12 Apple Orchard, Cider Festival & Harvest Cozy Mysteries Perfect for Fall Reading

There are certain things I want from my fall reading: crisp small town settings, apple orchards, cider, baked goods, harvest festivals…and apparently a suspicious death or two. 😂

Apple themed cozy mysteries may be one of the most ridiculously specific corners of my fall TBR, but once I started looking, I realized there are plenty of them. Some take place on orchards or farms, others revolve around cider festivals and harvest celebrations, but all twelve have the kind of autumn atmosphere that makes me want to grab a blanket, pour something warm, and read while pretending it isn’t still way too warm outside.

I’ve read some of these myself and others are sitting firmly on my fall TBR, so think of this as a mix of personal recommendations and books I’ve found that sound perfect for apple picking season.

Want all the apple picking cozies in one place? 🍎📚
I put all 11 together so you can browse the whole list at once.

→Browse Cozy Mysteries for Apple Picking Season

Pulp Friction by Julie Anne Lindsey

An apple orchard and thriving cider shop make this one an obvious pick for apple picking season.

Winnie Montgomery has helped turn her family’s Smythe Orchards around with a successful cider shop, and they’re even using the property to host events. But when a wedding at the orchard ends with the groom dead and Winnie’s ex looking suspicious, she’s pulled into another investigation. This one isn’t technically set during fall, but with an apple orchard and cider shop at the heart of the series, the setting delivers exactly the kind of cozy atmosphere I want for this list. 

Fall vibes: Apple orchard • Cider shop • Foodie cozy

Deadly to the Core by Joyce Tremel

An apple orchard in the Pennsylvania countryside sounds like an idyllic fresh start…until a body turns up.

Kate Mulligan leaves Los Angeles behind after inheriting her uncle’s fruit orchard and decides to turn it into a cider house. Unfortunately, murder arrives before the grand opening. I love a cozy centered around someone starting over and building a food or drink business, and adding an orchard makes this especially perfect for fall.

Fall vibes: Apple orchard • Cider house • Fresh start

Apple Die by Chelsea Thomas

Apples and murder are basically the entire job description here.

This series follows the Apple Orchard Cozy Mystery world, giving us an orchard setting, amateur sleuthing, small town suspects, and plenty of apple themed atmosphere. If you want your fall cozy to lean heavily into the actual orchard setting, this is an obvious one to add to the list.

Fall vibes: Apple orchard • Amateur sleuth • Small town mystery

Apple Pies and Poisoned Lies at the Cider Falls Festival by Traci Hall

This is one I’ve actually read, and the fall atmosphere absolutely delivers. Read my full review here

A cider festival, apple pies, an orchard setting, and a mystery unfolding right in the middle of all the festivities made this such an easy addition to this list. I especially enjoyed having both the festival atmosphere and the orchard woven into the mystery—it genuinely feels like a book meant to be read during fall.

Fall vibes: Cider festival • Apple pies • Orchard mystery

A cozy mystery built around apples, small town secrets, and a suspicious death? Obviously we’re putting it on the apple murder list. 😂

This one brings together the lighthearted amateur sleuth energy I want from a cozy with a distinctly autumn friendly setup. It’s another option for readers who want the mystery without sacrificing the seasonal atmosphere.

Fall vibes: Apples • Small town • Amateur sleuth

Death by Hot Apple Cider by Alex Erickson

Alex Erickson already knows his way around a food and drink cozy, so naturally hot apple cider + murder caught my attention immediately.

This one brings seasonal flavor into the mystery itself and is especially appealing if, like me, half the fun of reading culinary cozies is getting all the descriptions of drinks, treats, and small town businesses along with the murder investigation.

Fall vibes: Hot cider • Culinary cozy • Seasonal mystery

A Harvest Murder by Frances Evesham

Sometimes you don’t need the word apple in the title—you just need a good old fashioned harvest murder.

This mystery leans into the changing season and countryside atmosphere, making it a nice option if you want something that feels autumnal without being completely centered around one particular fall food.

Fall vibes: Harvest season • Village setting • Autumn atmosphere

Murder at the Autumn Apple Festival by J.J. Joseph

I mean…Autumn Apple Festival. It practically applied for this list itself. 😂

A fall festival is one of my favorite seasonal settings because it gives you everything at once: food, crowds, community drama, local traditions, and approximately seventeen people with the opportunity to commit murder. Add apples and I’m sold.

Fall vibes: Apple festival • Fall festivities • Community secrets

Autumn & Alibis by Jules Motschall

Give me autumn atmosphere and suspicious townspeople and I’m happy.

This one combines a seasonal setting with the lighter mystery tone that makes cozies such good comfort reading. It’s another pick for anyone who wants to fully commit to the fall mood without wandering into genuinely scary territory.

Fall vibes: Autumn setting • Alibis & suspects • Cozy comfort

Chamomile and Crystal Balls by Thora Bluestone

This one adds a little magical energy to our otherwise extremely apple and cider heavy proceedings.

With cozy paranormal touches and autumn atmosphere, it’s a fun option if your ideal fall reading season includes a little witchiness alongside your murder. Because apparently cider isn’t enough—we occasionally require crystal balls with the apples. 😂

Fall vibes: Magical cozy • Autumn atmosphere • Witchy vibes

One Bad Apple by Shelia Connolly

If an entire cozy mystery series centered around an apple orchard doesn’t belong on this list, I don’t know what does.

Meg Corey heads to the small New England town of Granford, Massachusetts, planning to fix up and sell her mother’s old colonial home and apple orchard. Instead, her former flame turns up dead on the property—and Meg becomes the prime suspect. This is the first book in the Orchard Mystery series, so it’s also the perfect place to start if the combination of small-town New England, an apple orchard, and murder sounds like your ideal fall reading situation.

Fall vibes: Apple orchard • New England • Series starter

There is something particularly satisfying about pairing the coziest season of the year with fictional murder. 😂 Whether you want to spend your reading time wandering through an apple orchard, drinking hot cider, browsing a harvest festival, or investigating a body inconveniently discovered near the baked goods, these mysteries should keep your fall TBR appropriately cozy—and just a little suspicious.

If I find more apple, orchard, or cider cozies worth adding, I’ll keep updating this list. Because apparently apple picking mystery is now a legitimate Novelgossip subgenre, and I’m completely fine with that.

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