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Summer Cozy Mysteries Set on the Beach
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.If you like your beach reads with a side of mystery, then you’re in the right place! We’ve compiled a list of summer cozy mysteries set at the beach, by the lake, in coastal towns, and in other sunny vacation destinations.
These beach read cozy mysteries are fun and fast-paced, making them perfect for reading on the beach, poolside, or lounging in a hammock. And why pack just one book when you could pack three or four? Our list includes lots of beach-read mystery series, so you can start on book one and just keep reading.
If you prefer mystery books with a bit more intensity, check out our list of Summery Mystery Books & Beach Thrillers.
Summer Cozy Mysteries Book List
Camper & Criminals Mystery Series
Book Summary
Each book of the Campers & Criminals cozy mystery series is set in Normal, Kentucky (where nothing is normal) and all are filled with southern, small-town charm.
In the first book, Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries, we meet Mae West whose fancy lifestyle in New York City comes crashing down around her when her husband is implicated in a Ponzi scheme and the FBI raids their mansion.
With no one to turn to and no money to her name, Mae is left with the only thing the government didn’t seize – a tourist campground called Happy Trails and an RV. Mae hopes that selling Happy Trails will give her the influx of cash she needs, but in the meantime – with nowhere else to live – she’s moving in.
When she arrives, the plush bluegrass and crystal clear lake of the brochure are nowhere to be found. There’s just a lot of dirt and a slimy, mucky lake. A lake where her husband – who escaped from prison – is found dead.
It’s no surprise that Mae is the prime suspect. To clear her name, she’ll need to convince the detective to investigate all the residents who lost their savings to her husband’s scheming.
The Book Girls Say…
As an added bonus, there are recipes included in each book in this beach read mystery series.
Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
Book Summary
Like the author of this book, Eleanor is a writer with a popular Vacation Mysteries series. She’s headed on a 6 city book tour across Italy, but instead of looking forward to the adventure, she’s excited to get back home and kill off the main character, Connor, in her next book.
Connor is based on a real person, the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago. Life begins to imitate art when someone tries to kill him. Now, he needs Eleanor’s help to solve the case.
Eleanor quickly discovers that it’s hard to be a good writer turned detective when you’re also dealing with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker, and an ex-boyfriend.
The Book Girls Say…
This is the first book in a funny cozy mystery series, but the film rights have already been sold to Fox TV for a series, also to be written by Catherine Mack.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Lighthouse Library Mystery Series
Book Summary
Lucy enjoyed her job poring over rare tomes of literature for the Harvard Library, but when her 10-year relationship come to an end, she decides to rewrite the plot of her life.
She plans a getaway to the Outer Banks in search of the sun, but she ends up taking a job as a librarian at the lighthouse library on Bodie Island.
In the most recent book, The Stranger in the Library, Lucy is working on an art show at the library when paintings – and people – start to go missing.
The Homewreckers
Book Summary
Hattie’s had a rough time over the past several years. Her husband was killed in a motorcycle accident at 25. She works for her father-in-law carrying on the family restoration business, but she also dreams of taking on bigger projects. So, she used his life insurance proceeds to flip a small house. Unfortunately, the proceeds from that house went into another, which turned into a disaster. In addition to losing money, she lost her confidence.
When Hattie gets the rare chance to star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, it could be what she needs to turn everything around. What she doesn’t expect is that this home makeover project will also reveal new clues in the decades-old disappearance of Hattie’s favorite high school teacher, leading her to split her time between renovation and investigation.
The Book Girls Say…
We were eager to read this book because Mary Kay Andrews is the queen of beach reads and because we loved the idea of a home renovation-themed romance. We were excited to discover that The Homewreckers is also an excellent cozy mystery!
Another great Mary Kay Andrews cozy mystery is The Newcomer. This one is set at a small town beach motel in Florida.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
The 22 Best Books of 2022
Mary Kay Andrews Books: The Ultimate Author Guide
Maine Clambake Mysteries
Book Summary
Busman’s Harbor, Maine, is bustling with tourists during the summer months. Julia Snowden returned to her hometown to rescue her family’s struggling clambake business, and now people are lining up for a taste of authentic New England seafood served up by the Snowden Family Clambake Company.
