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312: Cozy Mystery Recommendations for 2026

Are cozy mysteries one of your favorite comfort reads, or are you looking for a place to start? In episode 312, we’re sharing a couple of cozy mystery recommendations that surprised and delighted us in very different ways. Before we dive into mysteries, we kick things off with our Bookish Check-in: Jen shares Edward Humes’ Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), and Ashley talks about Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm).


Then we discuss two cozy mysteries we highly recommend: Alexia Gordon’s Murder in G Major (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), featuring a ghostly composer in Ireland, and The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm), a historical mystery set in 1920s London. We also wrap up with a Lit Chat about how we keep track of our ever-growing TBR lists. Whether you’re already a cozy mystery fan or just curious about the genre, we hope you’ll join us for the conversation.



Bookish Check-in

Ashley - Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Jen - Edward Humes’s Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)


Our recommendations

Ashley - John Shen Yen Nee and S. J. Rozan’s The Murder of Mr. Ma (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)

Jen - Alexia Gordon’s Murder in G Major (Bookshop.org | Libro.fm)


Mentioned in Episode


Lit Chat Game

Listen in to hear how we (try to) manage our endless TBR lists.


(A note to our readers: click on the hashtags above to see our other blog posts with the same hashtag.)


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Full Transcript for Episode

[00:00:00] Ashley: Welcome to the Unabridged Podcast. I'm Ashley,

[00:00:05] Jen: And this is Jen.

[00:00:06] Ashley: Join us for bookish episodes and check out our website Unabridged pod.com, where you can find lots of new bookish content to grow your TBR.

[00:00:13] Jen: Sign up for our newsletter to find out more about online book discussions and upcoming events.

[00:00:18] Find us on Patreon for extra unabridged content. Join us on Instagram and Facebook @unabridgedpod and message us there,e or see our website to get plugged into the unabridged community. You want opinions about books? We've got 'em.

[00:00:35] Ashley: Hey, and welcome to Unabridged. This is episode 312. Today,y we're discussing Cozy Mystery recommendations. And before we get into that, we wanted to remind you that we do have a shop with bookshop.org. There's a link in our show notes. If you go to bookshop.org/shop/Unabridged pod,

[00:00:52] Anything you purchase from that space, whether it is linked from us or not, we do get an affiliate benefit for that because we partner with them, and we really appreciate your support. That is a really easy way to support us and also support independent bookstores. Before we get into our cozy mystery recommendations, we wanna do our book as a check-in.

[00:01:12] Jen, what are you reading?

[00:01:13] Jen: So I am reading, I've been on a bit of a non-fiction kick lately, so this is a non-fiction recommendation that would work for our Unabridged podcast reading challenge. It is Edward Humes' Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World. This one I'm doing is part of a buddy read with a good friend at Read with Tony.

[00:01:33] If you wanna check her out on Instagram, she always has good stuff. So this is what the title says. Basically, it's an examination of the way waste is such a part of our world, and especially our lives as American citizens, and just how much we throw away and don't even think about it. And it's going into some misconceptions about recycling and just how much of what we send to recycling centers actually gets recycled.

[00:02:03] So it is definitely looking at the problem in more detail, but it's one of those books like this that I appreciate because it also offers actionable steps. So it's not just diagnosing the problem, it's also providing ideas for things that you can do, and for other people who have really advocated for making a difference here.

[00:02:22] So one of the very first chapters is about a man who was walking through his neighborhood with his son and started. Looking at his neighbor's recycling bins and basically got an idea to see if he could figure out a way to recycle some of the things that, like batteries that nobody's really sure how to recycle.

[00:02:43] So a lot of time, they had a battery drawer, a nd he just sort of collected old batteries because he wasn't sure what to do with them. And then eventually he was like, okay, this is. This is not sustainable. So yeah, he created a successful business looking at, you know, the plastic covers that come in, a lot of cardboard containers that you buy at the grocery store, or plastic straws, or, yeah, just any number of things that you're like, oh yeah, that can't be recycled.

