10 New And Exciting Cozy Mystery and Crime Releases for April 2026!

Last Updated on April 22, 2026

I love updating my TBR with new mysteries that feel perfect for curling up with a blanket, a snack, and a bit of murder on the side.

April 2026 is shaping up to be a really fun month for cozy and twisty crime reads, with everything from seaside fish and chips sleuths to metafictional detectives and high-stakes family secrets.

In this roundup, I’m sharing ten upcoming releases that caught my eye, all publishing in or around April, and all bringing something a little different to the genre.

Think small communities, amateur detectives, and character-driven plots, with a few darker thrillers that still scratch the mystery itch.

My hope is that this list gives you some ideas for what to preorder, request from the library, or simply keep on your radar as spring reading season gets underway.

I’ll walk you through each book in turn, focusing on the setup, the tone, and the kind of reader I think it will suit, so you can decide which ones belong on your own cozy (or cozy-adjacent) pile.

The Fish and Chip Shop Detectives by Jenny Kane

April 2nd

Jenny Kane’s new series starter takes us to Mousehole, a picturesque Cornish fishing village where life revolves around the harbour and the local fish and chip shop.

Maggie Tyson, a forty‑something puzzle lover, spends her days serving battered cod at Robbins’ Fish and Chip Shop, walking the coastal paths, and unwinding with crosswords.

Her quiet routine shifts when Ryan Stepney, a newcomer desperate for work, takes a job at the chippy and soon becomes the prime suspect after a body is found by the harbour.

Convinced Ryan is innocent, Maggie trades her apron for amateur sleuthing, determined to clear his name and reel in a killer hiding in plain sight among the villagers.

Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister

April 9th

Caller Unknown edges toward thriller territory, but its emotional core will appeal if you like character‑driven mysteries with domestic stakes.

British chef Simone travels with her teenage daughter Lucy to a remote Texas lodge for a long‑planned mother–daughter getaway, only to wake in the night to find Lucy gone, her belongings untouched, and a burner phone left on the pillow.

When the phone rings, a distorted voice gives her an ultimatum: if she wants her daughter back, she must follow a series of increasingly impossible instructions and cannot involve the police.

The story sends Simone on a desperate journey through small‑town Texas, testing her sense of right and wrong as each choice uncovers new secrets and pushes her further past her own boundaries as a parent.

McAllister is known for twisty, high‑concept plots rooted in ordinary life, and this one explores how well we really know the people we love, especially our children.

Everyone In This Bank Is A Thief by Benjamin Stevenson

April 16th

Benjamin Stevenson returns with another Ernest Cunningham mystery, this time locking his self‑aware crime writer hero inside a Sydney bank during the world’s most complicated robbery.

Ernest and his fiancée Juliette think they’re at Huxley’s Bank to secure a loan for their new detective agency, only to learn the director actually wants them to discreetly investigate his co‑director brother’s disappearance.

Before they can make much progress, a masked thief storms in, chains the doors, and takes everyone hostage, including a TV producer, a silent priest, a gravely ill young woman, and her caregiver grandmother.

As it turns out, almost everyone in the bank has stolen something – money, ideas, identities – and at least one of them is willing to kill to keep their secrets buried.

If you enjoy playing armchair detective with a meta nod to classic mysteries, this one is especially satisfying.

Maxwell’s Enigma by M.J. Trow

April 21st

Maxwell’s Enigma brings back Peter Maxwell, the long‑running series’ film‑loving, bow‑tie‑wearing teacher who keeps stumbling into murder cases.

This time, trouble hits close to home when a history club meeting ends with a deadly explosion and a charred body, and the police suspect Maxwell himself may have been the intended target.

A later hit‑and‑run attempt leaves him in no doubt that someone wants him out of the way, forcing him to juggle staffroom politics, his responsibilities at school, and a very real threat to his life.

The book is a mix of British school setting, dry humor, and a twisty investigation as Maxwell tries to work out who he might have crossed badly enough to inspire murder.

If you like series where the protagonist’s everyday job provides a strong backdrop for the mystery, this is another solid, slightly more traditional cozy‑leaning entry.

A Death in the Dark by Ellie Alexander

April 21st

A Death in the Dark is the second Novel Detectives mystery and continues Ellie Alexander’s move into slightly more meta, bookish crime while keeping a cozy sensibility.

