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23 Best Christmas Cozy Mystery Books You Should Read in 2024

23 Best Christmas Cozy Mystery Books You Should Read in 2024. such as Just William, Who Killed the Curate?, Mistletoe and Murder, Midwinter Murder...
Welcome to an insightful journey through the '23 Best Christmas Cozy Mystery Books,' written by Muhiuddin Alam on the book recommendations and reviews site, ReadingAndThinking.com.

Over the years as a leading authority on literary expertise, I've created numerous articles on the topics of Best Holiday Books, many of which can be found on this site. I'm also a regular contributor to other websites and publications.

I have received many requests to recommend some of the Christmas mystery books 2024. In response, I'm pleased to offer my expert recommendations in this article.

I will recommend the best Christmas cozy mysteries in this post, which is based on my in-depth study and extensive research in this field. Some notable recommendations include here: Just William, Who Killed the Curate?, Mistletoe and Murder, Midwinter Murder, and Hercule Poirot's Christmas.

These aren't the only books on this topic. Below, you'll find 23 books with detailed descriptions of each of these outstanding resources, helping you make well-informed decisions in your Christmas cozy mysteries journey. 

So, when I suggest these books, it's because I've read a lot and want to share the best ones with you. I'm all about making your reading experience awesome. Trust in a guide deeply immersed in the literary books and stories. I love books just like you do!

best-christmas-cozy-mystery-books

Best Christmas Mysteries Books to Read in 2024

Winter is finally here, and that means it's time to curl up with a good cozy mystery book! 

From cozy mysteries with a festive flavor to heartwarming stories about family and friends, these books are perfect for a cozy night in!. 

If you're looking for a great Christmas read, then check out our selection of cozy mystery books. Here you'll find mystery series with romance, suspense, and mystery, all perfect for a winter holiday read.

Whether you're a mystery lover or not, these Christmas mysteries are sure to keep you entertained. We've picked out some of our favorite Christmas cozy mysteries and given you a short summary of each one. 

So whether you're looking for a quick read or a full-length mystery novel, be sure to check out these Christmas cozy mysteries! You won't be disappointed! 

From cozy mysteries with a Christmastime twist to traditional holiday mystery plots, these books will have you wrapped up in a warm Christmas mystery!



1. Just William: Home for the Holidays 


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Just William: Home for the Holidays by Richmal Crompton

So first up I wanted to recommend Just William at Christmas by Richmond Crompton Richmond Crompton wrote many books for children under the Just Williams series just William is a very naughty boy 

and he has friends he has lots of friends and they gather together as a group called the outlaws and they all get up to no good her writing actually reminds me a bit of a sort of pg wood house for children. 

I think that's why adults still love reading these because all of the stories are so tightly plotted you always wonder how William is going to get out of his latest scrape but he always does manage it or almost always anyway 

and I love the Christmas stories that are gathered together in this volume there's also an audible edition of this book which is read by Martin Jarvis and I do recommend that it's just so funny and light-hearted that I always giggle when I read or listen to the just William books so this is a real favorite of mine.

 

2. Who Killed the Curate? 



Then I wanted to share this book called Who Killed the Curate a Christmas Mystery by Joan Coggin I love reading cozy mysteries at Christmas there's always at least one by my bedside table 

I always hope to get a new one on Christmas day I just love cozy mysteries generally but there's something special about reading them at this time of year, especially one set at Christmas which is why I read this book years and years ago 

and I actually discovered this author because I loved her schoolgirl stories there's a book called Audrey A New Girl that I absolutely adored as a child and Joan Coggin wrote those stories under the name Joanna Lloyd.

But her mysteries by Joan Coggin are great reads for adults and this is a really funny one they're very light-hearted it's about a very scatter-brained newlywed young woman she's the new sort of wife of the village vicar and she's really struggling in the role 

and then the vicar's curate is killed and she sets out to find out who the killer is but she's rather dismayed that all of the suspects actually seem to be much nicer people than the curate 

and it's just a very light-hearted entertaining golden age-style mystery and quite a nice Christmas read too so I recommend it. 


