Florida Man wrestles alligators in the Publix parking lot. A python eats a gator, then a gator eats a python. Someone is always armed with a machete.
Weird Florida writes its own headlines every week.
If there were ever a place where witches, shifters, and ghosts would set up shop, it’s the Sunshine State. We’re already halfway there.
Here are five paranormal cozy mystery series set in Florida, each with its own flavor of swampy, sun-bleached weirdness.
1. Crescent Moon Mysteries — Tara Lush That’s me, so I’ll keep it brief. My series (nine books… so far) are set in Cypress Grove, a quirky town that’s loosely based on the real life Cassadega, Florida. Amelia Matthews inherits a haunted inn from an aunt she barely knew, discovers she’s a witch, and solves crimes with a bunch of wacky friends and a cat named Freddie Purrcury.
2. Tiger’s Eye Mysteries — Alyssa Day Dead End, Florida, where Bigfoot keeps a winter home. Pawn shop owner Tess Callahan and tiger shapeshifter PI Jack Shepherd solve murders in the quirkiest town in Florida. Twelve-plus books deep and still going.
3. Haunted Haven Mysteries — Carol J. Perry Maureen Doherty takes over a charming old Florida inn. Plot twist: it’s already occupied. Her golden retriever Finn doesn’t seem to mind.
4. Freaky Florida Investigations — Margaret Lashley Cryptid hunter Bobbie Drex chases the Skunk Ape through Ochopee, investigates an alien invasion in Plant City, and tangles with giant arthropods in the Panhandle. Eight books of Hiaasen-adjacent gonzo.
5. Crystal Beach Magic Mysteries — Karen McSpade A witch, her grandmother, a talking cat named Mojo, and a Florida community where the weird never stops. Senior citizen coven energy all the way.
Embrace your weird and read these books (and you’ll probably never look at a Florida vacation the same way again).
