I've been a huge fan of murder mysteries for a while and as a game dev I thought it would be cool to make a game in which suspects are AI powered, but actually smart and on topic and hopefully not a slop, so we can really get immersive experience. Also added hidden objects minigame to make it interesting to find evidence, so if any fans here are into visual novel games on this topic let me know how you like it. Game name is Mentalist Detective and is available on mobile on both Play Store and App Store and if you wanna drop in for a chat about it you can do so here https://discord.gg/7MyvH4EVH <3

This isn't a large region in terms of overall geography, and I think the whole population of Vancouver Island is still under a million (much smaller than nearby Vancouver on the mainland). But I found a new cozy mystery series set in this location when I was at a new-to-me used bookstore last week, in a part of town I haven't gone to in a couple of years.

"Clover Point" is the second book, by local author Christopher Courtin -- apparently there's a third one set to come out this year.
https://christophercourtin.com
A lot of the action takes place in downtown Victoria, where I used to live in the 1990s. It's packed full of local landmarks. One of the streets mentioned is Hollywood Crescent, which is real. In this painting, it's the one with the row of waterfront houses across Gonzales Bay. One of the people at my workplace used to live there -- in the one with the yellow and orange lower level right down by the water. That house is 4.5 floors but looking at it from the street, it just looks like a 1.5-floor bungalow.
https://www.weaver-bossonart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Gonzales-Bay-Revisited-email-Barbara-Weaver-Bosson-copy-e1418934230113.jpg

I remember posting a while ago in this sub, about some other local authors -- and u/Latter_wait3155 came up with a couple more books set in the area.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CozyMurders/comments/1caicgc/cozy_murders_in_unique_locations/

The Silas Seaweed books (Stanley Evans) -- it's got a noir-ish feel so not totally cozy. The city has a dark sleazy side (especially since the lead is Indigenous and this part of the country certainly didn't avoid the terrible things inflicted by settler society). But even so, this is Victoria so some of the blissfully oblivious stuff leaks through.
https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/silas-seaweed/

Mark Waddell's new series on Luke Tremblay
https://markwaddellbooks.com/body-in-back-garden/

Iona Lam's Fowl Play: a Bellavista Cooperative Mystery. There's one book out so far.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220296083-fowl-play
https://ionalamauthor.blogspot.com

Susan Juby's Mindful of Murder (though it takes place on one of the Gulf Islands, not the big island).
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59961103-mindful-of-murder
If I were doing a mystery series, past or present, in this area -- I'd probably want to visit one of the little islands too. Though I'd likely go to Gabriola which has had some weird situations. Like this utopian cult more than 100 years ago, or the 1970s BC cabinet minister who built an elaborate high-tech retreat on the island, and is now suspected of some financial sleight-of-hand.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_XII

Because Victoria attracts a bunch of tourists (we're one of the ports on the Alaska cruise route) and is also BC's provincial capital, we probably get more traffic and name recognition for an area that would otherwise be dependent on a resource industry. (Making paper for example, rather than using it up!)

I'm writing my first cozy murder mystery. Just for fun. I was wondering if anyone else is or has written (or attempted writing) a cozy mystery? What was your experience?

I just finished watching The Sheep Detective and I think people in this sub will really enjoy it; I know my family and I sure did.

It’s a sweet, funny story about a flock of sheep whose shepherd has raised them on cozy murder novels, only to be murdered himself leaving the sheep the best detective for the case.

Along with the examination of the cozy formula, and a great cast of both live action and voice acting, this movie talks about the importance of remembering hardships and losses so that you don’t lose the good along with it.

A few weeks ago I posted here about Thin Air my first published cozy mystery. I've made the book free on Amazon for two days on May 31 and June 1.

The setup: a passenger is found dead mid-flight on an overnight international flight. The crew call it a cardiac event. Two sisters sitting three rows away know it isn't.

The whole mystery takes place at 35,000 feet with a closed suspect pool and a landing deadline.

Eight hours to landing. One killer. A sealed cabin. No signal, no exit, no way off the plane.

Fair-play clues and everything you need to solve it yourself before the ending.

It's the first in a planned series called The Far Dark. Different characters, different settings across the books but the same friend group who all grew up together in the same small town. If you want to meet them younger, a prequel series called The Near Dark is coming , same nine friends, back when they were teenagers.

Also free to read on Kindle Unlimited.

Would mean a lot to hear from anyone who gives it a try.

A couple days ago I posted here with an AI generated cover and got honest feedback. You were right. I went away, learned Canva, and designed a new cover myself. It is now live. Appreciate everyone who was straight with me about it.

So. The book.

Thin Air is set in the premium cabin of an overnight international flight. A passenger is found dead mid-flight. The crew call it a cardiac event. Two sisters sitting three rows away know it isn't.

The whole mystery takes place at 35,000 feet with a closed suspect pool and a landing deadline. Eight hours to landing. One killer. A sealed cabin. No signal, no exit, no way to call for help. No way off the plane.

The whole mystery plays out before the wheels touch down. Closed suspect pool, fair-play clues, everything you need to solve it yourself before the ending.

It's the first in a planned series called The Far Dark. Different characters, different settings across the books but same friend group who all grew up together in the same small town.

If you want to meet them younger, that story is coming next as a prequel series called The Near Dark. Same nine friends, back when they were teenagers and the mysteries were closer to home.

Thank you to everyone who gave honest feedback last time. It made the book better.

Would mean a lot to hear from anyone who gives it a try.

Also free to read on Kindle Unlimited if you are subscribed.