3. Mistletoe and Murder 


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Mistletoe and Murder (A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery) by Robin Stevens

Then I absolutely love the murder most and Ladylike Mysteries by Robin Stevens this is a fabulous Christmassy one in this set it's called Mistletoe and murder these are set in a boarding school 

but they follow the stories of two young friends Daisy and Hazel who set themselves up to be young lady detectives and solve all sorts of crimes that occur in and outside of their school. 

This one is set outside of their school it's set in the Christmas holidays in Cambridge and it's just so atmospheric I loved it the first time I read this 

I went to Cambridge at Christmas time and it was just such a beautiful time of year to visit the city we had buns at Fitz Phillies which is their famous cafe there to have buns and they go and visit that tea shop in Mistletoe and Murder too and the lights were all out it was just charming and robin stevens really brings that feeling of Cambridge at Christmas time to live in this book 

so I really enjoyed it it's a great read for young children but also for adults, I still love reading this. 


4. Snowdrift and Other Stories 



Next up I really enjoy short story collections generally at this time of year they're nice easy reads to read at bedtime or hopefully by a roaring fire hot chocolate to hand and this is the collection I got a few years ago 

I think it's Snowdrift and other stories by Georgette Hare now if I remember correctly only about the first one or two short stories in this were particularly sort of snowy um or like wintry and Christmasy the rest weren't you know, particularly sort of festive reads at all 

however, I love Georgia's hair she's one of my favorite cozy reads generally she writes books that are set in the Regency period rather than in the style of Jane Austen. 

But I would say they're much more just light-hearted fun and funny reads her heroines are always um eloping with romantic love interests and they're just full of fun and humor and they're great cozy reads 

and I love this short story collection Georgia Heroes wrote a really great Christmas mystery she wrote a few golden age crime mysteries too which were first published under the title Envious Casca 

but I think it's now been republished as a Christmas mystery something quite standard like that and that's a really fun Christmas read too I also wanted to point out these short stories because I read them on Christmas and just really enjoyed them they were wonderful cozy reads.
 

5. ADVENTURE OF XMAS PUDDING 



and then next up I have to read Agatha Christie at Christmas time and there are some great festive collections of her stories this one is the adventure of the Christmas Pudding and it's a collection of classic Archie Paro stories again not all of them are Christmasy but there are a couple. 

I think at least good Christmas ones in here the adventure of the Christmas Pudding is the most famous one that's in here and it's just a really nice collection. 

I think I enjoy short stories it might just be the Christmas pudding one that is Christmassy in here but it is worth getting for that one and like I said I just generally enjoy short stories and golden age crime at this time of year so I do like this collection. 


6. Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery 


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Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie

and then midwinter murder by Agatha Christie and this is a sort of collection of some of her Christmas festive sort of short stories um it's got the chocolate box a Christmas tragedy that's actually one of my favorite Miss Marple short stories. 

I always either read or listen to that short story at Christmas so there are some festive reads in this one as well and those are just some really good short stories of the golden age style crime 

so I love the cover of this one too I think it's fabulous so I'm looking forward to that one this year. 


7. Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot Mystery) 


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Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot Mystery) by Agatha Christie

Then, of course, there's the classic Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha christie this is a full-length novel one of Hercule Poirot's Mysteries and it is a favorite of mine I think it's a really clever one, of course, it's all set over the Christmas period too. 

And it's just so atmospheric if you haven't read it before then I do recommend curling up with it one evening because I really enjoy this one.

 

8. The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories 

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The Mistletoe Murder: And Other Stories by P. D. James

more Christmasy short stories this is the collection called the mistletoe murder and other stories by PD James again not all of them are Christmasy in this collection but I think at least one or two 

and I just love the cover I love to read I loved reading all of these stories I think PD James is such a brilliant writer. 

I love her short stories as well as her longer novels and this is a great read I'm looking forward to returning to this actually because I think I read it a couple of years ago first 

and I'd like to come back to them because I don't remember who did it half the time so unfortunately, I can re-read them now.


9. A Child's Christmas in Wales 



a child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas is just a family favorite of hours at Christmas time I absolutely love to listen to Dylan Thomas reading this it's such a wonderful listen 

I'll put the link to the audible um as well as the physical book in the description box down below my dad would always put this audiobook on every Christmas. 

