Deliciously Punny Mysteries

What's even better than a cozy mystery with a puntastic title? A food-themed cozy mystery with a puntastic title! Assuming you aren't still full from your Thanksgiving feast, that is!

Below is a list of a few recent and deliciously clever titles:

Pie Hard by Kirsten Weiss
The third book in the Pie Town Mystery series. Business at the bakery may have slowed down, but Val Harris isn't about to eat humble pie--not until a reality cooking show decides to whip the struggling Pie Town into shape.

Brewed Awakening by Cleo Coyle
The eighteenth book in the Coffeehouse Mystery series. When coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi awakens on a bench in Washington Square Park, she has no idea she's been missing for the past week, or that her friends and family have been frantic with worry.

Scone Cold Dead by Karen MacInerney
The ninth book in the Gray Whale Inn Mystery series. Innkeeper Natalie Barnes is living her dream life, creating scrumptious scone recipes and relishing cool summer days on quaint Cranberry Island, Maine… until she stumbles across a dead body tucked under the blueberry bushes.

Puddin' on the Blitz by Tamar Myers
The twenty-first book in the Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery series.  The success of Magdalena Yoder's new Amish-Asian restaurant is threatened by murder.

Live and Let Pie by Ellie Alexander
The ninth book in the Bakeshop Mystery series. Life is sweet once you step into Torte, everybody's favorite small-town bakeshop. But what happens when it becomes the scene of a crime?

Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson
The first book in the Chef-to-Go Mystery series. Dani opens Chef-to-Go, preparing delicious, ready-made meals for hungry students attending the nearby university, as well as providing personal chef services and catering events for the local community. But just as Dani is relishing her sweet new life, the friend of one of her boarders is murdered, and Dani becomes one of the primary suspects!

Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien
The fourth book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series. The Asian community is kicking off summer with the return of its popular Cleveland Night Market festivities, and Lana Lee is excited to represent the Ho-Lee Noodle House booth when an explosion involving a nearby food truck, Wonton on Wheels, kills one of the proprietors and injures several others.

An Ale of Two Cities by Sarah Fox
the second book in the Literary Pub Mystery series. The Winter Carnival always brings holiday cheer, Christmas joy—and tourists with cash—to picturesque Shady Creek, Vermont. Faster than she can fling a Huckleberry Gin, booklover and pub owner Sadie Coleman finds herself racing to make sure the police don’t arrest the wrong suspect.

It's all Pun and Games (and murder too!)

If you're a fan of puns and puzzles, you might enjoy cozy mysteries. A cozy mystery novel features a less violent murder and generally includes quirky characters, humor, and sometimes a touch of romance. Not all cozy mysteries have puns in their titles, but my favorites do!

Here's a short list of recent mystery novels with particularly clever puns in their titles:

Deja Moo by Kirsten Weiss
The third book in the Proper Paranormal Museum series. A holiday tradition turns deadly, but is the paranormal museum to blame?

Buried in the Stacks by Allison Brook
the third book in the Haunted Library Mysteries series. Librarian Carrie Singleotn is building a haven, but one of her neighbors is misbehavin'. Can resident spirit Evelyn help Carrie catch the culprit who made her a ghost?

Sell Low, Sweet Harriet by Sherry Harris
The eighth book in the Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery series. Sarah Winston's garage sale business has a new client: the daughter of a couple who recently died in a tragic accident while away on a trip to Africa.

Hounds of the Basket Stitch by Anne Canadeo
The eleventh book in the Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries series. The Black Sheep Knitters come ot the aid of two sisters - one a victim and one a suspect...

Thread and Buried by Lea Wait
The ninth book in the Mainely Needlepoint series. Haven Harbor is an authentic coastal Maine town--which makes it the perfect location for a new film production. But now it's become the scene of a crime...

No Escape Claws by Sofie Ryan
The sixth book in the Second Chance Cat Mystery series. Haven Harbor is an authentic coastal Maine town--which makes it the perfect location for a new film production. But now it's become the scene of a crime . . .

Crewel and Unusual by Molly MacRae
The sixth book in the Haunted yarn Shop Mystery series. Yarn shop owner Kath Rutledge is looking forward to the grand opening of the Blue Plum Vault, a co-op of small shops on Main Street until rumors of an unpleasant rivalry start spreading...

Ruff Justice by Laurien Berenson
The twenty-second book in the Melanie Travis series. As owner of prize-winning Poodles, Melanie Travis knows how to handle fierce competition. But when a conformation show turns deadly, it’ll take every trick in the book to outsmart a murderer who refuses to lose...

Better Than Nun by Alice Loweecey
The sixth book in the Giulia Driscoll series. Giulia Driscoll used to say running a detective agency was the busiest job she’d ever had. Then the ghosts showed up, and she figured now she’s the busiest ever.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Alanda Gregory

Alanda Gregory, November's C-SPL Reader of the Month is a life enthusiast, a part-time entrepreneur, and a library assistant at Carnegie-Stout. She has five grown-up children and assists her husband with his music studio in Dubuque.

(See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.)

Alanda's Reading Interests:

My reading interests are primarily anything that provokes thought. I love to read about history and I am an avid reader of self-help books, yet every once in a while I love to read a good book of science fiction, general fiction or classic literature. I believe that everyone should discover and familiarize themselves with the world around them. I believe that is how we learn the greatness within ourselves and appreciate the greatness in others. To think about it, my love for reading matches my love for all sorts of music. I believe that by expanding our selection of literary or musical arts, we broaden our cognitive learning abilities.


 Q & A with Alanda

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)? 

A. The best book I’ve ever read is The Game of Life & How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. My ideal reading environment is in my home office. I’d grab a book, put on my classical music or meditation music playlist and sit in my recliner.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. A Terrible Thing to Waste by Harriet Washington. I am particularly excited because the title itself is a phrase for an advertisement related to The United Negro College Fund and I anticipate the book will touch on that. Harriet is also the writer of Medical Apartheid and that book opened my eyes to the horrors of medical practices against people of color in the name of medical research.

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. The Game of Life and How to Play It. This book gives insight on self-awareness and our endless possibility of creating what we want. The book was written by one of the best known new thought leaders of the 20th century. Florence Scovel Shinn was a spiritual teacher and her principles and wisdom still applies to the present day. Her book is full of anecdotes and affirmations, which have helped me along my journey.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. My love for reading began at three. My mother taught me how to read and I remember as a five year-old child sitting at my desk copying pages out of our World Atlas books and telling my mother I wanted to write my own books. The best stories to read in my youth were Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys Mysteries.


Check out more of Alanda's Favorite Books