[00:03:11] So I guess I'm either gonna keep it until one day when something magical happens or throw it away. I appreciate those books that both make the problem clear, but also offer maybe not whole-scale solutions, but things that I can do to make my impact better. So that is Edward Humes' Total Garbage,

[00:03:29] How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World.

[00:03:33] Ashley: Oh, Jen, I hadn't heard about that at all, and that sounds really interesting. And yes, I like the ones that are oriented that way.

[00:03:39] Jen: Yes. Yeah, 'cause we all know there are a lot of bad things right now, and yeah, some of them we can make a difference, which is empowering. What are you reading?

[00:03:49] Ashley: So one of the things I'm reading is Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere. This one's been on my list, and my hold came in,n and I was like, okay, I'm excited to read this. I love Reid's work. And had been waiting on this one because I had the impression that I'm reluctant to even say, 'cause I feel like Jen's face is gonna tell me whether this is true, but I have the impression it's quite sad.

[00:04:09] So then I was like holding off in some ways because of that. But anyway, lately I've been enjoying books that are more impactful, even if they are sad. So. When my hold came in, I was like, sure, I'll go for it, a nd this is about Joan Goodwin. So, like a lot of Reid's books, you're operating on two different timelines.

[00:04:27] One is happening right there in the moment, and it's kind of a minute-by-minute account of what is happening during a NASA mission. Then it is the backstory of everything that leads up to the moment that is the present. And so we get to know Joan, and again, right at the beginning, like a lot of Reid's books, very intense situation, very compelling, of a crisis that is happening during the actual mission that Joan is supporting from the control center.

[00:04:54] And, we're seeing that unfold,d and then we're discovering how Joan became one of the people working in Houston's space center and how she got to be part of that. And this is set in 1980, so this is when women really had not been represented at all. All of this obviously is very timely right now with Artemis Two.

[00:05:17] and looking at that mission and everything that's going on now and the way that things have changed and how exciting that is, but

[00:05:23] I did not know about the synchronicity of this when I started because I'm not keeping up with a lot of the news.

[00:05:27] And so I was like, woefully informed, and we're recording a little early. So ArtemisTwoo is like, just now, they just got back to Earth. And so I did pause on this. I wanted to share because I'm really enjoying the book, but I did pause because I was like, oh, I don't know that I want to read an imminent crisis that is happening in space while our astronauts are out there exploring the other side of the moon.

[00:05:48] So I did, take a little pause, but anyway, you get to know Joan, and what is unfolding is all of her experience leading up to becoming one of the astronauts. And again in 1984, they are going on this mission, nd you're seeing her from the control center, and she is trying to guide Vanessa Ford, who she has a very special relationship.

[00:06:12] That again is kind of unfolding as the book unfolds, but she is trying to guide her. She is the one who is communicating between the Earth base and the. Shuttle and they're trying to communicate step by step what to do in this very extreme crisis. So I am very captivated, and I am now that ArtemisTwoo is back and the astronauts are doing well, I am ready to dive back into this one, 'cause it really sucks you in.

[00:06:37] So again, that is Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere.

[00:06:40] Jen: Yeah, I will not say anything to give away anything, but I love that book. I just think she is such a marvelous storyteller, and yeah, I always get swept away by her writing and just the way she has of developing characters within these interesting settings. It's a good one.

[00:06:57] Ashley: Well, today we wanted to share some cozy mystery recommendations with you. I feel like neither of us read tons and tons of cozy mysteries, I don't think. Whenever I do read them, I really enjoy them. So I'm looking forward to sharing one. And I am always looking for new recommendations also, 'cause I do think they're fun.

[00:07:13] Jen, what's your recommendation for this?

[00:07:15] Jen: My recommendation is Alexia Gordon's Murder in G Major, and this is the first in a series. It is the only one in the series that I have read, so it centers on Gethsemane Brown. Who is a classical musician whose life is falling apart?