It really sorts of signaled the start of the Christmas season in our household when we listened to this and it's just a very poignant nostalgic look back at the childhood spent in Wales listening to the author reading it is even more important 

I think because it is such a poetic tale and reading and hearing it in his voice is really special so yes this is the Christmas classic for me.
 

10. The Ultimate Christmas Cracker 



And then next up I love the um Christmas crackers that john Julius Norwich would compile every Christmas I think it started as a personal project that he would do he'd make selections from the commonplace book that he kept throughout the year 

and he'd send it off to friends and family and gradually some of his friends and acquaintances would contribute to some of their own um extracts sayings clever quotes things like that. 

He also ended up putting in his own Christmas crackers I've bought a few of his Christmas crackers sadly the last one was in 2018 he died that year um which was very sad but then they brought out this ultimate Christmas cracker which has sort of collected the best of his Christmas crackers through the years I think he was creating them from the 1970s or something like that. 

So it was a real feature of his Christmas and something that came to be shared amongst so many people as well I love reading commonplace books at Christmastime and books that have little extracts 

I mean they're not necessarily Christmasy or festive extracts that's not the point of them they're just entertaining amusing interesting stories quotes short little snippets that are compiled in a single volume 

and this book has collected the best of them I think it's a really good Christmassy read so again one that I would recommend.

  

11. Christmas Pudding 



Next up you know how I love Nancy Mitford so, of course, I have to recommend her Christmasy book which is Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford, in all honesty, this isn't one of my very favorites of hers because it's quite a early works 

and I just don't think it's one of her best works and not all of it is you know especially festive but there's a really funny scene involving Christmas stockings where the guests are staying in this big country house and the master of the house insists on upon sort of filling the Christmas stockings 

and his rather terrifying sight to the poor guests who are often woken up in the early hours of the morning by him not so silently finishing their stockings it's just really funny.

I do recommend reading this but if this is your first Nancy Mitford I do think that she's written better books like The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate so don't expect this to be the best of hers but it still is a fun entertaining read over Christmas 

if you like evil and war then I would definitely recommend giving Nancy Mitford ago there's a bit of similarity in their writing styles especially perhaps in her earlier work but yes I do recommend this one.
 

12. The adventure of the blue carbuncle 1892: Sherlock Holmes in 



it's Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle this is a Sherlock Holmes short story that I either read or listen to every Christmas it's just one of those Christmas standards for me and I love this short story I love that a goose figure very highly in this book. 

We always have a goose for Christmas and a very precious gemstone is discovered within a goose sherlock holmes has to figure out how to earth it got there and who this stone belongs to and it's just a really fun mystery 

I really enjoy it I'm a huge Sherlock for Sherlock Holmes fan anyway so that's part of the reason why I listen to this one every Christmas it's a real favorite.

 

13. Christmas with Dull People 



and then daunt books also compiled so you can see that this little volume which is called Christmas with Dole People is a collection of Christmas Christmasy short stories by Saki who is such a gifted short story writer and a lot of. 

But a lot of these short stories are very entertaining they're really funny they're about people behaving rather badly at Christmas time and they just really put a smile on my face they're very entertaining reads. 


14. Murder In The Snow 



Then this is a book I haven't read yet but it's on my cozy Christmas to-be-read pile and it is Murder in the Snow a cocktail Christmas mystery by Gladys Mitchell 

I have to admit that the cover really caught my eye but Mrs. Bradley has gone to spend Christmas in the Cotswolds. 

And of course, a mystery unfolds and this just sounds like quite a fun gentle cozy sort of reading so this is what I'm looking forward to curling up with myself for the first time this December.

 

15. Miss Read's Christmas Tales: Village Christmas, the Christmas Mouse 


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Miss Read's Christmas Tales: Village Christmas, the Christmas Mouse by Miss Read

and then I can't do a cozy Christmas video without talking about the misread books she wrote some lovely channels for Christmas include 'The Christmas Mouse' by Miss Reed and No Holly by Miss Quinn I think perhaps this might be one of the very favorites I love this one. 

Paul miss Quinn wants to enjoy a sort of quiet Christmas on her own but those plans get spoilt however it's all for the best in the end and it's just a lovely gentle tale.

