One of my favorite things to do is to read a good mystery. I love to read any time, day or night, anywhere, inside or outside, but especially on a porch in the rain. Reading takes me anywhere I want to go. I don’t have to answer anyone’s questions, do anything, or solve a problem; I just sit back and immerse myself in another place and time. It’s been a great distraction when I am stressed, and it lets me decompress and resets my brain to give me the fuel to press on.

One of these days, I will hit 100 books in a year, but I’m at 77 for 2020.

You will notice A LOT of Cozy Mysteries in this list. For some reason, these are my go-to-comfort-read, and there was a lot of that needed this year! I also found several different series, all by the same author, so I think I single-handedly kept Ellery Adams in business this year.

I hope you find a new author or series that you like on this list. Let me know in the comments below what your favorites from this year were. I am always looking for another good book to read!

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Here are the series I mentioned below in order of appearance:

May your 2021 be filled with love, peace, joy, adventure, and mystery, both in real life and in the stories of many good books!

Happy New Year!

  1. The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams (A Secret, Book, Scone Society Novel-Book 2)
  2. White Sand Blues by Vicky Delany (An Ashley Grant Mystery-Book 1)
  3. The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane (Forensic Instincts-Book 1)
  4. A Deadly Cliche’ by Ellery Adams (A Books by the Bay Mystery-Book 2)
  5. The Last Word by Ellery Adams (A Books by the Bay Mystery-Book 3)
  6. Murder in the Reading Room by Ellery Adams (A Book Retreat Mystery-Book 5)
  7. Written in Stone by Ellery Adams (A Books by the Bay Mystery-Book 4)
  8. Poisoned Prose by Ellery Adams (A Books by the Bay Mystery-Book 5)
  9. And Then They Were Doomed by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli (A Little Library Mystery-Book 4)
  10. Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery-Book 1)
  11. Blue Water Hues by Vicki Delany (An Ashley Grant Mystery-Book 2)
  12. Sealed Off by Barbara Ross (A Maine Clambake Mystery-Book 8)
  13. Lethal Letters by Ellery Adams (A Books by the Bay Mystery-Book 6)
  14. Murder in the First Edition by Lauren Elliott (A Beyond the Page Bookstore-Book 3)
  15. Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews
  16. The Path of the Crooked by Ellery Adams (Hope Street Church Mysteries-Book 1)
  17. Writing All Wrongs by Ellery Adams (Books by the Bay Mystery-Book 7)
  18. The Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews
  19. Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman-Downton Abbey actress, Author of Something in the Water
  20. A Killer Collection by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 1)
  21. The Book of Candlelight by Ellery Adams (A Secret, Book, Scone Society Novel-Book 3)
  22. Murder Ink by Lorraine Bartlett (A Victoria Square Mystery-Book 6)
  23. The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware-Author of The Woman in Cabin 10
  24. Killer Characters by Ellery Adams (Books by the Bay Mystery-Book 8)
  25. The Way of the Wicked by Ellery Adams (Hope Street Church Mysteries-Book 2)
  26. There’s a Murder Afoot by Vicki Delany (A Sherlock Holmes Bookstore Mystery-Book 5)
  27. Belle Teal by Ann Martin, read with daughter for school
  28. Carbs and Cadavers by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mysteries-Book 1)
  29. Antidote to Venom by Freeman Wills Craft (Inspector French #17)
  30. Someone We Know by Shari Lapena-Author of An Unwanted Guest
  31. A Fatal Appraisal by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 2)
  32. Read and Buried by Eva Gates (A Lighthouse Library Mystery-Book 6)
  33. Inspector French’s Greatest Case by Freeman Wills Craft (Inspector French #1)
  34. Murder in the Storybook Cottage by Ellery Adams (A Book Retreat Mystery-Book 6)
  35. Peach Pies and Alibis by Ellery Adams (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery-Book 2)
  36. Mischief by Charlotte Armstrong
  37. Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery-Book 3)
  38. Risen Motherhood by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler
  39. The Line Between Here And Gone by Andrea Kane (Forensic Instincts- Book 2)
  40. The Email Warrior by Anna Gomez
  41. Fit to Die by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mysteries-Book 2)
  42. Murder on Cape Cod by Maddie Day (A Cozy Capers Book Group-Book 1)
  43. Death on the Downs by Simon Brett (Fethering Village Mysteries-Book 2)
  44. A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh (Roderick Alleyn-Book 1)
  45. The Graves of the Guilty by Ellery Adams (Hope Street Church Mysteries-Book 3)
  46. Lemon Pies and Little White Lies by Ellery Adams (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery-Book 4)
  47. The Root of All Evil by Ellery Adams (Hope Street Church Mysteries-Book 4)
  48. A Deadly Dealer by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 3)
  49. Chili Con Corpses by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mysteries-Book 3)
  50. The Summer House by James Patterson
  51. Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery-Book 5)
  52. Proof of Murder by Lauren Elliott (A Beyond the Page Bookstore-Book 4)
  53. Fate of the Fallen by Ellery Adams (Hope Street Church Mysteries-Book 5)
  54. The Trespasser by Tana French (Dublin Murder Squad-Book 6)
  55. The Stranger You Know by Andrea Kane (Forensic Instincts-Book 3)
  56. The Clutter Corpse by Simon Brett (The Decluttering Mysteries-Book 1)
  57. A Treacherous Trader by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 4)
  58. The 20th Victim by James Patterson (Women’s Murder Club-Book 20)
  59. Stiffs and Swine by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mysteries-Book 4)
  60. Temporal Gambit by Larry Brown
  61. The Battered Body by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mysteries-Book 5)
  62. Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers-Volume 1)
  63. Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers-Volume 2)
  64. Black Beans and Vice by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mysteries-Book 6)
  65. Buried in a Book by Lucy Arlington (A Novel Idea Mystery-Book 1)
  66. Every Trick in the Book by Lucy Arlington (A Novel Idea Mystery-Book 2)
  67. Handbook for Homicide by Lorna Barrett (A Booktown Mystery-Book 14)
  68. A Murderous Misconception by Lorraine Bartlett (Victoria Square Mystery-Book 7)
  69. A Devious Lot by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 5)
  70. A Killer Keepsake by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 6)
  71. A Bidder End by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 7)
  72. A Fatal Faberge by Ellery Adams (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries-Book 8)
  73. Pasta Mortem by Ellery Adams (Supper Club Mysteries-Book 7)
  74. Books, Cooks and Crooks by Lucy Arlington (A Novel Idea Mystery-Book 3)
  75. A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die by Edith Maxwell (A Local Foods Mystery-Book 1)
  76. A Death Long Overdue by Eva Gates (A Lighthouse Library Mystery-Book 7)
  77. The Silence That Speaks by Andrea Kane (Forensic Instincts- Book 4)

Added Bonus: Devotional Books that I used for devotionals throughout the year