[00:07:34] She had a job that she thought would be great for her career that she thought she was going to get, and then through. Unfortunate circumstances. Someone else got it. Her boyfriend broke up with her. She feels like she is a constant disappointment to her family because her siblings are successful in more traditional fields, and so she feels like her family really looks down on her because she has gone into the arts, and an opportunity opens up for her in Ireland.

[00:08:08] So she travels to Ireland. The job came with help finding a cottage that she could stay in, and she is going to be the teacher at a local private school, where she will teach the boys this classical piece. And then they enter this competition, which is a really big deal among these schools that have this capacity, this orchestra capacity.

[00:08:32] When Gethsemane moves into the cottage, the person who owns it tells her that there have been rumors that there is a ghost in the cottage

[00:08:42] The cottage belonged to his relative. Eamon. McCarthy.Heo was an incredibly successful composer and conductor of classical music, and he died tragically years ago, like a decade ago. His wife fell off a nearby cliff, and then there's evidence that he committed suicide after her death, and some people think that he actually pushed her.

[00:09:09] And that it wasn't an accident, and that's why he died. So Gethsemane spends her first few days getting accustomed to the new job, goes to the school, and meets her students. There are some interesting relationships there, and a lot of the boys are facing some prejudice based on who they are and where they come from, which is something that somebody herself has faced.

[00:09:35] She is a black musician in a field. That has been known to be racist or has been known to be biased in some ways, and so she really wants to stick up for the kids who are facing similar biases that are coming through, no fault of their own. That whole part I found to be really engaging. I loved the boys who are part of the orchestra and watching her develop those relationships with them.

[00:09:59] She knows that one of their relatives is a bigwig in the United States, in the orchestra, in classical music. So she's thinking that maybe this job could be a stepping stone to something else. But she also wants to do a good job while she's there. She returns to the cottage at one point and discovers that there is indeed a ghost and that it is Eamon.

[00:10:22] And he wants her to investigate the circumstances of his death and his wife's death because he is convinced that the police at the time did not do a good job investigating what happened to them. And the main investigator was someone who had a grudge against him. And so he just thinks they wrote it off to kind of get it off their plate quickly.

[00:10:47] And he's convinced that there's more to the story and that there's proof out there that he is innocent. And Gethsemane at first is reluctant, but eventually, of course, agrees because this is a cozy mystery to investigate on his behalf. So it's really fun. This is the first cozy mystery I've read where there is a supernatural element.

[00:11:09] And so I wasn't sure when I picked it up if I would like that, but I think it's, I think that Gordon. Deals with that really well. And Eamon is a great character on his own. He is quirky, he's a little brisky about some things. They have this connection with classical music that is interesting to see, and that comes into play with Gethsemane, his job.

[00:11:30] So yeah, I really enjoyed all of the elements of it, and the way that Gordon weaves them together to create a Compelling novel. So I think I will probably continue with the series. This book was adapted,d though. I have not watched the adaptation yet, so that's on my list to watch as well. So yeah, that is Alexia Gordons, Murder in G Major.

[00:11:50] Ashley: Wow. I hadn't heard anything about that, and I'm surprised since it's adapted as well, that it hadn't crossed my mind, but,

[00:11:57] Jen: My book club chose it, and it was because the reader of the audiobook is actually local, and so one of my fellow book club members knows her and suggested it. So yeah, it was a great pick. I don't know if the adaptation has helped with sales at all. Yeah, I don't think it's been talked about much, but it's really good.

[00:12:16] Ashley: Yeah, that sounds good. That's really fun. A lot of moving parts,

[00:12:19] it sounds like.

[00:12:20] Jen: Yes, for sure. All right. How about yours? What would you recommend, Ashley?

[00:12:24] Ashley: So I came across this one thanks to Libro FM and their A LC program. And it is The Murder of Mr. Ma. And the authors are John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan. And this one is also the beginning of a series. It's the only one I've read. And this series is Dee and Lao, and this is number one. And.

