The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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Authors Similar to Janet Evanovich …

I was prompted to start a new theme for the Cozy Mystery site by a site reader. She thought that I should have an “authors similar to…” section. What a great idea! I will be doing some research, as well as using my own ideas for coming up with the authors who are similar to the given authors. I would also love to have input from you all! So, please post a comment if you think there is an author (or two!) who I am leaving off of the lists.

Authors similar to Janet Evanovich:

Donna Andrews: Meg Lanslow Mystery Series

Lori Avocato: Pauline Sokol Mystery Series

Kathleen Bacus: Calamity Jayne Mystery Series

Nevada Barr: Anna Pigeon Mystery Series

M. C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin Mysteries

Stephanie Bond: Body Movers Mystery Series

Jan Burke: Irene Kelly Mystery Series

Meg Cabot: Heather Wells Mystery Series

Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskell Mystery Series

Tori Carrington: Sophie Metropolis Mystery Series

Dixie Cash: Domestic Equalizers Mystery Series

Harlan Coben: Myron Bolitar Mystery Series

Mary Daheim: Emma Lord Alpine Mystery Series

Lila Dare: Southern Beauty Shop Mystery Series

Diane Mott Davidson: Goldy Bear Mystery Series

Jana DeLeon: Miss Fortune Mystery Series

Shelly Fredman: Brandy Alexander Mystery Series

Kinky Friedman: Kinky Friedman Series

Sue Grafton: Kinsey Millhone Mystery Series

Carolyn Haines: Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery Series

Parnell Hall: Puzzle Lady Mystery Series

Gemma Halliday: Hollywood Headlines Mystery Series

Joan Hess: Maggody Mystery Series

Dorothy Howell: Haley Randolph Mystery Series

J. A. Jance: Joanna Brady Mystery Series AND J. P. Beaumont Mystery Series AND Alison Reynolds Mystery Series

Karen Kijewski: Kat Colorado Mystery Series

Harley Jane Kozak: Wollie Shelly Mystery Series

Rita Lakin: Gladdy Gold Mystery Series

Victoria Laurie: Psychic Eye Mystery Series

Laura Levine: Jaine Austen Mystery Series 

Jess Lourey: Murder by Month Mystery Series

Lisa Lutz: Izzy Spellman Mystery Series

Valerie S. Malmont: Tori Miracle Mystery Series

Nancy Martin: Blackbird Sisters Mystery Series

Susan McBride: Debutante Dropout Mystery Series 

Karen E. Olson: Tattoo Shop Mystery Series

Rhonda Pollero: Finley Anderson Tanner Mystery Series

J. D. Robb: Eve Dallas Mystery Series

Gillian Roberts: Amanda Pepper Mystery Series

Annelise Ryan (aka Allyson K. Abbott & Beth Amos): Mattie Winston Mystery Series

Deborah Sharp: Mace Bauer Mystery Series

Sarah Strohmeyer: Hairdresser Mystery Series

Elaine Viets: Dead End Job Mystery Series AND Mystery Shopper Mystery Series

Ayelet Waldman: Mommy Track Mystery Series

Please post your recommendations of authors who are similar to Janet Evanovich, and I will add them to the list.

♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click here.♦

Comments

  1. Well, several reviewers of my Lola Cruz Mystery Series said Lola was the next Stephanie Plum: Mystery Lovers Book Store:
    “Fans looking for the next Stephanie Plum might just find her in Sacramento in the form of Lola Cruz, themuy caliente heroine of Misa Ramirez’ Living the Vida Lola…Ramirez puts together a snappy blend of mystery, romance and humor…”

    ***

    “If you like fun and spunky Stephanie Plum, you’ll love smart and sexy Lola Cruz. Fun, tightly plotted and 100% entertaining, Living the Vida Lola is a terrific story bursting with marvelous characters that keep you rapidly turning pages until the very end. Misa Ramirez’s debut novel rocks.”

    –NYT Bestselling Author Allison Brennan

    Reply

    • I think the author Darynda Jones novel sounds like Janet Evanovich. Same cadence type nature of the book. The book
      A Hard Day for a Hangover, although the characters, are not the same it could be an Evanovich novel for sure.

