The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – November 2012

Can you believe the year 2012 is almost over? I can’t! It seems like I just got used to putting “2012” on what little I actually write, and already I know that I’m going to have to get used to “2013.”

And since it is the end of November, it is the time when I ask you to please tell us about a few of your very favorite Cozy Mystery reads of this month. The authors should be people who you think the rest of us need to know about.  They can be authors who you just started reading, or authors who you have revisited this past month. Please include WHY you enjoyed these authors. What makes these authors stand out from the other authors you read this past month, but who “didn’t rate” as much in your book?

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I will add the recommended authors to this entry as they come in. (Please do not tell us about the authors you did not like.) Thank you!

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during November 2012, and why did you enjoy it (or him/her)?

Here are the current authors who some of you have read this past month, and wanted to tell the rest of us about:

Avery Aames: Cheese Shop Mystery Series

Ellery Adams (aka Jennifer Stanley, J. B. Stanley, 1/2 of Lucy Arlington: Mystery By the Bay Series

Tasha Alexander: Lady Emily Mystery Series

Madelyn Alt: Bewitching Mystery Series

Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series

Charlotte Banchi: Foul Deeds (“Cozy thriller”)

Lorna Barrett (aka Lorraine Bartlett & L. L. Bartlett): Booktown Mystery Series

M. C. Beaton: Agatha Raisin Mystery Series

Kate Borden (aka Kate Grilley): Peggy Jean Turner Mystery Series

Ali Brandon (aka Diane A.S. Stuckart): Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series

Lilian Jackson Braun: The Cat Who *** Mystery Series

Elizabeth Lynn Casey (aka Laura Bradford): Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): Museum Mystery Series

Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block): Mysteries with Recipes Mystery Series

Waverly Curtis: Barking Detective Mystery Series

Deborah Crombie: Kincaid and James Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Jana DeLeon: Mystere Parish Series (The Vanishing)

Barbaras Delinsky: Escape

Laura DiSilverio (aka Ella Barrick & Lila Dare): Mall Cop Mystery Series

Elizabeth J. Duncan: Penny Brannigan

Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum Mystery Series

Christopher Fowler: Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery Series

Dashiell Hammett: The Thin Man

David Handler: Berger & Mitry Mystery Series

Lee Hollis: Hayley Powell Food & Cocktails Mystery Series

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

Michael Innes: Inspector Sir John Appleby Mystery Series

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

P.D. James: Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series

Rita Lakin: Gladdy Gold Mystery Series

Jill Marie Landis: Tikki Goddess Mystery Series (Mai Tai One On)

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent): Embroidery Mystery Series

Susan Elia MacNeal: Mr. Churchill’s Secretary

Molly MacRae: Haunted Wool Shop Mystery Series

Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott Mystery Series

J. J. Marric (aka John Creasey): Gideon’s Month

Kate Morton: The Secret Keeper

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Dornford Yates: Cost Price

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

Mystery Book Series with a Music and/or Musician Theme

Ksenija just asked me if I had a Music/Musician mystery book theme on the site, and I responded that I don’t. Actually, I started putting all of the mystery authors I could think of with Music/Musicians, and came up with this list, which I wrote as a comment, but just decided to post as a theme.

Amanda Carmack: Elizabethan Mystery Series, starring Kate Haywood (musician in Elizabethan England)

Joelle Charbonneau: Glee Club Mystery Series (high school choir coach)

Alisa Craig (aka Charlotte MacLeod): Inspector Madoc Rhys Mystery Series (Trouble in the Brasses)

Sarah Fox: Music Lover’s Mystery Series

Sara Hoskinson Frommer: Joan Spencer Mystery Series (orchestra manager)

Kaye George (aka Janet Cantrell): Cressa Carraway Mystery Series (musician conductor)

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles: Bill Slider Mystery Series (young violin player girlfriend)

Morag Joss: Sara Selkirk Mystery Series – Sara is a world renown cellist.

Beverle Graves Myers: Baroque Mystery Series (18th Century Castrati)

Mark Scheweizer: Liturgical Mystery Series (choir director and organist at his Episcopal church)

I don’t know how I missed these authors, but here are some more authors who have been recommended by some of you:

K. K. Beck: Jane da Silva Mystery Series (lounge singer)

Meg Cabot: Heather Wells Mystery Series (ex teen pop star)

Church Choir Mystery Series: (church choir)

Carole Nelson Douglas: Irene Adler Mystery Series (French opera singer)

Sarah Fox: Music Lover’s Mystery Series (Dead Ringer, book #1) (violinist)

Kinky Friedman: Kinky Friedman Mystery Series (country western singer)

Andrew M. Greeley: Nuala Anne McGrail Mystery Series (singer)

Kerry Greenwood: Phryne Fisher Mystery Series (Ruddy Gore)

Kate Grilley: Kelly Ryan Mystery Series (radio station manager)

Lucille Kallen: C.B. Greenfield Mystery Series (musicians)

Barbara Paul: Opera Mystery Series (tenor)

Mary Saums: Willie Taft Mystery Series former (singer )

Dorothy L. Sayers: Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery Series (pianist)

And, here are some authors who aren’t on the Cozy Mystery site:

Deborah Grabien: J P Kinkaid Mystery Series (Rock & Roll Never Forgets)

Phyliss Knight: ‘Lil Richie’ Series (Switching the Odds  and Shattered Rhythms)

Val McDermid: Kate Brannigan Mystery Series (Dead Beat)

Karen Sturges: Music Lover’s Mystery Series (Death of a Baritone and Death of a Pooh-Bah)

Please remember that I have only included the authors who are currently on the Cozy Mystery Site. Feel free to post a comment if you know of any other mystery authors from the site who write Music/Musician themed mystery books. Thanks!

