Cozy mystery new releases for May! The sun is shining, the weather is getting warmer (here in the Northern hemisphere anyway) and there are a BUNCH of wonderful new mysteries to add to your To-Be-Read pile! As always, I’m super excited for many of these – which ones will you be adding to your TBR?
I only include new release titles and dates that I find on NetGalley, in authors/publishers newsletters or Instagram accounts, or from emails/DMs directly from the authors.
If you have a book coming out and want to be included, reach me on social media (@bookfrolic on Instagram or Bluesky) or via email at stephanie@bookfrolic.com. This method means I probably leave out many great books (sorry!) but it saves me a lot more time doing it this way, so I hope you’ll understand. If you spot any cozy mysteries that were left out of my list, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll update the post!
Leave a comment and let me know which books you’ll be reaching for this month!
If you’ve found this list useful, please consider supporting my blog with a tiny donation! It takes me several hours to put together a list like this and since I do not have ads or affiliate links on this site, every bit of your donation gets put right back into the cost of running this blog (web hosting, domain fees, etc). Thank you so much! xo ~ Stephanie
Book info, including release date, was correct at time of posting, but may change at any time.
MAY 1-3, 2026
MAY 1
- Olive Groves & Alibis (Rose MacGillivray Book 1) by L.G. Reed – first in a new series!
- Somerset Mysteries – The Haunted Cottage (June Morgan Book 2) by Dorothea Stiller
- The Vampyre Client (Irregular Detective Book 4) by Jeri Westerson
MAY 2
- Murder in Rome (Armstrong and Oscar Book 15) by T.A. Williams
MAY 4-10, 2026
MAY 4
- Tides, Lies, and Alibis (Manatee Bay Book 1) by Taffy Beach – first in a new series!
MAY 5
- A Zoom with a View by Jess Cannon
- Dragged to Death (Domestic Partners in Crime Book 4) by Frank Anthony Polito
- Everything Must Go (Estate Sale Mystery Book 3) by Shelley Marsh
- Havoc at Hanover Square (Pippa Darling Book 9) by Jenna Bennett
- Moonlight Murder (Detective Aunty Investigation Book 2) by Uzma Jalaluddin
- The Inklings Detective Agency by John R. Kelly
MAY 7
- A Plot to Die For (Blooming Murder Book 1) by Ardal O’Hanlon (UK release)- first in a new series!
- Cellars Remorse (Mystery on Lilac Lane Book 15) by Donna Clancy
- Murder at the Second–Hand Shop (Mrs Mortensen Investigates Book 1) by Anna Grue – first in a new series!
- The Body that Floats (Julie and Frankie Book 2) by Jayne Chard
MAY 8
- Good Homes and Homicide (Better Housekeeping Book 2) by Rachel Rose
MAY 11-17, 2026
MAY 11
- Deadly Cairns (The Highland Mysteries Book 1) by Joana Snowdon – first in a new series!
- Hit & Run on the Antique Road Show (Reality Show Cozy Mystery Book 6) by David Korson and Nicole Korson
MAY 12
- A Very Vexing Murder (Harriet Smith Investigates Book 1) by Lucy Andrew – first book in a new series!
- All Rise for Murder (Madam Clerk Book 1) by Roz Nay – first in a new series!
- Doocey Half-Sees Whodunnit (Detective Doocey Book 1) by Tom McAndrew – first in a new series!
- Hot Wings and Homicide (Food Truck Mystery Book 2) by Carmela Dutra
- Murder Like Clockwork (Audrey and Lewis Book 2) by Nicola Whyte
- Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial (Murder, She Wrote Book 63) by Jessica Fletcher & Barbara Early
- Voted Most Likely to Murder by Lacey Moone
MAY 13
- Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits (Honeybee Diner Book 1) by Skylar Warren – first in a new series!
MAY 15
- Murder at Raven’s Gate (English Village Mystery Book 4) by Louise Marley
MAY 16
- Turning the Page on Murder (Murder by the Book Book 2) by Vanessa Westermann
MAY 18-24, 2026
MAY 19
- A Tart to Die For (Velvet Scone Book 9) by E. Hazard
- Masher of Ceremonies (Vintage Kitchen Book 13) by Victoria Hamilton
- Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alessandra Ranelli
- Pour Decisions (Pour Decision Book 1) by Tobi Doyle – first in a new series!
- Rachel West and the Fallen Starlet by Emma Mills
- The Shrew Detective: The Case of the Pilfered Pearls (Shrew Detective Book 1) by Margi Preus – first in a new series!
MAY 21
- Murder in Season (The Gardener Mysteries Book 5) by Rosie Sandler
MAY 22
- The Book Club Murders (Book Club Murders Book 1) by Maggie Allswell – first in a new series!
MAY 23
- Death in Smuggler’s Run (Pages and Paws Book 5) by Poppy Bridgeman
MAY 25-31, 2026
MAY 25
- The Body at St Edmund’s (Georgina Drake Book 8) by Kate Hardy
MAY 26
- Coastal Views to Die For (Oliver Popp’s Travel Guides to Murder Book 2) by Sam Lumley
- Dungeons and Danger (Ravensea Castle Book 2) by Elizabeth Penney
- Homicide on the Range (Hometown Mystery Book 6) by Rosalie Spielman
- Invitation to Murder (Killer Event Book 1) by Carol Floriani – first book in a new series!
- It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson
- Murder Most Delicious by Danielle Postel-Vinay
- Murder on North Star Summit (Mistwood Book 2) by Tina Van Hoven
- Murder on the Rocks (Lady Hardcastle Book 13) by T E Kinsey
- My Nightmare Is Yours (Madison Night Book 13) by Diane Vallere
- Ode to the Bones (Sarah Booth Delaney Book 30) by Carolyn Haines
- Secrets In Deep Water Bay (International Foodie Mystery Book 5) by Ann Rose
- The Black Cat Detectives by Kit Gray
- The Body in the Kitchen Garden (Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery Book 2) by Paula Sutton
- The Chowder House Murder (Downeast Maine Mystery Book 1) by Lee Hollis – first in a new series!
- The Diva Hosts a Murderer (Domestic Diva Book 19) by Krista Davis
MAY 28
- Death by Canape (Piddlington Gazette Book 2) by Faith Eckersall
- Murder on the Cornish Train (Cornish Murder Mystery Book 1) by JM Hall – first in a new series!
MAY 30
- Charred (Whipped and Sipped Book 3) by G.P. Gottlieb
MAY 31
- Murder In Boston Public Garden (Massachusetts Mystery Book 15) by Andrea Kress
