The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Mystery Books that Take Place in Indiana…

Here are some fun Indiana facts:

The capital is Indianapolis.
The largest city is Indianapolis.
State motto is “The Crossroads of America”.
State nickname is “Hoosier State”.
State flower is the Peony.
State bird is the Cardinal.

Mystery authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery Site who feature Indiana locations/settings in their books:

Madelyn Alt: Bewitching Mystery Series

Annie’s Amish Inn Mystery Series

Julia Buckley: Writer’s Apprentice Mystery Series

V.M. Burns: RJ Franklin Mystery Series

Vannetta Chapman: Amish Village Mystery Series AND Shipshewana Mystery Series

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series 

Jeanne M. Dams: Hilda Johansson Mystery Series

Sara Hoskinson Frommer: Joan Spencer Mystery Series

Karen Anne Golden: The Cats That… Mystery Series

Peg Marberg: Interior Design Mystery Series

Ralph M. McInerny (aka Monica Quill): Notre Dame Mystery Series AND Andrew Broom Mystery Series

Jana Lynn Shellman: Poppy Hannah Mystery Series

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.

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

Mystery Books that Take Place in Alaska…

Here are some fun Alaska facts:

The capital is Juneau.
The largest city is Anchorage.
State motto is “North To The Future”.
State nickname is “The Last Frontier”.
State flower is the Forget-me-not.
State bird is the Willow Ptarmigan.

Mystery authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery Site who feature Alaska locations/settings in their books:

Vicki Delany: Klondike Mystery Series

Susan Froetschel: Alaska Grey

Sue Henry: Alaska Mystery Series

Christopher Lane: Inupiat Mystery Series

Dani Pettrey: Alaskan Courage Mystery Series

Dana Stabenow: Kate Shugak Mystery Series AND Liam Campbell Mystery Series

Barbara Vine (aka Ruth Rendell): No Night is Too Long

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.

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

Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – July 2012

It’s really difficult for me to grasp the fact that it is already the end of July. But, it is!

I have tried several new authors because of your monthly recommendations. I have enjoyed most of them, and as I have told you before, added some of them to my “favorite authors” list.

Please tell us about a few of the authors you read this past month (July 2012), only those authors who you really, really enjoyed. And, as usual, please tell us WHY you enjoyed the author(s). (Please, do not tell us about the authors you tried reading who you did not like.) I will add the recommended authors to this entry as they come in.

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during July 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:

Ellery Adams (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series

Kate Atkinson: Started Early, Took My Dog

Elizabeth Bailey: Lady Fan Mystery Series

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

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

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber): Witchcraft Mystery Series

Robin Blake: A Dark Anatomy

Janet Bolin: Threadville Mystery Series

Melissa Bourbon (aka Melissa Bourbon Ramirez & Misa Ramirez): Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Lady Georgiana Mystery Series

Emily Brightwell: Mrs Jeffries Mystery Series

Frances Brody: Kate Shackleton Mystery Series

Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskel Mystery Series

Grace Carroll (aka Carol Culver): Accessories Mystery Series

Heron Carvic: Miss Seeton Mystery Series

Laura Childs: Tea Shop Mystery Series AND Cackleberry Club Mystery Series

Alisa Craig (aka Charlotte MacLeod): Grub-and Stakers Mystery Series

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

Anna Dean: Miss Dido Kent Mystery Series

Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum Mystery Series

Sharon Fiffer: Jane Wheel Mystery Series

Amanda Flower: Appleseed Creek Mystery Series

Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen Mystery Series

Anne George: Southern Sisters Mystery Series

Katherine Miller Haines: Rosie Winter Mystery Series

Rebecca M. Hale: Cats and Curios Mystery Series

Tarquin Hall: Vish Puri Mystery Series

Victoria Hamilton: Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Tessa Harris: The Anatomist’s Apprentice

B. B. Haywood: Candy Holliday Mystery Series

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

Julie Hyzy: Manor of Murder Mystery Series

Dorte Jakobsen: The Cozy Knave

P.D. James: Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series

Craig Johnson: Walt Longmire Mystery Series

Garrison Keillor: Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny

Mitzi Kelly: Silver Sleuths Mystery Series

Sofie Kelly: Magical Cats Mystery Series

Allison Kingsley (aka Kate Kingsbury & Rebecca Kent): Raven’s Nest Bookstore Mystery Series

Victoria Laurie: Psychic Eye Mystery Series

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent): Embroidery Mystery Series

Liz Lipperman: Clueless Cook Mystery Series

M. Louisa Locke: Victorian San Francisco Mystery Series AND The Misses Moffet Mend A Marriage: A Victorian San Francisco Story

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Button Box Mystery Series

Amanda Matetsky: Paige Turner Mystery Series

Lorena McCourtney: Cate Kinkaid Files Mystery Series.