      Reply

    • Hmmm! 🧐 I think Darynda Jones might really BE Janet Evanovich. If not, she is certainly Janet cloned…and the clones even use the same narrator.

      Reply

  3. The Domestic Equalizer Mystery series by Dixie Cash. The sister writing team had me with their very first book SINCE YOU’RE LEAVING ANYWAY, TAKE OUT THE TRASH. I have read or listened to four of the series and each one just gets more fab.

    Reply

  5. Just found this site…what a great resource. Lois Greiman should be included on this list. I’ve read “Not One Clue;” it is laugh-out-loud funny. I’d like to find more…
    For laugh-out-loud funny, you all have got to read Lois Greiman.

    Reply

    • The Lois Greiman series is awesome!! First in the series, “Unzipped”, “Unplugged”, “Unscrewed”, “Unmanned”, “One Hot Mess” then “Not One CLue”…didn’t think I would find a series like Stephanie Plum, but this may be my new fav:)

      Reply

    • Lois Greiman Romance and now cozy-mystery writer

      I have read this series!!! She is yet another one who will give Evanovich a run for her money. I had forgotten about her! I started reading the series the moment the first book came out and have followed since.

      This one also reminds me of another author who is somewhat as humorous as Evanovich.
      I think? the name of the character is Sofie Metropolis-and this may be the title of the first book as well.

      Reply

  7. Came across your site when I googled mysteries similar to Susan Wittig Albert. Still didn’t find what I was looking for because I don’t know the author. I read two of the books when I was working as a Merchant Marine in Singapore.
    The major character has an American Indian background and uses cures and concoctions based on traditional tribal herbology. She primarily deals with cases of abused women and usually takes them away and furnishes them with secure housing.
    Does anyone recognize this author?

    Reply

    • Allison, could you be thinking of JANE WHITEFIELD??

      from a website called Thrilling Detective:
      Created by Thomas Perry

      JANE WHITEFIELD is a clever and tough Native American woman who calls herself a “guide”. Her job can be described as a one-person witness protection program. She helps people who are in potentially life-threatening situations and uses her extensive resources to help them extricate themselves from their problems and assists them with documentation and credentials so they can start new lives.

      Although her activities occasionally bend the law, she has a strict code of conduct and is very choosy about her clientele, and despite the fact that she’s based in Deganawida, New York, her cases take her all over. Although more in the suspense genre than mystery, Whitefield occasionally gets in scrapes in which detective work is necessary. Whitefield’s Indian (Upstate New York) heritage is also put to good use, and the series is filled with all sorts of arcane knowledge about creating new identities, forging documentation, etc. etc. It’s good stuff!

      Reply

      • Thomas Perry is the author of Jane Whitefield series, along with other great books. Sorry, I don’t think I made that clear.

        Reply

  8. Re Washington, DC…..did you know that (my favorite mystery writer of all time) Martha Grimes, lives in Washington D.C.? I just checked out her website…the intro re her new book The Black Cat is delightful.

    Reply

  10. I just found this site and absolutely love it – what a great resource! Victoria Laurie’s Psychic Eye Series reminded me a lot of Stephanie Plum. In fact, Stephanie has become a little monotonous in the last couple novels (I love the Plum series so much that it almost pains me to say it) and I think that Laurie has done a great job at keeping the story line fresh.

    Reply

  14. Shelly Fredman’s ‘Brandy Alexander’ mystery series is similar to Stephanie Plum, in so far as the love triangle. Brandy has an ex-boyfriend cop called Bobby DiCarlo in her love life (similar to Joe Morelli) as well as Nick Santiago, a shady figure in the Philadelphia underworld (a la Ranger).

    Reply

  16. To Allison-

    If you like Susan Wittig Albert, you might try Anne Ripley. Like Albert’s books, they are garden themed, but set mostly on the East coast.

    Reply

    • How are they similar? I just have to ask because I don’t get it at all, even though I have read and enjoyed many books from both series. The Stephanie Plum series is a comedic mystery series set in the present day, where the main character is a mostly inept bounty hunter. She has at least two love interests and her family figures in heavily to the storylines. In the Eve Dallas series, we have a futuristic setting, no blood relatives around Eve or her love interest (of which I only know one, I haven’t read the entire series yet), and the tone of the books is pretty serious. She is a police lieutenant as far as I can remember. The only even partially related thing I can think of is the law enforcement angle, but Stephanie’s law enforcement is very weak.

