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You might be surprised to see Steve Allen included on this list. Yes, he’s THE STEVE ALLEN who hosted the Tonight Show before Jay Leno, and even before Johnny Carson! He is probably better known for his non-mystery books, and who can forget his piano playing, song-writing (off the cuff) routines? Avery Aames (aka Daryl Wood Gerber) Aames writes the Cheese Shop Mystery Series which features the co-owner of the “Fromagerie Bessette” or, as the people living in her small Ohio town call it, the Cheese Shop. As Gerber, she writes the Cookbook Nook Mystery Series which takes place in Coastal California, and features Jenna Hart, a cookbook store owner. Kathy Aarons (aka Kathy Krevat) Aarons writes the Chocolate Covered Mystery Series, which is set in Maryland. Michelle Serrano is the co-owner of Chocolates and Chapters, a combination bookstore and chocolate shop. (What a dream-like shop combination!) Her best friend, Erica Russell is the co-owner of the shop. As Kathy Krevat, she writes the Gourmet Cat Mystery Series, starring Colbie Summers, single mom and gourmet cat food entrepreneur in Summerside, California. Sparkle Abbey Abbey is a co-authorship between Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter. As Abbey, they write the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. (Sparkle is the name of Mary Lee’s cat and Abbey is the name of Anita’s dog.) The Pampered Pets Mystery Series features two sleuths: an ex-psychologist turned pet therapist and an ex-beauty queen, turned Bow Wow Boutique owner. Allyson K. Abbott (aka Annelise Ryan & Beth Amos) Abbott, an emergency room nurse, writes the Mack’s Bar Mystery Series. This series features Mackenzie Dalton, the owner of a bar in Milwaukee, who has synethesia (I’ll just call it a type of “ESP”, since I really don’t know how to adequately describe it), which comes in very handy when she solves her mysteries. As Ryan she writes the Mattie Winston Mystery Series. Mattie is a deputy coroner (ex-nurse) in Wisconsin. Jeff Abbott Mystery Suspense… Has MA from Rice Kristi Abbott Kristi Abbott (aka Lillian Bell, Eileen Rendahl, & Eileen Carr) was born in Dayton, Ohio, but now lives in northern California. She writes the Popcorn Shop Mystery Series, starring Rebecca Anderson, a gourmet popcorn shop owner and her Poodle, (Sprocket) in Grand Lake, Ohio. This series includes popcorn related recipes! As Lillian Bell she writes the Funeral Parlor Mystery Series, which features Desiree Turner, an ex-journalist. Desiree works in California, in a rather unique place… a funeral parlor! As Eileen Rendahl she writes the best selling Messenger (paranormal mystery) series and stand alone mysteries and non-mysteries. As Eileen Carr she writes stand alone mysteries (romantic suspense). Victoria Abbott (Writing duo Mary Jane Maffini & daughter Victoria Maffini) As Abbott, both mom and daughter Maffini write the Book Collectors Mystery Series. This series features Jordan Kelly as the sleuth. Jordan is a researcher for a rare mystery book collector in New York. Mary Jane Maffini, a librarian by trade, also (co-)owned a mystery book shop before becoming a full-time cozy author. Maffini writes three mystery series: the Charlotte Adams Mystery Series (Charlotte is a professional organizer), the Camilla MacPhee Mystery Series (Camilla is a violent victim’s advocate in Canada), and the Fiona Silk Mystery Series (Fiona is a failed romance writer). Lynn Abercrombie (aka Ruth Birmingham & Walter Sorrells) Sorrells is an Edgar Award winning author who writes suspense novels for both adults and young adults. He is an expert in the martial arts and is a bladesmith of modern swords. Pearl Abraham Although she is not a mystery author, I loved one of her books…. Peter Abrahams (aka Spencer Quinn) Not Cozy… I absolutely love to find authors (especially mystery authors!) who are really successful authors, and who then decide to write mysteries for children and/or young adults. Abrahams is one of those authors. As Spencer Quinn he writes the Chet and Bernie Mystery Series, which is told from Chet’s point of view. Chet is the loyal dog of Bernie Little… Peter E. Abresch Abresch writes a mystery series that is set on the shores of New Jersey. It features a senior citizen, ex-physical therapist who takes a class at an Elderhostel and while there, embarks on a new life full of sleuthing. Cathy Ace Ace writes the Cait Morgan Mystery Series. Cait is a Welsh-Canadian living in British Columbia. She is a professor, and a victim profiler criminologist. Cait is a plus-sized foodie as well! Ace also writes the WISE Enquiries Agency. Suzanne Adair Good news for history-mystery lovers! Adair is a new author who writes a series set during the American Revolution. Alina Adams Figure Skating Cozy… Adams was a researcher for ice skating television shows before becoming a mystery author. Deborah Adams The Jesus Creek series Ellery Adams (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington) With a Master’s in English Literature, it is no wonder that Adams/Stanley decided to write