Don’t Mys Out on these Pun-tastic Cozies

May 18, 2016 by Anna 2 Comments

If you want to read yourself of the blues, just book at a few of these cozies. You’ve never had this much pun in your life! Let’s break down some of these titles, pun by pun.

 

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat: a Magical Cats Mystery by Sofie Kelly

You read that right: magical cats! In this cozy mystery series, a duo of adopted kitties use their arcane powers to help their librarian owner solve crimes. But as a pun, this title doesn’t really do justice to the wackadoodle premise. It doesn’t even reference magic directly, except in the subtitle. What about Spells and In-cat-ations? Or Meow-ricles and Wonders? Or even The Meow-gicians? Luckily, later books in the series include such gems as Cat Trick and Final Catcall, the latter of which is kind of reminiscent of a stage magician-y type thing.

Long Quiche Goodbye: a Cheese Shop Mystery by Avery Aames

THAT is what I’m talking about! This series features the owner of a cheese shop who is accused of a crime during her grand opening. She sets out to clear her name with the help of a collection of quirky Ohioan townsfolk. Not only does this cozy include recipes, but the recipes all include cheese. God, I love cheese. You probably do too. That’s probably why you’re still reading this part. Anyway, the whole series features fantastic titles. Also sample As Gouda as Dead and To Brie or Not To Brie.

The Crepes of Wrath: a Pennsylvania Dutch mystery with recipes by Tamar Myers

You’ve gotta love a book whose title is a pun on another book. This is another one where all the clues mysteriously point to the chef herself. After a while, you’ve got to wonder about that. How are all these cozy mystery heroines always finding people murdered in their plum pudding shops or knitting shops or Amish handcrafts shops, and yet always come out of the mess not only squeaky clean, but having cleared their own names? Sounds like some monkey business to me. Other memorable puns in this series: Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth and No Use Dying Over Spilled Milk.

If You’ve Got It, Haunt It: a Haunted Vintage Mystery by Rose Pressey

A charming village in Sugar Creek, Georgia. A vintage clothing store. And…A MURDER! Here’s the twist: the victim herself rises from the grave to beg the assistance of Cookie Chanel, the owner of the boutique, in exchange for fashion advice from beyond the veil. This is a fairly new series, so there are only a few titles available right now. However, recent publication Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore shows promise for this series’s pun game.

Geared for the Grave: a Cycle Path Mystery by Duffy Brown

 

When bicyclists start dying, only PUNS CAN SAVE US! Actually, the one who can save us is Evie, friend of local bicycle shop Rudy’s Rides, which has been implicated in the murders. It’s a twist on the traditional cozy: these are bicycles we’re talking about, not knitting needles or pastries. The puns are also way fresh and the series gets a bonus for including an actual pun in its running title. This is another new series, and we’re hopeful that it can defeat its sophomore pun slump: the second and most recent book is called Braking for Bodies. Ech. Honestly, I’d been hoping for Braking Bad.

 

Did we miss one? Tell us in the comments!