      I would possibly add Karen E. Olson’s Tattoo Shop Mysteries for the tone of the books; we have a tattoo artist and shop owner who is as inept a snooper/detective as Stephanie is and we have multiple kooky characters and love interests. One of those love interests happens to be ex-marine and has some of the same moves Ranger does.

      Reply

      • Sarah, I’ll go add Karen E. Olson’s Tattoo Shop Mystery Series to the “Authors Similar to Janet Evanovich” list.

        Reply

      • Have you tried Jana Deleon’s – Miss Fortune Mysteries and also Gemma Halliday’s – High Heel Mysteries & also Hollywood Lines Mystery Series, also Liliana Hart’s – Whiskey Series, and Christina A. Burke’s – Queen Baby Series. All of these author’s had me laughing out loud and kept me entertained in the books/ebooks like Janet Evanovich’s – Stephanie Plum Series.

        Reply

        • Christine,

          I may need more recommendations from you; your first three were spot on! I got to know Stephanie Plum via audiobooks while doing a 1.5 hour (each way) daily commute. Now, I listen to audiobooks while doing chores (mucking stalls, mostly). Your recommendations had the right content and a strong narrator. Thanks!

          Reply

        • I will second, the Jana DeLeon Miss Fortune Series and Liliana Hart’s Addison Holmes Whiskey series- Discovered both while in between Stephanie Plum releases, thoroughly enjoyable and fun reads!

          Reply

        • I was going to add this author myself! I have SPED through the Miss Fortune Series, I absolutely love it! Have you read Jordan McCollum I Spy series, or Liliana Hart’s JJ Graves series? They are amazing Cozy mysteries as well!

          Reply

        • I loved your recommendations. I love Jana DeLeon’s Miss Fortune series, one of my all time favorite. I also read Liliana Hart’s Whiskey Series and enjoyed it. I haven’t tried Gemma Halliday yet but she looks interesting.

          Thank you!!

          Reply

  20. I never thought I’d find an author I liked as much as Janet Evanovich, but then I found Lois Greiman. She’s hilarious too.

    Reply

    • Have you tried the ‘Body Movers’ series by Stephanie Bond? 5 in the series I think…similar humor to Evanovich.

      Reply

      • I have discovered Stephanie Bond and love her witty sense of humor! I agree, very Stephanie Plum-ish heroines are featured, in improbable situations (Coma Girl), love her books .

        Reply

    • Thanks, April. I have read nad enjoyed all of the Kathy Hogan Trochek’s Julia Callahan Garrity mysteries…

      Reply

  22. Tori Carrington’s series featuring Sofie Metropolis, is very much like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Excellent books!

    Reply

  23. Wow! Thanks so much for all the great suggestions. I’m a long term chemo patient (going on 8 years) and I have found reading REALLY helps pass the hospital time. I do so love the Stephanie Plum series and my teenager daughter has gotten me into all the immortal stuff but seriously how many vampire books can they write??? LOL Thanks again for all the wonderful suggestions and for the library being just 5 miles away!

    Reply

    • Jaime, it’s great that you have found such enjoyment in reading while undergoing your chemo therapy. And, how convenient that your library is so close.

      You’re in luck with the vampire books>>> There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of them these days! I know exactly what you mean by “how many vampire books can they write???”>>> Apparently, A LOT!

      Happy reading!

      Reply

  25. I don’t recall having seen it mentioned, but Karen Rose writes a really good series as well. It’s more of a romantic suspense vs comedy suspense but they are very well written and definitely hold your attention. I have a hard time pausing when the new ones come out lol

    And also Sherrilyn Kenyon with the Dark Hunter series, they are quite funny as well.

    Reply

  26. I have been reading the Maddie Springer series by Gemma Halliday. She has started a new series with a few spin off books. I guess you would call the spin off books the Hollywood Series. So far all of these books have been very reasonably priced on my Nook Color. Definitely, Evanovich in style.

    Reply

    • Thank you, Susan, I will go add Gemma Halliday’s Hollywood Headlines Mystery Series to the Authors Similar to Janet Evanovich theme list.

