The best cosy crime to snuggle up with on a dark and stormy night

Published 200 years ago, The Woman in White is still popular today and considered a masterpiece of the mystery and suspense genre.

It was one of the first novels with a female protagonist as a detective and blazed a trail for others to follow. The book follows the story of a young art teacher who encounters a mysterious woman dressed in white on a moonlit road. This chance encounter leads to a complex web of intrigue and deception that makes the book the ultimate page-turner.

I first read it about ten years ago and it still plays on my mind. It’s essential reading for anyone tackling the mystery genre.

Magpie Murders has a very clever structure that keeps the reader guessing throughout.

It’s a mystery within a mystery, with a brilliant twist. One part of the book introduces us to editor Susan Ryeland, who is editing the latest manuscript by famous mystery writer, Alan Conway. The second part is Conway's manuscript; a classic whodunit set in an English village. As Ryeland delves deeper into the manuscript, she realizes that the fictional mystery holds the key to solving a real murder.

I was in awe at how Horowitz cleverly intertwined the two converging plot lines, with clues hidden in plain sight. Magpie Murders is a must-read for mystery lovers and there is also a series on Apple TV that is just as brilliant as the book.

This novel is one of my favourite Agatha Christie’s with its clever plot twists and turns as the reader tries to solve the murder of the wealthy businessman Roger Ackroyd.

The novel's narrator, Dr. James Sheppard, becomes an amateur detective getting involved in the investigation. The brilliance of the plot lies in the way Christie expertly misleads the reader, with a carefully crafted web of clues. As Sheppard delves deeper into the case, he discovers shocking secrets and lies, and the final reveal is both surprising and satisfying.

The novel's characters are quite complex which adds to the intrigue and suspense. As always, Christie's writing is crisp and efficient, allowing the reader to get lost in the story, never bogged down by unnecessary details.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery and, in my opinion, one of her best.

The Thursday Murder Club is a hilarious whodunit that had me chuckling from beginning to end.

The novel follows a group of retirees who meet every Thursday to solve cold case murders, but their latest investigation quickly becomes a real-time murder mystery. The humour in this book is both clever and silly, with witty one-liners and humorous observations about aging, technology, and society. The characters themselves have their own unique quirks and personalities which adds to the book's charm.

One of the standout elements of the humour in The Thursday Murder Club is its ability to balance the light-hearted moments with the darker aspects of the murder investigation. It's a delicate balance, but Osman handles it well, creating a book that is not only entertaining but also thought-provoking.

If you’re after a mystery novel that keeps you guessing and makes you laugh, then The Thursday Murder Club is the book for you.

A Murder at Malabar Hill is a murder mystery that offers a fascinating insight into Indian culture in the 1920s.

The story takes place in Bombay, where the character of Perveen Mistry is the city's first female lawyer. The cultural and social challenges she faces as a woman in a male-dominated profession are woven into the story, as well as the complexities of India's caste system.

Through Perveen's interactions with her clients, we learn about the intricacies of Islamic and Hindu marriage laws, the importance of family honour, and the difficulties faced by women in traditional Indian society. I found this book fascinating, and with the wonderful descriptions of food, clothing, and architecture, felt transported to the streets of Bombay.