Spring is here! This means the weather is improving drastically, so much so that a lot of us will spend more time outside enjoying the spring-like weather, thus (possibly) reducing our Cozy Mystery reading time. If the gorgeous weather truly does cut down on our reading time, then it stands to reason that we will want to be even more selective when choosing which Cozies we read!

It’s at this time that I ask you to please tell us about a particularly good Cozy Mystery you read in March 2015. Also, please tell us why you think this Cozy Mystery book stands out amongst all the other good Cozies you read during March. If you tell us about more than one really stand-out-above-the-rest Cozy, please put the one you enjoyed the very most at the top of your list, or at least let us know which one is your very most favorite.

I’m going to start by recommending Rita Lakin‘s Gladdy Gold Mystery Series. This is one of my favorite Cozy Mystery series, and because I know it has a limited amount of books (7 total), I know that if I rush through them, it will be a case of And Then There Were None! So I take very long breaks between the books.

Rita Lakin has a background in television, both as a producer, creator, and writer. I’m glad she decided to write these Cozies!  Her humorous series focuses on Gladdy Gold, who along with her sister and friends at a Florida retirement community, solves crimes. Gladdy is such a good sleuth that she starts her own private detective agency. Gladdy doesn’t do her sleuthing alone, the other ladies all play important roles in the solving of crimes. The relationships of the women play a big part in why I enjoy the series so much. Rita Lakin has also been able to fill the retirement community with secondary characters who co-mingle with the ladies and the crimes. (Hope that makes sense!) All of the characters are believable to me. I can only hope to be as spry as some of them when I hit the retirement community age!

Rita Lakin’s writing is crisp and easy to read. The sleuths are all smart, although a lot of that is because Gladdy keeps an eye on things, and pretty much directs all of their efforts. On the whole, the other ladies don’t seem to mind Gladdy taking over all of the time, and actually seem to depend on Gladdy to be the voice of reason.

Please do not tell us about the Cozy/Cozies you read that you did not like.

What really good Cozy Mystery book did you read during March 2015 that you know the rest of us would enjoy reading, and why did you enjoy it?

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

Victoria Abbott (aka Mary Jane Maffini & Victoria Maffini): Book Collectors Mystery Series

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

Ella Barrick (aka Laura DiSilverio & Lila Dare): Ballroom Dance Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy Mystery Series

Eric Brown: Murder at the Chase

Leslie Budewitz: Seattle Spice Shop Mystery Series

Kate Carlisle: Fixer-Upper Mystery Series

Laurie Cass (aka Laura Alden): Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series

Erika Chase: Ashton Corners Mystery Series

John Clement: Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series

E.J. Copperman (aka Jeffrey Cohen): Haunted Guesthouse Mystery Series

MaryJo Dawson: The Strange Situation at Emlee

Jo Dereske: Miss Zukas Mystery Series

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

Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen Mystery Series

Parnell Hall: Puzzle Lady Mystery Series

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

Laurie R. King: Mary Russell Mystery Series

Laurie R. King & Leslie S. Klinger, Editors: In the Company of Sherlock Holmes (Anthology)

Rita Lakin: Gladdy Gold Mystery Series

Colette London: Criminal Confections (Chocolate Whisperer Mystery Series, book #1)

Ada Madison (aka Camille Menicino & Margaret Grace): Sophie Knowles Mystery Series

Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott Mystery Series

Catriona McPherson: Dandy Gilver Mystery Series

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

Mary Grace Murphy: Noshes Up North Mystery Series

Diana Orgain: Love or Money Mystery Series

Cate Price: Deadly Notions Mystery Series

Denise Swanson:  Devereaux’s Dime Store Mystery Series

Elaine Viets: Mystery Shopper 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.]

Since everyone is writing why they like the particular Cozy they’re recommending, I encourage you to read the comments below.

♦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.