The best funny mystery book reviews. Funny mysteries, also known as crime capers or humorous mysteries, are intended to entertain readers with light suspense while also delivering ample doses of amusement.
The Bottom Line: A James Bond parody that delivers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, pulse-pounding action scenes and biting social commentary. City of Roses Psychiatric Institute patient James Flynn believes he’s a secret agent. Impeccably dressed, Flynn hilariously mistakes the staff for enemy agents and the other patients as operatives enjoying “much-needed R&R.” Naturally, when fellow patient Chloe claims someone is trying to kill her, Flynn …
The Bottom Line: Witty Sleuth Kate McCall returns to solve her father’s murder in this supremely satisfying and painfully funny mystery. When readers first fell in love with Kate McCall, Rich Leder’s Workman’s Complication introduced us to the clever way-off-Broadway actress who walked dogs for a living. After her father’s brutal murder, she inherited his PI firm and reluctantly took over his cases. Gottiguard takes …
Gottiguard, a Painfully Funny, Can’t-Miss Mystery by Rich Leder READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: Murder, fashion and romance converge in T.K. Ambers’ most satisfying romp yet. The third installment in T.K. Ambers’ Runway Dreams series finds siblings Bernie, Alex and Bell Price in San Diego for a swimwear photo shoot. The family is also trying to score backstage access to meet Antoine Lamour, an LGBTQ rock legend appearing at the local Pride festival. But like Hercule …
Prideful Vengeance, a Satisfying Thriller about Murder, Fashion and Romance READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: A darkly comic and original whodunnit featuring a truly memorable amateur sleuth. Is there a serial killer at work in Los Angeles, or just someone particularly motivated by greed, jealousy or love? Whichever the case, why has the killer chosen the LA art scene as his hunting ground? LA homicide detective Cisco Rivas, and his unlikely partner, public TV host James Terra, …
Brushed Off, a Darkly Comic Whodunnit by Lee Musgrave READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: An irreverent, offbeat crime thriller featuring a memorable protagonist and a quirky cast of gangsters. For a man whose primary job is delivering packages for an LA law firm, Monk Buttman lives a complicated life. He owns the Moonlight Arms, a complex of bungalows that he purchased with what might be found drug money. The women in his life include Agnes, with …
Too Many Women, Too Little Time, an Irreverent Crime Thriller by David William Pearce READ MORE >
Since the 1996 novel One For the Money, Janet Evanovich has been the gold standard among humorous mystery novelists. The book featured Stephanie Plum, a former lingerie buyer who becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet after losing her job. Plum often finds herself in hilarious conundrums as she goes about her business. There have been 26 Plum novels in total, with the last …
The Bottom Line: Devastatingly funny, dark and unputdownable. One of the Year’s Best Thrillers. As Cooking for Cannibals opens, 35-year-old gerontologist Carrie Cromer is committing her first crime. Carrie works in a lab that seems to have created nothing less than the fountain of youth. The miraculous drug has reversed aging in her lab rats, seems destined for further testing, and one day, FDA approval. …
Cooking for Cannibals, One of the Year’s Best Thrillers READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: A witty whodunnit that fans of Janet Evanovich will love. Saving Grace opens with a bang as hacker Joe “Hack” Hackford is on the phone with his sister, novelist Lynn Andrews. Both are mixed up in a wacky extortion scheme with paranoid heiress Grace Pierrepoint Rendell, who has recently gone off a cocktail of strong psychotropic medication. During a critical point in …
The Bottom Line: Janet Evanovich fans should flock to this hilarious small town mystery. Set in the mountains of upstate New York, Blues of Autumn is the story of Police Chief Norris Tanager, who moved to tiny Glen Echo to avoid the headaches of big city crime fighting. When not moonlighting as a bar band bass player, he keeps busy curbing jay-walkers, graffiti taggers and …
Blues of Autumn, a Hilarious Small Town Mystery by Richard Adamson READ MORE >
The Bottom Line: A deftly-plotted, highly entertaining island murder mystery that is sure to broaden author Ronald S. Barak’s burgeoning fan base. Eloise Brooks, the wife of retired Superior Court Judge Cyrus Brooks, surprises her husband with an island adventure to celebrate their 55th anniversary. Her intentions, however, are far from romantic. In Cyrus Brooks’ quest for justice, he often finds himself in life-threatening situations, …
Payback, a Highly Entertaining Murder Mystery by Ronald S. Barak READ MORE >
