19 Must-Read March 2025 Mystery Books: Thrillers, Cozies & More!

Spring is in the air… but so is murder. This March 2025 mystery books lineup is packed with 15 must-read new releases, from small-town cozies to pulse-pounding thrillers. Whether you’re here for crime-solving heiresses, retired assassins, or a PI chasing a missing diamond, there’s a mystery waiting for you.

So grab your TBR and let’s get into the best March 2025 mystery books hitting shelves this month!

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Mystery Romance March 2025 Book Releases

Murder and romance? A classic combination. This month, we’ve got an heiress forced to solve a crime (and maybe fall for her grumpy roommate), a mob feud tangled up in forbidden love, and even a professor accidentally on the run with a fixer. If you like your mystery with a side of tension—both romantic and deadly—these books deliver.

Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose

An heiress who’s never worked a day in her life finds herself cut off and in desperate need of solving her grandmother’s murder—if she wants her trust fund back. Stuck with her childhood nanny’s infuriatingly handsome son as a roommate, Pomona Afton must trade her penthouse for detective work, proving she’s got more than just designer taste. But if she solves the case, will she be ready to return to her old life, or is there something—someone—worth staying for?

Key Themes: Heiress detective, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, family secrets, Upper East Side mystery, rom-com meets murder mystery

Grab this book on Amazon: Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder

The Big Fix by Holly James

Penny Collins, a bookish computer science professor, never expected a casual estate sale to turn into a murder scene—or for a dead body to shove her into the arms of a dangerously hot fixer. Mistaken for his girlfriend and on the run from both criminals and the FBI, Penny suddenly finds herself dodging bullets, cracking codes, and discovering that romance and high-stakes espionage are not mutually exclusive.

Key Themes: Mistaken identity, opposites attract, academic heroine, action-packed thriller, high-stakes romance, forced proximity

Grab this book on Amazon: The Big Fix

The Usual Family Mayhem by HelenKay Dimon

Kasey thought she was pitching a simple investment idea: turn her grandma’s famous pie shop into the next big business. What she didn’t expect? Locked cabinets, coded recipe notes, and a suspicious pattern of deadbeat husbands meeting untimely ends. With her childhood crush by her side, Kasey has to figure out whether her grandma and her best friend are culinary geniuses—or criminal masterminds serving up revenge, one pie at a time.

Key Themes: Family secrets, revenge, small-town mystery, cozy crime, found family, second-chance romance

Grab this book on Amazon: The Usual Family Mayhem

When Sally Killed Harry by Lucy Roth

Sally thought Harry was the love of her life—until she woke up broke and betrayed. Turns out, he’s a serial scammer with a long list of victims. But instead of crying into her cocktails, Sally and her fellow scammed women set out to take him down. A revenge thriller with a wicked sense of humor, this one’s for anyone who’s ever been ghosted… or worse.

Key Themes: Scam artist revenge, found family, feminist thriller, con artist vs. con artist, vigilante justice, dark humor

Grab this book on Amazon: When Sally Killed Harry

Girl Anonymous by Christina Dodd

After years on the run from a deadly family feud, Maarja Daire returns to the scene of the crime—where her mother died saving her from a mob boss. Posing as an art mover, she encounters Dante Arundel, the ruthless heir to the empire her mother destroyed. But when she risks her life to save his mother, she earns his trust—and ignites a passion neither of them can resist. With old enemies circling and betrayal at every turn, Maarja and Dante must decide if they can end the blood feud before it ends them.

Key Themes: Mafia romance, enemies to lovers, revenge, family feud, second-chance at love, dark thriller

Grab this book on Amazon: Girl Anonymous

Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano

Finlay and her crime-solving, trouble-finding sidekick, Vero, have finally sworn off murder investigations—until a body turns up in her nosy neighbor’s backyard. Now that neighbor is crashing at Finlay’s house, her ex-husband is a suspect, and someone is dangerously close to digging up more than just a body. The only thing more chaotic than Finlay’s love life? The fact that her latest case might just bury her for good.