What Julia never expected was that in addition to serving up seafood, she’d also wind up solving crimes.
In Clammed Up, the first book in this cozy mystery series, there’s something sinister boiling. A killer crashes a catered wedding at the Snowden family mansion, and the best man is found hanging from the grand staircase. When the suspicion falls on her old crush, Julia must put the chowder pot on the back burner and join the search for the real murderer.
The Book Girls Say…
Many of the books in this series are set during the summer, and they include traditional Maine clambake recipes.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Country Club Murders Series
Book Summary
Summer means pool time, but during her most recent early morning swim at the country club, she swam right into her husband’s dead mistress.
It’s 1974, and Ellison is a WASP-y mom living an elite life in Kansas City. She’s not an average stay-at-home mom, though. She makes more as an artist than her husband does as a banker. He’s a stereotypical 1970s man, and not thrilled with being in financial 2nd place, so he begins an affair to soothe his ego.
Ellison finds out and plans a divorce…but not until their daughter is out of school. Of course, when the mistress turns up dead and Ellison is the only other person in the pool, she quickly becomes the prime suspect. She knows she needs to find the real killer herself.
The Book Girls Say…
The books in the cozy Country Club Murders series are set throughout different seasons.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Florida Keys Mystery Series
Book Summary
When Madison’s aunt passes away, she inherits a whole lot more than her motel in the Florida Keys. Along with the cottages come the shady tenants, including drunks, ex-convicts, and fugitives.
Seaside Café Mysteries
Book Summary
This beachside cozy mystery series is set in the town of Charm, North Carolina on the Outer Banks. Everly Swan has recently returned to her hometown following a breakup and opened a sweet tea shop and cafe on the beach.
In the first book in the series, Live and Let Chai, a grumpy customer is found dead on the boardwalk with one of her tea jars lying nearby. When the autopsy says he was poisoned, Everly fights to prove that she didn’t do it, but the townspeople turn their backs on her. Between attacks on her and her business and a too-handsome detective, Everly is in trouble.
The Book Girls Say…
If you love the cafe setting of this cozy mystery series, you’ll also want to check out our list of The Best Cozy Culinary Mysteries.
Mystery by the Sea
Book Summary
The fifth book in this historical fiction cozy mystery series is set oceanside at a fashionable resort in Brighton, England. It’s 1921 and amateur detective Lady Elanor Swift and her sidekick bulldog are finally taking a vacation – complete with striped deckchairs, fish and chips, and a strawberry ice cream.
Her relaxing vacation plans are soon interrupted when another guest at the hotel turns up dead, and the hotel manager – eager to avoid a scandal – asks her to solve the case.
When they enter the dead man’s room, however, Eleanor discovers he’s not just any hotel guest – he’s the husband she thought died six years ago on the other side of the world. Also in his room – their wedding photo with a cryptic message on the back.
The Book Girls Say…
If your idea of the perfect summer vacation is a villa in the south of France, then you’ll also want to join Lady Eleanor in the summer of 1923 in Book #10, The French for Murder. Her plans to lounge by the pool and paddle in the ocean turn into another investigation when a famous movie star is found dead in the wine cellar.
Oceanside Cozy Mystery Series
Book Summary
Donuts, Delights & Murders is the first book in this donut-themed cozy mystery series set in tropical Key West.
Heather is new to town and just opened Donut Delights. When the owner of the seafood restaurant next door is poisoned, all the other neighbors point suspect the new shop owner.
The Book Girls Say…
If you love the food-theme of this cozy mystery series, you’ll also want to check out our list of The Best Cozy Culinary Mysteries.
Big Summer
Book Summary
After six years of not speaking to her best friend, plus-size influencer Daphne is shocked when she’s suddenly asked to attend her big society wedding. On top of that, her former friend begs her to be maid-of-honor.
The prospect only tempts Daphne because the offer comes with a weekend in a Cape Cod mansion and might help her business. The friends have changed over the years, but will the wedding finally help them reunite as best friends?
We don’t want to tell you what happens after she arrives at the mansion because that would be a spoiler, but trust us that this book has a strong mystery component.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries
Book Summary
If you like your summer cozy mysteries with a side of Italian adventure, you’ll love this new series set in Tuscany and Florence.