novels. Adams writes the Books by the Bay Mystery Series which features a group of mystery writers who solve crimes on the North Carolina coast. Adams also writes the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series. She has also revised the Hope Street Church series she had originally written as Jennifer Stanley. As J. B. Stanley, she writes the Collectible Mystery Series which features a reporter who solves mysteries in and out of antique shows, and the Supper Club Mystery Series which features a “retired” English Literature Professor who, together with the “Flab Five,” solves crimes while supping. Stanley also writes the Hope Street Church Mystery Series as Jennifer Stanley. As 1/2 of Lucy Arlington (co written with Sylvia May) she writes the A Novel Idea Mystery Series. Riley Adams (aka Elizabeth Spann Craig & Elizabeth Craig) As Adams, she writes the Memphis Barbeque Mystery Series, which features the owner of a barbeque restaurant. As Craig, she writes the Myrtle Clover Mystery Series which features a retired octogenarian sleuth in North Carolina. Elizabeth Craig writes the Southern Quilting Mystery Series, which is set in North Carolina. Lydia Adamson Three series: a cat-sitter, a librarian, & a veterinarian Esme Addison Addison is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, and she’s returned there after a long stint away in various locations such as New York and Japan as a military spouse. She has spent much of that time in writing, both as a technical writer and as a professional in the publishing industry. Her series, the Enchanted Bay Mystery Series, stars another North Carolina native who is returning home to help work at her family’s business in herbal remedies. Rebecca Adler Growing up in Florida, Adler is a former theatrical actress who has lived in New York and Mississippi, and currently resides in Houston, Texas. Adler writes the Taste of Texas Mystery Series, which stars Josie Callahan, an ex-journalist who is now the head waitress at her aunt’s restaurant in Broken Boot, Texas. This series includes Tex-Mex recipes. Gregory Ahlgren My husband enjoyed Ahlgren’s (and Stephen Monier’s) Crime of the Century: The Lindberg Kidnapping Hoax so much that he recommended it to me. Ahlgren has also written a time-traveling, sci-fi mystery novel about the Kennedy assassination as well as an international thriller… Catherine Aird English Cozy featuring the department head of the CID. Isabella Alan (aka Amanda Flower) Alan, a librarian at a small college, writes the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series. The series is set in Ohio and features Angela Braddock who just inherited an Amish quilt shop. As Amanda Flower she writes the Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series which is set in Ohio and features Bailey King, a chocolatier – and the series has recipes in it. She also writes the Magical Bookshop Mystery Series which features Violet, who works in her grandmom’s magical bookstore and the Living History Museum Mystery Series which features Kelsey Cambridge, the director of a museum in Ohio. Her Amish Matchmaker Mystery Series takes place in Harvest, Ohio and features a sleuth who is a quiltmaker who is also a widow. She moves back to her hometown and becomes a matchmaker! Flower also writes the Appleseed Creek Mystery Series. This series takes place in Ohio Amish country, and features a sleuth who works at a college in the computer field. Along with the above series, she writes the Magic Garden Mystery Series which is set in Scotland and features Fiona Knox, a florist from the USA. Flower also writes the the India Hayes Mystery Series which features a college librarian/sleuth. And, as if all of this wasn’t enough, she also writes the Andi Boggs Mystery Series for children! Susan Wittig Albert Albert writes three series on her own. The first features an herbalist (China Bayles Mystery Series), the second is the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter Mystery Series, and Albert’s third series is the Darling Dahlias Mystery Series which features a group of garden club ladies during the Depression. Albert and her husband write the Kate Ardleigh Sheridan & Sir Charles Sheridan Victorian Mystery Series using the pseudonym “Robin Paige.” Laura Alden (aka Laurie Cass) Alden’s first PTA Mystery book was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. She writes the PTA Mystery Series, which features a newly single mother of two who owns a children’s bookstore. As Cass she writes the Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series. This mystery series features Minnie Hamilton, a Michigan librarian who travels (with her rescue cat, Eddie) around in her bookmobile taking books to those who need them, and helping those who need mysteries solved. P.J. Alderman Alderman writes the Port Chatham Mystery Series which has a paranormal theme (ghosts). The series is set in the Pacific Northwest, and follows Jordon Marsh, a sleuth who gets help from all sorts of people, both living and dead. Peter Alding (aka Roderic Jeffries & Jeffrey Ashford) (Not Cozy) The C. I. D. Room