The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Some of the Cozy (and Not So Cozy) Mystery Series I Read:

I have been asked to write about some of the authors who I read. I think that I will begin by telling you about the mystery authors I follow – who have been around for many years, and whose works have withstood the test of time. I know that most of you are familiar with these authors, but if you aren’t, then do yourself a favor and check them out. (I’ll write another time about “more current” authors who I follow…)

Agatha Christie: I enjoy both her Miss Marple and her Poirot mystery series, although I am a bit more partial to Miss Marple. (since 1922)

Dorothy Gilman: I love sleuthing and traveling with Mrs. Pollifax. (since 1966)

Martha Grimes: I truly enjoy the Jury & Plant mystery series. (since 1981) (I know that 1981 doesn’t seem like “around for many years” but I went ahead and added her since I have MacLeod on the list, and she was only three years before Grimes…)

Cyril Hare: Hare’s style of writing seems effortless. I know I have mentioned (many times!) how much I enjoy his Christmas mystery called An English Murder.  I also enjoy following his Inspector Mallet series, as well as his (very short) Francis Pettigrew series. (since 1937)

Reginald Hill: There’s nothing Cozy about Dalziel & Pascoe, but what a treat this mystery series is to read! (since 1970)

Charlotte MacLeod/Alisa Craig: I love her Peter Shandy mystery series, followed by her Sarah Kelling series. (I guess I prefer her MacLeod mystery series over her Craig mysteries.) (since 1978)

Ngaio Marsh: Inspector Roderick Alleyn is one of my very favorite inspectors. (since 1931)

Patricia Moyes: Here’s yet another inspector I enjoy. I also love Inspector Henry Tibbett! (since 1958)

Stuart Palmer: His Hildegard Withers Mystery series is another series I follow. (since 1931)

Ellis Peters: Her Brother Cadfael mystery series is one of the best historical mystery series that I know of. (since 1951)

Ruth Rendell: Inspector Wexford is yet another inspector I love to follow. (since 1964)

I know that I have talked about “pacing” myself before. Since most of these series are limited to a number of mysteries, I try not to read the books too often. For example, last year I read one Dorothy Gilman, two Cyril Hare, three Reginald Hill, two Ngaio Marsh, one Stuart Palmer, two Ellis Peters, and five Agatha Christie mysteries. I just don’t want to read through the series so fast that I finally run out of these authors’ books! That’s how good I think they are!

How about you? Do you have a “been-around-for-a-while” mystery author (or two, or three…) who you love to read?

An Unexpected Trip to Colorado…

I have been out of town for close to two weeks due to a family medical crisis. Thanks to my husband, your comments have continued to be posted. I am slowly making my way through them, and adding my comments, as well as taking off some of your last names which “got past” my husband.

I had already post-dated the entries that appeared while I was away, but have a few more things that I want to get done soon. I have four authors who I had just added to the site before I left, but have not yet “presented” them to you all, so I will be doing that as soon as I get the April 2011 New Mystery Book Releases page up.

I should be getting everything back to normal soon.

Sister Carol Anne O’Marie / Sister Mary Helen Mystery Series…

I have recently been on another Cozy Mystery quest. Because I get all of these recommendations from Cozy Mystery site readers, I devote a lot of my reading time to trying out some of the authors. I just finished “going through” three new (to me!) authors. 

The bad news is that I didn’t make it to my “50 page rule” for two of the three authors. I can see how these two authors could be considered top-selling authors. I really can! I just can’t see me wanting to spend even 50 pages with their heroine/sleuths. One of the series is a highly respected culinary series, and the other series is a top-selling supposedly funny series that features a young, supposedly funny sleuth. However, the third of the three authors has captured my attention, and this is not a series I thought I would enjoy. But>>> I seem to be doing just that!

Sister Carol Anne O’Marie was brought to my attention quite a while ago. (I wish I could remember when I posted her page on the site.) I get so many recommendations that I simply can’t read all of the authors, but for some reason I decided to take a chance on this most unlikely (for me!) mystery series. I am glad I read the editorial reviews instead of just relying on the customer comments when I clicked on Novena for Murder! I am enjoying this first book in the Sister Mary Helen Mystery Series.

Any book by an unknown (to me!) author that I read past page 50 is promising. So, I will continue to read this first book in the series and see how I feel about it after I hit page 100. If an author can’t capture my Cozy Mystery attention by then, then I simply annotate my rather obvious grading system: “***** YUCK” and either move on to a new author or go back to one off of my “Favorite Authors” list…

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