On to our third question from Cozy Mystery readers.
María asks:
“… I wonder if you could help me. Some years ago I read at a local library some mystery books that were really interesting, regretfully I did not take note of the author’s name and later the library closed down. The only information I remember is that the books were set in a small town in the USA, the investigator was a woman sheriff who had been in a big city before settling there. I am extremely sorry to bother you but this has been nagging me for years.
Thanks in advance for your help and understanding.
María”
I suggested to María that she might be looking for the Arly Hanks Mystery Series by Joan Hess, but I wasn’t quite sure about that because she doesn’t mention that the series is funny -which it is.
Does this description sound familiar to any of you? If you think you might know who María is looking for, please post a comment. Thank you!
Dru says
Joanna Brady from J.A. Jance comes to mind. It’s not a cozy though. Then again, I don’t know if Joanna Brady came from a big town.
marja says
Joanna Brady was born and raised in/near Bisbee, AZ 🙂
Bonnie says
There is a series from the authors Joyce and Jim Lavene, that takes place in a small town. The Sheriff is Sharyn Howard. You can order the books at Barns and Nobles, they are NOT in the Library. The 1 and 2 are as follows 1. Last Dance, 2.One Last Goodbye. Hope this Help Out.
Bonnie
Laurie K says
Charlene Weir writes the books about Susan Wren who lived in San Francisco and ended up in Kansas (via a husband who dies) and becomes Police Chief. There are 7 books in the series. Possibly this is the series she is looking for?
linda c says
Laurie K, Wonder what has happened to this author!! This series was very good
marja says
Wow, I loved the two or three books of this series that I read. Unfortunately my library doesn’t appear to have the others — I’ll double-check.
Deb says
I don’t think it’s Joanna, because most are set in Bisbee, Arizona, a small town. But now I have all of them requested at my local library! I know I have some of the early ones, but who knows where they are….
J.A. Jance has a nice website with all the series and a blog at http://www.jajance.com/jajance.com/Welcome.html
Kristi aka FiberFool says
Mary Logue’s series that starts with Blood Country fits the description. It’s borderline cozy, but set in a small town near the WI/MN border. She previously was a rising star in the Twin Cities and has a daughter. I believe she was widowed if I recall correctly.
Sue D. says
Mary Logue writes a mystery series about Claire Watkins, female deputy sheriff in small Wisconsin farming town who used to be a Minneapolis police detective. This is one of my favorite cozy series! The characters have such depth; the series has an edge–bad things CAN happen in the country. There are 8 books in the series so far.
*Susan says
I’m thinking exactly the same as Dru. J.A. Jance was the first one to come to my mind, too.
At least worth checking out, I think. 🙂
Andie says
I think you are entirely correct, Danna. Sounds like the Maggody series to me. She was in New York prior to returning to Arkansas and you can’t get a bigger city than that (in the U.S.A.)
I love the series and I think Joan Hess is brilliant! Everything she writes is excellent, as far as I am concerned, but the Maggody series is especially charming.
Possibly because I have come across some people who are remarkably similar to some of her characters in the place where I was born and raised. Western Kentucky is not that far from Arkansas and I even have cousins in Blytheville and Jonesboro.
Good call, Danna.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Andie!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you for your suggestions. I hope María will be able to find the correct author/sleuth amongst them.
J. A. Jance – Joanna Brady Mystery Series
Charlene Weir – Police Chief Susan Wren Mystery Series
Joyce and Jim Lavene – Sheriff Sharyn Howard Mystery Series
Joan Hess – Maggody Mystery Series
Mary Logue – Claire Watkins Mystery Series (1. Blood Country)
Edie Dykeman says
This is the first I’ve heard of any of them and I’m eager to check them out. That’s why I love this blog so much – so many books I’ve never tried (but so little time to read :().
Thanks for the list above – making note of each one.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Edie, I have found a lot of new authors from other Cozy Mystery readers’ comments, also.
Marie says
What ever happened to the Jill Churchill Grace and Favor book titled “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”? Was it ever released? I’ve been looking for over a year.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marie, Jill Churchill‘s Smoke Gets in Your Eyes hasn’t been release yet. Amazon says it will be releasing July 15, 2012, but I think I have seen that sort of information before.
Marie says
Thank you for your answer. I have seen it was going to be released several different times. Hope this is it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marie, I used to follow Jill Churchill’s Jane Jeffry Mystery Series. Actually, I still would, but it looks like The Accidental Florist (2007) might just be the end. We’ll see… I will certainly be on the look-out for her next Jane Jeffry mystery.
Bev says
I still have not found smoke gets in your eyes, has anyone found it?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bev, Jill Churchill’s Smoke Gets in Your Eyes was never released. (Anyway, that’s what I have been able to dig up. Sort of like Nancy Fairbanks’ Blood Pudding.)
Bev says
With ebooks so available now you would think they would be out. I always felt there were so many story lines left open in the series.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I know, Bev. I have one author in particular who I check on from time to time, hoping that she puts out the last book in her series.
Nancy says
Just as a data point, Joanna Brady wasn’t a sheriff in any town before she was the Bisbee sheriff.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Nancy, didn’t Joanna Brady take over the post of sheriff after her husband (the sheriff) died? It’s been years since I read Desert Heat – probably about the same time it was published, which would have made it ’93.