Can You Read Cozy Mysteries Out of Order?
Can you read cozy mysteries that are part of a long-running series out of order?
Simple answer: yes!
Cozy mysteries are standalone mysteries where the case will be solved throughout the course of the book. If you pick up any book within the series, you will be able to follow the sleuth as they investigate and answer the case. You will have a satisfying mystery experience with your read.
Should you read them out of order?
It’s a more nuanced answer, but ultimately - it’s up to you!
There are subplots that play out throughout an entire series, and some readers might prefer to read installments in the order they were written, but there are no “rules” on how you need to read a cozy mystery series to enjoy it.
Here are a few reasons that might help you decide!
Reasons to read cozy mystery books in a series in order:
Character arcs: Throughout a series, characters might grow and change based on the experiences they go through and the cases they solve. They might slowly overcome an obstacle in their life, or their feelings might grow or change toward a person or a place. If you read the series in order, you can see book-by-book how the character develops.
Subplots: While the main mystery of the book should be resolved by the final chapter, there are some subplots that develop over the entire series. This could be a romance that blooms between characters over time, love triangles that can get more complicated, businesses and skills that can grow, or another mystery from the character’s backstory could have its clues slowly doled out.
Author’s intent: Since the author wrote these books in a certain order, you can see if there are any thematic elements or twists that build upon each other throughout the series.
No chance of spoilers! Most authors are cognizant that their books could be picked up at any point in the series, but there are some spoilers that might sneak through. If a recurring character was a killer or victim in a previous book, there is a chance it will be mentioned in a subsequent book or their absence could be noted. Relationships and personal journeys could also be further along in later books and referenced back to how they began.
Reasons to read cozy mystery books in a series out of order:
Read what calls to you at the time! Ultimately, reading is about enjoyment. If a certain case calls to you, there is no need to wait until you read all the previous books to get to the one that is piquing your interest. Read what you think will bring you joy instead of delaying it in the name of preparation.
Seasonal stories: You might want to read seasonal stories at the fitting time of year. While you could read a Christmas book in May, it might feel more holly-jolly to read in December when snow is starting to fall. If you’re looking to follow a sleuth during a specific holiday or at a certain event to put you in a seasonal mood, you can certainly pick up that book no matter where it falls in the series.
See the characters at different points in their journey: While following the characters throughout their journeys chronologically does make linear sense, it might be fun to jump in at different points and see where they are at random points in time. It could be enjoyable to read a book where characters are married, then read about the time they met, and then jump forward to them juggling kids and pets while still solving complex cases. You can do your own “sleuthing” to figure out what has or will happen in the characters’ personal lives.
Sample a longer series to see if this is one you want to jump fully into it. It can be intimidating to feel like you need to commit to the dozens of entries in a long-running cozy mystery series. By picking up a random book in the midst of the series, you can see if you enjoy it and want to read more mysteries in the character’s past or future.
