According to AAA, 53.4 million people will travel next week for the Thanksgiving holiday. That is up 13% from 2020—a sure sign that people are ready to travel. Moreover, a recent The Vacationer survey found that 67% of the respondents were planning on driving. That’s a lot of time couped up in a car. Here are 3 paranormal themed cozy murder mysteries to get you through.

I listen to Audible.com (and sadly not paid for this plug). I found that I’m able to relax, to create art, or to cruise on my Electra when I’ve got a great book playing. I can also tell you that the narration sells it. I’ve returned a few audio books where the narrator was not the right fit. For these series, the narrators enhance the stories. Through their voices (taking on different characters accents and all), I can visualize the stories and thoroughly enjoy the stories.

Up until this year, I maneuvered past the cozy mystery genre. Even when I was reading print editions, I rarely read one. For me, the time was not right. This changed after I finished a run of hard-boiled murder mysteries, fiction and non-fiction. I was looking for stories where the gore and sex was off the page. I sought protagonists who were amateur sleuths in tiny hamlets similar to the British crime shows my husband and I binge on Acorn, BritBox, and PBS. In the last 2 months, I’ve discovered three series I want to share:

1. The Accidental Alchemist Mysteries written by Gigi Pandian and narrated by Julia Motyka. A 300-year old alchemist, Zoe Faust, relocates to Portland, Oregon and mistakenly ships the animated gargoyle, Dorian Robert-Houdin, who seeks Zoe’s assistance in finding a remedy to keep him alive. This series delves deep into the world of alchemy. It also includes vegetarian recipes, which sound scrumptious, but I have not made. I have listened to the first 3 books in the 5 book + 1 novella series. For more information: https://www.gigipandian.com/books/the-accidental-alchemist-mysteries.
2. The Salem B&B Mystery written by Traci Wilton and narrated by Callie Beaulieu. Recent widow Charlene Morris escapes the city and purchases an historic Victorian home in Salem haunted by the former occupant. Charlene intends to open a bed and breakfast when she feels compelled to help solve the previous owner’s murder. The stray cat has a minor supporting role. Each book features a new murder. I’ve listened to the first book in the 5-book series. For more information: https://cozy-mysteries-unlimited.com/salem-bb-mystery-series.
3. The Vampire Knitting Club written by Nancy Wilson and narrated by Sarah Zimmerman. This series is set in Oxford, England with the American raised protagonist Lucy Swift arriving to visit her grandmother, Agnes Bartlett, owner of Cardinal Woolsey knitting shop. Lucy learns her grandmother died a few weeks earlier and has been turned into a vampire. Each book features a new murder. This series also has Nix, Lucy’s new cat familiar. (I’m a sucker for a cat. Also my mother’s family has a long line of females named Agnes.) I’m presently listening to book 3 of the 13-book and 2 novella series. For more information: https://www.nancywarrenauthor.com/vampire-knitting-club-series/.