Killing It: 10 Cozy Mystery Audiobooks To Die For
Bodies, bodies, bodies: They have a way of popping up when you least expect them (in tea shops, dressing rooms, libraries), and as a dedicated sleuth, naturally it will fall to you to suss out the baddie from an assortment of suspicious characters and beguiling weirdos.
Of course, you don’t need to be a full-blown Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to appreciate a twisty tale well told, and who better to unfurl a cozy mystery than the lethally pitch-perfect narrators below. From Eunice Wong’s winning portrayal of unconventional sleuth Vera Wong to Lesley Manville’s take on the crime-solving denizens of Coopers Chase retirement community, consider this list your one-stop shop to going hands-free and feeding your inner Sherlock at the same time.
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Add to BookshelfThe Thursday Murder Club
by Richard Osman
Read by Lesley Manville
In the peaceful retirement village of Coopers Chase, four friends meet weekly to discuss unsolved crimes. It’s all innocent fun — until a real-life murder occurs in their midst, and the group is drawn into the action.
If you haven’t already heard of this bestselling mystery series, now’s your chance to get in on the action. Start with this first installment, and you’ll be able to hear all the Thursday Murder Club audiobooks in advance of the release of The Thursday Murder Club movie (starring Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, and a host of other British greats), which comes out later this year.
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Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Read by Eunice Wong
Ever since a man was found dead in Vera’s teahouse, life has been rather good. But when Vera stumbles into a new murder case, will she be able to use her trusted instincts to solve the crime, or is it already much too late?
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers won the 2024 Audie Award for Best Mystery, and award-winning narrator Eunice Wong is back to narrate Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man). Witty, charming, and bursting with heart, this is a crowd-pleasing listen not to miss.
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Murder in the Dressing Room
by Holly Stars
Read by Holly Stars
By day, Joe is a hotel accountant; by night, they take to the stage as Misty Divine, a star of the London drag scene. But when Misty’s drag mother, Lady Lady, is found dead in her dressing room beside a poisoned box of chocolates, Misty must solve the crime before the culprit strikes again …
Some audiobooks simply must be read by the author, and that is 100% the case here, with Holly Stars bringing killer charm to her sparkling whodunnit.
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The Maid’s Secret
by Nita Prose
Read by Lauren Ambrose
When a daring art heist takes place at the Regency Grand, Molly’s life is threatened. The question is who’s out to get her, and why? Long-buried secrets will be revealed in this spirited heist caper from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest, read by returning narrator Lauren Ambrose!
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A Lethal Lady
by Nekesa Afia
Read by Shayna Small
Louise Lloyd is finally living the quiet life she’s longed for, working in a Paris perfumery by day and spending time with her new friends every night at the Aquarius club … until a shocking murder turns her entire world upside down. Now Louise must untangle a web of lies, jealousy, and betrayal to keep her new life from crashing down around her.
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The Gatsby Gambit
by Claire Anderson Wheeler
Read by Erin Bennett
What do you get when you cross America’s most beloved literary characters, a can’t-pause mystery, and the gilded opulence of the Roaring ’20s? The Gatsby Gambit is a summer romp featuring Greta Gatsby — younger sister to the infamous Jay — as she becomes caught in a web of scandal, betrayal, and secrets. Turning sleuth isn’t how Greta meant to spend her summer — but what choice does she have?
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Harlem After Midnight
by Louise Hare
Read by Leonie Elliott
Harlem, 1936: Lena Aldridge grew up in a cramped corner of London, hearing stories of the bright lights of Broadway. When Will Goodman — the handsome musician she meets on the crossing from England — offers for her to stay with his friends in Harlem, she agrees. Will’s friends welcome her with open arms, but just as Lena discovers the stories her father once told her were missing giant pieces of information, she also starts to realize the man she’s falling too fast for has secrets of his own …
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Dead in the Frame
by Stephen Spotswood
Read by Kirsten Potter
Wealthy financier and ghoulish connoisseur of crime Jessup Quincannon is dead, and famed detective Lillian Pentecost is under arrest for his murder. Means, motive, and a mountain of evidence leave everyone believing she’s guilty. Everyone, that is, except Willowjean “Will” Parker, who knows for a fact her boss is innocent. She just doesn’t know if she can prove it. Hear the most dramatic installment yet in the Nero Award–winning Pentecost and Parker series, as Will scrambles to solve a shocking murder before Lillian takes the fall for the crime.
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The Four Queens of Crime
by Rosanne Limoncelli
Read by Elizabeth Knowelden
When Baronet Sir Henry Heathcote is found dead in the library after a flashy gala, Detective Chief Inspector Lilian Wyles is summoned and discovers a cluster of potential suspects among the guests. Quietly recruiting the four queens of crime — Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Margery Allingham — she is determined to find the killer.
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Rhode Island Red
by Charlotte Carter
Read by Karen Murray
Nan’s day is not off to a good start. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Walter is off again, and when she offers a fellow busker a place to stay for the night, he ends up murdered on her kitchen floor. To make matters worse, the busker turns out to have been an undercover cop. Soon, she’s on the hunt for a legendary saxophone worth its weight in gold, and there are plenty of people who would kill for the priceless instrument …
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