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Looking for your next great read?
From cozy to noir, let’s find a strong female sleuth to suit your reading mood.
LATEST REVIEWS
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The March Sisters Struggle to Solve The Murder of Their Beloved Beth
I adored this thoroughly modern take on Little Women, featuring the March sisters as amateur sleuths uncovering who killed their beloved Beth. This propulsively written tale grapples with current issues, like social media.
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Agatha Christie’s Housekeeper Stars in this Inventive Series
An unconventional housekeeper to Agatha Christie, who served with her in wartime, solves mysteries in and around the novelist’s home in the English countryside in the 1930s. It’s a series worthy of the Christie references.
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One Author, Two Cozy Mystery Series I’m Loving Now
Author Debra Sennefelder’s two series, which feature a food blogger and a consignment store owner, are a well-written respite from the daily barrage of horrendous news out of our nation’s capital. Learn to rest, not quit.
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Family Matters: A Veteran Author Pens a Cozy with Heart
This fun read pairs a fiery grandmother with her wayward granddaughter as they hunt a killer — and a tortoise — in a blazing hot retirement community. Along the way, some family secrets are laid bare.
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An Archaeologist Contends With An Unbelievable Discovery in this Fast-Moving Tale
Ancient stories and modern politics mix in this series debut about a Pakistani archaeologist faced with the find of a lifetime. But how it is related to her missing niece?
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Chicago’s First Female PI Will Bicycle Right Into Your Heart
An unconventional young PI fights sexism, homophobia, a surly younger brother and a brutal gang lord in turn-of-the-century Chicago in Rob Osler’s second quozy, or queer cozy, mystery series. It’s a winner.
popular picks
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Shamus Finalists: Four Female PIs Who May Steal Your Heart
My absolute favorite mystery protagonist is a tough female PI who defies common sense in her pursuit for justice. I’m late to discovering the Shamus Awards but thrilled to share these finalists.
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Are These the 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century?
The recent New York Times list is reviving debate over what constitutes a mystery versus what makes a thriller. Does it matter when the books, thriller or mystery, are this good?
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Edgar Awards 2026: What Mystery Writers Selected as The Best
This year’s winners include an unofficial “problem-solver” in Silicon Valley and a zealous journalist pursuing a fugitive who confessed to killing nine people as a teen. Links to winners, nominees.
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Agatha Award Winners 2026: Celebrating Traditional Mysteries
This year’s winners include an historical mystery where Agatha Christie isn’t the author but a suspect, and Dorothy Sayers’ assistant must prove her innocence. Links to winners, nominees.
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Left Coast Crime Awards 2026: Some Familiar Winners
Two 2026 winners are repeats from last year for their most recent novels featuring female protagonists. See the results of this year’s first big mystery awards for work in 2025.
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Anthony Awards 2025: New Categories Added
Female sleuths again swept this annual awards contest, which included new categories such as best cozy/humorous, best historical and best paranormal. Need help adding to your TBR list?
writing practice
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What Kind of Writer Do You Want to Be?
Do you write to market? Write from your heart? Write to change the world? I’m learning from other writers that there is no one right answer. I’m still figuring it out for myself.
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Becoming a Writer: Getting Over That Imposter Feeling
I had a career based on words but never considered myself a “real” writer. It’s time to recover writing as a practice for everyone, and not the domain of an elite few.
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