      (It looks like the Kindle has the very same prices for those two Gemma Halliday books. I wonder if the prices aren’t set by the publishers…)

      Reply

  27. I found the author Karen Kijewski many, many years back. I fell in love with her funny, quirky characters. The main character is Kat Colorado. Who’s named so by her not so loving mother in the absence of her (Kat’s) dad.
    Unfortunately, the author has stopped writing the series-last I heard was due to a big problem between publisher, writer or such. There are Nine of them written from 1988 to 1998.
    The first, 2nd, 3rd in the series are: Katwalk, katapult, and Kat’s Cradle. They are fun, funny and also realistic. The characters’ personalities evolve as the writer develops and hones her skills so the books become funnier. She is, I feel, just as good as Evanovich, maybe not as many laughs but still, she’ll give Evanovich a run for her money.
    Give her a try! Maybe she’ll start writing the series again should she get a following.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Cindy, I’m going to go add Karen Kijewski to the Authors Similar to Janet Evanovich list. (I read a few of Kijewski’s mysteries years ago…)

      Reply

  28. I see (on covers) all the time “If you like Janet Evanovich”,
    rarely is that true, except for Lois Greiman’s series and Toni
    McGee Causey’s. There is also a witch series by Juliet
    Blackwell that can qualify.

    Reply

  29. I was surprised that Carolyn Haines – Sarah Booth Delanay series – is not yet represented. I have been recommending her for a couple years. Takes place in the deep south and is a riot to read. Great characters. Thanks for all the other suggestions, can’t wait to try!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Joy, I’ll go add the Sarah Booth Delaney series by Carolyn Haines to the Authors Similar to Janet Evanovich theme.

      Reply

  30. Lawrence Kelter’s Stephanie Chalice series can be compared with the Stephanie Plum series. They are quick reads and fast paced. The difference is his books have lots of humor, but are “legitimate” psychological thrillers and very suspenseful.
    His new book, The Brain Vault was released recently, which is the third in the series. Although you don’t have to read them in order,I would start with the first one, Don’t Close Your Eyes and go on from there!

    Reply

  31. How about Lila Dare? She has two books out in her Southern Beauty shop. Grace, the main character, finds herself in so many embarassing situations, sort of like Stephanie Plum. Lila Dare writes in that simple yet intelligent way that makes reading a joy.

    The other I would recommend is the Mace Bauer series by Deborah Sharp. To me, Mace is like Crocodile Dundee meets Jessica Fletcher – though she’s in her early thirties. I laughed so much… it was fabulous.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Katie, I’ll add Lila Dare and Deborah Sharp to the list of Authors Similar to Janet Evanovich.

      Reply

  32. What about Lisa Lutz? Her Spellman series had me laughing as much as Evanovich with zaney characters, a dysfunctional family, and a female heroine you can’t help but love.

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  33. I just finished reading the Lucky O’Toole series by Deborah Coonts. She has two books out so far, and both are based in Las Vegas. Very good reading, closest I have been able to come to my girl Janet

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  34. T Lynn Ocean has several titles . Southern Poison, Southern Fatality . She is a retired security specialist, the stories also include her aging father and his funny poker buddies. I laughed out loud when I read the first one and then went looking for the other titles.

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  35. Thank you all for the great info. I suffered a brain injury in 1998 and it has been a long road to recovery. Once i learned to read again, it became my favorite way to pass time. I am often found sitting in a doctors waiting room with tears in my eyes from laughing so hard when reading Janet Evanovichs’ Stephanie Plum series. Unfortunately for me, she can’t write as fast as I can read.

    Reply

    • Laury, I’m sorry to hear about your brain injury, but it sounds like you are quite improved! There just isn’t anything like reading!

      Reply

    • I think many of Janet Evanovich’s fans feel the same way as you. I can’t believe that she is in her 60s (I think early 60s).

      Reply

      • Fieldworking, and the good thing about it is that it looks like Janet Evanovich still plans on keeping her series going and going. (Sort of like the Duracell bunny!)

        Reply

      • She is my age, born in 1943. My daughter said she passed but nothing on the web. So I guess we are saved.

