Accused Newcomers, Ex-Cons and a Butterfly Net: Six Free Mysteries for Late October

by Amy Boyles

Pepper Dunn finds out she's a witch, inherits a magical pet shop, and gets accused of murder, all in the same stretch of her life. It's pure cozy fantasy comfort food, and with about 5,900 ratings and a 4.03 average, plenty of readers have already signed on for the whole series. Good pick if you want Southern charm with a little spellwork on the side.

by Maria Frankland

This one is a different mood entirely. A woman is stuck in the house with Dexter, the husband she's separating from, and he barely looks at her, like he's already erased her. The title and tagline hint at something stranger going on, and I'm curious how it plays out. Sitting at 4.24 with over a thousand ratings, it seems to land for readers who like domestic suspense with a guilty conscience simmering in the background.

by Rosie A. Point

Ruby Holmes parks her food truck in Carmel Springs, Maine, gets asked on a date, and shows up to find the guy dead. Of course the grumpy small-town detective decides she did it. At 3.93 with nearly 1,600 ratings it's the lowest rated of the bunch, but if you're a bakery cozy person, you probably already know what you're getting and you're fine with it.

by Rich Curtin

The opening has a dad and his eight-year-old son tagging monarch butterflies in the LaSal Mountains, which is a gentle start for a series that's up to book 12. Jumping in that deep is a gamble, but a 4.49 from nearly 600 readers is the highest score on this list, and that kind of loyalty usually means the author is doing something right. Try it if you like a western landscape setting and a mystery that takes its time.

by Diane Weiner

Emily and Henry Fox move to Vermont hoping for covered bridges and antiques and end up with a dead biker and a missing aspiring writer. She's a doctor and he's a true crime writer, so they're well equipped for the mess. It's at 4.21 with 715 ratings, and the reviews are a fair mix. One reader gave it two stars despite enjoying it, while another guessed part of the solution halfway through and still called it well written.

“First, I want to say I enjoyed this book, but there were a few things that weighed it down while I was reading it, which is how I came to give it 2 stars. Sometimes when I read a book it starts dragging or slows down somewhere in the middle. As a reader I will wish there was some action or...”

by Gina X. Grant

A former con artist, a retired FBI agent, and a teenage hacker walk into a murder investigation, and the blurb knows exactly how that sounds. Agatha Shadewell is sixty-five, fresh out of prison after sacrificing her freedom to save a life, and she's the reason I'd click on this one. It holds a 4.26 from nearly 600 readers, and I'd point it at anyone who likes their senior sleuths sharp, funny, and a little crooked.