Jenn McKinlay (aka Lucy Lawrence & Josie Belle): Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series AND Library Lover’s Mystery Series

Amy Patricia Meade: Rosie the Riveter Mystery Series

Miss Read: Fairacre Series

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Spencer Quinn (aka Peter Abrahams): Chet and Bernie Mystery Series

Clayton Rawson: The Great Merlini Mystery Series

Dorothy St. James: White House Gardener Mystery Series

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series

Kari Lee Townsend: Fortune Teller Mystery Series

Peter Turnbull: Hennessey & Yellich Mystery Series

Elaine Viets: Dead-End Mystery Series

P. G. Wodehouse: The Adventures of Sally

Dornford Yates: Chandos Series

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

Mystery Books with Men as Sleuths – Male Amateur Sleuths, That Is

There is one place that I can name where “Equal rights for women.” has been taken very seriously, and that is in the amateur sleuth mystery book realm. Let’s face it, men simply are a very tiny, itsy-bitsy minority in the amateur sleuth world!

I have received several letters from people asking that I include this theme. The latest letter is from Carla:

“I was wondering if you could add another theme to your list.  It is very hard to find cozy mysteries with male protagonists.   It seems that mysteries with male detectives seem to be more procedurals and have a harder edge.  I prefer cozy mysteries with amateur detectives.”

Men as Amateur Sleuths in Cozy Mystery Series:

Peter Abresch: James P. Dandy Elderhostel Mystery Series (ex-physical therapist)

Bruce Alexander (aka Bruce Cook): Sir John Fielding Mystery Series (18th century judge)

Jeffrey Allen (aka Jeff Shelby): Stay at Home Dead (stay-at-home dad)

Margery Allingham: Albert Campion Mystery Series (semi nobility)

L.L. Bartlett (aka Lorna Barrett & Lorraine Bartlett: Jeff Resnick Mystery Series

Mike Befeler: Paul Jacobson Geezer Lit Mystery Series (octogenarian)

Lilian Jackson Braun: The Cat Who Mystery Series (journalist)

Simon Brett: Charles Paris Mystery Series (actor)

C. S. Challinor: Rex Graves Mystery Series (Scottish barrister)

G. K. Chesterton: Father Brown Mystery Series (British priest)

Jeffrey Cohen (aka E. J. Copperman): Aaron Tucker Mystery Series (stay-at-home dad)

Jeffrey Cohen (aka E. J. Copperman): Double Feature Mystery Series (owner of a theater)

Edmund Crispin: Gervaise Fen Mystery Series (Oxford professor)

Lindsey Davis: Marcus Didius Falco Mystery Series (ancient Roman detective)

Aaron Elkins: Gideon Oliver Mystery Series (professor of Anthropology)

Janet Gleeson: The Grenadillo Box (journeyman carpenter)

Lee Goldberg: Diagnosis Murder Mystery Series (doctor)

Jane Haddam: Gregor Demarkian Mystery Series (retired FBI agent)

The Hardy Boys: Credited under Franklin W. Dixon, but written by many ghost authors

Edward D. Hoch: Dr. Sam Hawthorn Mystery Series (country doctor)

Victoria Houston: Loon Lake Fishing Mystery Series (retired dentist)

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

Harry Kemelman: Rabbi Small Mystery Series (rabbi)

John J. Lamb: Bear Collectors’ Mystery Series (retired police detective)

Jane Langton: Homer Kelly Mystery Series (professor)

Peter Lovesey: Bertie, Prince of Wales Mystery Series

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig): Peter Shandy Mystery Series (professor)

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig):  Sarah Kelling Mystery Series (Max Bittersohn)

Deborah Morgan: Antique Lovers’ Mystery Series (antiques dealer)

Tim Myers  (aka Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Chris Cavender, & Casey Mayes): Lighthouse Inn Mystery Series (lighthouse inn keeper) & Soapmaking Mystery Series & Candlemaking Mystery Series

Robin Paige (aka Susan Wittig Albert and husband Bill Albert): Kate Ardleigh Sheridan & Sir Charles Sheridan Mystery Series (Victorian, nobility)

Hugh Pentecost: Pierre Chambrun Mystery Series (hotel manager)

Ellis Peters: Brother Cadfael Mystery Series (Medieval herbalist monk)

Ellery Queen: Ellery Queen Mystery Series (mystery author)

David Roberts: Lord Edward Corinth Mystery Series (nobility)

Sax Rohmer: Fu Manchu Mystery Series

Sapper: Bulldog Drummond Mystery Series

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

Steven Saylor: Roma Sub Rosa Mystery Series (one century B.C. Roman investigator)

Malcolm Shuman: Alan Graham Mystery Series

J. B. Stanley (aka Jennifer Stanley, Ellery Adams, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Supper Club Mystery Series (“retired” professor, librarian)

Dornford Yates: Chandos Mystery Series

Margaret Yorke: Dr. Patrick Grant Mystery Series (professor)

Sherban Young: Stand Alones

If you know of any other Men as Amateur Sleuths in Cozy Mystery Series, please post a comment. Thank you!

***To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.***

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