Fall is the Season of Mystery: Book Recs

The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are starting to change, the nights are getting longer. For me, this time of year always ushers in an intense desire to make a cup of tea, put on my flannel PJs and curl up with a good mystery.

Whether it’s the approach of Halloween and the general spookiness that attends it or the thought of the year getting old and preparing to lie down for its eternal sleep, fall has always been the season of the murder mystery for me. I’m not really picky either. While the old-fashioned whodunits tend to be my favorites, I also love a good cozy, a police procedural, a psychological thriller, a legal thriller and a flat out horror story. I’ve created quite a list of favorites and I am now sharing them with you, in case the mood strikes you one dark and stormy night.

Most of these recommendations are part of a series, so I linked to the first book in the series so you would know where to begin. Some of the authors have so many books or so many series that I've simple linked to the author so you can peruse for yourself.

Good, old-fashioned whodunits

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers

A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh

The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham

Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

Still Life by Louise Penny

Cover Her Face by PD James

Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler

Cozy Mysteries