Mystery Series with Constable Kerr… Bruce Alexander aka Bruce Cook……Alexander wrote a series of historical mysteries that feature an 18th century blind magistrate in London. Ellie Alexander (aka Kate Dyer-Seeley) Alexander writes the Bakeshop Series, starring Jules Capshaw, an employee at her family Torte Bakeshop in a small town in Oregon. When crime strikes her quaint community, she often helps solve the case! Series includes recipes. She also writes the Sloan Krause Mystery Series, which features a brewmaster in Leavenworth, Washington. As Dyer-Seeley she writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series. The only job as a journalist that Meg Reed can get is for an outdoor adventure magazine, and Meg isn’t the outdoor-sy type of girl! Hannah Alexander Alexander, a Christy award-winning author, is “made up” by Cheryl & Mel Hodde, who happen to be a husband and wife writing duo. A reader recommended Hannah Alexander’s books as being Christian mysteries with a little medical suspense and romance. (The husband part of the writing duo is a physician, so obviously he has first-hand knowledge of the medical…) Tasha Alexander Alexander has a Notre Dame B.A. in English/Medieval Studies, which come in handy as she writes the Lady Emily Mystery Series. Lady Emily, the sleuth, is the young widow of a viscount in Victorian London. Barbara Allan Allan is the husband/wife writing team comprised of Barbara and Max Allan Collins. Together, they write the Trash n’ Treasures Mystery Series. Beverly Allen (aka Barbara Early) Allen, an Electrical Engineer, has worked as both an English and a Science teacher. She writes the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery Series. The series features Audry Bloom, the co-owner of a flower shop in Virginia. As Barbara Early, she writes the Vintage Toy Shop Mystery Series, which takes place in New York and features Liz McCall, the manager of her father’s toy shop. Conrad Allen aka Edward Marston and Keith Miles… If you are a Conrad Allen fan, then you are in a for a huge treat! He writes several series…set mostly in England. I have Allen’s Dillman Mystery Series on my favorites list. I really enjoy that series. Garrison Allen (aka Gary Amo) Allen writes the Big Mike Mystery Series which features the owner of a mystery bookstore, along with Big Mike… a huge Abyssinian cat who happens to love lima beans…(Allen was recommended by a site reader… I have not read any of his books yet.) Jeffrey Allen (aka Jeff Shelby) Allen is a high school English teacher who writes the Stay at Home Dad Mystery Series – which features Deuce Winters. Deuce coaches his daughter’s soccer team, as well as solves mysteries in his Texas town. As Shelby, he writes the Moose River Mystery Series, the Noah Braddock Mystery Series, and the Joe Tyler Mystery Series. The Moose River Mystery Series features Daisy Savage, a married mom with a blended family. Daisy is rather unique sleuth: she homeschools her children. Michael Derek Allen I liked the first in the Spence Series a lot. Haven’t read the others….yet. Robin Allen Allen, with a Bachelor’s degree in English, writes the Poppy Markham: Culinary Cop Mystery Series. Poppy is a public health inspector in Austin (Texas) who not only finds kitchen/restaurant offenses, but also finds crimes of other types. Allen’s website describes her Cozy Mystery series as “clean, humorous”… Sarah Addison Allen Allen, a New York Times bestselling author, has her degree in Literature. She writes novels that feature magical happenings… not necessarily mysteries. Steve Allen Based on Steve Allen, the comedian, and his wife, actress Jayne Meadows…as crime solvers! Margery Allingham Cozy from England… Albert Campion series, which features a very upper-crust sleuth. (On the Crime Writers’ Association Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time) Madelyn Alt Alt’s series is set in Stony Mill, Indiana, and involves both an antique shop and a witch! Amish Inn Mystery Series This is an Annie’s chronological mystery series that is written by several Cozy Mystery authors. Liz Eckardt is a lawyer who inherits an old diary of her mother’s. Liz is surprised to find out that her mother grew up in an Amish community. Beans (Liz’ faithful English Bulldog) also lives in Pleasant Creek, Indiana. Sheryl J. Anderson Anderson has worked as a screenwriter, a television producer and writer, and is now teaching screenwriting, as well as writing the Molly Forrester Mystery Series which features an advice columnist (sort of like a Dear Abby type of writer) who also solves mysteries. Donna Andrews One of her series involves a blacksmith theme (the Meg Langslow series)… Lori Andrews Andrews is a professor of law in Chicago and an expert in genetics. She writes the Dr. Alexandra Blake Mystery Series, and has published ten nonfiction books… Not Cozy Mary Kay Andrews aka Kathy Hogan Trocheck… I haven’t tried her Weezie & BeBe series, but now that I am aware of it, I am going to! I love Trochek’s Callahan Garrity Mystery Series. I read them as they were being published and missed them a lot when she stopped