The Cosy Moose

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15 – Murder on Milverton Square – G B Ralph

Cute chaotic cosy crime. I read this on Kindle towards the end of last year, but after picking up the sequel on audio last week, I went back and listened to the audio of this first book in the series. Philip Battley is a brilliant narrator for this series. It’s a wonderful comfort read that I can see myself revisiting many times.

• Kindle – https://amzn.to/40FKMGb
• Paperback – https://amzn.to/4akY7XD
• Audio – https://amzn.to/40GcVws

16 – Murder at Ravenswood House – Louise Marley

I was so sucked in to the first book of this series, which focussed on Milla Graham, I couldn’t wait to dive into the second. Opening with a gruesome murder, this twisty thriller digs into Detective Ben Taylor’s complicated family history. The novel is brilliantly paced, with revelations coming at you thick and fast so you have to keep reading to find out what’s coming next. Darker than your average cosy, but this is way more than an average novel.

• Kindle – https://amzn.to/42mQUEi
• Paperback – https://amzn.to/42mQUEi
• Audio – https://amzn.to/4hjAbGg

17 – Murder at Raven’s Hollow – Louise Marley

What I’ve enjoyed most about this series is that in every book, the focus pulls to one of the other main characters. In Murder at Raven’s Hollow, we see Detective Ben Taylor’s sergeant, DS Harriet March, landing at centre stage. This is a brilliant dark and mysterious series, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next. When a skeleton is dug up behind the property where DS March is living, secrets from the past also come to the surface.

• Kindle – https://amzn.to/4jfo7Yi
• Paperback – https://amzn.to/3EdvS0L
• Audio – https://amzn.to/4g7jE78

18 – The Antique Store Detective and the May Day Murder – Clare Chase

I love Clare Chase’s novels – the perfect village cosy crime books to curl up and read with a cup of tea (or black coffee). Bella Winter is a brilliant kitten-heeled new character and doesn’t disappoint in her second outing.

Full review: Review: The Antique Store Detective and the May Day Murder – Clare Chase

• Kindle: https://amzn.to/3WkNoq4
• Paperback: https://amzn.to/40BXPIw
• Audio: https://amzn.to/4jyueaz

19 – Broken Homes – Ben Aaronovitch

I absolutely adore this urban fantasy series, which reads like a crime novel with fantastical elements. I’ve been doing a re-read of the entire series in preparation for the new release later this year. In Broken Homes – the fourth in the series – Peter Grant is still on the hunt for the unknown Faceless Man, his investigations leading South of the river Thames, leading to one of the most shocking endings. I was totally blind-sided the first time I read it, and it never gets any less surprising.

Narrator Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is one of the finest in the industry, and is one of the reasons I keep coming back to this series.

• Kindle: https://amzn.to/42kuIux
• Paperback: https://amzn.to/40mbS3t
• Audio: https://amzn.to/40ujPUC

20 – Foxglove Summer – Ben Aaronovitch

Continuing onto the fifth of the Rivers of London series, following on from the last novel, Peter Grant leaves London. After the high octane action of Broken Homes, it’s time to head into the countryside for a breather. But just because you’re out of the city, doesn’t mean there’s any less action. Peter finds himself in Herefordshire, helping the local police investigating two missing children, and when all avenues are exhausted, the question of whether there has been a supernatural event rises. Features a supporting cast of Fae, river spirits and unicorns like you’ve never seen before…

• Kindle: https://amzn.to/4hlTvCD
• Paperback: https://amzn.to/4hmgP34
• Audio: https://amzn.to/40ERZpW

21 – By the Pricking of my Thumbs – Agatha Christie

I wish Tommy and Tuppence had appeared more frequently, but it means I love them even more when they do appear. This is the third of their four outings, and they age up in every appearance. Now they’ve been married for many years, their children have grown and had children of their own, and Tuppence refers to Tommy as being close to retirement age. But their bond hasn’t withered with age, this is a couple who know each other other so very well, and Tuppence’s curiosity and yearning for adventure hasn’t lost its edge. After visiting Tommy’s Aunt Ada in a retirement home, Tuppence has many questions, which are exacerbated when Aunt Ada passes away, and one of the ladies Tuppence spoke to during the visit appears to be missing. Unravelling the mystery leads to a shocking ending, as adventure and sleuthing lead to the uncovering of dark secrets from the past.

• Kindle: https://amzn.to/40r4vbd
• Paperback: https://amzn.to/40CfAay
• Audio: https://amzn.to/4hozr2r

22 – Always Take Notes: Advice from some of the world’s greatest writers – Rachel Lloyd, Simon Akam

In order to put off doing my own writing, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about writing. This book pulls together a lot of advice from writers uncovered whilst recording the podcast of the same name. All the key advice is pulled together in this novel which is helpfully split into sections so you can dip in and out. The interviews bring out the honesty in the writers being posed the questions, and it’s a wonderful warts-n-all look at the process from getting the idea of a novel to the realities of the publishing world. The writers interviewed are wide-ranging from novelists and poets to journalists and academic writers.

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• Hardcover: https://amzn.to/40fzpDi
• Audio: https://amzn.to/40nnKCn