I received a letter from “Lynn T.” last month with two great ideas for entry posts. Thank you, Lynn T, for both of the ideas. While I like both of them, I have been thinking about this one the most. Lynn T.:
“… I really enjoyed the blog where an author wrote more than one series. You asked which of the series by the author would you recommend to a person who wasn’t familiar with the series. I remember off the top of my head a few you asked about-Susan Wittig Albert, Mary Daheim and I think Paige Shelton and Sheila Connolly. There were more. I know I started the Emma Lord series by Mary Daheim from that post. …”
I have seen a definite increase of Cozy Mystery authors who write multiple series. Some of the authors use pseudonyms, while others don’t. I’m going to use my favorite Cozy Mystery author of all time to start the ball rolling:
So, you haven’t yet ventured into the world of Agatha Christie? Wow! Do you have a reading treat in store for you! She wrote several Cozy Mystery series, but two of them are more popular/famous than the others: Hercule Poirot Mystery Series and Miss Marple Mystery Series. Hmmm, since you can only try one book at a time, I want to be sure to recommend the series I think you might enjoy the most. Hmmm, this is particularly difficult, but if I could only choose one, it would hands-down, unequivocally be the Miss Marple Mystery Series. (I guess it really wasn’t that difficult for me to choose!)
While I have read and am currently re-reading both the Hercule Poirot series as well as the Miss Marple series, I tend to look forward to my Miss Marple mysteries a little more. When you think about both of the main sleuths, you can see that they are very different from each other. There is almost a 180º difference between them. Poirot is arrogant, needs to be the center of attention, fussy, immaculately groomed, and sometimes condescending. Poirot solves mysteries by using his little gray cells to think through the puzzle. Miss Marple, on the other hand, is likely to fade into the background, friendly, quiet, and almost reserved. Miss Marple solves mysteries through her knowledge of human nature.
Miss Marple is a true amateur sleuth, while Poirot is a private detective and an ex-member of the Belgian police force. When it gets right down to it, which of these two sleuths would I want to spend time with and get to know? Hands-down again: Miss Marple! While I think Poirot would be fun to spend a little time with, I’m not quite sure if I would be able to overlook his pomposity, the way Hastings does. Miss Marple, on the other hand, enjoys the simple pleasures – knitting, gardening, with a little gossiping -which I think I’d very much enjoy with her.
What about you? Do you have a favorite Cozy Mystery author who writes more than one mystery series? If so, without being too negative about the other series(s), which of his/her series would you recommend over his/her other(s), and please tell us why.
Danna:
Agatha Christie: Miss Marple Mystery Series
Teressa:
Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Mystery Series
Victoria Laurie: Psychic Eye Mystery Series
Maggie Sefton: Knitting Mystery Series
Carol:
Margaret Maron: Sigrid Harald Mystery Series
Angela:
Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series
Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): Orchard Mystery Series
Agatha Christie: Miss Marple Mystery Series
Susan*:
Agatha Christie: Tommy & Tuppence Mystery Series
Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Mystery Series
Victoria Laurie: Ghost Hunter Mystery Series
Elizabeth Peters: Amelia Peabody Mystery Series
Kerry Greenwood: Corinna Chapman Mystery Series
Chris:
Agatha Christie: Miss Marple Mystery Series
Suzanne:
Carolyn Hart: Death on Demand Mystery Series
Jackie:
Agatha Christie: Miss Marple Mystery Series
Mary Daheim: Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series
Pat:
M.C. Beaton: Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series
Laura:
Susan Wittig Albert: (written as Robin Paige with husband Bill Albert): Kate Ardleigh Sheridan & Sir Charles Sheridan Victorian Mystery Series
Laurie R. King: Mary Russell Mystery Series
Elizabeth Peters: Amelia Peabody Mystery Series
Lynn T.:
Susan Wittig Albert: Darling Dahlias Mystery Series
Paige Shelton: Country Cooking School Mystery Series
Ellery Adams: Books by the Bay Mystery Series
Julie Hyzy: White House Chef Mystery Series
Victoria Abbott: Book Collector’s Mystery Series
Sheila Connolly: County Cork Mystery Series
Charlotte MacLeod: Sarah Kelling Mystery Series
Marja:
Clea Simon: Theda Krakow Mystery Series
Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott Mystery Series
Carolyn Hart: Henrie O Mystery Series
Lydia Adamson: Alice Nestleton Mystery Series
Donna Mc:
Agatha Christie: Harley Quin Stories
MJ:
Amanda Flower: Appleseed Creek Mystery Series
Joan Hess: Claire Malloy Mystery Series
Crickett McRae: Home Crafting Mystery Series
Judith:
Charlotte MacLeod: Inspector Mado Rhys Mystery Series
♦To return to the Cozy Mystery site, click on this link.♦
With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I thought I would update my list of mystery books that place during the season. While you take a look at the list, I wonder if you could see if I’m missing any St. Paddy’s Day mysteries. If I am, would you please post a comment so that I can add it (hopefully not “them”!) to the list.
So, is it spring yet? I’m looking out my window watching what looks like parent birds teaching their fledglings how to fly from one side of our yard to the other (we planted Red Tip bushes all along the periphery of our yard twenty years ago) and I’m also watching one of our more persistent squirrels chewing some of our oak tree’s buds. If those aren’t signs of springtime in Texas, I don’t know what is!