100 books like A Stitch to Die For

By Lois Winston,

Here are 100 books that A Stitch to Die For fans have personally recommended if you like A Stitch to Die For. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Motto for Murder

Syrl Kazlo Author Of Kibbles and Death

From my list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of the cozy mystery series Samantha Davies Mysteries. Before beginning to write my series, I read hundreds of cozies and loved each one, especially those featuring a small-town setting, an amateur sleuth, and a dog. Since I live in a small upstate New York town, am married to a retired state trooper, and am the mom to a lovable dachshund, what better than to feature all this in a cozy mystery series. So, the Samantha Davies Mystery series was born.

Syrl's book list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night

Syrl Kazlo Why did Syrl love this book?

I love the humor in the cozy mysteries I read, and this book is full of it.

I love that impossible situations are thrown into the mix, but the author makes it all seem believable. I could almost envision myself in the same types of situations or at least having a best buddy who was. 

By Leslie Langtry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Motto for Murder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From USA Today bestselling author, Leslie Langtry comes another hilarious Merry Wrath Mystery... For ex-CIA Agent turned Girl Scout troop leader, Merry Wrath, planning a wedding is infinitely more terrifying than the time she was a mole in Carlos the Armadillo’s drug cartel. To make matters worse, while plagued by insomnia (brought on by diabolical details that include bizarre things like "boutonnieres") Merry and her cat, Philby, witness a midnight murder next door. Or do they? With her record of sleeplessness, everyone from her fiancé, Rex, to her Girl Scout troop are questioning her sanity. And when strange incidents of…


Book cover of Dying for a Date

Syrl Kazlo Author Of Kibbles and Death

From my list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of the cozy mystery series Samantha Davies Mysteries. Before beginning to write my series, I read hundreds of cozies and loved each one, especially those featuring a small-town setting, an amateur sleuth, and a dog. Since I live in a small upstate New York town, am married to a retired state trooper, and am the mom to a lovable dachshund, what better than to feature all this in a cozy mystery series. So, the Samantha Davies Mystery series was born.

Syrl's book list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night

Syrl Kazlo Why did Syrl love this book?

Again, humor is a biggie for me in the murder mysteries I read, and this book checks that off.

I love the family interaction that is in this book. I especially love how strong a person the main character is.

Once again, I was kept guessing until the end as to who committed the murder, so I was fully engrossed in the book.

By Cindy Sample, Karen Phillips (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Dying for a Date as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dying for a Date by Cindy Sample, five-time LEFTY Award Finalist for Best Humorous Mystery

Unsure if she is looking for Mr. Right, or Mr. Every Other Saturday Night, divorced mother of two, Laurel McKay reluctantly joins THE LOVE CLUB, a popular local dating service. Dressed to kill, she meets bachelor number one at a trendy restaurant. But the date is a bust, literally, when the guy decides Laurel is dessert, and she breaks his nose with her cell phone. It gets even worse when the man is found murdered the next morning, and Laurel has his blood on her…


Book cover of Bake, Batter, and Roll

Syrl Kazlo Author Of Kibbles and Death

From my list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of the cozy mystery series Samantha Davies Mysteries. Before beginning to write my series, I read hundreds of cozies and loved each one, especially those featuring a small-town setting, an amateur sleuth, and a dog. Since I live in a small upstate New York town, am married to a retired state trooper, and am the mom to a lovable dachshund, what better than to feature all this in a cozy mystery series. So, the Samantha Davies Mystery series was born.

Syrl's book list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night

Syrl Kazlo Why did Syrl love this book?

I loved this book for its strong characters, especially the quirky Nicoletta Gavelli and her sharp tongue. I love the hometown atmosphere, which is such a part of cozy mysteries.

Another favorite in the book is Sally Muccio, the amateur sleuth who solves the murder. She has the support of a loving family, especially her husband. 

Book cover of Game Over at Guild Hall

Syrl Kazlo Author Of Kibbles and Death

From my list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of the cozy mystery series Samantha Davies Mysteries. Before beginning to write my series, I read hundreds of cozies and loved each one, especially those featuring a small-town setting, an amateur sleuth, and a dog. Since I live in a small upstate New York town, am married to a retired state trooper, and am the mom to a lovable dachshund, what better than to feature all this in a cozy mystery series. So, the Samantha Davies Mystery series was born.

