Skip to main content

5 Cozy Mysteries for the Arts & Crafts Lover


I've tried knitting, sewing, and weaving and have sadly discovered I am not particularly crafty, so sometimes I like to live vicariously through crafty sleuths in cozy mysteries! There's just something so comforting and cozy about mysteries set in fiber arts shops, or centering on particularly crafty characters. If you're looking for arts & crafts themed cozies to add to your TBR, this list of first books in a series is for you.

Crewel World by Monica Ferris (A Needlecraft Mystery #1)

An oldie but a goodie, this series opener debuted in 1998 and despite having been around awhile, I still think that is one of the best punny titles I have seen! Set in Excelsior, MN, which I've never visited but I've looked up photos and it is adorable, we meet sisters Betsy and Margot. Margot seems to have everything together, including her own needlework and wool store, while Betsy is a bit more directionless. However, when Betsy finds the shop ransacked and Margot dead, she is drawn into solving the mystery and finding justice for her sister.

This series has a healthy backlog of 19 books, so if you enjoy the first book in the series, there are plenty more to add to your TBR.

Forget Me Knot by Mary Marks (A Quilting Mystery #1)

As a California native, I always love to read a book set in my home state, and this first book in a series takes place in the San Fernando Valley, where Martha Rose is enjoying her retirement and quilting circle which is prepping for a big quilt show. When a potential new member to their group, Quilty Tuesday, is found dead, Martha is on the case. 

If you're looking for a crafty cozy that features a heroine that is a little bit older than the typical early-30's found in this genre, definitely give this series a try. There is also a good backlog of books in this series, and more on the way!

Twisted Threads by Lea Wait (Mainely Needlepoint #1)

To be honest, I have never been to Maine but I have always wanted to visit, and books set in Maine are just the perfect cozy escape to me! Of course, my first thought is Murder, She Wrote and Cabot Cove, so any cozy mystery set in Maine always stands out to me. In this series, Angie Curtis is returning to her coastal hometown, where she aims to help her longtime friend with her needlepointing business. Murder throws a wrench into her plans for a new life, however, and Angie, who has her own mysterious past, must piece together the clues to solve the case, which might tie in to her own family mysteries.

With an immersive setting, adorably cozy covers, and currently 9 books in the series, this series is a good one to dive into.

The Quick and the Thread by Amanda Lee (An Embroidery Mystery #1)

The beautiful covers in this series definitely drew me in, plus the fact that they are set in Oregon and I love a good Pacific Northwest setting. Marcy Singer is opening an embroidery specialty shop, the Seven Year Stitch, but her grand opening is disrupted when they find a body in the shop. To save her business and avoid being viewed as a suspect herself, Marcy decides to investigate the case.

Plus, this cozy features a dog companion and as a dog mom myself, it's always nice to find a book featuring a dog (not that I dislike cats, they are good too)! This series opener came out in 2010, and there are 10 books in the series if you enjoy it so much that you need to binge read.

Pleating for Mercy  by Melissa Bourbon (A Magical Dressmaking Mystery #1)

Now for something a little different, dressmaking with a dose of the paranormal! Harlow Jean Cassidy leaves her fashion design career in Manhattan to return to her small hometown of Bliss, TX due to the death of her great-grandmother and an inheritance of a turn-of-the-century farmhouse that Harlow plans to transform into a dressmaking shop. When one of her first clients, a childhood friend, needs dresses for her wedding, Harlow's new businesses is at risk as the wedding joy is dampened by murder. Plus, there may be a ghostly presence involved.

I tend to gravitate towards cozies with hints of the paranormal, and if you also enjoy ghosts mixed in with your sleuthing, give this series, which has 6 books, a try.

Hopefully these are some fun series you can add to your reading list! There are honestly so many crafty cozies but I wanted to have a unique mix here so will probably be doing another list like this in the future to highlight some of the books I couldn't cover. Are there any other cozy sub-genres you'd like to see lists of? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Sleuthing,
Stephanie
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to Cozy Up to Crime!

  Hello and welcome to my new book blog, Cozy Up to Crime! 2020 seems like an odd year to dive back into the world of book blogging after taking several years off, but this year has been full of change and reflection so now seems like as good a time as any. In the past year, I've switched careers from librarian to web developer,  and along the way renewed my love for reading. As a librarian, I was always reading for awards committees or for collection development, but not really for fun. Meanwhile, stay-at-home orders and the stress of being isolated from family and job hunting during a pandemic forced me into a major reading slump. Instead of losing myself in books, I spent a lot of time playing Animal Crossing and watching Hallmark Channel.  Cozy mysteries to the rescue! I love the films on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and I realized that they are based on a whole genre that I had read casually in the past, but never really took a deep dive into. So I signed up for ...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Christmas Cozies to Add to your December TBR

  My favorite reading season is here which means it's time to deck the TBR stack with Christmas-themed cozies! How many of these holiday cozy mysteries have you read? Read & Gone   by Allison Brook (The Haunted Library Mysteries #2) Missing gems, a library ghost, and an absentee father who is also a thief? Read and Gone  by Allison Brook, the second book in The Haunted Library Mysteries, packs all of that into a cozy read plus a helping of library events and Christmas coziness. Taking place shortly after the events of book one, Death Overdue , we find librarian and amateur sleuth Carrie Singleton settling in to her life in her hometown with a full-time job that she loves, a cute cottage, and a new boyfriend. Carrie's life, overall, is looking pretty perfect which means it's the perfect time for her family's dramatic past to come crashing in just in time for the holidays. Carrie's jewel thief father breaks in to her new home (literally), and his appearance starts...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Cozy Mystery 2021 New Releases I Can't Wait To Read

  As we come to a close on 2020 (finally), during this time of year, I love to start planning my TBR around the new releases we can look forward to in the New Year. Especially after 2020, looking for positive things to anticipate is so essential. Luckily, for cozy mystery readers, there are some amazing debuts and sequels coming up in 2021, so here is a round-up of a few that I am most excited to read. A Hex for Danger   by Esme Addison (An Enchanted Bay Mystery #2) I really enjoyed the first book in this series, A Spell for Trouble , and when I saw the second book is debuting in 2021, I immediately added it to my TBR. This series is very unique, with its blend of seaside charm, Polish folklore, magic, and mermaids. Aleksandra, Alex, is a water witch newly aware of her powers and family history, who has left behind her life in New York City to reconnect with her family who own an apothecary in Bellamy Bay, North Carolina. In this second book in the series, Alex is helping her ...
Post a Comment
Read more