In the first book in the series, newly retired and newly single police detective Dan Armstrong finds himself attending a writer’s workshop at a villa in Tuscany. It’s the last place he expected to be, but his detective pals planned the whole thing as a retirement gift in hopes of helping him write his next chapter.
Only days into the course, renowned crime writer Jonah Moore is found stabbed to death with his own silver dagger, and Dan comes out of retirement to try to catch the killer.
Dante and Jazz Mystery Series
Book Summary
Dante O’Donnell wasted his younger years dreaming of stardom and picking the wrong men. Now in his 50s, he’s working as a concierge for a vacation rental company in Palm Springs.
When he discovers a dead body floating in the pool at one of the rentals, he knows he’s in trouble. Not because he did it, but because he was previously suspected of murdering his husband, making him an obvious suspect.
In order to clear his name, he’ll have to team up with the cop turned PI who nearly arrested him the last time around. Jazz had her career derailed by racism, her PI business is struggling, and she’s fighting for custody of her kid. She needs Dante just as much as he needs her. If they can solve the murder, they both be able to save themselves from personal and professional disaster.
The Book Girls Say…
With two Dante & Jazz mysteries to date, readers are already hoping for more.
Jemima Jago Mystery Series
Book Summary
This British cozy mystery series is set along the sandy beaches and rolling green hills of St. Morwenna island in the Cornwall region. It appears to be a perfectly idyllic and relaxing retreat, but there’s a killer among the smiling local faces.
In the first book in the series, A Death at Seascape House, Jemima (Jem) Jago has recently returned to the island. She’d vowed never to return to her childhood home, but the offer to catalog a collection of antique shipwreck records is a dream job that she can’t refuse.
She hasn’t been back on the island long when a grumpy local busybody is found dead. The victim also happens to be Jem’s old nemesis and Jem is the prime suspect. It turns out, however, that many of the island residents had reason to want Edith dead. But which one of them did it?
Outer Banks Bookshop Mysteries
Book Summary
After being laid off from her reporting job, Callie returns to her hometown of Cattail Island to take a job at the local bookstore. The store has always been a safe place for her to turn when facing hard times. In fact, it’s also where she found comfort after her mom died.
Years ago, Callie’s mom, Teri, fell from the top of the lighthouse. The anniversary of her death is approaching, and townspeople are gossiping about it again. Then comes the devastating news that the lighthouse has claimed another victim. The police rule it suicide, but Callie thinks it was murder. And she thinks the same about her mom’s death as well.
Callie is determined to find answers with help from new friends and beloved books. But she’s making enemies along the way, and when another death shocks the island, she’s afraid she could be next.
The Book Girls Say…
In addition to the cozy mystery, the plots of the stories also include a treasure hunt element that many readers will enjoy.
Cruising Through Midlife Cruise Ship Mystery Series
Book Summary
Escape to the tropics this summer with this cruise ship cozy mystery series. Trixie is in her late 40s and going through a divorce because she found out that, while she was packing for their anniversary cruise, her husband was sleeping with not one, but three other women. So she’s setting sail to Hawaii without him, and she’s even going to blog about it.
In the first book of the series, Cruising Through Midlife, no sooner does Trixie board the ship than she discovers a dead body. But that’s not her only startling discovery – it turns out she now also sees ghosts.
The Book Girls Say…
Readers describe this series as part travelogue and part cozy murder mystery, with a side of paranormal.
By the Book Mysteries
Book Summary
If your idea of the perfect summer is a getaway to a rustic cabin, then add Buried in a Good Book to your summer reading list.
Tess Harrow is a bestselling writer of thrillers, but this summer, she just wants to take a break to bond with her daughter after her recent divorce. But they’ve barely settled in when an explosion rocks the cabin and Tess finds herself pulled into a murder investigation.
The local sheriff turns out to be the spitting image of the detective that Tess writes in her books, her young daughter is fascinated by dead bodies, and the neighbors are pointing their fingers at Bigfoot. Nothing about this summer is going as she had planned.
Resort at Castawawy Bay Mysteries
Book Summary
Sydney Whitmore is a forensic psychologist who has been living in San Francisco. A recent case left her with PTSD, so she moved home to Shipwreck Island – the resort her family owns on the West Coast.