Syrl's book list on mysteries to cozy up with on a cold night

Syrl Kazlo Why did Syrl love this book?

I loved that just when I thought I knew who killed William Bassette, I was proven wrong. The twists and turns are many.

I love the setting of rural Vermont, since I am familiar with that area, living close to it. I love the surprising reason for the murder.

By Amy Patricia Meade,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Game Over at Guild Hall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“It’s game on when the longtime organizer of the annual Game Supper is murdered right in front of the diners. Readers who enjoy mysteries set in colorful rural settings will love Game Over at Guild Hall.” —Sue Ann Jaffarian, author of the Odelia Grey and Ghost of Granny Apples mysteries

In rural Vermont, where hunting and trapping are a way of life, nothing is bigger than the annual wild game supper at Guild Hall. Stella can’t wait to sample the exotic dishes prepared by her neighbors, but when the longtime organizer of the supper falls dead, a victim of poisoning,…


Book cover of A Carpet Ride to Khiva: Seven Years on the Silk Road

Joanna Lillis Author Of Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan

From my list on to summon up the spirit of Central Asia.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a reporter and author with a passion for seeking out stories less told, and there are plenty of those in Central Asia, where I made my home more than two decades ago: first in Uzbekistan and, since 2005, in Kazakhstan. I have found telling overlooked tales from an overlooked region that is overshadowed by its mighty neighbours – the Russian bear to the north and the Chinese dragon to the east – to be both rewarding and valuable. I hope these book selections will bring more stories about the people who populate Central Asia to the attention of readers with inquisitive minds.

Joanna's book list on to summon up the spirit of Central Asia

Joanna Lillis Why did Joanna love this book?

As I perched on the ramparts of the citadel in Khiva one sunny morning in autumn of 2001, the scene in the bazaar below of sellers hawking everything from recalcitrant sheep to giant melons and elaborately-carved furniture summoned up the exotic past of a town once traversed by caravans of merchants plying their trade between China and Europe. But what is compelling about this book is its focus not on Khiva’s illustrious history but on the present-day lives of the people the author encountered when he lived among them running a carpet-making workshop. Fascinating both for its forensic exploration of that ancient craft and for the sensitive depictions of the people of Khiva, this book is a true tale of the modern-day Silk Road.

By Christopher Aslan Alexander,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Carpet Ride to Khiva as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Silk Road conjures images of the exotic and the unknown. Most travellers simply pass along it. Brit Chris Alexander chose to live there. Ostensibly writing a guidebook, Alexander found life at the heart of the glittering madrassahs, mosques and minarets of the walled city of Khiva - a remote desert oasis in Uzbekistan - immensely alluring, and stayed.

Immersing himself in the language and rich cultural traditions Alexander discovers a world torn between Marx and Mohammed - a place where veils and vodka, pork and polygamy freely mingle - against a backdrop of forgotten carpet designs, crumbling but magnificent…


Book cover of The Vanishing Generation: Faith and Uprising in Modern Uzbekistan

Joanna Lillis Author Of Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan

From my list on to summon up the spirit of Central Asia.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a reporter and author with a passion for seeking out stories less told, and there are plenty of those in Central Asia, where I made my home more than two decades ago: first in Uzbekistan and, since 2005, in Kazakhstan. I have found telling overlooked tales from an overlooked region that is overshadowed by its mighty neighbours – the Russian bear to the north and the Chinese dragon to the east – to be both rewarding and valuable. I hope these book selections will bring more stories about the people who populate Central Asia to the attention of readers with inquisitive minds.

Joanna's book list on to summon up the spirit of Central Asia

Joanna Lillis Why did Joanna love this book?

The exquisite blue-domed mosques and madrasahs in the fabled Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara took my breath away when I first visited them while living in Uzbekistan in the early 2000s. But behind this dazzling façade lay an ugly truth: the persecution of thousands of Muslims incarcerated, tortured, demonised, and dehumanised for the crime of being too pious for the liking of Islam Karimov, the paranoid dictator who ruled for a quarter of a century. Bukharbayeva tracks down victims of these atrocities to give a voice to the voiceless, aiming to show the “real people behind the terrible but cold and faceless statistics of human rights abuses.” In this important chronicle that records this repression for posterity, written with passion and oozing with empathy, she succeeds beyond measure.