writing them. Trocheck has resumed writing the Callahan Garrity mysteries as Mary Kay Andrews writing as Kathy Hogan Trocheck. I am so glad she has resumed writing the Callahan Garrity mysteries. (I missed the whole gang at House Mouse!) Sarah Andrews Andrews, being a geologist herself, has two mystery series which both feature geologists/sleuths… Traci Andrighetti Author of the Franki Amato series, starring a rookie cop in Austin, Texas. Mary Angela Angela is a teacher, having taught English and humanities for more than two years. She lives in South Dakota. She is the author of the Professor Prather Mystery Series, starring English professor Emmeline Prather in Copper Bluff, South Dakota, and the Happy Camper Mystery Series, starring Zo Jones, the owner of a gift shop in the small town of Spirit Canyon, South Dakota. Annie’s Book Series If you click on this link, it will take you directly to a list of all of the Annie’s book club mystery series. Once on that page, you can click on the link of the series you are interested in >>> to take you to that specific mystery series’ page. The Annie’s mystery series are published by the Annie’s Crafts Company. Their Cozy Mystery book series include: Amish Inn Mystery Series, Antique Shop Mystery Series, Annie’s Attic Mystery Series, Annie’s Mysteries Unraveled, Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series, Annie’s Secrets of the Quilt Mystery Series, Chocolate Shoppe Mysteries, Creative Woman Mystery Series, Hearts of Amish Country (non-Mystery) Series, Inn at Magnolia Harbor, Scottish Bakehouse Mysteries, The Secrets of Castleton Manor Library, Victorian Mansion Flower Shop Mystery Series, & Vineyard Quilt Mystery Series. Annie’s Attic Mystery Series A site reader (who prefers her mysteries without profanity) told me about this series of mysteries. Each book in the series is written by a different author. This mystery series follows a woman who is cleaning out her grandmother’s attic in her old family home in coastal Maine. As she is going through the items in her grandmother’s attic, she discovers baffling things – which then lead her to the different mysteries she solves. (Annie’s Crafts Company also publishes the Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series, Annie’s Mysteries Unraveled, the Creative Woman Mystery Series, the Vineyard Quilt Mystery Series, and the Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library Mystery Series.) Annie’s Mysteries Unraveled is published by the Annie’s Crafts Company. They are mysteries without profanity, and each book is written by a different author. All of the mysteries in the series star a single mother (Kate Stevens) who works as a crochet designer in Sage Hills, Texas. (Annie’s Crafts Company also publishes the Annie’s Attic Mystery Series, Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series, the Creative Woman Mystery Series, and the Vineyard Quilt Mystery Series.) Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series Annie’s Crafts Company is the publisher responsible for the Annie’s Quilted Mystery Series. This series features the women members of the Nimble Thimbles Quilting Group in Mystic Harbor, Massachusetts. The series opens with something terrible happening to one of the quilting group members. Her friends are determined to find out what happened to her. (There will be twelve books in the series.) Annie’s Crafts Company also publishes the Annie’s Attic Mystery Series, the Annie’s Mysteries Unraveled, the Creative Woman Mystery Series, and the Vineyard Quilt Mystery Series. Annie’s Secrets of the Quilt Mystery Series is another Cozy Mystery series that comes to us from Annie’s Crafts Company. This series features Sofia Parker, a stay-at-home mom who inherits an heirloom quilt that comes with a diary. Each mystery book will have Sofie figuring out the mystery behind a different swatch of fabric in the quilt. Antique Shop Mystery Series This is another Annie’s chronological Cozy Mystery series that is written by several authors. Maggie Watson, the sleuth, is a widow and owner of an antiques shop. The shop is in her colonial mansion in Harbor Maine. Maggie is accompanied by her cat, Snickers. Jennifer Apodaca Apodaca’s books are mysteries with a whole lot of romance! She calls them “dangerously romantic”…. Connie Archer (aka Connie di Marco) Archer writes the Soup Lover’s Mystery Series, which takes place in a small Vermont skiing town called Snowflake. Lucky Jamieson inherits her parents’ soup shop, which is exactly the sort of place cold skiers are looking for. (And, for all you Cozy culinary fans, recipes are included.) As Connie di Marco, she writes the Zodiac Mystery Series, starring an astrologer in San Francisco. Gretchen Archer Archer is a bestselling author (USA Today) who lives in Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. She writes the Davis Way Crime Caper Mystery Series, which stars Davis Way, a member of the security team in the Biloxi, Mississippi-based Bellissimo Resort and Casino. Jeffrey Archer Not cozy… His personal life would make a great novel! Winnie Archer (aka Melissa Bourbon & Misa Ramirez) Bourbon is a full time writer, having left her job as a full time teacher. She writes the Bread Shop Mystery Series, which stars Ivy Culpepper, a photographer who ends up working in a bread shop in a seaside California town. As Bourbon, she writes the Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series – which features a boutique owner/fashion designer who gets help solving her mysteries from beyond the grave. As Ramirez, she writes the Lola Cruz Mystery Series, which features a private investigator in Sacramento. A. K. Arenz Arenz writes the Bouncing Grandma Mystery Series. