Authors

Mystery Books Recommendations – December 2013

December 27, 2013

As it will soon be 2014, I want to hurry up and get your recommendations for the month of December 2013. I don’t know if any of you remember, but last year was the first year that we made a Favorite Cozy Mystery Books list for that particular year. I will be asking for those books pretty soon, but for now, let’s focus on just the month of December 2013.

Which Cozy Mystery books did you read this past month that you think the rest of us really should know about? They don’t have to be Christmas mysteries, although I know some of you were limiting your reading to those in particular. (Maybe I think that because I limited myself to Christmas Cozy Mysteries…)

[As usual, I ask that you don’t tell us about the mystery books you read that you didn’t like.]

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to their page on the Cozy Mystery site. Their page has all of the author’s books listed chronologically.]

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during December 2013, and why did you enjoy it (or him/her)?

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

Allyson K. Abbott (aka Annelise Roth & Beth Amos): Mack’s Bar Mystery Series

Victoria Abbott (Mary Jane Maffini & Victoria Maffini): Book Collector’s Mystery Series

Susan Wittig Albert: Darling Dahlias Mystery Series

Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow Mystery Series

Charlotte Armstrong: Chocolate Cobweb

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): Good Buy Girls Mystery Series

C.C. Benison: Father Christmas Mystery Series

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber): Magic Potion Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy Mystery Series

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib): Key West Food Critic Mystery Series

Jill Churchill: Grace and Favor Mystery Series

Nancy Coco (aka Nancy J. Parra): Candy-Coated Mystery Series

J.J. Cook (aka Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant): Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery Series

Lesley Cookman: Libby Sarjeant Mystery Series

Cleo Coyle (aka Alice Kimberly): Coffee House Mystery Series

Mary Daheim: Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Paws and Claws Mystery Series

Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series

Jimmie Ruth Evans (aka Miranda James, Honor Hartman, & Dean James): Trailer Park Mystery Series

Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen Cookie Jar Mystery Series

Dorothy Gilman: Mrs. Pollifax Mystery Series

Sue Grafton: Kinsey Millhone Mystery Series

Kerry Greenwood: Phryne Fisher Mystery Series

Philip Gulley: Home to Harmony (cozy, but not a mystery)

Victoria Hamilton: Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Carolyn Hart: Death on Demand Mystery Series

Libby Fischer Hellman: An Eye for Murder

Georgette Heyer: Superintendent Hannasyde Mystery Series

Diane Kelly: Tara Holloway Death and Taxes Mystery Series

Laura Levine: Jaine Austen Mystery Series

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Button Box Mystery Series

Sheila Lowe: Forensic Handwriting Mystery Series

Nancy Martin: Blackbird Sisters Mystery Series

Leslie Meier: Leslie Stone Mystery Series

Carol Miller: Murder and Moonshine

Meg Muldoon: Murder in Christmas River, Mayhem in Christmas River, & Madness in Christmas River

Gail Oust: Piper Prescott Mystery Series

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Sara Rosett: Ellie Avery Msytery Series

Mark Schweizer: Liturgical Mystery Series

Paige Shelton: Farmers’ Market Mystery Series

Elaine Viets: Dead-End Job Mystery Series

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

Soon to be Released Mysteries

December 14, 2013

I have heard from several of you who have mentioned that you enjoy hearing about Soon to be Released Mysteries even before I post the monthly New Releases entries a month before the mystery books’ release dates. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but sometimes it takes me a while to catch on…

Since I keep a running list of mystery books’ release dates in order to post the monthly New Mystery Book Releases entries, I thought I would go ahead and keep an active page on the site with all of the Soon to be Released Mysteries. I have been working at posting all of the mysteries on my active list, and will keep adding on new books as soon as I find out about their release dates. Also, I will continue to post the monthly New Releases entry.

If you take a look at the Soon to be Released Mysteries page, you will see that I have mysteries listed which will be published in January, February, March, April, May, June, and July of 2014. I am currently working on updating more mystery books, and will be posting some that are due out in August and October of 2014. (Weird that it skips a month, as I haven’t found any mysteries that will be published September 2014 >>> yet!)

So, for all of you who want to beat the rush putting your name on your libraries’ wait lists, welcome to the Soon to be Released Mysteries page on the Cozy Mystery site!

Nominees and Winners of the 2013 Nero Award & the 2013 Black Orchid Novella Award

December 13, 2013

The Wolfe Pack had its annual gala event this past Saturday – Dec. 7, 2013. Yes, as is tradition on the first Saturday of December, the Wolfe Pack held their Black Orchid Banquet. They announced their 2013 Nero Award winner, as well as congratulated all of the 2013 nominees. They also announced the winner of the 2013 Black Orchid Novella Award.

2013 Nero Award:

Dead Anyway by Chris Knopf (Winner)
Antiques Disposal by Barbara Allan
Burning Midnight by Loren D. Estleman
The Truth of All Things by Kieran Shields

2013 Black Orchid Novella Award:

Susan Thibadeau: “The Discarded Spouse” (in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine – July/August, 2014)

Congratulations to ALL!

If you would like to take a look at the past winners and nominees for these two awards, here are the links:

Nero Awards page

Black Orchid Novella Awards page

Christmas Mystery Book List Recommendations

December 8, 2013

I just remembered that it’s time for me to ask you all about your favorite Christmas mysteries. The last time I did this was at Thanksgiving time (Favorite Thanksgiving Mysteries). We also made up a list of our Favorite Halloween Mysteries.

As you can see from all of the pages of Christmas Mystery Books, the Christmas mystery book theme is a really popular one. Many of my favorite authors have at least one mystery book in their series that takes place during the Christmas holidays.

I have enjoyed many Christmas mysteries, especially since living down here in San Antonio. Because the weather isn’t really “Christmas-y”, I rely on my authors to bring me the snow and cold associated with this time of year. I have to admit that I prefer reading mysteries that take place in cold climates at this time of year, rather than the Christmas in the tropics types of mysteries.

That’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed Christmas mysteries that take place in weather similar to ours here in San Antonio. An example of this is Margaret Grace’s Mayhem in Miniature. Of course since Margaret Grace is one of my very favorite authors that’s no surprise. Luckily, as Camille Minichino she wrote The Helium Murder, which is set during Christmas in a very cold Massachusetts. That mystery did indeed give me my preferred snowy setting. Another Christmas mystery that just popped into my head is Charlotte MacLeod’s Rest You Merry. Who doesn’t love that Christmas mystery? My list of Christmas mystery favorites goes on an on, and on some more!

If you know of any Christmas theme mysteries that you think should definitely be on this Christmas mysteries recommendations list, please post a comment. And please tell us why you like it so much. Thank you!

Christmas Mystery Book Recommendations:

Donna Andrews: Duck the Halls

Marian Babson: The Twelve Deaths of Christmas

Jennie Bentley (aka Jenna Bennett & Bente Gallagher): Home for the Homicide

Carola Dunn: Death at Wentwater Court

Carola Dunn: Mistletoe and Murder

Shelley Freydont: Silent Knife

Jane Haddam: Not A Creature Was Stirring

Lee Harris: The Christmas Night Murder

Lee Harris: The New Year’s Eve Murder

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig): Rest Ye Merry

D.R. Meredith: Murder by Sacrilege