The best mystery series when you need a laugh

Matilda moves to the small New Mexico town of Goodnight after inheriting a house, a small newspaper, and two dogs. She learns just how odd the town is when she starts investigating the murder of a reporter. The town of Goodnight is pretty bizarre, but speaking as someone who lives in a small town in New Mexico, Goodnight is more believable than it might seem to an outsider. I prefer books where weirdness is something to celebrate, and here the characters embrace their crazy with enthusiastic joy. This story is part screwball comedy and part mystery, and both work.

In this historical mystery set in the 1920s, the hero-narrator is likable and a bit goofy. He reminded me of Bertie Wooster in the Jeeves stories by PG Wodehouse, but Heathcliff is more intelligent. The mystery was complicated and puzzling, with added fun from the 1920s setting. It’s hard to investigate when phone lines are down and roads become impassable in poor weather. I've read the rest of the series, and they’re all pretty strong. Some move the action to Scotland or Egypt for extra 1920s travel excitement. They’re perfect reads when you want a light cozy with historical charm and some chuckles along the way.

This lighthearted mystery stars a young gay man who is a teacher and part-time blogger in Seattle. Hayden finds himself caught up in a bizarre mystery when a one-night stand (cuddling only) leads to a disappearance, and Hayden takes responsibility for the missing man’s dog. I loved the quirky characters, who had me grinning throughout the story. Despite how unique they are, they remained realistic, and they were people I would love to know. The book appreciated their weirdness rather than laughing at them, treating the characters with warmth and respect. Added to that, the mystery was tricky with fast-paced action and plenty of twists. I highly recommend you check out this new author’s debut.

Alanis moves to a tiny tourist trap town in Arizona after her con-artist mother is murdered, leaving Alanis a New Age gift shop. Alanis doesn't believe in the tarot, but she starts offering readings to learn about her mother's customers, hoping to find out who killed her. The book is darker than the standard cozy, despite a female main character inheriting a shop. It’s not at all gruesome, but it is full of scams and stories of growing up with a terrible parent. The narrator feels unique and authentic, and I loved her snarky voice. The premise is clever, providing a mystery with plenty of complications and twists.

Don’t worry if you don’t like paranormal aspects to your mysteries – Alanis is far too suspicious to believe in anything like that, even if she sometimes gets surprised by the cards’ on-point messages. Steve Hockensmith may be better known for his Holmes on the Range Mysteries, but this is a worthy series too, and the books are shorter and lighter, making them fun beach reads or great stories for challenging times when your mind tends to wander.

This long-running series is ridiculous fun. It begins here when CIA agent Fortune Redding is sent into hiding in a tiny town in the Louisiana bayou. Turns out that small town holds more than its fair share of crime along with a host of wacky characters. In general, the mysteries hold together fairly well and have plenty of twists and turns. But Jana Deleon fans are really there for the zany humor. It isn’t easy to pull off slapstick in print instead of visual media such as TV, but Deleon does a good job. Realistic these aren’t, but if you can suspend your disbelief, get ready for a wild ride. If you enjoy one book in this series, you’ll probably like all of them—over 20 so far.