If the Knives Out movies have shown us anything, it’s that mysteries don’t have to be dark and gloomy! Try one of these funny mystery novels for a perfect blend of crime, chaos and chuckles.
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
Isolde Oberreiter (AKA Auntie Poldi) is a delightfully eccentric 60-year-old German expat sleuthing her way around Sicily, and every book in the Auntie Poldi series is a fun read! In this first book, Auntie Poldi’s handyman goes missing – and then turns up dead. That means it’s up to Poldi to enmesh herself in Sicilian high society and nab the murderer.
Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen
The first in a beloved series, Bad Monkey introduces Andrew Yancy: a Florida policeman with a human arm in his freezer. Yancy isn’t sure how and why the arm left its owner, and he doesn’t buy the boating-accident/shark-attack explanation he’s been given. But can he actually prove murder?
Death of a Green-Eyed Monster by M. C. Beaton
Scotland’s most quick-witted but unambitious policeman, Sergeant Hamish Macbeth, may have finally met the woman of his dreams! As the wedding day approaches, Hamish finds himself with a new murder to investigate – and evidence that his bride to be may have some skeletons in her closet.
Devil’s Chew Toy by Rob Osler
Seattle teacher and blogger Hayden McCall wakes up in a stranger’s bed with a black eye. Then the police come knocking. A man Hayden met the night before has gone missing – and they suspect foul play. To get answers, Hayden teams up with two of the missing man’s friends to try and solve the mystery.
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
After accidentally killing a blind date, Meddelin Chan turns to her mother and aunties to help dispose of the body. That’s messy enough – and then the body is inadvertently shipped in a cooler to the billionaire wedding her family is working! Can Meddy dodge murder charges and pull off an unforgettable wedding at the same time?
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
This hysterical novel is the first in a new series. When writer Finlay Donovan is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband. She soon discovers that real-life crime is much harder to pull off than fiction!
Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews
Mystery, romance, and family drama collide in this novel. A star reporter is about to start a new role in Washington, D.C., until the job goes up in smoke. She lands back at her family’s small-town newspaper and must run the local gossip column – until she witnesses an accident that kills a local congressman with a shady past.
Poppy Harmon and the Backstabbing Bachelor by Lee Hollis
PI Poppy Harmon learns she’s in serious danger from an unknown stalker rumored to be posing as a bachelor on a reality series. To reveal his true identity on set before he discovers her, Poppy must go undercover and pull off the trickiest performance of her career.
A Shot in the Dark by Lynne Truss
Two major gangs wiped each other out during the notorious Middle Street Massacre of 1951 – or did they? While Constable Twitten enjoys a night at the theatre, he finds himself seated next to a hated theatre critic who is shot dead halfway through the opening night of the new play. It seems this town still needs a police force after all!
