50 Best Christmas Mysteries for the Holidays

Christmas mysteries are great books to cuddle up with to get into the holiday spirit for lovers of detective and crime novels. I think the first Christmas mystery I ever read was Deck the Halls by Mary Higgins Clark, though it’s been so long that I don’t remember anything about it. Still, I often like to kick off the holiday season with a nice, festive murder mystery.

So, this is a list of the Best Christmas Mystery Books, divided up into General and Cozy mysteries, whatever your preference may be.

Have something great to add? Drop me a line, I love getting suggestions for books to add to lists!

P.S. Also see the list of 50 Best Christmas Romances for the Holidays!

General Christmas Mysteries

See it on Amazon

Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot #20)
Agatha Christie

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 25, 2011
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (Hercule Poirot #35)
AGATHA CHRISTIE

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 17, 1965
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Mistletoe Murder And Other Stories
JAMES P D

What It's About:

Publication Date: September 22, 2016
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Winter in Paradise (Paradise #1)
Elin Hilderbrand

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 9, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Christmas Train
David Baldacci

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 28, 2014
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Nine Tailors (Lord Peter Wimsey #9)
Dorothy L. Sayers

What It's About:

Publication Date: September 28, 1966
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The 19th Christmas (Women's Murder Club #19)
James Patterson

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 7, 2019
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross (Alex Cross #19)
James Patterson

What It's About:

Publication Date: January 1, 2013
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

He Sees You When You're Sleeping
Carol Higgins Clark

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 1, 2002
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Christmas Thief (Regan Reilly Mysteries # 7.5)
Mary Higgins Clark

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 9, 2004
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

All Through the Night (Alvirah & Willy #3)
Mary Higgins Clark

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 19, 1998
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries
Otto Penzler

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 22, 2013
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

A Rumpole Christmas (Rumpole of the Bailey #16.1)
John Mortimer

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 29, 2009
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Crimson Snow: Winter Mysteries
Martin Edwards

What It's About:

Publication Date: January 3, 2017
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Santa Klaus Murder
Mavis Hay

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 6, 2015
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Ryan's Christmas (DCI Ryan Mysteries #14)
LJ Ross

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 23, 2019
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Envious Casca (Inspectors Hannasyde & Hemingway #6)
Georgette Heyer

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 24, 2006
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

What It's About: In this holiday-themed short story, Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Dr. Watson, follow the trail of a lost hat and a Christmas goose through the streets of London and into a rapidly expanding mystery.

Publication Date: October 1, 2019
   out of 5 on Goodreads

Cozy Christmas Mysteries

See it on Amazon

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia de Luce #4)
Alan Bradley

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 1, 2011
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Murder at Melrose Court (Heathcliff Lennox #1)
Karen Baugh Menuhin

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 6, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Blue Christmas (Weezie and Bebe Mysteries #3)
Mary Kay Andrews

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 24, 2006
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Christmas Bliss (Weezie and Bebe Mysteries #4)
Mary Kay Andrews

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 15, 2013
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Deck the Hounds (Andy Carpenter #18)
David Rosenfelt

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 16, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Dachshund Through the Snow (Andy Carpenter #20)
David Rosenfelt

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 1, 2019
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Twisted Tea Christmas (A Tea Shop Mystery #23)
Laura Childs

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 5, 2021
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas (Jane Austen Mysteries #12)
Stephanie Barron

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 28, 2014
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Twelve Clues of Christmas (Royal Spyness #6)
Rhys Bowen

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 6, 2012
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Away in a Manger (Molly Murphy #15)
Rhys Bowen

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 17, 2015
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Candy Cane Murder (Lucy Stone #13.5)
Joanne Fluke

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 18, 2024
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Gingerbread Cookie Murder (Lucy Stone #16.5)
Joanne Fluke

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 18, 2024
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Lark! The Herald Angels Sing (Meg Langslow #24)
Donna Andrews

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 16, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Owl Be Home for Christmas: A Meg Langslow Mystery (Meg Langslow #26)
Donna Andrews

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 15, 2019
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

A Gift of Bones (Sarah Booth Delaney #19)
Carolyn Haines

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 16, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold (Aunt Dimity Mystery #24)
Nancy Atherton

What It's About:

Publication Date: June 18, 2019
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Holiday Buzz (Coffeehouse Mystery #12)
Cleo Coyle

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 4, 2012
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Holiday Grind (Coffeehouse Mystery #8)
Cleo Coyle

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 3, 2009
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Murder in Her Stocking (A Granny Reid Mystery #1)
G. A. McKevett

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 30, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Diva Cooks a Goose (A Domestic Diva Mystery #4)
Krista Davis

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 7, 2010
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Diva Wraps It Up (A Domestic Diva Mystery #8)
Krista Davis

What It's About:

Publication Date: June 3, 2014
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

A Fatal Grace (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #2)
Louise Penny

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 15, 2011
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #9)
Louise Penny

What It's About:

Publication Date: September 1, 2013
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen (A Year-Round Christmas Mystery #1)
Vicki Delany

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 3, 2015
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Christmas at The Grange (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #3.5)
T E Kinsey

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 12, 2017
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

A Christmas Guest (Christmas Stories #3)
Anne Perry

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 1, 2005
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

A New York Christmas (Christmas Stories #12)
Anne Perry

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 4, 2014
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Sugar and Spice (Hannah Swensen #8.5)
Beverly Barton

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 1, 2006
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Mistletoe Murder (Dewberry Farm #4)
Karen MacInerney

What It's About:

Publication Date: December 10, 2017
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Christmas Mourning (Deborah Knott Mysteries #16)
Margaret Maron

What It's About:

Publication Date: November 5, 2010
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Vanishing of Dr Winter (Posie Parker Mystery #4)
L.B. Hathaway

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 5, 2016
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Murder for Christmas (Mordecai Tremaine #4)
Francis Duncan

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 10, 2017
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Tied Up in Tinsel (Roderick Alleyn #27)
ngaio-marsh

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 18, 2024
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

The Man With a Load of Mischief (Richard Jury #1)
Martha Grimes

What It's About:

Publication Date: February 4, 2003
   out of 5 on Goodreads

See it on Amazon

Six Cats a Slayin' (Cat in the Stacks #10)
Miranda James

What It's About:

Publication Date: October 23, 2018
   out of 5 on Goodreads