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  36. The Delivery Girl by Samantha Biskup is very similar in style. I found her on Amazon and gave the book a chance after reading the review.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Savannah, for telling us about Samantha Biskup’s similarity to Janet Evanovich.

      Reply

  38. The Ann Charles ‘Deadwood’ series is just brilliant. Very well written, funny and the sort of books that once you start you have to keep going until the end.

    Kate Johnson is also very good – the Sophie Green series.

    This is a great website to find, I’ve been looking out for new funny crime writers for ages.

    Reply

    • Thank you, Angharad, for letting us know about Ann Charles’ Deadwood Mystery Series. And, I hope you are able to find some funny mystery series to follow.

      Reply

  39. I would recommend Kyra Davis. She has a series which centers around a fabulous character named Sophie Katz. She’s an author herself and gets into a lot of trouble! Super funny, action packed, and overall great writing!

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  40. Love your web site. The info is great, however, I think you are focused on only one element that makes Janet Evanovich such a wonderful author. The Plum series combines romance, comedy and a little mystery in a, mostly, light fashion. Who are the authors that do this style, not in a series? Janet’s earlier works were screwball romances and are absolutely the best escape lit to be found. Who are the authors that write in that style? I have found Jennifer Cruise and Susan Andersen. There have to be others.

    Reply

    • Anita, I’m glad to hear you enjoy the website. And, thanks for telling us about Jennifer Cruise and Susan Andersen. (I’m sorry, but I don’t know the answers to either of your questions.)

      Reply

  41. This website is great! I am always looking for a new series to start and this is a great resource. I am a fan of Janet Evanovich and appreciate the cross reference to similiar authors. There is one that I think should be on this list. It is the Sofie Metropolis Series by Tori Carrington.

    Reply

  42. Please consider adding Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series. Light hearted mysteries, funny family dynamics and also two love interests. They have been fun quick reads and have recipes as a bonus.

    Reply

  43. Thank you for this site! I really like the Kate Collins “Flower Shop Mystery” series. The main character, Abby Knight, is fun and funny like Stephanie.

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  44. The Calamity Jane Series by Kathleen Bacus is a close runner with Janet Evanovich! And the first book in the series, Calamity Jane, is free on Nook!

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  45. I was looking for a new book to read and stumbled across this website. I enjoy women’s sleuths and have read books by some of the authors mentioned here. Thanks to this website I now have many more to look forward too. Decisions, decisions……which one first?? 🙂

    Reply

    • Ruth, if you haven’t tried Anne George‘s Southern Sisters Mystery Series, you might want to start there. George is a favorite of many of us.

      Reply

  46. I agree with Jennifer Cruise. Not her recent books but her first ones. My daughter says every time she is sick she rereads Faking It. The closet scene is hilarious! I also like Getting Rid of Bradley, the beginning is hilarious also. And Manhunting, in the boat!! And the private eye in What the Lady Wants- I’d marry him in a minute! Great fun, the laugh out loud kind.

    Reply

  47. Nancy Bartholomew has the Strip Series which I believe is only 4 books and is no longer being written because the publisher didn’t pick it up for more books. Then she couldn’t put them out with any other publisher because they hold the rights. But her books are fantastic. VERY Evanovich like. I love them. Also I recently discovered Misa Ramirez’s Lola Cruz books and those are definitely in the Evanovich vein. REALLY good!! Tori Carrington’s Sofie Metropolis books were already mentioned but those are great too.

    Reply

  48. One of the best features of a Janet book is the reader gets a chance to have a “laugh out loud” moment while reading the hilarious predicaments that Stephanie and Lula get into. I’m in an endless search to find other such authors.

    As I continue my diligent search for this type of humor in my mysteries, I have come across yet another master of this technique. Laura Levine has mastered the art of believable absurd.

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  50. I just finished “An Affair to Dismember” by Elise Sax. It’s the first in a new series. Very funny, very Stephanie Plum like. I can’t wait for the next book to be released (in July)

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  51. I should also add that thanks to the comments here I have also read the Lola Cruz Mystery series- I loved it too, very Stephanie Plum like. I’ve also started reading the Calamity Jane series by Kathleen Bacus and I love it too! I found that one from the “free ebooks section”. I read the first book for free and was hooked.

