wolzien, Valerie Josie Pigeon, All-Woman Construction Firm Owner, Northeast USA

  • Wolzien, Valerie Susan Henshaw, Suburban Housewife, Connecticut

 

Based on a list created by Helene Androski, Reference Librarian at UW-Madison Memorial Library and Cozy (Traditional) Mysteries on Stop You're Killing Me website (updated 10/29/19 kah)