The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

November 2016 Mystery Book New Releases

The following Mystery Books will be released in November 2016:

November 2016

Cathy Ace: The Corpse with the Ruby Lips (This will be the 8th in the Cait Morgan Mystery Series.)

Rebecca Adler: The Good, the Bad and the Guacamole (This will be the 2nd in the Taste of Texas Mystery Series.)

Jeffrey Archer: This Was a Man (This will be the 7th in the Clifton Chronicles Mystery Series.)

David Baldacci: No Man’s Land (This will be the 4th in the Puller Mystery Series.)

Sandra Balzo: To the Last Drop (This will be the 9th in the Maggy Thorsen Mystery Series.)

Simon Beaufort: The Killing Ship (This will be a thriller.)

Cindy Bell: Sifting for Suspects (This will be the 1st in the NEW Macaron Patisserie Mystery Series.)

Lawrence Block: Sinner Man (This will be a Stand Alone Thriller.)

Ali Brandon: Twice Told Tail (This will be the 6th in the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series.)

Susan Breen: Maggie Dove’s Detective Agency (This will be the 2nd in the Maggie Dove Mystery Series.)

JoAnna Carl (aka Eve K. Sandstrom): The Chocolate Bunny Brouhaha (This will be the 16th in the Chocoholic Mystery Series.) (This is an Easter themed mystery.)

Kate Carlisle: Deck the Hallways (This will be the 4th in the Fixer-Upper Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

C.S. Challinor: Judgment of Murder (This will be the 9th in the Rex Graves Mystery Series.)

Jennifer Chiaverini: Christmas Bells (This will be a Stand Alone. This is not a mystery.) (This is a Christmas themed novel.)

Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke: The Sleeping Beauty Killer (This will be the 4th in the Under Suspicion Mystery Series.)

Jane K. Cleland: The Glow of Death (This will be the 11th in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Series.)

Michael Connelly: The Wrong Side of Goodbye (This will be the 21st in the Harry Bosch Mystery Series.)

Patricia Cornwell: Chaos (This will be the 24th in the Kay Scarpetta Mystery Series.)

Ellen Crosby: The Champagne Conspiracy (This will be the 7th in the Wine Country Mystery Series.)

Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler: Odessa Sea (This will be the 24th in the Dirk Pitt Mystery Series.)

Vicki Delany (aka Eva Gates): We Wish You a Murderous Christmas (This will be the 2nd in the Year Round Christmas Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Kate Dyer-Seeley: First Degree Mudder (This will be the 4th in the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series.)

Kate Ellis: A High Mortality of Doves (Stand Alone or New Series)

Janet Evanovich: Turbo Twenty-Three (This will be the 23rd in the Stephanie Plum Mystery Series.)

Linda Fairstein: Into the Lion’s Den (This will be the 1st in the Devlin Quick Mystery Series, which is for middle school mystery lovers.)

Charles Finch: The Inheritance (This will be the 10th in the Charles Lenox Mystery Series.)

Susannah Hardy (aka Sadie Hartwell): A Killer Kebab (This will be the 3rd in the Greek to Me Mystery Series.)

Betty Hechtman: Hooking for Trouble (This will be the 11th in the Crochet Mystery Series.)

Sue Ann Jaffarian: Rhythm & Clues (This will be the 11th in the Odelia Grey Mystery Series.)

Faye Kellerman: Killing Season (This will be a Stand Alone thriller.)

Catherine Lloyd: Death Comes to the Fair (This will be the 4th in the Kurland St. Mary Mysteries.)

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Better Late Than Never (This will be the 7h in the Library Lover’s Mystery Series.)

James Patterson: Cross the Line (This will be the 24th in the Alex Cross Mystery Series.)

James Patterson: Killer Chef (This will be a Stand Alone “BookShot” – Amazon describes these as “Novels you can devour in a few hours”)

Anne Perry: A Christmas Message (This will be the 14th in the Chistmas Mystery Series.)

Rose Pressey: Haunted Is Always in Fashion (This will be the 4th in the Haunted Vintage Mystery Series.)

Hank Phillippi Ryan: Say No More (This will be the 5th in the Jane Ryland Mystery Series.)

Patricia Smiley: Pacific Homicide (This will be a Stand Alone Mystery novel.)