[00:12:47] Jen: It has two. You get to meet Lao first, and he is a very shy academic who lives, this is set in London in 192. He is a Chinese immigrant, and he lives in London and has a very studious academic life. And what comes to pass is that. He gets roped into this situation where Judge Dee Ren Jie, he is in London at the time, but he's not normally in London, but he's very famous and he is in London, and what comes to pass is that he has gotten arrested and someone comes to Lao and convinces him to switch places with Dee in prison and is like, they're never gonna notice because they are so bigoted and racist and they are not even going to be paying any attention to the fact that it is you instead of him, we're gonna do these things, change your clothes, and you both speak Mandarin.

[00:13:43] Ashley: No one's gonna notice, and he reluctantly agrees to the ridiculous premise. But because of that, he gets swept up into this whole situation that is unfolding, where there's been a murder that has been committed. And Dee is trying to figure out what has happened, and Lao becomes involved in trying to help.

[00:14:05] And what is unfolding is that Mr. Ma, the original man who was murdered, it's unclear at first, you know, of course, like why he was murdered, what was going on. But what happens is there's another death, like right after. There's a serial killing situation unfolding

.[00:14:20] All of them are Chinese immigrants who are being killed. The police, again, there's a lot of racism. and a lot of lack of concern for the Chinese population in London. And so that is also influencing the way that the investigators and the police officers are handling the case. And all of that intensifies Dee's desire and Lao as he gets involved.

[00:14:44] their desire to try to solve this problem and stop this series of murders. And some other pieces are really interesting as well. There's also a lot of fighting. Like, Both has the mystery component, but also is just like a very like, action packed, book.

[00:15:00] And Dee has all of these very fascinating skills that she can do all of these incredible things. And so he's kind of larger than life, I would say, but he just is a very fun character, and Lao really respects him, but also is like kind of mystified by him. And then the other piece of it that I really appreciated so I loved the cultural context. I thought that everything about the 1920s and London was really interesting in the way that the Chinese immigrant community was interacting with the rest of the London society, and what that looked like.

[00:15:30] That piece was interesting. And then also Dee uses opium and all of that. As he was in the war, he was profoundly affected by it. He has a lot of injuries that have sustained long-term impact because of it. And so he's an opium user. And Lao, who is not an opium user, is very judgmental toward that. I really appreciated that whole exploration.

[00:15:51] Also, I'm not sure I've read something that explores so thoroughly. What was going on with opium? I mean, it just felt so much like the opiate experience that we have now and the way that things are intentionally prescribed by medical professionals, but then result in these, like, you know, pretty horrific side effects, of addiction and struggle with that disease. And so you see all of that in the book as well. And Lao lives in a boarding house with a couple of women who have let him come as a boarder. And like all of that was really interesting to explore as well. So I thought it was really fascinating, and again, it is The Murder of Mr.

[00:16:29] Ma, and it is by John Shen Yen Ne and S.J. Rozan

[00:16:32] Jen: Oh, that sounds so good. I think I have this thanks to Libra FM as an A LC, so I'll have to move it up my TBR.

[00:16:42] Ashley: It was really fun. I thought really well done and really compelling, and a lot of things were going on that I thought were really interesting and well done.

[00:16:49] explored the historical time period.

[00:16:52] Jen: Cool. That's good.

[00:16:54] Ashley: Well, we hope that you enjoyed those recommendations. We would be so curious to hear what your cozy mystery recommendations are.

[00:17:02] You can always let us know @unabridgedpod on Instagram, and to end today, we're going to do our lit chat game. Jen, do you have a question for us?

[00:17:10] Jen: I do indeed. Do you have a to-be-read pile? And then it says, " No one will judge you if it's an actual pile. And then there's a second question. How do you keep track of your reading queue? You can answer both if you want,t or you can just pick one.

[00:17:24] Ashley: Yeah, this is a great question, and I feel like it's something I really struggle with, especially because I don't have as much of a physical pile as I used to. I've tried to move despite, you won't see the video version of this, but Jen can tell, like despite all the books behind me, I really don't have that much of a.

[00:17:38] physical stack anymore because I really do read a lot on, from Libby and on my e-reader, but of course I still have a long list of things I want to read. I'm always trying to reorganize that queue, though. I think that's something I've really struggled with is how to effectively keep up with what I want to read in a way that.

