There is nothing more peaceful than a small town at Christmas. Snow on the rooftops. Twinkle lights strung along Main Street. Carols drifting out of the diner. A kettle on, a blanket out, and a whole quiet evening stretching ahead of you.
And then, of course, a body.
Welcome to Redemption, Wisconsin, where the holidays are merry, the tea is hot, and the murder rate is frankly unbecoming for a town this charming. If you love a cozy Christmas mystery — clean, twisty, warm as a mug of cocoa and just a little bit wicked — you’re in exactly the right place. Here are three holiday mysteries set in small-town 1990s Redemption, perfect for reading by the tree with something warm in your hands.
They’re also, not incidentally, wonderful gifts. But we’ll get to that.
Start Here: The Murder Before Christmas
If you’re new to the series — or shopping for someone who is — this is where to begin. The Murder Before Christmasis the very first Charlie Kingsley Mystery, and it sets the whole tone.
Charlie Kingsley has a tea for almost anything that ails you. What she does NOT do is love potions. So when Courtney — pregnant, and three weeks from Christmas — shows up convinced her husband is cheating and asks for one, Charlie says no. Courtney then asks, half-joking, about poison instead. That’s just what married people say when they’re angry,she insists. Nobody means it.
And then, on Christmas Eve, Courtney’s husband turns up dead. Poisoned, naturally. And guess who the number one suspect is.
Did Courtney do it? Or is someone setting her up? It’s up to Charlie to untangle a case that gets more complicated the deeper she digs. As the series opener, it’s the ideal entry point — meet Charlie, meet the town, and find out who really ruined Christmas. For fans of Agatha Christie and Murder, She Wrote, with a hot-tea-and-baking backdrop and a mystery that keeps you guessing.
Start the series with The Murder Before Christmas →
Merry Mayhem in a Snowstorm: Three French Hens and a Murder
When you want something lighter and faster — a one-evening read to fill the gap between wrapping presents and falling asleep on the couch — reach for Three French Hens and a Murder.
Three French hens, two elves, and one Santa Claus make for merry mayhem.
Charlie and Pat are driving through a snowstorm when they spot an injured Santa on the side of the road. Naturally, they stop and get him to the hospital. Good deed done — except then a dead elf turns up in the very spot where they found him, and Santa has no memory of what happened. With Santa as the prime suspect, Charlie and Pat have to figure out the truth fast, before Christmas gets cancelled.
It’s a cozy novella — short, funny, and full of holiday charm — with all the warmth of the season and just enough mischief. As one reader put it: a fun, quick Christmas mystery. (Well. As much fun as a murder can be.)
Read Three French Hens and a Murder →
Two Mysteries, Two Series, One Cozy Book: A Mysterious Christmas Collection
And when you want to settle in for a proper holiday reading session, there’s the collection that brings the whole town together.
A Mysterious Christmas Collection is a crossover anthology with two full Christmas mysteries — one from the Charlie Kingsley series and one from the Redemption Detective Agency — plus a fun bonus: the characters from each series make guest appearances in the other’s story.
- Secret Santa Murder (Charlie Kingsley): a Secret Santa party goes sideways when a guest is murdered right after opening their gift. It’s a locked-door puzzle, and Charlie’s on the case.
- The Mysterious Case of the Dead Elf (Redemption Detective Agency): Emily and the gang take on a case to help a young mother heal an old childhood Christmas wound — and end up racing to solve the mystery of a dead elf before it’s too late.
And because it wouldn’t be Charlie without something from the kitchen, the book includes two family Christmas cookie recipes. It’s the best-value way to read across both series at once — which also makes it a genuinely lovely gift for the cozy mystery reader in your life.
Get A Mysterious Christmas Collection →
The Perfect Bookish Gift (Hint, Hint)
Cozy Christmas mysteries have a small superpower: they make ridiculously good presents. A clean, small-town holiday mystery is the rare gift that works for your aunt, your book-club friend, your mail carrier, and yourself.
A few easy ways to give one:
- The reader who’s new to the series: The Murder Before Christmas (start at the beginning) or A Mysterious Christmas Collection (two stories, both series, cookie recipes).
- The reader who has everything: a signed paperback with swag, ordered directly, so it arrives with a personal touch you can’t get from a big retailer.
- The reader who also loves a good cup: pair any book with a loose-leaf blend from Charlie’s Concoctions — Charlie’s own tea line — for a book-and-tea cozy mystery gift set that basically wraps itself.
New to Redemption and not sure where to begin? Here’s the full reading order, and a guide to how all the series connect.
However you spend the season — by the tree, by the fire, or hiding from your relatives in the guest room — there’s a Redemption Christmas mystery to keep you company. Just keep an eye on the Secret Santa gifts. And maybe don’t accept any pie.