Key Themes: Accidental detective, suburban mystery, dark humor, found family, reluctant sleuth, cozy crime

Grab this book on Amazon: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

Historical Mystery March 2025 Book Releases

If you love mysteries set in eras where forensic science was just a vibe, this month’s historical picks are for you. A Victorian morgue assistant who keeps running into murder (literally), a duchess who somehow keeps getting dragged into crime lord drama—history is messy, and these sleuths are ready to clean it up.

A Pernicious Fabrication by Lynn Messina

Duchess Beatrice Kesgrave has no interest in helping a notorious crime lord solve a murder—until she realizes the victim is her husband’s cousin, and the body count is rising. With forgery, high society scandals, and a deadly trap waiting to spring, Bea is in for a tangled mystery where the wrong move could mean her own demise.

Key Themes: Regency mystery, aristocratic sleuth, enemies to reluctant allies, art forgery, crime syndicates, murder investigation

Grab this book on Amazon: A Pernicious Fabrication

Method of Revenge by Cara Devlin

Leonora Spencer is used to death—working at a Victorian morgue makes that inevitable. But when she witnesses a poisoning at a high-society nightclub, she’s once again tangled in a murder investigation with Scotland Yard detective Jasper Reid. With secrets buried deep and crime lords involved, Leo must uncover the truth before she becomes the next body on the slab.

Key Themes: Victorian mystery, slow-burn romance, crime lord intrigue, morgue assistant detective, Scotland Yard investigation

Grab this book on Amazon: Method of Revenge

Paranormal Mystery March 2025 Book Releases

Murder is bad. Murder with ghosts? Even worse. This month’s paranormal mystery follows a medium-turned-sleuth investigating a very cursed theater production. If you like your whodunits with a little supernatural interference, you’ll want to check this one out.

A Midsummer Night’s Ghost by Erin McCarthy

Reluctant medium Bailey Burke is finally embracing her ability to see spirits, but her latest case comes with a theatrical twist—a Shakespeare production at the local senior center where the janitor turns up dead. When a second murder follows, Bailey must sift through ghostly gossip and small-town secrets before the next act turns deadly.

Key Themes: Paranormal mystery, ghost whisperer heroine, amateur sleuth, small-town intrigue, cozy mystery, found family

Grab this book on Amazon: A Midsummer Night’s Ghost

Thriller March 2025 Book Releases

Fast-paced, high-stakes, and full of secrets—these thrillers will keep you up at night. Retired assassins are back in action, a woman starts questioning her own reality after a suspicious death, and a city on the brink of collapse hides more than a few bodies. If you like your mysteries intense, these are for you.

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn

Four retired assassins are back on the job when a hit list starts taking out former Museum agents—and they’re next. Trading yoga mats for murder weapons, this deadly quartet embarks on a global hunt to uncover a traitor and take down a criminal empire. With knives sharpened and cocktails ready, these ladies are proving they’re still at the top of their game.

Key Themes: Retired assassins, international crime, found family, espionage, revenge, humor and action

Grab this book on Amazon: Kills Well with Others

The Last Days of Kira Mullen by Nicci French

Nancy North is trying to piece her life back together after a psychotic break—until her new neighbor, Kira, is found dead. Everyone insists it’s suicide, but Nancy hears the same eerie voices that triggered her breakdown. With a detective willing to listen and her own sanity on the line, Nancy must prove Kira was murdered before the truth is buried for good.

Key Themes: Unreliable narrator, psychological thriller, investigative journalist, mental health, gaslighting, police procedural

Grab this book on Amazon: The Last Days of Kira Mullen

The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey

A police transcriber-turned-novelist returns to Black Harbor to investigate her ex-husband’s murder, reuniting with the man who once used her to solve a case. With a rising body count and a city unraveling in crime, old betrayals resurface, and the past proves just as dangerous as the present.

