Read time: 5 minutes
Last week I gave you thirteen short, addictive cozy mystery series to help close the gap on your yearly reading goal. Turns out I had more up my sleeve than one post could hold. So here’s round two: ten more short series worth diving into before the year runs out, some cozy mystery, some stepping into contemporary fiction, YA fantasy, and a couple of darker mysteries along the way. Same rule applies though. Every single one of these is short enough to start and finish before December.
The Guncle by Steven Rowley — 2 books
A washed up sitcom star suddenly becomes full time uncle to his niece and nephew after a family tragedy, and it is somehow the funniest and most heartbreaking thing I read all year. I gave both The Guncle and The Guncle Abroad five stars, no notes, just bring tissues. This one’s contemporary fiction rather than mystery, so don’t go in expecting a body count, but it earns its spot on any short series list.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Detective Aunty Investigates by Uzma Jalaluddin — 2 books
A meddling, sari clad amateur detective who solves crimes the way she solves everything else in her family’s life, whether anyone asked her to or not. I’ve read book two, Moonlight Murder (four stars), so book one is still sitting on my own list too. Only two books exist so far, so we can start from scratch together.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse — 2 books
A mafia lawyer trying to master mindfulness meditation while very much still committing crimes, translated from German and yes, it’s also a Netflix series if you’d rather watch it first. I read both Murder Mindfully and My Inner Child Wants to Kill and gave them both five stars, easily one of the most purely fun reads on this whole list. There’s a book three coming out soon and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
The Bingo Hall Detectives by Jonathan Whitelaw — 4 books
A laid off journalist and his formidable mother in law solving murders in a small Lake District town, and honestly the mother in law steals every scene. I’ve read all four and totally loved them all, After that, I also met Jonathan Whitelaw in a book festival, spoke to him, and totally fell in love with the author too. When an awesome author writes an awesome series, you must try it.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Errands & Espionage by Sam Tschida — 2 books
A washed up reality TV producer accidentally becomes an actual spy, and somehow also keeps solving murders on the side. I read both Errands and Espionage and Gabby Greene Knows Whodunit and gave both five stars. It’s cozy mystery adjacent with a rom com energy running underneath, so if you liked the tone of my main list but want something a little zanier, start here.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee — last book pending closure
A superhero adjacent YA read where the daughter of two famous superheroes discovers she has no powers of her own and ends up interning for a supervillain instead. Five stars from me to the series. It’s YA fantasy rather than mystery, so a genuine change of pace, but it reads fast and it’s the kind of premise that hooks you in a chapter. Only thing is that the finale is pending. C.B. Lee has promised a 4th book to wrap up the series, and I’m eagerly waiting for the news of “Not Your Hero”.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
The Verifiers by Jane Pek — 2 books
A closeted amateur sleuth working for a secretive agency that investigates online dating profiles gets pulled into something much bigger than a bad match. I gave it four stars. It’s shelved as general mystery rather than cozy, a little more literary and a little less small town charm, but if you want a mystery with real teeth, this is a good one. Having only 2 books in the series makes for a quick and intriguing read.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
An American in Paris by Colleen Cambridge — 4 books
Tabitha Knight, a real friend of Julia Child, solves murders in 1950s Paris with all the food, fashion, and postwar atmosphere you’d want. I’ve read all three and it has been four stars and up. Having Julia Child as a central-adjascent character in the series is so much fun to read, especially for the food. Genre tagged as straight mystery in my tracker, but it reads cozy in all the ways that matter, food, history, low violence, so don’t let the label put you off.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
Helgi Trilogy by Ragnar Jónasson — A Trilogy
A young detective in 1980s Iceland investigating a death at an old sanatorium, dark, atmospheric, properly Nordic noir. I read Death at the Sanatorium and The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer, both four stars. This one’s a genuine thriller, no cozy pretenses here, and book three lands in November, so you’d be caught up right on time for it. Considering it is a trilogy, this will be the end of the series too, so a perfect close of the year.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli — 2 books
Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham team up as amateur detectives in 1938 London, which is such a fun premise for anyone who loves the Golden Age greats. I’ve only read book two, Death at King’s Cross, so far (five stars, an easy favorite), so book one’s still waiting on my own shelf too. Only two books exist right now, so you and I can both catch up together.
Find the series here: Indiebookstore.ca | Bookshop.org | Goodreads | StoryGraph | Pagebound | Fable | Hardcover | Booktrovert | OpenLibrary | Litsy
That’s all, folks!
That’s all my picks this time, spanning contemporary fiction, more cozy mystery, YA fantasy, and a couple of proper mysteries with some bite to them. If the first list didn’t have quite the right vibe for you, one of these probably will. Pick whichever premise grabs you and go close that reading gap.
If you want to check out the previous 10 series that were recommended, here’s the link to the post – 14 Short, Addictive Cozy Mystery Series to Catch You Up on Your Reading Goal
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