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Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – September 2015

I have been waiting and waiting for autumn to finally arrive! Our weather is still balmy down here in San Antonio, but at least this opens up the time when I start reading the Cozy Mysteries I have been putting off because of the appropriate seasons/holidays. I know it’s still too early, and I am making myself wait a little longer to read my Halloween Cozies, followed by my Christmas Cozies.

I am sooo looking forward to being able to read Margaret Grace‘s Manhattan in Miniature.  As I have said (more than once, twice, or even three times!) Camille Minichino/Margaret Grace/Jean Flowers/Ada Madison is one of my very favorite Cozy Mystery authors. But, since it’s a Christmas themed Cozy, I am waiting until November to read it, hopefully a little later than November 1 >>> if I can wait that long!

I am still spacing my favorite authors between new-to-me Cozy Mystery authors who I am trying. Right now, I’m back to one of my favorite authors: Mary V. Welk. Because I read so many other Cozy authors, I am way behind with my favorite authors’ books. Anyway, I am reading To Kill a King, which is only her third in the Rhodes to Murder Mystery Series. The next one (The Scarecrow Murders) is a Halloween themed Cozy, which I will be reading this Halloween season. I already recommended Mary V. Welk, so rather than repeat myself, I’ll point you to my earlier recommendation: Mystery Books Recommendations – January 2014.

Would you please tell us about the really good Cozy Mysteries you read this month, and please tell us why you liked them so much more than the other Cozies you read? These are the Cozies you think are even better than the others you read this month. The rest of us are always on the hunt for Cozy Mystery authors who write great Cozies! Please list the ones you liked the most at the very top of the list, that way we’ll know those are the ones you liked the best!

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

What really good Cozy Mystery book did you read during September 2015 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:

Ellery Adams: Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series

Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow Mystery Series

James Anderson: Inspector Wilkins Mystery Series (The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg, book #1)

Margot Arnold: Penny Spring & Sir Toby Glendower Mystery Series

C.C. Benison: Her Majesty Investigates Mystery Series

Simon Brett: Mrs. Pargeter Mystery Series

Deborah Brown: Paradise Mystery Series (Crazy in Paradise, book #1)

Ellen Byron: Cajun Country Mystery Series

Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskell Mystery Series

Peg Cochran (aka Meg London): Cranberry Cove Mystery Series

J.J. Cook (aka Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant): Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery Series

Maya Corrigan: Five-Ingredient Mystery Series

Catherine Coulter: FBI thriller Series (The Cove, book #1)

Cleo Coyle (aka Alice Kimberly): Coffeehouse Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Paws and Claws Mystery Series

Jana DeLeon: Miss Fortune Mystery Series

Kate Dyer-Seeley (aka Ellie Alexander): Pacific Northwest Mystery Series

J. Jefferson Farjeon: Stand Alone mysteries

Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany): Lighthouse Library Mystery Series

Patrice Greenwood: Wisteria Tearoom Mystery Series (A Fatal Twist of Lemon, book #1)

Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series

Dianne Harman: Cedar Bay Mystery Series (Kelly’s Koffee Shop, book #1)

B.B. Haywood: Candy Holliday Mystery Series

Dolores Johnson: Mandy Dyer Mystery Series

Diane Kelly: Paw Enforcement Mystery Series

Alice Kimberly (aka Cleo Coyle): Haunted Bookshop Mystery Series

Constance & Gwenyth Little: Stand Alone mysteries

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Chili Cook-Off Mystery Series

Karen MacInerney: Dewberry Farm Mystery Series

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

Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott Mystery Series

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

The Mulgray Twins: DJ & Gorgonzola Mystery Series (No Suspicious Circumstances, book #1)

Shirley Rousseau Murphy & Pat J.J. Murphy: Lee Fontana Mystery Series

Linda Reilly: Deep Fried Mystery (Filet of Murder, book #1)

Michael Robertson: The Baker Street Letters Mystery Series (The Baker Street Letters, book #1)

Barbara Ross: Clambake Mystery Series

Ian Sansom: Mobile Library Mystery Series

Charles Todd: Bess Crawford Mystery Series

Diane Vallere: Material Witness Mystery Series

Livia J. Washburn: Fresh-Baked Mystery Series

Mary V. Welk: Rhodes to Murder Mystery Series

Marty Wingate: Potting Shed Mystery Series (The Garden Plot, book #1)

[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.

Happy Homicides: Thirteen Cozy Holiday Mysteries

A few weeks ago, Joanna Campbell Slan told me about a holiday venture she and twelve other Cozy Mystery authors put together. As you can see, there are several authors with whom we are all familiar!