When an assistant athletics coach is found dead at Redwood Grove High, suspicion falls fast. But when kindly coach Josh Bynum turns up shaken and with no memory of the night before, Annie and Fletcher sense something is wrong.

As they look into school life, secrets begin to surface. With help from friends, they must untangle the truth, clear Josh’s name, and stop a killer who may still be close to home.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

April 23rd

Mad Mabel is a psychological mystery with strong thriller notes, centered on an older woman whose notorious past comes roaring back into the present.

In 2025 Melbourne, 81‑year‑old Elsie Fitzpatrick finds her elderly neighbor dead, and at first, no one suspects foul play.

That changes when the police uncover that Elsie used to be known as Mabel Waller, a woman dubbed “Mad Mabel” by the world decades earlier and still associated with an infamous case.

As a new investigation opens and media attention descends, Mabel decides to finally tell her own story, inviting readers to question whether she’s truly mad, guilty, or something far more complicated.

Hepworth is known for blending family dynamics with suspense, so I’m expecting a layered narrative about memory, justice, and how a label can cling to a person for a lifetime.

A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz

April 23rd

Anthony Horowitz returns to his Hawthorne and Horowitz series with A Deadly Episode, a particularly meta installment that sends the duo to the set of a film adaptation of their first case.

The Word Is Murder is being turned into a major movie, and when Hawthorne and “Anthony Horowitz” visit the Hastings location, they find a production in chaos: a pretentious director, an eco‑warrior screenwriter, feuding stars, and a producer who has run out of money.

Things worsen when David Caine, the rising actor playing Hawthorne, is stabbed in his trailer, and suspicion falls on almost everyone involved with the film.

As Hawthorne investigates, it becomes clear he himself might have been the real target, turning this into his most personal case while also allowing Horowitz to gently satirize the movie business.

Turn the Dial for Death by Jeremy Vine

April 23rd

Turn the Dial for Death is the second book in Jeremy Vine’s Sidmouth‑set murder mystery series, combining a seaside backdrop with an “impossible” crime.

Sidmouth is getting ready for summer, but trouble has other plans. When a doctor is found dead in the woods, killed by a crossbow, suspicion falls on his wife despite her strong alibi.

Keen to clear her name, she turns to radio host Edward Temmis. With his station in trouble and a strange crash to untangle, Edward joins Kim and Stevie to uncover the truth before everything starts to fall apart.

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin

April 28th

How to Cheat Your Own Death is an upcoming mystery from Kristen Perrin that continues to follow her main character, Annie Adams as she stumbles over another mystery…

Laura never meant to lie, but her past is catching up. When Annie visits her in London, she finds a young artist dead, killed in a chillingly familiar way.

The case echoes a murder from the 1960s, recorded in Great Aunt Frances’s journals. As danger grows and secrets surface, Annie must uncover the truth, protect her mother, and stop a killer whose method has spanned decades.

Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alessandra Ranelli

April 30th

Murder at the Hotel Orient takes us to modern‑day Vienna and the notorious Hotel Orient, a discreet haven for secret lovers and illicit liaisons. Within its velvet‑draped rooms, cameras are banned, aliases are expected, and everyone arrives with something to hide.

At the center of it all is Sterling Lockwood, a sultry, unflappable concierge who quietly manages the hotel’s double life while guarding her own secrets.

When two anonymous guests are found dead in their suite at dawn, Sterling is forced to break the Orient’s code of silence to clear her name.

Teaming up with her quick‑witted bellhop friend Fernando, she ventures from elegant coffee houses to shadowy bars, uncovering desire, power, and betrayal as she hunts a killer who understands the rules of discretion as well as she does.

Wrapping Up Your Cozy Mystery List For April 2026

Putting this list together, I wanted a mix of classic cozy comforts and slightly edgier reads that still fit the mystery mood many of us are drawn to.

As I look at my own spring TBR, these ten feel like a good snapshot of where cozy and cozy‑adjacent mysteries are heading right now: familiar frameworks, but with fresh settings, layered character work, and a willingness to play with structure and tone.

I’ve already read A Deadly Episode and I’m in the middle of Everyone In This Bank Is A Thief by Benjamin Stevenson but I’d love to know which of these you’re most tempted to pick up first.

Are you in the mood for small‑village comfort, high‑concept thrills, or something a bit metafictional this April? Let me know in the comments section!