The Best Cosy Audiobooks for Autumn Nights
There’s something magical about this time of year, isn’t there? As the leaves start their spectacular colour show and there’s that first crisp bite in the evening air, I find myself gravitating toward one of life’s greatest pleasures: curling up with a hot mug of cocoa and really good cosy audiobooks. There’s nothing quite like having a brilliant narrator whisper a thrilling story directly into your ears while you’re wrapped in your softest blanket, watching the early darkness settle outside your window.
Autumn has this wonderful way of making us want to nest, to create those perfect cosy moments where the outside world melts away and we can lose ourselves completely in a good story. Whether you’re commuting through the golden-leafed mornings, taking those brisk evening walks, or simply enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon as the rain patters against the windows, cosy audiobooks are the perfect companion for the season.
I’ve gathered five absolutely fantastic listens that capture everything I love about autumn reading – from heartwarming mysteries that’ll make you smile to edge-of-your-seat thrillers that’ll keep you company on those longer, darker nights. Each one offers something special, and I promise you’ll find your next obsession here. Don’t worry – I’ll keep everything completely spoiler-free so you can dive in fresh! If you like the sound of any of these cosy audiobooks, you can sign up for a completely free trial of Audible on Amazon here.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Let’s start with pure comfort food for the ears, shall we? If you haven’t met Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron yet, you’re in for such a treat. This delightful cosy mystery follows four friends living in a peaceful retirement village who meet every Thursday to investigate unsolved murders – until a real murder happens right on their doorstep.
What makes this perfect autumn listening is Richard Osman’s warm, gentle humor and the absolutely stellar narration by Lesley Manville. Her voice brings each character to life with such distinct personality that you’ll feel like you’re sitting right there in the Jigsaw Room with them. This is the literary equivalent of a warm hug – light-hearted and entertaining, but with enough clever plotting to keep you guessing.
The book challenges all those misconceptions about older people too. These characters aren’t just sitting around – they’re having crushes, enjoying tipples, getting out and about, and proving that age is just a number when it comes to solving crimes. It’s the perfect listen for those mellow autumn afternoons when you want something that’ll make you chuckle while keeping you engaged.
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
Now here’s a book that absolutely captures the nostalgia of autumn. Set in 1979 Yorkshire during Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power, this coming-of-age mystery follows 12-year-old Miv who becomes convinced she can solve the Yorkshire Ripper case to prevent her family from moving “Down South.”
This was the biggest debut launch of 2024, and it’s easy to see why – it’s been described as “such a fresh and interesting voice” that’ll make you “cry and won’t be able to stop reading.” What makes this so perfect for autumn is how it weaves together the warmth of friendship and community with that underlying sense of change and growing up that mirrors the season itself.
The book tackles some heavy topics – the atmosphere of fear during the Ripper’s reign of terror, along with themes of domestic violence and mental health – but Godfrey handles everything with such sensitivity and authenticity. It’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking, capturing that bittersweet feeling of childhood’s end that’s so perfectly suited to autumn’s melancholy beauty.
Origin by Dan Brown
For those crisp October evenings when you’re looking for cosy audiobooks that’ll keep you absolutely glued to your headphones, Dan Brown’s fifth Robert Langdon adventure is pure escapist perfection. Set primarily in spectacular Spain, this thriller tackles the eternal questions: “Where do we come from?” and “Where are we going?” as Robert Langdon gets caught up in a discovery that could shake the very foundations of religion and science.
The story kicks off at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao where Langdon’s former student, billionaire futurist Edmond Kirsch, is about to reveal a breakthrough that will “change the face of science forever” – until he’s murdered during his presentation. What follows is a thrilling chase through Barcelona alongside museum curator Ambra Vidal as they race to unlock Kirsch’s earth-shattering secret.
Brown is absolutely in his element here – “the plot is absurd, of course, but the book is a definitive pleasure” and will have you “absorbed—and in more ways than one.” As always, his extensive research on art, architecture, and history informs every page, making this both a thrilling mystery and a fascinating travelogue.
Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
As the nights draw in and that cosy-but-slightly-unsettled feeling of autumn takes hold, Lisa Jewell’s latest psychological thriller hits all the right notes. This 2025 release follows three women – Nina, a recent widow; her suspicious daughter Ash; and florist Martha – who all become entangled with the same charming but dangerous man.
Nina receives a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, supposedly an old friend of her late husband, and despite her daughter’s suspicions about his too-perfect charm, she finds herself drawn into a relationship with him. Meanwhile, Martha is questioning why her husband Alistair is traveling more and more for work. What follows is a masterclass in psychological suspense as these women’s stories converge in increasingly disturbing ways.
The audiobook features an absolutely stellar cast including Richard Armitage, Joanne Froggatt, Gemma Whelan, Louise Brealey, and others who bring this chilling tale to life with perfect tension. Critics are calling it “a masterclass in suspense” with “one of the most chilling, unsettling villains” in recent memory.
This is Jewell at her most compelling – it’s been described as absolutely unputdownable, perfect for those autumn evenings when you want something that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. Available now in audiobook and all other formats.
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
Let’s end with something that perfectly captures that small-town autumn atmosphere where everyone knows everyone’s business – or thinks they do. Karin Slaughter’s brand new series opener is set in North Falls, where two teenage girls vanish on the night of the town’s fireworks celebration, and Officer Emmy Clifton has very personal reasons for wanting to find them.
The story spans two time periods – starting twelve years ago when Emmy was a young cop who turned away when her best friend’s daughter needed help, then jumping to the present when the convicted killer is released and another girl disappears. What makes this especially compelling is that it’s less graphic than Slaughter’s earlier work while maintaining all her trademark psychological depth and complex characters.
Kathleen Early’s narration is absolutely perfect for this – her voice captures both the small-town intimacy and the underlying menace that runs through the story. This instant #1 New York Times bestseller has been praised as “explosive from the very start” and “a thriller of breadth and depth.”
I particularly love that one of the main characters, FBI consultant Jude Archer, is an older woman in her late fifties or early sixties – you don’t see many heroines in this age group in popular fiction, and her experience-driven brilliance is refreshing. Available now and perfect for those who love small-town mysteries with layers of secrets.
Wrapping Up Your Perfect Autumn Reading Season
There you have it – five absolutely fantastic cosy audiobooks that’ll see you through the whole autumn season and into those first cosy winter nights. From Richard Osman’s gentle humor to Karin Slaughter’s gripping crime procedurals, there’s something here for every mood and every moment.
What I love about all these choices is how they each capture something essential about autumn – that mix of comfort and mystery, nostalgia and anticipation, the cosy and the thrilling. Whether you’re looking for something to make you smile during your morning commute or a page-turner that’ll keep you company during those long, dark evenings, these books deliver in spades.
The beauty of cosy audiobooks is that they can transform any ordinary autumn moment into something special. Your evening walk becomes an adventure, your weekend cooking session turns into a cosy mystery hour, and those inevitable traffic jams become opportunities to get completely lost in a fantastic story.
So grab your coziest blanket, brew that perfect cup of tea or cocoa, and prepare to fall completely in love with your next great listen. These narrators are waiting to whisper some absolutely fantastic stories in your ear – and trust me, once you start, you won’t want to stop.
All these titles are available now in audiobook format and ready to become your new autumn obsessions. Happy listening, and here’s to many cosy, thrilling hours ahead!
If you’re looking for accessories to curl up with, to help you get into the mood for your cosy reading session, we have some great recommendations here.