Karen Rose Smith: Shades of Wrath (This will be the 6th in the Caprice De Luca Mystery Series.)

Christine Trent: A Grave Celebration (This will be the 6th Lady of Ashes Mystery Series.)

***** ***** *****

If you want to see this month’s releases, go to the October 2016 Mystery Book New Releases.

You can find these and many more Cozies scheduled for release soon on the Soon to be Released Mysteries page on my site.

(These are the mysteries by authors who are currently on the Cozy Mystery site.)

Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – September 2016

It’s almost October, so that means it’s time to discuss what we’ve been reading during September >>> and can recommend! This month I highlighted Miranda James’s Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series and Erika Chase’s Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery Series, so I’ll start the list off with those. If you’re interested in reading why I’m recommending these series, you can go to the Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my Cozy-Mystery site for my full write-ups on each of these great Cozy series.

So, what have you been reading that you can recommend in September? Please be sure to tell us why you liked these Cozies so much. I know we’re all always on the lookout for more particularly good Cozy Mystery authors! (If you have a lot of Cozies you think are great, please post the ones you like the most at the top of the list.)

As always, please do not tell us about the Cozy Mysteries you did not like.

What really good Cozy Mystery did you read during September 2016 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?

Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read and recommended this past month:

Avery Aames (aka Daryl Wood Gerber): Cheese Shop Mystery Series

Lucy Arlington (co-written by Jennifer Stanley & Sylvia May): A Novel Idea Mystery Series

Christy Barritt: Squeaky Clean Mystery Series

Claudia Bishop (aka Mary Stanton): Hemlock Falls Mystery Series

Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey): Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery Series

Julia Buckley: Writer’s Apprentice Mystery Series AND Undercover Dish Mystery Series

Ellen Byron: Cajun Country Mystery Series

Lynn Cahoon: Cat Latimer Mystery Series

Kate Carlisle: Bibliophile Mystery Series

Erika Chase (aka Linda Wiken): Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery Series

Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot Mystery Series

Sheila Connolly  (aka Sarah Atwell): Museum Mystery Series

Guy Cullingford (aka Constance Lindsay Taylor): Conjuror’s Coffin

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Wendy Sand Eckel: Murder at Barclay Meadow AND Death at the Day Lily Cafe

Warren Esby: Adam Nil Mystery Series (first book Resurrection)

Vickie Fee: Live and Di in Dixie Mystery Series

Monica Ferris (aka Mary Monica Pulver & half of the duo who wrote as Margaret Frazer for the first of the Sister Frevisse novels): Needlecraft Mystery Series

Chrystle Fielder: Natural Remedies Mystery Series

Jean Flowers (aka Camille Minichino, Margaret Grace, & Ada Madison): Postmistress Mystery Series

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mystery Series (first book Cats’ Eyes)

Katherine Bolger Hyde: Arsenic With Austen

Miranda James (aka Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series

J. A. Jance: Ali Reynolds Mystery Series

Peter King: Gourmet Detective Mystery Series

Ashley Lynch-Harris: The Hotel Westend

Ngaio Marsh: Roderick Alleyn Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Hat Shop Mystery Series

Gerry Schmitt (aka Laura Childs): Afton Tangler Thriller Series

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series

Diana Xarissa: Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Series (first book Arrivals and Arrests)

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to his/her page on the Cozy Mystery site. The pages have all of the authors’ books listed chronologically.]

I will list the authors and series that have been recommended, but I urge you to read the comments below so you can see the reasons other Cozy Mystery readers thought these were their best reads of the month.

♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦

P.S. I usually don’t comment on your recommendations since they speak for themselves.

New Releases – September 26 to October 3, 2016

This is the last list of September Cozy Mystery releases, as well as some of the earliest October releases!

Kathleen Bacus: Calamity Jayne Mysteries Boxed Set (This boxed set will include books 6, 7, & 8.)

Susan Bernhardt: A Manhattan Murder Mystery (This will be the 1st in the NEW Irina Curtius Mystery Series.)

Vickie Fee: It’s Your Party, Die if You Want To (This will be the 2nd in the Liv and Di In Dixie Mystery Series.) (This is a Halloween themed mystery.)