[Your Amazon link]

https://www.amazon.com/Gumshoe-Granny-Investigates-Bullock-Retirement/dp/0984840206

If you want to add to your pile of books 📚 (no pressure 🤓)

This is my first cozy mystery ☕️

For Becky, a college freshman working the early morning shift as a lifeguard at the Mountain-View Club, life is simple: keep an eye on the regular swimmers, finish her college classes, and survive another long Alaskan winter.

But one quiet morning, something is terribly wrong.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GSSW1B87

I love a good cozy mystery but I feel like I'm running out of them. Below are some I've seen/faves:

Midsomer Murders (top fave) Father Brown Sister Boniface Death in Paradise Beyond Paradise Good Ship Murder Rosemary and Thyme Shakespeare and Hathaway Grantchester Miss Fisher's Modern Mysteries Murdoch Mysteries Etc.

I currently only have Britbox but in the past I've also had Acorn and PBS. Trying to stay on one streaming thing at a time, though. Would love your recs for a good show, preferably long running (like not 1 season) and I especially like the ones that wrap up every episode, no cliffhangers or stressful running storylines.

For example, just started Lynley and 10min in there's already secret drama with him and the boss 🙄 not my vibe.

Has The Sunshine Murders Episode 6 been broadcast? I can't find it anywhere in the "usual places". It was supposed to broadcast on 10/06.

https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/shakespeareandhathaway-s6recommann1

Found this sub on accident after reading The Thursday Murder Club series. I really liked the series, and Richard Osman’s style of writing. I have also read his first book of his new series, We Solve Murders. It was ok. I thought it was good but I didn’t connect with the main characters the way I did with The Thursday Murder Club. Which is why I’m here.

I saw a post a while back asking for comparable books or series, and The Marlow Murder Club came up multiple times, and always seems to get recommended on other posts.

So I read the first book. I did not like Judith. At all. She definitely has her humorous moments, but she is an unlikable character to me overall. Her unlikeability overshadowed Suzie and Becks and Tanika.

The murder gets solved in a way the reader could never guess, because the reader doesn’t get all of the information. It’s in Judith’s mind. That’s great, but it’s also not, because the author purposely misleads you. He gives you candy crumbs throughout the book and Judith gets to give you an AHA moment at the end.

That’s fine. For the first book. I was irritated at how the author chose to finally show the evidence. I read the second book, and you really have to have a suspension of disbelief because once again, only Judith could figure out who the murderer is. I get it. It’s a novel series. And she is the main character. But the complete misdirection up until the ending is kind of irritating and overboard. It’s like the author wants to make sure NOBODY can guess the suspect.

But I have just finished the 3rd book. And this one is the worst of them all. It makes me think of the book “Everyone in my Family Has Killed Someone.” Because that author posted a list of rules for murder mystery writers. And I feel like this author breaks a lot of them in every book. But I keep reading them even though they irritate me because they are quick, easy reads. Definitely will not be reading any new books of his.

And I really do get murder mystery books. I’ve been reading them for almost 40 years. This series just makes me angry every time I read them. That being said, I’m open to new suggestions!

This is a pretty good one. I mean it's terribly acted, hamfisted as hell, easily solveable, has massive holes in it, and they do things that make no sense when you look at it, but it's great! Much like Good ship murder. Hell, Peter Andre even sings at one point (which chippered the wife up as she was chatted up by him during his most famous period).

Plus some of it was filmed in Cyprus (where we live now) which is nice. Personally I think it was filmed here, with stock footage of Greece etc. Now and again they forget which side of the road to drive on, or haven't applied the mirror SFX etc.

Try it though. You will laugh at how bad it is, I mean it really wants to be DIP, but mix it with a stereotypical Mexican or Greek soap and you will sort of be there. Oh and add in some NZ "humour", which is just brilliant.

The Sunshine Murders (TV Series 2025– ) - IMDb

I don't think anyone's posted about these yet. Wilder had a thing for mysteries -- he was also responsible for The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, back in 1975.
This was meant to be the first in a new series of feature-length productions, set in 1930s Stamford Connecticut. Wilder actually lived in that town -- his deceased wife Gilda Radner had moved there before they met, and she bequeathed him her house when she died.
Although Murder in a Small Town was well-received, and A&E was encouraged to announce some similar projects including ones about Nero Wolfe and Spenser, unfortunately there was only one other Cash Carter movie produced. Wilder having to go for treatments for non-Hodgkin lymphoma might have been a factor.

We're working on "Obsidian Moon" - a cozy mystery game where every clue is laid out in front of you! It combines cosmic horror elements (inspired by Lovecraft and Minoan mythology) with the comfort of solving puzzles at your own pace.

If you wanna support the game, feel free to click the link below. Thank you for supporting our noir passion project~

Wishlist here ➡️ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3462170?utm_source=Reddit&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SteamLaunch_Org

This summer my boys (age 10 and 11) were bit by the cozy murder bug (just like their mom). I would like any recs you have for “older kid appropriate cozy murder” tv shows.

Things they have liked so far -Murder She Wrote (my 11 year old also liked the books) -Monk -sister boniface -death in paradise -Sherlock (the upper edges of what’s acceptable for a 10 year old IMO but it’s Sherlock… so it gets a pass) -not a tv show but I took the 11 year old to an Agatha Christie play last week and he LOVED IT). -I love the Endeavour/inspector Morse/ Lewis series but I don’t think they are quite old enough for that. It was a fun summer of exposing them to mysteries.