    Reply

    • And, thanks again, April, for telling us about Misa Ramirez’ Lola Cruz Mystery Series. I don’t have an actual page for Misa Ramirez, but I do have her “aka” Melissa Bourbon.

      Reply

  52. I invite readers to try the first in my Kim Claypoole mystery series, Small Town Trouble. If you like Stephanie Plum, you’ll love Kim Claypoole!

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  53. These series have gotten me through my Stephanie Plum withdrawal periods!

    Dorothy Howell – Haley Randolph Series
    Rhonda Pollero – Finley Tanner Series
    Meg Cabot – Heather Wells Series

    Reply

    • Thanks, Melissa, I just added these three mystery authors to the Authors Similar to Janet Evanovich list.

      Reply

  54. The Agatha Raisin series by M. C. Beaton is one of my favorites. Besides Janet Evonavich this is my next go to author.

    Reply

    • M.C. Beaton’s Hamish and Agatha (her two series) are my absolute favorites! I have read them all at least once. But, I don’t think M.C. Beaton is anything like Janet Evanovich at all! Hugely different writing styles, and settings, let alone characters. But both are very enjoyable. If you like cozy’s you will love Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth by M.C. Beaton.

      Reply

      • Also like them. Tho I can take only so much Agatha at one time. Has someone mentioned Simon Brett? I’m not fond of his Charles Paris series but love Mrs Pargeter and enjoy the Feathering mysteries.

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  55. Hi Everyone!

    I’ve had people tell me my Kate Saxee mystery series reminds them of Stephanie Plum. The first book is The Devil Drinks Coffee, by Destiny Ford. The eBook is $2.99.

    Thanks for making this list, Danna!

    Reply

  57. I have read all of the Stephanie Plum series, and some of J.E. stand alone books..I have moved on..and found that Mary Kay Andrews books are very similar, if you like one you should like the other!

    Reply

    • Deborah T, I see that Mary Kay Andrews is now releasing her Kathy Hogan Trochek (Callahan Garrity) mysteries under Mary Kay Andrews. I hope that will entice her to write more of those mysteries. I loved that series!

      Reply

  58. I really like Kathleen Brooks Bluegrass Series, they are romance mysteries. You will laugh out loud reading them and get very attached to the characters. She seems to be a relatively new author but very good. 🙂

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  59. I’m loving the Eye Spy, chronicles of Liza Radley Housewife Detective series. I just finished the second book. It’s similar to Janet Evanovich in that it’s totally laugh out loud but really unique too. Liza’s kind of kooky but endearing. The writer also writes movies I guess ….love the banter between Jack and Liza. Reminds me of Hepburn and Tracy.

    Reply

    • Thank you, Vicki D, for telling us about Jenna Mattison’s Liza Radley Housewife Detective Series.

      Reply

  61. I’ve been reading the Jaine Austin mystery series. The author is Laura Levine. Very good mysteries and soooo funny!! I’m enjoying this series just as much as I enjoyed Janet Evanovich’s great Stephanie Plum series and highly recommend them for a fun read!

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  62. I enjoyed Janet Evanovich because I could not predict the ending, the story took place where I used to live in New Jersey and of course they were very funny. Are there any authors who are funny, the story happens in a real town in New Jersey, without the vulgar comments and limited in sexual content?

    Reply

  63. Amanda M. Lee, An Avery Shaw mystery series! Laugh out loud funny and I couldn’t for the life of me (no pun intended) figure out who-dun-it! Currently there are four in this series with the promise of more to come. I promise, you will be glad you read her series!

    Reply

    • Diana S, thanks for the Susan McBride/Janet Evanovich tip! I’ll go add her to the list.

      Reply

  65. 2 to add,(sorry if there are duplicates):
    Daryanda Jones, The Charlie Davidson grim reaper series
    First book is “First Grave On The Right”
    Lisa Lutz, the Spellman series, there are 6 books so far.
    I am an audiobook listener, and there are very humorous to listen to while commuting.

    Reply

  67. The Anne George “Southern Sisters Mysteries” are also a hoot. Older sisters that live in the south and get in to all kinds of shenanigans!

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  68. I can’t spell the first name but the last one is Jones and the first book in her series is “First Grave on the Right”. She is the grim reaper but the humor is similar to the tongue in cheek style of Janet.

