As cosy crime king Richard Osman prepares to release another novel in his beloved Thursday Murder Club series, what other books like it should you be reading?
I’m a serious crime fiction fan and have read hundreds of detective stories from different eras in all possible styles – these are my nine favourite books that fit the “cosy crime” label.
And a note on “cosy crime”. Crime fiction fans are (ironically?) a peaceable and friendly lot, on the whole – but don’t get them started on the definition of these kinds of books. There will be blood in the library.
In this guide, I have defined it as all the crime fiction that isn’t bloodcurdling, terrifying, or noir-ish. It can range from serious literary fiction to books set in cupcake shops and with cats for detectives.
If you are looking for more, two fantastic publishers to watch out for are British Library Crime Classics and the Dean St Press, both of whom republish classic crime books by the dozen.
Happy reading.
Mrs McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie
This isn’t as well-known as some of Christie’s classics, but is a connoisseur’s choice. Hercule Poirot investigates a murder in an English village: the cleaning woman has had her head bashed in. It’s a great setup. Poirot goes to stay in the worst B&B in the world (run by charming but useless poshos down on their luck) and discovers that Mrs McGinty worked for everyone, and was known for snooping in her clients’ houses. So what did she discover? That someone involved in a long-ago murder is living in lovely quiet Broadhinny, and wants to keep that secret. Funny, clever detection, and a satisfying solution.
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers
Another village mystery – this time set in the East Anglian Fens, where Lord Peter Wimsey stumbles upon a complicated tale of a long-ago jewel robbery in the big house, a document in code in the church bell tower, strangers wandering into the lonely village, and an extra body in a grave. A classic detective story, but also a picture of English life between the wars, and probably the only well-known book about the world of church bell-ringing.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Osman’s retirement home-set series sounded distinctly unpromising when it was first announced – comedy crime, written by a TV celebrity. But, honestly, the books are fabulous: amusing, well-plotted and full of humanity as they follow four irrepressible pensioners who love nothing better than to solve a murder. Of course there was some hype due to Osman’s fame at the beginning, but there’s a reason why they sell in their millions: they’re excellent. I could have chosen any book in the series for this list, but start with the joyous, compulsively readable first instalment, about the murder of a property developer, if you haven’t read them before.
Green for Danger by Christianna Brand
This is set in a hospital in wartime. An operation has gone wrong, a patient is dead, and it turns out this was not an honest mistake. A small group of doctors and nurses, all friends, are living onsite. One of them must be guilty, but why could anyone possibly have wanted the local postman to die? The book is by turns entertaining and scary, and the reader becomes invested in the group of suspects – they’re all so nice. It was also made into a wonderful 1946 film starring Alastair Sim.
Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer
Heyer is more famous for her Regency romances, but she wrote a handful of classic detective stories. This is my favourite: set in a country house, among a dysfunctional family, over Christmas – a triple whammy of brilliant components. What more could you want? A corpse found in a locked room? Yes, we have that. There’s a hideous old patriarch, and a varied collection of grasping relations. It contains excruciatingly wonderful and hilarious scenes of difficult mealtimes. It’s been retitled as A Christmas Party to cash in on the trend for Christmas crime, but that suggests a festive happy family time which is enjoyably wholly missing from the book.
Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey
An extraordinary book. Lucy Pym is a psychologist visiting a PE training college – an institution teaching young women to be sports teachers. A student dies in slightly odd circumstances, and Miss Pym looks into the matter. One of the girls had been offered a junior position in a posh girls’ school, and Tey’s brilliance lies in sweeping readers along into believing that this really rather low-level job is of vital importance, worth fighting and even killing for: one of the all-time great motives. It’s a controversial book and the ending will leave you open-mouthed. The final page divides crime experts: some hate it, I love it.
Poison in the Pen by Patricia Wentworth
Wentworth’s books are the embodiment of cosy: often set in villages, with ancient Miss Silver as the “unlikely” investigator. It is too much for some people, and she makes Agatha Christie look like Stephen King. But I’m one of her defenders: yes the books are calming comfort reads, but they all have something unexpected in them. As well, that is, as some reliable Wentworth trademarks – Miss Silver coughs and knits, everyone wears great clothes, there will be a young couple separated for some stupid reason, and the characters have strange names (Rietta, Renie, Mettie and Scilla here). They are all very similar, but this one has anonymous letters, an eventful wedding in prospect and a lot of moodiness and flouncing around. Splendid stuff.
Thus Was Adonis Murdered by Sarah Caudwell
Nearly forgotten but still available: the first of a series by Caudwell, featuring a group of young London lawyers solving crimes. (An English legal version of Friends, as it might be). The books are funny and charming and have intriguing structures: here, one of the set, Julia, goes on an art holiday in Venice in a small group, while her friends back in London read her letters. (Yes, I know – like you write letters home while on holiday, and no, not even in the 1980s.)
After a man is found dead, they try to work out what is going on at Julia’s hotel. The women characters in particular are a treat, and it makes you realise how far away the 1980s are – no computers, no mobiles, no Google Maps, all of which would have simplified the story and the investigation greatly. Tremendous fun.
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
This is the first book in one of the best contemporary series. Ruth, a forensic archaeologist, links up with Nelson, whom I choose to describe as “the thinking woman’s policeman”, to solve crimes in North Norfolk. As the series progresses there is a growing collection of friends, family and colleagues, such as Cathbad the druid, who provide the jokes and the complicated progression of personal lives. But also great crime plots, fascinating history and so much joy. Latch on to Elly Griffiths and you will not be sorry. She has a number of other wonderful series on the go.