Happy Homicides: Thirteen Cozy Holiday Mysteries ….. $0.99
Cozy Mystery authors:
Annie Adams
Jenna Bennett
Linda Gordon Hengerer
Joyce and Jim Lavene
Camille Minichino
Neil Plakcy
Sara Rosett
Joanna Campbell Slan
Nancy Jill Thames
Teresa Trent
Nancy Warren
Lois Winston

Here is the description from Amazon:

A huge collection of heartwarming, brain-puzzling, and character-driven traditional mysteries that’ll keep you entertained for hours. (At 213,000 words, this is 627 pages of reading material!) Plus, you can email to get a FREE Bonus File with recipes and holiday craft ideas. Celebrate the holidays with stories by these thirteen bestselling and award-winning authors: Joanna Campbell Slan, Neil Plakcy, Lois Winston, Annie Adams, Jenna Bennett, Nancy Jill Thames, Sara Rosett, Camille Minichino, Nancy Warren, Linda Gordon Hengerer, Joyce and Jim Lavene, and Teresa Trent.

As I have mentioned ump-teen dozen times >>> I love holiday Cozy Mysteries, so this is right up my particular alley!

Here is my page with a whole lot of Christmas mystery books: Christmas Mystery Book List

Mystery Books that Take Place in Oklahoma

OklahomaHere are some fun Oklahoma facts:
The largest city and capital is Oklahoma City.
State motto is “Labor Conquers All Things.”
State nickname is the Sooner State.
State flower is the Mistletoe.
State bird is the Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher.
State animal is the buffalo.
In 1935, the first (USA) parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City.
State song is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!”

Mystery authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery Site who feature Oklahoma locations in their books:

Susan Rogers Cooper: Milt Kovak Mystery Series – Milt is a sheriff.

Connie Feddersen: Amanda Hazard Mystery Series – Amanda is a CPA.

Jean Hager: Molly Bearpaw Mystery Series – Molly is a Cherokee Nation advocate.

Jean Hager: Mitch Bushyhead Mystery Series – Mitch is the chief of police.

Carolyn Hart: Nela Farley Mystery Series – Nela is a reporter in this paranormal series.

Carolyn Hart: Bailey Ruth Ghost Mystery Series – Bailey is a member of Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions.

Marion Moore Hill: Scrappy Librarian Mystery Series –  Juanita (a librarian) and her collie/mongrel dog, Mills.

Blanche Day Manos & Barbara Burgess: Darcy/Flora Mystery Series – This series features a mom and daughter sleuths.

Eve K. Sandstrom (aka JoAnna Carl): (Nell) Matthews/Svenson Mystery Series – Nell is a reporter and Mike is a police detective.

Eve K. Sandstrom (aka JoAnna Carl): Down Home Mystery Series – Sam is the sheriff, and his wife, Nicky, is a photographer.

Please feel free to comment if you see an author from the Cozy Mystery Site who belongs on this list, or if you have any corrections.

♦I have lots and lots of Cozy Mystery Themes, which you can access by clicking on this link: Cozy Mysteries by Theme page. It will take you directly to that page on my site.♦

Four New-to-the-Site Mystery Authors: Tessa Arlen: Lady Montfort, Kathleen Bridge: Hamptons Home & Garden, Nancy Haddock: Silver Six, Julie Moffett: Lexi Carmichael

As most of you know, I receive letters/notes from Cozy Mystery readers who tell me about mystery authors who they think definitely belong on the Cozy Mystery site. Well, I have finally posted four of your recommended authors from my rather long list. I think all of they’re books look like they’re going to be fun Cozy Mystery reads!
Tessa Arlen    The daughter of a British diplomat, Tessa Arlen spent part of her childhood in exotic locations such as Singapore, Beijing, and Cairo, before being sent back to a boarding school in England. She now lives in Washington state. Her novels are still firmly set in England, however, with her first mystery series, the Lady Montfort Mystery Series, being set in Edwardian England.

Kathleen Bridge     Kathleen Bridge writes the Hampton Home & Gardens Mystery Series, which features a former Home & Gardens writer solving crime in the Hamptons region of New York. Meg Barrett owns the Cottages by the Shore which is an interior design business.

Nancy Haddock    Nancy Haddock has lived in Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida, and is the author of the Silver Six Mystery Series starring a set of six retired housemates in fictional Lilyvale, Arkansas. She also writes paranormal vampire romances. Haddock is an ex-speech pathologist and high school teacher.

Julie Moffett    Julie Moffett has spent significant time overseas, including attending a Japanese high school (due to her father being in the military), a backpacking trip through Europe, and a college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland. She’s also had an interesting career since finishing her studies, spending time as a research adviser for a defense contractor and as a journalist, making good use of her education in topics like Political Science, International Affairs, and Russian Language. Her main mystery series is the Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series. Lexi is a technician at the NSA. Also, Moffett has written numerous romance novels, most set in Scotland.

If you would like to browse through lot and lots of Cozy Mystery authors, be sure to visit to my Cozy Mystery site!

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