    Reply

  69. Lori Avocato really belongs on here. A comedic series involving a female insurance investigator, Pauline Sokol, who gets into all sorts of odd situations.
    Often either aided – or hindered – by her sexy male colleague (Whom she considers an overbearing pest at times, but has a crush on anyway.)
    Both the tone of the books and the author’s ‘voice’ are very similar to Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels.

    Also Tori Carrington’s ‘Sophie Metropolis’. The main difference between Sophie and Stephanie (Plum) is that Sophie is Greek not Jewish. Otherwise they could almost be twins. (Complete with the same home / family life.)
    Just be aware that at book five this series segues into the paranormal realm – with the ubiquitous vampires!!

    Reply

  71. The Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones is quite similar, in style and reviews. There are, currently, 8 books in the series.
    Thank you, so much, for this list. I’m a long haul truck driver, and finding audiobooks to listen to has become a challenge.
    Merry Christmas to me!

    Reply

    • Wayne, during my commuting years, I loved the Robert B Parker Spenser detective series, and the Stuart Woods Stone Barrington Series, (and all of his other interconnected books). The Spenser audiobooks are still being written by a replacement author, and the older ones are mostly on cassette tapes (remember them), unless they have been rerecorded. They are adventure mysteries and adventure, with humor, once you are familiar with the characters they become like old friends
      .

      Reply

      • JH, I’m glad you wrote this to Wayne. When my husband and I travel cross country we often stop at Cracker Barrel restaurants >>> where they rent audiobooks. I don’t know anything about their selection or prices…

        Reply

        • I use the library system and audible.com with my ipod touch. The newer cars will play mp3 discs, (most of the time a whole book on one disk), or they will play your ipod on the in-car entertainment system. If you have questions, feel free to ask. You can’t go wrong with David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series either. #14 just came out.

          Reply

  72. I just found j.e about 3 years ago and i love her, i think i have read all her books, waiting for the new one to come out on paperback, i also just discovered robert.b parker, the jesse stone series

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  73. My very favorite cozy mystery series similar to Stephanie Plum is the Murder by Month series by Jess Lowrey. The quirky characters and perfectly timed humor is what reminds me so much of Janet’s style. Since they’re set in Minnesota the humor is softer around the edges but I love that I laugh out loud at every book!

    I love this website! I’ve been keeping track of my favorite cozy mysteries for years in notebooks and more recently on Pinterest but now that I’ve found this site, I can scrap all my other notes! Thank you!!

    Reply

  74. Great list! Really helped me find a few new authors.

    I don’t know if you can help me but I’m trying to find a series that would fit in well in this list actually… only I can’t rember the author or the characters name!
    The lead character is a fashion stylist or designer who in the first book works for a designer or stylist, comes to work one day and finds a body. I can’t remember if it’s her boss or if the boss has gone missing and of course she becomes a suspect. Anyway she has to take charge of some clients and there is a hot cop/detective investigating her and the murder. In a later book there is a murder at some kind of fashion shoot or event involving counterfeit designer bags. Its not the Maddie Springer series but those books are very similar.
    That’s all I can remember unfortunately so if anyone can help that would be really great!

    // Malin

    Reply

  75. Another author similar to Janet Evanovich is Mary Daheim. She has two series: The Alpine mysteries and Bed and Breakfast mysteries. I laugh out loud at both of them.

    Reply

  78. I think Dorothy Cannell’s Ellie Haskell series is really funny. I’d love to read those again. Her husband is also a dream husband.
    Also Anne George’s Southern Sisters mysteries. The dialogue is authentic & the characters are great.
    And thirdly, Simon Brett’s Charles Paris series. Paris is an alcoholic actor always trying to make it on the English stage.

    Reply

  79. I’d like to add the Aggie Mundeen mysteries. A reviewer said, “She is a likable character, a combination of Lucille Ball’s character in I Love Lucy with her disarming personality and physical comedy, an advice columnist like Dear Abby, and a talented investigator like Angela Lansbury’s character Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote.”
    Mystery – humor – romance.

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  80. The G Team Mysteries by Nancy Naigle and Kelsey Browning.
    Honey, these are not your momma’s grannies.