Key Themes: Small-town crime, noir thriller, second-chance romance, toxic relationships, murder investigation, dark secrets

Grab this book on Amazon: The Unlucky Ones by Hannah Morrissey

And the Lake Will Take Them by Linda Norlander

When a Minnesota teen goes missing during a blizzard, Sheriff Red Hammergren is forced to confront the cold case of her father’s murder. But as Red digs deeper into the town’s secrets, a killer lurking in the storm will do anything to keep the past buried.

Key Themes: Cold case, missing person, rural noir, small-town corruption, survival thriller, atmospheric suspense

Grab this book on Amazon: And the Lake Will Take Them by Linda Norlander

She Wants You Gone by Joanna Dodd

Beth was ready for a fresh start in a quiet village with her new husband and stepdaughter, Dolly. But behind Dolly’s sweet smile hides something far more sinister. Beth is sure Dolly wants her gone—and as accidents pile up, she realizes this child might just be willing to kill to get what she wants.

Key Themes: Psychological thriller, stepdaughter from hell, gaslighting, domestic suspense, isolated setting, unreliable narrator

Grab this book on Amazon: She Wants You Gone

Cozy Mystery March 2025 Book Releases

Some people relax by gardening. Others by solving murder. This month’s cozy mysteries bring us a cat who’s suspiciously good at crime-solving, a wedding gone horribly wrong, and a PI searching for a missing diamond that may or may not be cursed. If you like your crime-solving fun, quirky, and maybe involving tea, you’ll love these.

Cat Got Your Killer by Sofie Ryan

When a man connected to an old drowning case turns up dead, secondhand store owner Sarah Grayson and her crime-solving cat Elvis are on the case. With a group of senior citizen sleuths by her side, Sarah must dig into the past before the killer strikes again.

Key Themes: Cozy mystery, crime-solving cat, amateur sleuth, small-town intrigue, cold case investigation, found family

Grab this book on Amazon: Cat Got Your Killer

Resort Robbery by Jasmine Webb

A world-famous diamond vanishes from a luxury Maui resort, and PI Charlie is on the hunt for the thief—until bodies start piling up. With whispers of a curse surrounding the gem, Charlie must separate superstition from sabotage before she becomes the next victim.

Key Themes: Heist mystery, island setting, cursed treasure, amateur detective, cozy mystery, murder investigation

Grab this book on Amazon: Resort Robbery

High Teas & Misdemeanors by Laura Childs

A tragic accident at a wedding leaves a bridesmaid dead, but tea shop owner Theodosia Browning suspects murder. As she stirs up secrets hidden beneath lace and flowers, she’ll need more than just her famous brews to solve this case.

Key Themes: Cozy mystery, wedding sabotage, amateur sleuth, tea shop setting, found family, high society scandal

Grab this book on Amazon: High Teas & Misdemeanors

Essence of Foul Play by Daryl Wood Gerber

Emma Brennan is launching her dream spa in Carmel, California—until a rival spa owner is found bludgeoned to death with one of Emma’s gift basket items. Framed for murder, Emma must sniff out the real killer before her business—and her freedom—go up in smoke.

Key Themes: Cozy mystery, holistic spa setting, amateur sleuth, small-town drama, culinary and wellness industry intrigue

Grab this book on Amazon: Essence of Foul Play

A Geek Girl’s Guide to Arsenic by Julie Anne Lindsey

Mia Connors is back at the Renaissance Faire, working her family’s holistic beauty booth, when a customer drops dead—and her ex, an undercover US Marshal, reappears to accuse her of murder (again). Now, Mia must clear her name and dodge a rekindled romance before the real killer strikes again.

Key Themes: Cozy mystery, Renaissance Faire setting, undercover investigation, amateur sleuth, second-chance romance

This is a re-release and you can read our old review for this book here.

Grab this book on Amazon: A Geek Girls’ Guide to Arsenic

That’s 15 new March 2025 mystery books ready to shake up your reading list! Which ones are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments.

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