[00:18:01] Leads me to actually read it. And I think, like what I wound up doing recently, is I have a like top TBR list that I've been working my way through of ones that I'm just really dying to read. And that has been effective. Like, I mean, Atmosphere was on that list. Wild Dark Shore was on that list, How the Word Is Passed was on that list.

[00:18:19] So it was like ones that I've read recently that are really, really impactful books that I have really enjoyed in the last few months, but beyond that, I always have the like a marking want to read. I have a couple of like digital sticky notes that have long lists of things, but I don't have a great organizational system, so maybe this will be the year that I sort that out a little bit.

[00:18:38] We'll see. I'd love to hear what other people do. What about you, Jen?

[00:18:42] Jen: Yeah. I don't really have a pile because,e like you, I do read physical books, but that's a very small proportion of what I read overall. So I have a TBR list on Google Keep divided by month, and that includes things I'm reading for Buddy Reads, things I'm reading for the podcast, and library due dates.

[00:19:01] When I get arcs, and I have to review those, I put all of that on there. And then physically, so I, we have our unread books in our bedroom on two shelves, and every year I pick the 26 back list in 20 26, or you know, whatever it is. And I have those on a separate shelf. I have them loosely organized like fiction, nonfiction, and young adult.

[00:19:23] And then I try to put the ones that I'm most interested in reading 'cause I have to double-stack things. Put them on the front stack. Yes, I may have a problem. Yeah, it's kind of random. Yeah, I had, just like in Libro, I have a list called Priority that I put the books that I most wanna listen to because I have some built up on there.

[00:19:42] I just have a lot of things in a lot of places. But the primary thing that drives my next reading is that Google Keep list, which is not necessarily driven by preference always. It's more by those external due dates and deadlines and challenges, which is something I'm always struggling to balance with.

[00:19:58] I just wanna read what I want. Yeah. I put the things I'm reading for school on there, just so I know what I have to read. And then by the end of the month, usually there's time for me to pick some, just want to read,

[00:20:08] Ashley: Yeah, I like that idea about the month-to-month with the Google Keep. That seems like, 'cause I have 'em on Google Keep also. But again, I have several lists I feel like, and other than the one that is like the one I absolutely want to read, these lists. The other ones aren't working very well, so maybe the month-to-month would help.

[00:20:24] And the same that I have in Libro, I have it tagged. Interested, and then I have another tag that is to listen, and I try to make that one like the, I absolutely want to, because sometimes the interested one is so long that I get overwhelmed and then I have trouble picking and saying that in Libby, I have TBR tags also, and so sometimes that helps me to choose the next one, but it's always a journey to,

[00:20:47] Jen: Yes, I know. And I wonder how many of you out there do have just a pile, and that does seem quite functional, but I think both of us are pulling from so many reading sources that the pile just can't be literal.

[00:21:00] Ashley: Yes. I feel like I was way better at it when I had a physical pile and now it's, since then it's felt a lot more haphazard and that's something I've definitely been thinking on the last couple of years because if I don't have a strategy, then whenever I finish my e-reader book, I'm just grabbing whatever I find on Libby, which doesn't help me to really get to the books that I most want to read.

[00:21:21] So, yeah, I'm looking for new systems.

[00:21:23] Jen: Yeah. Yep.

[00:21:25] Ashley: Well, thank you all so much for listening today. We hope you enjoyed our recommendations for Cozy Mysteries. Again, we'd love to hear ones that you recommend. I know this is an area where Jen and I both are always interested in new ones, and yeah. We'll see you next time.

[00:21:38] Thanks for listening.

[00:21:39] Jen: Thanks.

[00:21:40] Do you have comments or opinions about what you heard today? We'd love to hear them. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @unabridgedpod, or on the web at uunabridgedpod.com, for ways to support us to get more involved. You can sign up for our newsletter. Join a Buddy Read, or become an ambassador.

[00:22:00] Thanks for listening to Unabridged.

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