    IN FOR A PENNY
    FIT TO BE TIED
    IN HIGH COTTON
    UNDER THE GUN
    GIMME SOME SUGAR

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  81. Kathleen Bacus with her Calamity Jayne series. It has some pretty laugh out loud moments with a good mystery thrown into the mix.

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    • Aggie Mundeen Mysteries by Nancy G. West. Kick-ass fearless heroine. Detective love interest. Bizarre goings on. Mayhem. Mystery. Murder. Humor. Romance.

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  82. The Davis Way series by Gretchen Archer is an awesome series. If you like Janet Evanovich, I really think you will like these!

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  83. Darynda Jones’ writing style is so similar to Janet Evanovich’s I’m half convinced they are the same person. Charlie Davidson and Stephanie Plum are almost interchangeable and I love them both.

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  84. Laura Durham – Annabelle Archer Wedding Planner is the best. Her characters are fantastic and she has you laughing throughout the book. I have read the series and am looking for an author who writes in her style

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  85. Ann Charles – Deadwood series are a great series. If you liked Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) or Charlie Davison you will definitely enjoy this series.
    I have been listening to them via audiobooks and the reader also is wonderful and enjoyable to listen to.

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  86. The Sydney Rye series by Emily Kemilman is a really good series about a young feisty woman originally named Joy who started out as a dog walker who becomes an amateur detective in the first book and eventually a highly trained private eye named Sydney Rye by a he second. Along with her dog named Blue she solves many mysteries. There isn’t quite as much humor, and Sydney doesn’t stumble into things quite like Stephanie but the stories are very exciting. I highly recommend the series.

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  87. Just watched the Stephanie Plum film “One for the Money” on Netflix I was impressed enough to do some research on the author Now going to read all the books on Kindle and hope there are more films being made
    It’s a shame that Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone cant be made into a TV series or film

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  88. So many years others have been reading this & still helpful.
    I especially appreciate how you correct the spelling in your thanks to the contributor. I wasted some time trying to track down an author before I realized you had the corrected name in your replying comment. Many thanks 😉

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  89. I am a huge fan of the Davis Way series by Gretchen Archer, and the Matchmaker series by Elise Sax. Thanks for a great list!

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  90. Darynda Jones, especially her Charlie Davidson series. Audio books are voiced by Loreleí King who also voices Evanovich’s books. Fun and sassy!

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  91. Karen MacInerney is one of your cozies but I didn’t see the Margie Peterson series listed. It’s only a 3 book series but it’s a good one. The characters are as quirky as and get into some crazy scrapes very similar to JEs Stephanie Plum series.

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  92. I think that Julie Moffett’s Lexi Carmichael series is wonderfully similar to Janet Evanovich. The main character is named Lexi Carmichael, and she works for the NSA. (At least she did in book one and the prequel) and spends her time away from the office avoiding her mother’s attempts to matchmake, and eating cereal for dinner when she’s not on the computer. I just recently finished the prequel, No money down, and was laughing so hard at times, I had to stop reading until I composed myself! I finished that book in 1 or 2 days, and now I can’t wait to read another one. The first full-length novel in the series is called, No one lives twice.

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  93. I read a book in another series that’s very similar to Stephanie Plum. The reviews even say that the main character is Stephanie Plum if she was on the other side of the law. The series is called Lacey Luzzi and the author is Gina LaManna. The first book is called Scooped. I read the prequel but, can’t recall the title. But, I DO remember that there were quite a few laugh out loud moments to the point that I had to stop reading at times. The main character, Lacey, sets out to find her familyaf her mother passes away… and gets more than she bargained for! Her family works for the mob! Also, if people like Stephanie Plum then they should try the Fox and O’Hare series also by Janet Evanovich. The main character, Nicholas Fox is a con man who the other main character, FBI. Special Agent Kate o’Hare has been after. But, then, they get partnered to work together to catch the criminals the FBI. can’t touch. Every book has a different international setting, and, there’s DEFINITELY some humor thrown in! The first book is called The Heist. I’ve read and enjoyed several books in this series!

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  94. I’ve found is Start At One by Beth Hayes. It’s so similar and is an awesome read. It’s a rollicking good time, a twisty mystery with hot romantic tension, and hilarious family dynamics. Enjoy!

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