In the first book of the series, Truth or Dare, ten high school students go on a camping trip, but only eight return. None of the witness statements match up at all, so Sydney will use her psychology experience to try to get the truth.
Althea Rose
Book Summary
Althea Rose is the owner of Luna Rose Potions & Tarot Shop in the Florida Keys. The first book of the series, One Tequila, involves a love triangle and murder, but readers describe as good clean fun.
Copper Cove Mysteries
Book Summary
These cozy mysteries are written by a mother/step-daughter duo. Maddy was in high school when they were writing the stories, so they made the three main characters high school seniors. This gives these books a different vibe than other cozy mysteries.
The Book Girls Say…
Most cozy mystery books are on the shorter side, but Seaside and Homicide is novella length at just under 150 pages.
Oh Say Can You Fudge
Book Summary
Allie McMurphy owns a quaint victorian hotel and a fudge shop on Michigan’s Mackinac Island.
The third book in the series, Oh Say Can You Fudge, takes place over the Fourth of July – quintessential summer! When a man known for his pyrotechnic displays turns up dead in a fireworks warehouse that went up in smoke, Allie must help determine if it was arson or murder. Can she solve the crime in time for the town to enjoy their star-spangled celebration?
Book #11 this series, Give Fudge a Chance, also takes place during the summer at the county fair.
The Book Girls Say…
Looking for another cozy mystery that takes place during the 4th of July, consider A Parting Shot by J.C. Kenney from the Allie Cobb mystery series.
Costa Rica Beach Mysteries
Book Summary
This beach read mystery series features recently divorced Dana who leaves behind her hectic San Francisco life when she inherits a beach house in a Costa Rican seaside town.
In the first book of the series, A Beach House to Die For, Dana’s fresh start in the beach town gets off to a rocky start when she’s suspected of murder.
The Book Girls Say…
This cozy mystery series is recommended for those who love quicky characters, animals, and tropical settings. In addition to solving mysteries alongside Dana, you’ll also get a glimpse at the Costa Rican justice system, which differs from that in the US.
The Seaside Detective Agency
Book Summary
There is only one detective agency on the Isle of Man, and they are pretty much useless. Sam, the agency’s most eager employee, is particularly bad at his job.
Fortunately, this island in the Irish Sea has very little that needs detecting. At least not until now…
Someone has anonymously requested Sam’s services to track down a glamourous and mysterious art dealer on the island. But the real target isn’t the art dealer, it’s the international crime boss who followed her there.
Sam is eager to impress his pretty colleague, but this time he may have bitten off more than he can chew.
What is the difference between a mystery and a cozy mystery?
Cozy mysteries don’t take themselves too seriously, as is evidenced by the often punny titles. They are typically less graphic, scary, and intense than other books in the mystery genre. This can allow readers to enjoy a murder mystery without too much violence or darkness. Instead, there is often a mix of humor, light suspense, and enjoyable characters.
Many cozy mysteries feature a main character that is wrongly suspected of a crime and trying to clear their own name. Or the main character may be an amateur sleuth that seems to happen upon a murder wherever they go.
Additionally, cozy mysteries are typically shorter and invite the reader to join in to figure out whodunit. While each individual book tends to be a quick read, most are part of a cozy mystery series. So if you enjoy the characters and style, just grab the next book and keep reading. The series format also makes cozy mysteries comforting and predictable picks that provide a nice break between heavier books.
We hope these summer cozy mysteries set on the beach will be the perfect light and entertaining reads for your vacation or staycation! If you also enjoy rom coms or family drama, be sure to check out our Best Beach Reads list.
More Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List
If you love reading mysteries, you can browse all of our thriller, suspense, and mystery books in one place. This index includes other themed cozy mystery lists, as well as lists with more intense books. And if you’re looking for more books with summer vibes, check out these lists:
- Summer Mystery Books & Beach Thrillers
- Summertime Reads for Historical Fiction Fans
- Summer Cozy Mysteries Set on the Beach
- Summer Books to Read on the Beach in 2024
- Best Summer Reads from 2023
- Books Set on Lakes and at Lake Houses
- Mysterious Thriller Books Set on Islands
- Books That Take Place On an Island
- Mary Kay Andrews Books: The Ultimate Author Guide
- Elin Hilderbrand Books: The Ultimate Author Guide