 

16. A Country Christmas


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A Country Christmas: Village Christmas, Jingle Bells, Christmas At Caxley 1913, The Fairacre Ghost (Christmas Fiction) by Miss Read

And then there's Village Christmas as well which I have but that is also in this collection which is called a country Christmas and this is a lovely compilation of some of her Christmasy stories it has Village Christmas in it the fair acre ghost the white robin and a few extracts jingle bells it's just a really lovely Christmas companion. 

If you like Miss Reed's writing then it's definitely worth looking out to see if you can get at least a secondhand copy of this I don't know if this would still be in print um but generally, you can find her book secondhand, or on kindle so I recommend those.


17. Christmas at Thrush Green



And then I haven't read this one yet this is another one on my chibi read pile and it's Christmas at Thrush Green. 

I haven't read this one yet because I think it was um the last one that was written it was actually finished I think after she died and her notes were sort of used to properly finish the book. 

And I've just never read this one myself yet so I don't quite know what it will be like but I'm looking forward to hopefully reading it this year and I hope that I enjoy it.

 

18. Rumpole at Christmas 



And then I absolutely love the Rumple Stories by John Mortimer and again this is a brilliant collection of the rumple Christmas stories I like this set because I think they pretty much are all Christmassy from what I remember too and they're just really funny again I mean if you want something that'll make you laugh 

then I really recommend Rumpel he's the old Bailey hack as he calls himself he's a barrister and works a lot of criminal cases at the old Bailly but he's a defense barrister so he's always sort of working for the underdog and again they're just such brilliantly plotted stories. 

You always wonder how Rumpel is going to win over the judge or win over the jury he'll actually find out the real solution to the crime or to the mystery a lot of the time he's a bit of a detective in this as well as a defense barrister 

and he's just such a fantastic character I so enjoy these I love listening to Leo McKern reading the Rumple stories he played Rumple in the famous TV series and he just really became Rumpel who's amazing and unfortunately. 

I can't get those on audible in fact I can't find them anywhere but I think on youtube you actually can find a few if you sort of Google that on YouTube so I'm hoping there'll be some Christmas ones I can listen to 

but I think I read this either last year or the year before and it was a really fun Christmassy read so really recommend this it gives you a nice little taste of Ron Paul too so then you can see if you want to read more by John Mortimer. 


19. Twelve Days of Christmas 



This book I absolutely adore it only takes you about 10 minutes to read it but it is absolutely hilarious it's by John Julius Norwich. I was telling you about his Christmas crackers earlier it's called The 12 Days of Christmas and it's illustrated by Quentin Blake and it's a really funny take on the famous Christmas carol 12 Days of Christmas 

and it imagines the poor fiance called Emily in this who is sent on each day of Christmas first the partridge in the pear tree then the two turtle tubs and three French hens and I think by the time it gets to the hens she starts feeling a little less loving towards her fiance and it's a collection of letters that she writes to him. 

Here's an example of one "28th December dearest Edward what a surprise four calling birds arrived this morning they are very sweet even if they do call rather loudly they make telephoning impossible but I expect they'll calm down when they get used to their new home anyway I'm very grateful of course I am love from Emily". 

By the end not surprisingly the engagement is no longer intact and you can see it all has sort of descended into chaos especially when the milkmaids turn up the Quentin Blake illustrations in this are just fabulous they bring the hilarious words to life and yeah it's just such a funny book I really recommend it. 


20. Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days 


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Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days by Jeanette Winterson

And then next up I love this Christmas collection by Janette Winterson it's called Christmas Days 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days and it's a collection of her festive stories 

but what I especially love about this is that she's included recipes and personal anecdotes from her life that are appropriate to the festive season there's a beautiful passage in this where she describes her Christmas Eve ritual 

what she cooks on that evening what she listens to on the radio essentially how she prepares herself for Christmas day but also enjoys a real moment of quiet and reflection and calmness for herself on Christmas Eve.

I believe was also friends with the writer Ruth Randall and she talks a little bit about that friendship in this book too it's a really lovely read I really recommend it for the festive season I'm looking forward to returning to this one myself I love books that mix in a bit of food because for me at least food is such an important part of Christmas 

that I love hearing about other people's traditions surrounding the food that they serve at this time as well as little rituals that they have in terms of what music they listen to and what books they read for instance that really appeals to me and that's one of the reasons why I love this so much.