Chrystle Fiedler: Dandelion Dead (This will be the 4th in the Natural Remedies Mystery Mystery Series.)

Joanne Fluke: Christmas Caramel Murder (This will be the 20th in the Hannah Swensen Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Yasmine Galenorn (aka India Ink): Shadow Silence (This will be the 2nd in the Whisper Hollow Mystery Series.)

Delia James: By Familiar Means (This will be the 2nd in the Witch’s Cat Mystery Series.)

Tonya Kappes: A Charming Voodoo (This will be the 10th in the Magical Cures Mystery Series.) (This is a Halloween themed mystery.)

Anna Loan-Wilsey: A March to Remember (This will be the 5th in the Hattie Darvish Mystery Series.)

Colette London: The Semi-Sweet Hereafter (This will be the 3rd in the Chocolate Whisperer Mystery Series.)

Archer Mayor: Presumption of Guilt (This will be the 27th in the Joe Gunther Mystery Series.)

Mary McHugh: High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides (This will be the 5th in the Happy Hoofers Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Leslie Meier: British Manor Murder (This will be the 23rd in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series.)

James Patterson: Trump vs. Clinton: In Their Own Words (This will be a Stand Alone non-mystery “BookShot” – Amazon describes these as “Novels you can devour in a few hours”).)

James Patterson & Maxine Paetro: Woman of God (This will be a Stand Alone Thriller.)

LynDee Walker: Lethal Lifestyles (This will be the 6th in the Headlines in Heels Mystery Series.) (This is a wedding themed mystery.)

Miranda James: Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series

Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Mystery Book 1) Murder Past Due is the first in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series by Miranda James. This popular series is the next of the most popular and most recommended series that I’m taking a look at.

Miranda James is one of the authors on the Cozy Mystery site who writes under a number of pseudonyms including Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James. “Miranda” is also one of my favorite non-female Cozy Mystery writers >>> yes, “she” is actually Dean James, a fact that is not a spoiler since he announces it on his own site for the Cat in the Stacks series.

The sleuth in this series has some things in common with the author including living in Houston, Texas (at one time or another) In the sleuth’s case, Charlie has returned to his hometown in Mississippi. Charlie and Miranda are also cat lovers and librarians.

Murder Past Due is the story of Charlie and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel, who need to solve a murder after the return of his long-ago high school classmate, Geoffrey Priest, the now-famous writer, for a function at the small college they also both attended.

Charlie lives in Athena, Mississippi, in the large house left to him by his Aunt Dottie a year or so ago. Charlie had been widowed some time before he left Houston and has two adult children who do not live in the Mississippi town. More importantly for the series, Charlie has the Maine Coon cat, Diesel, as his nearly constant companion. Diesel is a quite unusual cat, not only for his 25-pound size, but for his allowing Charlie to walk him on a leash. Diesel is also very affectionate and quite empathetic. Diesel is really more like a dog than most cats are!

Charlie takes it upon himself to help solve the murder not only because he found the body >>> that alone would have been enough in most Cozy Mysteries >>> but also because his housekeeper’s daughter is the Deputy Sheriff in charge of the investigation. And, his student boarder, Justin, was involved with the victim just enough to make him a prime suspect.

This is a Cozy Mystery series where the cat theme really is prominent. Diesel doesn’t seem to have any magical powers, but he sure is well-behaved and is so, so empathetic. Anytime anyone needs some comforting, Diesel is right there for them. Diesel also goes with Charlie everywhere including to Charlie’s part-time job as the college library’s archivist. Diesel even attends the victim’s memorial service. Miranda James somehow makes all this seem plausible. It is a delight to read about Diesel and Charlie. If you like stories with a heavy dose of a lovable cat, you will love this series!

The book is a fun, light read with memorable characters. Sometimes, just when I start to think that all of my favorite Cozy Mystery authors are women, I am reminded of Miranda James (Dean James) along with several other men authors I really enjoy reading, and I realize that whether the author is a man or a woman, a great story with interesting characters is really what it is all about. There are seven books already published in this series, and the eighth is scheduled for 2017. I look forward to reading about Charlie and Diesel for many years!

As always, if you’re interested in seeing more highlights of some of the most recommended or popular Cozy Mystery authors/series, visit the Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

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