By Bagila Bukharbayeva,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Vanishing Generation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As a young reporter in Uzbekistan, Bagila Bukharbayeva was a witness to her countrys search for an identity after the collapse of the Soviet Union. While self-proclaimed religious leaders argued about what was the true Islam, Bukharbayeva shows how some of the neighborhood boys became religious, then devout, and then a threat to the country's authoritarian government. The Vanishing Generation provides an unparalleled look into what life is like in a religious sect, the experience of people who live for months and even years in hiding, and the fabricated evidence, torture, and kidnappings that characterize an authoritarian government. In doing…


Book cover of The Haunting

Mads Rafferty Author Of Deadly Occupants

From my list on spooky books for the season.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the paranormal since I was a little girl and used to talk to the old lady on the edge of my bed. That old lady turned out to be my grandma, who had passed when I was in my mother’s womb. My entire family is touched by the curiosity and love that comes with the paranormal, so much so my mother is a working psychic medium. For years, I have spent every birthday attending haunted houses with a paranormal team to “investigate.” For some strange reason, I love to be terrified, and I fear I will never stop chasing the thrill. 

Mads' book list on spooky books for the season

Mads Rafferty Why did Mads love this book?

Natasha Preston got me into reading and I am no stranger to her books or her crazy endings. As much as I have a love-hate relationship with the ending of this book….it has been a year since I picked this book up, and I still think about it to this day. Constantly.

It gives slasher/scream movie vibes set during Halloween and I could not for the life of me put it down when I read it.

I will, in fact, be doing a re-read this spooky season because it truly sets the tone for Halloween.

By Natasha Preston,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Haunting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Natasha Preston is back with another pulse-pounding, twisty read!

Haunted by the past . . . terrified of the present.

Penny knows she must forget about her ex, Nash. Ever since his father was revealed as the brutal serial killer who traumatized their small town last Halloween, Penny’s parents have forbidden her to have anything to do with Nash or his family. It’s hard not to think of him—but she’s trying.

That stops when she goes shopping with friends for a costume. What she finds instead is ripped from a horror…


Book cover of The Legend of Sleepy Harlow

Sybil Johnson Author Of Designed For Haunting

From my list on Halloween mysteries to escape into.

Why am I passionate about this?

My love affair with reading began in kindergarten with The Three Little PigsTrips to the library introduced me to Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and Agatha Christie. It didn’t take long for me to realize how much I love reading mysteries. I’ve read thousands of them over the years, mainly traditional and cozy. When I decided to try my hand at writing, I knew right away that I’d be creating stories on the cozy end of the mystery spectrum. I particularly like mysteries set around Halloween. I’m not a horror fan. I prefer less gruesome Halloween tales, especially ones involving old legends and ghosts. These gentler Halloween mysteries are the perfect fit for me.

Sybil's book list on Halloween mysteries to escape into

Sybil Johnson Why did Sybil love this book?

Paranormal investigators, a ghostly legend, and murder. That, in a nutshell, is what attracted me to this book. While the residents of South Bass Island prepare for Halloween festivities, the Elkhart Ghost Getters arrive in search of footage of the ghost of a prohibition bootlegger named Charlie “Sleepy” Harlow. Harlow was beheaded by rival bootleggers and his ghost is said to appear every Halloween in search of his head. A murder puts a damper on the festivities, causing the League of Literary Ladies to sprint into action. Forced by court order to spend time together in a book club, the three women in the League are now fast friends. I love the ingenuity of the main character as well as how they all work together to solve the murder.

By Anastasia Hastings,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Legend of Sleepy Harlow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It takes more than a lurid legend to scare off the League of Literary Ladies in the third novel in this charming cozy mystery series...
 
For Halloween, the Literary Ladies have chosen to read Washington Irving’s spooky classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, with its infamous headless horseman. But South Bass Island has its own headless legend—of a Prohibition bootlegger named Charlie “Sleepy” Harlow. Decapitated by rival rumrunners, Harlow appears once a year in spectral form to search for his noggin.
 
