Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV
Cozy Food has recipes from many Cozy Mystery authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery site. Just to name a few: Ellery Adams, Donna Andrews, Mignon F. Ballard, Juliet Blackwell, Duffy Brown, Mollie Bryan, Shelley Costa, Carola Dunn, Monica Ferris, Sally Goldenbaum, Carolyn Haines, Miranda James, Camille Minichino, Tamar Myers, Nancy J. Parra, Ann Purser, Melissa Bourbon Ramirez, and Elaine Viets. The list is a veritable Who’s Who of Cozy Mystery writing!
Please tell us about a Cozy Mystery book (or two, or three…) that you read during May of 2014 which you think was so good, it would be a shame if the rest of us didn’t know about it. Also, please tell us why you think this particular Cozy Mystery is so good. Your reasons may strike a chord with us! Who knows, we may read your comment, and decide we also would enjoy that particular book/author.
[As usual, I ask that you don’t tell us about the mystery books you read that you didn’t like.]
What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during May 2014, and why did you enjoy it (or him/her)?
Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read this past month:
Annie Adams: Cozy Flower Shop Mystery Series (The Final Arrangement is book #1)
Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Mystery Series
Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series
Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Mystery Series
Catherine Bailey: The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret
M.C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series
Jessica Beck (aka Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Chris Cavender, Casey Mayes, Tim Myeris, & D.B. Morgan): Donut Shop Mystery Series
Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): Good Buy Girls Mystery Series
Melissa Bourbon (aka Melissa Bourbon Ramirez & Misa Ramirez): Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series
Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey): Amish Mystery Series
Duffy Brown: Consignment Shop Mystery Series
Lucy Burdette (aka Robert Isleib): Key West Food Critic Mystery Series
Lynn Cahoon: Tourist Trap Mystery Series
Dorothy Cannell: Florence Norris Mystery Series
Agatha Christie: Miss Marple Mystery Series
Edie Claire: Leigh Koslow Mystery Series
Sandra Carey Cody: Jennie Connors Mystery Series (Put Out the Light, book #1)
Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series
Lesley Cookman: Libby Serjeant Mystery Series
Jana DeLeon: Miss Fortune Mystery Series
Leighann Dobbs: Mystery Notch Cozy Mystery Series (Ghostly Paws, book #1)
Elizabeth Duncan: Penny Brannigan Mystery Series
Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series
Monica Ferris: Needlecraft Mystery Series
“Jessica Fletcher” & Donald Bain: Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series
Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen Cookie Jar Mystery Series
Andrea Frazer: Falconer Files Mystery Series (Death of an Old Git, book #1)
Rosie Genova: Italian Kitchen Mystery Series
Sally Goldenbaum: Seaside Knitters Mystery Series
Kerry Greenwood: Phrynne Fisher Mystery Series
Victoria Hamilton (aka Amanda Cooper): Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series
Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series
Mary Ellen Hughes: Pickled and Preserved Mystery Series
Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series
Sue Ann Jaffarian: Odelia Grey Mystery Series
Sue Ann Jaffarian: Ghost of Granny Apple Mystery Series
Tracy Kiely: Elizabeth Parker Mystery Series
Victoria Laurie: Psychic Eye Mystery Series
Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Renaissance Faire Mystery Series
Lizbeth Lipperman (aka Liz Lipperman & Liz Roth): Dead Sister Talking Mystery Series
Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Chili Cook-Off Mystery Series
Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): League of Literary Ladies Mystery Series
Karen MacInerney: Gray Whale Inn Mystery Series
Alyssa Maxwell: Gilded Newport Mystery Series
Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Cupcake Bakery Msytery Series
Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Hat Shop Mystery Series
Amy Metz: Goose Pimple Junction Mystery Series
Laura Morrigan: Call of the Wilde Mystery Series
Kathryn O’Sullivan: Colleen McCabe Mystery Series (Foal Play is book #1)
Nancy J. Parra (aka Nancy Coco): Baker’s Treat Mystery Series
Deanna Raybourn: Lady Julia Grey Mystery Series
Ruth Rendell (aka Barbara Vine): Inspector Wexford Mystery Series (Police Procedural)
Peter Robinson: Inspector Banks Mystery Series (Police Procedural)
Barbara Ross: Maine Clambake Mystery Series
Dorothy L. Sayer: Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery Series
Connie Shelton: Samantha Sweet Mystery Series
Joanna Campbell Slan: Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery Series
Dorothy St. James: White House Gardener Mystery Series
Charles Todd: Bess Crawford Mystery Series
Elaine Viets: Mystery Shopper Mystery Series
Livia J. Washburn: Fresh-Baked Mystery Series
[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.]
♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦
P.S. While I try to respond to all of the comments that are made on the Cozy Mystery blog, I generally don’t respond to the comments on these monthly recommendation entries. I do, however, list the recommended books!
OK, I have to say, I absolutely love it when established mystery authors write children’s mysteries. I love it! By “established” I mean that they are already known for mystery books that adults enjoy. Katherine Hall Page wrote the Christie & Company Mystery Series for 5th to 8th graders, James Patterson writes the Middle School Series (as well as three other series for teens), John Grisham writes the (for young adults) Theodore Boone Mystery Series, Harlan Coben writes the young adult Mickey Bolitar Mystery Series, Peter Abrahams (aka Spencer Quinn) writes the Echo Falls Mystery Series, Carl Hiaasen‘s funny children’s books all take place in Florida, Penny Warner writes the Code Busters Club Mystery Series, Chris Grabenstein has written several award winning mysteries for children 9-12, and just a few weeks ago I found out that Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan) writes the Andi Boggs Mystery Series.
Who knew?!?
Whenever I post the winners/nominees for different mystery awards, I become aware of more and more “established” authors who are now writing mysteries for children and young adults. I think that’s terrific! So, here are two mystery series for children that are written by two of our Cozy Mystery authors. Both of them have been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Award for Best Children/Young Adult Novels:
writes the Code Busters Club Mystery Series. The Code Busters Club is made up by Cody, Luke, Quinn, and M.E. >>> all are children who enjoy using different types of codes like Morse Code, American Sign Language, and Consonant Code. These four have a private club with all sorts of passwords. They use different types of codes to help them solve mysteries.These books actually involve the reader, having him/her work out different codes throughout the mystery books. All three mystery books in the Code Busters Club Mystery Series have been nominated for the Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Novel for 2011, 2012, and 2013. (for ages 9-12)
Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan) writes the Andi Boggs Mystery Series. Andi (Andora) Boggs is a twelve year old girl with a passion for all-things-science. After the death of her parents, Andi and her teen sister move in with their aunt, who isn’t much older than they are (in her 20s). “Andi Unexpected” is the first novel in the Andi Boggs series, and it was nominated for the 2013 Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Novel. (for ages 9-12)
(I posted part of this entry a little while back on Facebook, and my husband asked me why I didn’t actually write an entire entry about this for the Cozy Mystery site, since he knows how much I love that these authors are writing mysteries for children. I then took it off of Facebook, and finished the entry, and finally posted it here.)
If you’d like to take a look at more children’s books that have been nominated/won the Agatha Award: Best Children/Young Adult Novel, click here.
Yes, she will. However, Lucy Arlington is making a little change…
Fans of the Novel Idea Mystery Series know that initially, Ellery Adams and Sylvia May were the two authors who wrote the Novel Idea Mystery Series together. Adams and May wrote the first three books together: Buried in a Book, Every Trick in the Book, and Books, Cooks, and Crooks.
Both May and Adams became busy with other writing projects. In stepped Susan Furlong. Ellery Adams (aka Jennifer Stanley and J.B. Stanley) is writing three other Cozy Mystery Series: the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series, the Book Retreat Mystery Series, and the Books by the Bay Mystery Series. Of course, as J.B. Stanley she wrote the Supper Club Mystery Series and the Collectibles Mystery Series. And let’s not forget the Hope Street Church Mystery Series which she wrote as Jennifer Stanley.
Susan Furlong is an ex high school language teacher. She will be writing the Novel Idea Mystery Series, beginning with the fourth book, Played by the Book. Susan Furlong will also be writing the Georgia Peach Mystery Series.
