I am ALL ABOUT a cozy murder club and I live in New York City, so of course I had to try The Insomniacs by Allison Winn Scotch. What did I think of this (supposedly) cozy mystery similar to Only Murders in the Building? And by an author who is familiar to me? I’m here to reveal all!
The Insomniacs: Jen’s Quick Take
- A cozy “murder club” mystery with a New York City setting
- The four club members narrate: empty nester Sybil, waitress Betty, retired (now a candy shop owner) Julian, and Mets pitcher Julian.
- The club “meets cute” in an all night diner on the Upper West Side
- When one of the members vanishes, the rest try to crack the case.
- There are pros and cons to this one, which I will run down in the review!
- Overall, I felt that this book was a bit of a subgenre mishmash
- Allison Winn Scotch is best known for her women’s fiction from the 2010s, books like The One That I Want, Between Me and You, and The Time of My Life.
- Publication date: April 14, 2026. Thanks so much to Berkley for my advance copy!
My Review of The Insomniacs
The hardest books for me to review are the mixed bag ones, and I feel this one has pros and cons.
What I Liked:
- Sybil. Maybe it’s because I’m also an empty nester living in NYC, but I felt she was the strongest and most developed character. She’s also the glue of the foursome. If you watch Shrinking on HBO, she’s Liz.
- The more unconventional mystery. In many cozies, a body turns up and the murder gets solved. This book had a lot going on: a disappearance in this, a murder, and then the whole mysterious backstory of one other characters. (This will be a con too.)
- The insomnia. If you’re a mom or a woman over a certain age you know what it’s like not to sleep. (This will be a con too).
- The Monk’s/Tom’s reference (maybe?) If you watch Seinfeld, you know Monk’s, which is based on Tom’s, a real diner near Columbia University. It’s only open all night on the weekends, though.
What I Thought Could Have Been Better About The Insomniacs:
- The NYC setting felt a little underdeveloped to me.
- The reverse age gap romance was unexpected (and weird). It was also a celebrity romance. I could have done without it. It made the book feel like women’s fiction.
- Other readers have said that the characters’ insomnia was mentioned WAY too many times, and I agree. I think it would have made more sense if the characters had insomnia on the night they met, but no, they ALL have it all the time. And talk about it a lot.
- The unconventional aspect of the mystery (which involves things that don’t take place in the context of the story) may bother some cozy mystery readers, who want all the information and clues to happen within the story.
I did enjoy The Insomniacs overall and have added it to my list of Books Like Only Murders in the Building. If you love the show, that post also links to some quizzes about the show!
