Are you a travel-loving, mystery-loving audiophile who needs a staycation? Although traveling can be satisfying, sometimes you just don’t feel like packing bags or dealing with airports and security checkpoints. So put on your slippers and travel the world from the comfort of home with these cozy mystery audiobooks. Bon voyage!
The first stop on our itinerary is Scotland for MURDER AT A SCOTTISH SOCIAL by Traci Hall. Here Paislee Shaw, owner of a knitting shop, discovers that a contentious acquaintance has been poisoned by peanuts. Beverley Crick’s delightful Scottish accent captures the competitiveness between the local ladies as well as the feel of the scenic seaside village.
Let’s visit Edinburgh in THE SWEET REMNANTS OF SUMMER by Alexander McCall Smith. Golden Voice Davina Porter’s impeccable and charming performance, highlighted by her Scottish accent, brings out the pluckiness of the personable Isabel Dalhousie. This time the philosophical amateur sleuth is working with her young husband, Jamie, to reconcile comity and committees in this diverting fourteenth installment of the series that began with THE SUNDAY PHILOSOPHY CLUB.
From Scotland, head over to rolling hills and old-world delights with AN ENGLISH GARDEN MURDER by Katie Gayle. Ex-Londoner Julia Bird has set up a new life for herself in a charming rural cottage in The Cotswolds, but her idyllic life is torn apart when she unearths a body while renovating an old shed. Lucy Scott’s English accent and delectably full tones conjure rich images of life in the village, along with a bevy of quirky and suspicious residents. Fans of M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin may find entertaining similarities between the antics of the likable female sleuths.
Let’s cross the English Channel and head to the Gulf of Italy. In NONNA MARIA AND THE CASE OF THE MISSING BRIDE by Lorenzo Carcaterra, Nonna Maria decides to help a newly-engaged young woman who is having second thoughts about her fiancé. Kathleen Garrett’s pronunciations and delivery capture the uplifting feel of the Italian language as suspicions grow on the idyllic island of Ischia, where the well-respected elderly widow dons her detective cap.
From Italy's lush island, we head to 1920s Bangalore, India, to delight in THE BANGALORE DETECTIVES CLUB by Harini Nagendra. This mystery isn't strictly “cozy,” but it has an uplifting element to it as Golden Voice Soneela Nankani’s lilting narration delivers the evocative and enchanting descriptions and the determination of Kaveri, a young bride turned sleuth.
Let’s end our travels in the swelter of Florida’s humidity and sample A DISH TO DIE FOR by Lucy Burdette. While exploring an unmanicured beach in Key West, food critic Hayley Snow’s dog digs up the body of a local developer. Laura Jennings’s voice has a sensual quality that brings out the juiciness of the local fare and the enticing mystery that involves dissecting the contents of an old cookbook.
Maya Fleischmann is an AudioFile reviewer, freelance writer, and artist in Florida.