This October, the Elkhart Ghost Getters (EGG) have returned to the island. The group claims that they have film…


Book cover of The Skeleton Haunts a House

Sybil Johnson Author Of Designed For Haunting

From my list on Halloween mysteries to escape into.

Why am I passionate about this?

My love affair with reading began in kindergarten with The Three Little PigsTrips to the library introduced me to Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and Agatha Christie. It didn’t take long for me to realize how much I love reading mysteries. I’ve read thousands of them over the years, mainly traditional and cozy. When I decided to try my hand at writing, I knew right away that I’d be creating stories on the cozy end of the mystery spectrum. I particularly like mysteries set around Halloween. I’m not a horror fan. I prefer less gruesome Halloween tales, especially ones involving old legends and ghosts. These gentler Halloween mysteries are the perfect fit for me.

Sybil's book list on Halloween mysteries to escape into

Sybil Johnson Why did Sybil love this book?

Haunted house attractions aren’t supposed to contain dead bodies, not real ones, anyway. Unfortunately, there’s one at the Haunted House at McQuaid University, part of the town’s Halloween Howl. Perry creates a believable world where Sid, a living skeleton, is a sidekick to adjunct professor, Dr. Georgia Thackery, in a murder investigation surrounding the death of a student in the house. This is a fun world to be transported into. The Thackery family is a joy to spend time with. I especially like the relationships between Georgia and Sid and Georgia and her teenage daughter. I love this series so much I named a fake skeleton after Sid in my book.

By Leigh Perry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Skeleton Haunts a House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sid the Skeleton bones up on clues to solve a Haunted House homicide in this mystery from the author of The Skeleton Takes a Bow…

What holiday could bring more warmth to a skeleton’s chest cavity than Halloween? And when you’re a living skeleton who’s not supposed to be seen outside the house, it’s a welcome chance to get some fresh air and rub bony elbows with people. That’s why Sid doesn’t mind wearing a full-body dog suit and going as Scooby-Doo along with Georgia Thackery’s Velma to the Halloween Howl.

Sid can’t wait to go through the Haunted House—but…


Book cover of The Spook in the Stacks

Sybil Johnson Author Of Designed For Haunting

From my list on Halloween mysteries to escape into.

Why am I passionate about this?

My love affair with reading began in kindergarten with The Three Little PigsTrips to the library introduced me to Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and Agatha Christie. It didn’t take long for me to realize how much I love reading mysteries. I’ve read thousands of them over the years, mainly traditional and cozy. When I decided to try my hand at writing, I knew right away that I’d be creating stories on the cozy end of the mystery spectrum. I particularly like mysteries set around Halloween. I’m not a horror fan. I prefer less gruesome Halloween tales, especially ones involving old legends and ghosts. These gentler Halloween mysteries are the perfect fit for me.

Sybil's book list on Halloween mysteries to escape into

Sybil Johnson Why did Sybil love this book?

I’ve always been fascinated by lighthouses and I love libraries. Put a library in a lighthouse like this book does and it’s a dream come true for me. Every page reminds me of all the happy hours I spent at my local library growing up, minus the murder, of course. All of the characters felt real to me from those who appear in scene after scene to those who only come into the story once or twice. I enjoyed spending time with them all including Charles, the library cat. This book does a great job of weaving Halloween activities, spooky moments and ghost stories into the mystery.

By Eva Gates,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Spook in the Stacks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Halloween in North Carolina’s Outer Banks becomes seriously tricky when librarian Lucy Richardson stumbles across something extra unusual in the rare books section: a dead body.

Wealthy businessman Jay Ruddle is considering donating his extensive collection of North Carolina historical documents to the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library, but the competition for the collection is fierce. Unfortunately, while the library is hosting a lecture on ghostly legends, Jay becomes one of the dearly departed in the rare books section. Now, it’s up to Lucy Richardson and her fellow librarians to bone up on their detective skills and discover who is responsible…


Book cover of Motto for Murder
Book cover of Dying for a Date
Book cover of Bake, Batter, and Roll

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,188

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Halloween, murder, and murder mystery?

Halloween 106 books
Murder 1,071 books
Murder Mystery 564 books