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers. Tessa Arlen Tessa Arlen is the daughter of a British diplomat, allowing her to visit exotic places such as Singapore, Cairo, Berlin, and many more before she was even sixteen years old. Since then, she has moved to the United States, now living in Washington state. Her novels, the Lady Montfort Mystery Series, are historical mysteries set in the opulent glamour of the Edwardian English aristocracy. Lucy Arlington (co-written by Jennifer Stanley & Sylvia May) Arlington writes the A Novel Idea Mystery Series, which takes place in North Carolina. The sleuth is a middle-aged woman who has been fired at her journalism job, who then goes on to intern at a literary agency. Stanley has her Master’s degree in English Literature, and writes the Hope Street Church Mystery Series as Jennifer Stanley. As J. B. Stanley, she writes both the Supper Club Mystery Series and the Collectible Mystery Series. As Ellery Adams, she writes the Books by the Bay Mystery Series and the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series. Judith Arnold Arnold has written most of her life, starting her professional career as a playwright while still in college. She has also taught English at a local college – inspiring her to begin writing novels as well. She writes the Lainie Lovett Still Kicking Mystery Series, starring Lainie Lovett, grade-school teacher and member of the under-fifties soccer team, the Colonielles. Margot Arnold British Cozy that features an anthropologist and an archaeologist in Cambridge. Suzanne Arruda Arruda wanted to use her Master’s degree (that emphasizes ecology) and her enjoyment for both animals and the outdoors (she managed to work as a zoo keeper while in college!) when writing her mystery series. What better setting than Africa for her main character Jade del Cameron… a very adventurous sleuth! Joani Ascher Ascher is a part-time children’s room librarian who writes the Wally Morris Mystery Series. This series is set in New Jersey and features a nursery school teacher who solves mysteries when not working on her lesson plans… Maureen Ash Ash writes the Templar Knight Mystery Series which features Bascot de Marin, wounded in the Crusades, who returns to England after being imprisoned/enslaved for eight years in the Holy Land… Jeffrey Ashford (aka Roderic Jeffries & Peter Alding) (Not Cozy) As Ashford he has stand-alones… Isaac Asimov Asimov’s family owned candy shops while he was growing up, which sold science fiction magazines, which is where he developed his love for all things science fiction. But, he also wrote mysteries… along with many…. and I mean “many” other accomplishments in his life. Libi Astaire Astaire, a journalist living in Jerusalem, writes the Ezra Melamed Mystery Series which is a Regency England mystery series… Nancy Atherton When her “Aunt” Dimity leaves her a Cotswold cottage, little does Lori know that the cottage includes her aunt’s presence… Sarah Atwell (aka Sheila Connolly) Degrees in Art History and Fine Arts paved the way for Atwell to eventually write the Glassblowing Mystery Series. She not only enjoys the beauty of blown glass but apparently also has “mastered” the art. As Sheila Connolly, she writes the Orchard Mystery Series which takes place in beautiful Massachusetts… on an apple orchard. She writes the Museum Mystery Series, which features a fundraiser for the preservation of Pennsylvania antiques. She also writes the County Cork Mystery Series which takes place in Ireland, and features a sleuth from Boston as well as the Relatively Dead Mystery Series, which is a paranormal series that features a sleuth who sees ghosts. Margaret Atwood I’ve read a couple of her books, and find them quirky as well as very different. Sandi Ault Ault is a bestselling author who has won several awards for her mysteries, including the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award. She writes the Wild Mystery Series which features Jamaica Wild, an agent for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Taos, New Mexico. Lori Avocato Who better than a registered nurse (and Sister’s in Crime member) to write a mystery series about an ex-registered nurse who invetigates medical fraud? |
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A is for Agatha (except she’s under “C.”) These are the cozy mystery book authors whose last names begin with “A.” I have added a few authors who write nonfiction, and also a few authors who write “non-cozy” books.
