Some people read cozy mysteries. Some people do puzzles. A lot of people do both, and for them there is one kind of gift that is surprisingly hard to find: a real mystery where the clues are hidden inside the puzzles. You read a little, you solve a little, and the answer to each puzzle pushes the case forward.
I'm Les Erschen Jr, and that is exactly the kind of book I write. The King Bear Squad Mysteries star Little Bear, a black Pomeranian based on our own real dog. Every book below is mine, so I can tell you honestly what is inside. Amazon prints, ships and sells them.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Quick picks
- Best place to start: Murder at the Harvest Howl, Case 1. Paperback on Amazon
- For a Christmas gift: Murder Under the Mistletoe, Case 2. Paperback on Amazon
- For couples, one puzzle a day from December 1: The 24 Suspects of Christmas. Paperback on Amazon
- For a harder case: No Alibi, the puzzle mystery with 5,000 suspects. Paperback on Amazon
What makes a great mystery gift for a puzzle lover
- Fair play. A good puzzle mystery gives the reader every clue the detective has, so the solver can name the culprit before the reveal.
- Puzzles that matter. The best ones make each puzzle part of the story, not a page of filler between chapters.
- A cozy tone. Small town, warm characters, a dog or two, and no gore.
- Room to work. Big pages, clear print and space to write notes and cross off suspects.
- A solution you can trust. A full answer key and a written explanation of who did it and why.
The King Bear Squad Mysteries: you don't read them, you solve them
Each book is one complete, fair-play cozy mystery told in 50 short chapters. Here is how it works:
- Read a short chapter on the left-hand page.
- Search the full-page puzzle on the right. Every bold word from the story is hidden in the grid.
- When every word is found, the leftover letters spell a secret message that moves the case forward.
- Name the killer before the final chapters, then find out if you beat the Squad.
The print is large throughout, with every word at 16 point or larger on 8.5 by 11 inch pages. The puzzles grow with you: forward words first, then backward, then all eight directions. Each book also has a town map, a suspect notebook, a clue tracker, hidden crowns to spot in the art, and a full Case Closed solution with an answer key. The books are clean, with no gore and no bad language, and no animal is ever harmed.
Every case stands on its own, so you can start anywhere. Case 1 is a great place to begin.
Case 1: Murder at the Harvest Howl (autumn)
Every October the mountain town of Bearberry Hollow throws a party for its dogs. This year it ends with a body at the bottom of the cider mill stairs, and by morning the whole town blames Little Bear. His owner, retired 911 dispatcher Birdie Callahan, has six days to prove he is innocent before the Dangerous Dog Hearing.
Case 2: Murder Under the Mistletoe (winter)
Trouble at the Holiday Market, and everyone blames a scruffy stray terrier. The Squad knows better. It is a natural pick for a Christmas gift.
Case 3: Murder at the Maple Run (spring)
Syrup season turns into a mystery, and the town blames a local boy.
Case 5: Murder at the Founders' Fair (autumn)
The town turns two hundred, and the only witness is Versace, the sweetest brindle pit bull in town.
Case 6: Murder at the Bearberry Ball (winter)
An old iron box with a crown on the lid, a missing key and a masked ball at midnight.
Every case is also on our mystery books page.
The prequel for Kindle readers: The Case of the Crooked Crown
Before the murders, there was a pie. Young Little Bear and the old pit bull who raised him have three days to find out who stole a famous blackberry pie from the Harvest Howl, before the town pins it on the local beagle. It is a short cozy dog mystery, about a two-hour read, with a secret message to crack at the top of every chapter.
For the solver who wants a bigger challenge: No Alibi
No Alibi is a stand-alone puzzle mystery for adults. A landlord is found dead during a citywide blackout, and every one of his 5,000 tenants had a motive. Your suspect list is the whole register. Each of the 30 case files ends with a word search, the leftover letters spell a clue, and you use it to cross off suspects until only one is left.
For couples who love Christmas: The 24 Suspects of Christmas
This one is a murder mystery escape room in the shape of an advent calendar. A blizzard traps 24 suspects in a mountain house, and you solve one puzzle a day from December 1. Each answer is a code word that unlocks evidence and clears one more suspect, so by Christmas Eve only the killer is left. The puzzles rotate through ciphers, mazes, sudoku, logic grids and hidden-message word searches.
One tip: it starts on December 1, so order it by about November 20 and give it before then.
Gift ideas that make it feel like an event
- Wrap the book with a good pencil, an eraser and a mug for tea or cocoa. Cozy mysteries ask for it.
- Start a two-person book club. Give two copies of the same case, solve on your own, then compare suspects over coffee.
- Give the seasons. Case 1 for fall, Case 2 or Case 6 for winter, Case 3 for spring.
- Add a highlighter in a soft color so found words stay readable. We list a few ideas on our everyday picks.
See every mystery in one place on our Our Books on Amazon page. Grab a pencil, pour something warm, and see if your favorite puzzler can beat the Squad.