♦ To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link ♦

Mollie Cox Bryan, Mary Jane Clark, Claire Donally, & Donna McLean : Four of the Newest Mystery Author Additions

As I recently told you all, I have been trying to get more authors posted to the Cozy Mystery site. You all have been so patient with me. I know that once you recommend an author, you would enjoy seeing that I finally get him/her up on the site, and some of you are probably frustrated with all of the waiting. Thank you for bearing with me!

Here are four of the newest mystery author additions to the site:

Mollie Cox Bryan: Cumberland Creek Mystery Series
This series features a sleuth who is an ex-investigative journalist. Now that she is a stay-at-home mom (in Virginia) she has more time to sleuth AND scrapbook. Bryan is also the author of two cookbooks: “Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies” & “Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook“.)

Mary Jane Clark: Piper Donovan Wedding Cake Mystery Series
Even though Piper Donovan would rather be fully employed in her profession of choices (actress), she is very busy between working in her family’s New Jersey bakery business as a professional cake decorator and solving mysteries. Clark is also the author of the Key News Suspense/Thrillers.

Claire Donally: Sunny & Shadow Mystery Series
Sunny Coolidge is a newspaper reporter who has had to move back to Maine because of her ailing father. Shadow is a stray tomcat who has decided to make Sunny “his person”. These two make a great sleuthing duo.

Donna McLean: Sparrow Falls Mystery Series
Addie McRae has moved to Sparrow Falls, a delightfully quaint, little town in North Carolina. Addie is trying to find out more about her Scottish heritage. Tilda MacArdan helps Addie with her heritage questions, and she also helps Addie solve the mysteries that come her (their) way.

December 2012 Mystery Book New Releases

The following Mystery Books will be released in December 2012:

Maggie Barbieri: Extra Credit (This will be the 7th in the Murder 101 Mystery Series.)

Jessica Beck: Illegally Iced (This will be the 8th in the Donut Shop Mystery Series.)

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): A Deal to Die For (This will be the 2nd in the Good Buy Girls Mystery Series.)

Juliet Blackwell (aka Hailey Lind): Murder on the House (This will be the 3rd in the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery Series.)

Lisa Bork: To Love and to Perish (This will be the 4th in the Broken Vows Mystery Series.)

Bailey Cates (aka Cricket McRae): Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti (This will be the 2nd in the Magical Bakery Mystery Series.)

Chris Cavender (aka Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Tim Myers, & Casey Mayes): Killer Crust (This will be the 5th in the Pizza Lovers Mystery Series.)

Erika Chase: Read and Buried (This will be the 2nd in the Ashton Corners Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas theme mystery.)

Cleo Coyle (aka Alice Kimberly): Holiday Buzz (This will be the 12th in the Coffee House Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas theme mystery.)

Carola Dunn: Valley of the Shadow (This is the 3rd in the Cornish Mystery Series.)

Aaron Elkins: Dying on the Vine (This will be the 17th in the Gideon Oliver Mystery Series.)

Monica Ferris: And Then You Dye (This will be the 16th in the Needlecraft Mystery Series.)

Christy Fifield (aka Christy Evans): Murder Hooks a Mermaid (This will be the 2nd in the Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery Series.)

Earlene Fowler: The Road to Cardinal Valley (This will be the 2nd in the Ruby McGavin Mystery Series.)

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles: Blood Never Dies (This will be the 15th in the Bill Slider Mystery Series.)

Julie Hyzy: Fonduing Fathers (This will be the 6th in the White House Chef Mystery Series.)

Victoria Laurie: What a Ghoul Wants (This will be the 7th in the Ghost Hunter Mystery Series.)

Joyce and Jim Lavene: A Haunting Dream (This will be 4th in the Missing Pieces Mystery Series.)

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent): Thread on Arrival (This will be the 5th in the Embroidery Mystery Series.)

Liz Lipperman: Murder for the Halibut (This will be the 3rd in the Clueless Cook Mystery Series.)

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Panic Button (This will be the 3rd in the Button Box Mystery Series.)

Ada Madison (aka Camille Minichino & Margaret Grace): A Function of Murder (This will be the 3rd in the Sophie Knowles Mystery Series.)

Jenn McKinlay (aka Lucy Lawrence & Josie Belle): Book, Line, and Sinker (This will be the 3rd in the Library Lover’s Mystery Series.)

J.J. Murphy: A Friendly Game of Murder (This will be the 3rd in the Algonquin Round Table Mystery Series.)

Andrea Penrose: Recipe for Treason (This will be the 3rd in the Lady Arianna Regency Mystery Series.)

Ann Purser: Found Guilty at Five (This will be the 12th in the Lois Meade Mystery Series.)

Hannah Reed (aka Deb Baker): Beeline to Trouble (This will be the 4th in the Queen Bee Mystery Series.)

Delia Rosen: A Killer in the Rye (This will be the 3rd in the Deadly Deli Mystery Series.)

Betty Rowlands: Unnatural Wastage (This will be the 12th in the Sukey Reynolds Mystery Series.)

Paige Shelton: A Killer Maize (This will be the 4th in the Farmers’ Market Mystery Series.)

Clea Simon: True Grey (This will be the 5th in the Dulcie Schwartz Feline Mystery Series.)

Barbara Vine: The Child’s Child (This will be a Stand Alone.)

Sharon Wildwind: Loved Honor More (This will be the 5th in the Elizabeth Pepperhawk & Avivah Rosen Mystery Series.)

To go back to the Cozy Mystery New Book Release page, click here.

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