 

21. The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, stories & 100 essential recipes for winter 


best-christmas-cozy-mystery-books

The Christmas Chronicles: Notes, stories & 100 essential recipes for winter by Nigel Slater

And speaking of that I have to mention Nigel Slater's The Christmas Chronicles this is such a joyous book I absolutely love it if you're a bit unsure about winter if it's a period that you struggle with 

then I would recommend reading this because I think Nigel Slater can make almost anyone love winter he's helped me actually to enjoy this season a lot more I mean I never hated winter but I always did struggle a bit with it 

and when I first read this book you really opened my eyes to some of the pleasures that this season really holds like going out for a brisk walk in the cold and then coming back and having a hot chocolate or something a little bit naughtier and enjoying the sort of sights and senses smells taste of the season I think he just does that so well he. 

In fact, extends winter for himself he loves it so much that he in march often goes to Japan up in the mountains where he can still enjoy the snow this book I think it starts at the very end of October beginning of November um oh it looks like it actually starts the first of November 

and he also has some essays at the beginning on things like fire the scent of winter the coldest winters eating winter the food of fairy tales coming in from the cold the landscape being out in the cold the winter light stars and shadows a walk through snow essentially some of his favorite things about the season and reading his writing about it is so special. 

I mean he's such an amazing writer, of course, there are loads of recipes in this as well which is also wonderful I've made quite a few of his Christmasy recipes from them but there's also so much writing about the food about the season about his pleasures in the season 

I think also it's a book that isn't just for Christmas it's really a book for all of the winter like I said it goes from the 1st of November and I think it goes right through to does he go too much or does he just write about in about extending march himself, it goes to January but it's just such a brilliant read and I really do recommend this it's a lovely cozy book to curl up with.

 

22. Dickens at Christmas 



now I can't mention Christmas without mentioning Charles Dickens of course a Christmas carol means Christmas to so many people and I read the Christmas carol myself probably about seven or eight years ago 

and if you've never actually read it I really recommend reading it I think so many of us feel like we know the story so we don't necessarily perhaps have to read it but it is a wonderful read I so enjoyed it. 

It's quite a short read of course too and this collection Dickens at Christmas which has the lovely Emily Sutton cover which I love has a lot of his Christmas stories so it has his collection of what they call the Christmas books by him which of course includes a Christmas carol also the chimes 

which is one of my favorites of his actually again it's just a very slim novella really but it's a really wonderful Christmas read I highly recommend it. 

They include 'The Qriket on the Hearth The Battle of Life The Haunted Man and the Ghost Bargain and they also have a few extracts from household words that he wrote for there's an extract from the Pickwick papers. 

It's just a really lovely volume and I think that this is a brilliant book to just look through during this time of year I really recommend reading 'A Christmas Carol' like I said the Chimes are one of my very favorite books 

I think Dickens is just such a classic at Christmas and I really think that this is a beautiful collection of his Christmas stories so I really do recommend that one.

 

23. Little Women: An Annotated 



And then finally Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without little women for me I mean this is such a nostalgic read I haven't talked too much about all of the childhood books that I like to read at Christmas in this video but I'll be sharing a few more in future videos but little women is always a classic for me at Christmas time 

I think that December is a period of real nostalgia for me I often turn to childhood books as sort of cozy comfort reads so a few of those will always be on my Christmas list and little women are right up there

I love the opening scenes that are Christmasy of course then the book sort of goes all through the rest of the year but it's just a wonderful read that always spells Christmas to me and I'm holding up this huge edition but it's my special annotated little women edition 

and sometimes every Christmas I like to not maybe read the whole of Little Women but read some of my favorite parts from it and it's quite nice to pull out this big fat edition then which gives you some more insights into the story and to the time and Louisa May Alcott's life as well so I really enjoy this one. 

Conclusion of Best Christmas Cozy Mystery Books in 2024

Thank you so much for reading and I'll be back sharing more Christmasy content sort of throughout the rest of November and of course, in December I hope you enjoy it all but thanks again for reading do give this article a share if you enjoyed it and don't forget to subscribe to my blog.

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