The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Best Selling Authors with Children’s or Young Adult Mystery Series, Part 1

I’ve been asked a few times lately what sort of books I could recommend for children or young adults interested in reading Cozy Mysteries. Though I wrote an article on mystery books for pre-teens a few years ago, I thought it might be interesting to take another look at some of the more popular mystery authors (both Cozy Mystery and some not so Cozy) who write mystery series for adults and also write mysteries for children and young adults. This time I’ll be going into a bit more detail than in my previous post instead of making a longer list.

As a note for the recommended ages I list in these articles, I unfortunately have not had the time to read any of them so this is going off the synopsis and what other people have recommended to me. Don’t just take my word for it if you are worried about exposing your child to potentially rough concepts!

First up, Harlan Coben is an author who doesn’t deal with Cozies so much, however I enjoyed reading his Myron Bolitar series as it was being released. He also has a young adult mystery series worth investigating, the Mickey Bolitar Mystery Series. Mickey’s already been through a lot by the beginning of his first book, Shelter, which was nominated for both the Agatha Awards for Best Children/Young Adults mysteries as well as the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult mysteries. In Shelter, Mickey’s father has died and his mother is in rehab, leaving him with his Uncle Myron. When his girlfriend Ashley unexpectedly disappears, he decides he’s had enough, and sets out to find her on his own if necessary. Though less cozy than many of the series, I’ve had this one recommended several times. This series might be a bit more advanced as it deals with some sensitive issues such as drug addiction, and is likely more appropriate for high-schoolers.

Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan) was recently nominated for the Agatha Award for Best Children/Young Adult mystery for Andi Unexpected, the first book in her Andi Boggs Mystery Series. After the death of their parents, Andi and her sister Bethany are forced to move to the family’s old homestead in Ohio to live with their aunt. When Andi discovers an old trunk in the attic containing relics of another Andora Boggs from years ago, who apparently disappeared under mysterious circumstances, she decides to investigate and try to learn what happened to her relative – despite the fact that the townspeople seem to be covering it up for some reason. From what I’ve heard, this series should be well-suited to older elementary or middle schoolers.

Though John Grisham isn’t known for Cozy Mysteries, rather for the courtroom dramas and thrillers he writes, in more recent years Grisham has been branching out into chilren’s mysteries with his Theodore Boone Mystery Series beginning with Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer. Grisham’s series stars 13 year old Theo Boone, a young man who wants nothing more than to grow up and become a trial lawyer. When Theo accidentally learns too much, he becomes the only hope to help put a killer behind bars for good. As with Grisham’s other works, the Theodore Boone series takes full advantage of Grisham’s strong understanding of the American legal system. This series appears to be aimed at middle schoolers. Oh, and it has been nominated for the Agatha Awards Best Children/Young Adults mysteries category.

Finally, Carl Hiaasen is a popular mystery author for adults with his Skink Mystery Series. His children books are all stand-alones rather than being organized into a single series. Hiaasen’s children’s mysteries have been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Awards Best Children/Young Adult mysteries, the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile mysteries, and he is a Newbery Honor winner. Most of Hiaasen’s children’s mysteries seems to be appropriate for 5th grad (10 year olds) and up.

I’ll probably be making a few more entries on this subject in the near future – there are still plenty more great mysteries suitable for children and young adults! For now, are there any child-friendly mystery series you might recommend? Be sure to leave a comment below!

Best Selling Authors with Children’s or Young Adult Mystery Series, Part 2

Best Selling Authors with Children’s or Young Adult Mystery Series, Part 3

Mystery Books for Pre Teens…

Are You a Holiday Cozy Mystery Fan? If So, When (and Which!)?

halloween1111111560780We have finally had our second cool day here in San Antonio! Of course, this doesn’t mean it will continue to be cool, which is why I am so ready for holiday Cozy Mysteries! Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I read Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Cozies only during their corresponding holidays. And since I’m a stickler for reading my Cozy Mysteries in their chronological order >>> I’m way behind with some of my favorite Cozy Mystery authors. Sometimes this means I have to wait almost a whole year to read the next book in a favorite Cozy Mystery series!

thanksgiving1111116878990-0With this in mind, I thought I would ask: How early do you start reading the holiday Cozy Mysteries in your ToBeRead pile/queue? What I mean is: Do you wait until the beginning of December, mid-December, or (if you’re an especially fast reader) the end of December to start reading your Christmas Cozies? (You can substitute Christmas/December with Halloween/October or Thanksgiving/November.)

christmas333346997Also >>> which holiday Cozy Mysteries do you prefer: Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas? And, (Good grief! I’m making this into a 3-part question which is much more complicated than it needs to be!) would you tell us about one or two favorite Cozy Mysteries that are set during that holiday?

Thank you! (I’m really looking forward to reading your comments!)

Ann Rule, Not a Cozy Author, Great at Telling about True Crimes

Sometimes I just don’t feel like reading Cozy Mysteries. This doesn’t happen often – I love Cozies, and usually when I read, I’m entertained by the adventures of one amateur sleuth or another. Still, no matter how much you might love something, sometimes you just might want a change for the sake of variety.

When I do want something non-Cozy, I often turn to true crime novels, and when possible, Ann Rule. Of course, by now I think I’ve read almost all Ann Rule‘s works except for her most recent – which I do intend to get to >>> any day now!

Listening to Ann Rule’s background, it’s easy to see why she’s such an expert when she recounts these tales of tragedy >>> she’s worked so many jobs that her personal world experience must make it easy to “connect” to just about anyone. She’s got extensive ties to law enforcement circles – not only does she have multiple relatives who have worked in jobs such as sheriff, prosecutor, and medical examiner, she served as a Seattle police officer.

Rule has also worked on crisis help lines, one time manning the lines with serial killer Ted Bundy. Yes, I know, it is truly gross to think Ted Bundy worked at a crisis help line! (Rule wrote The Stranger Beside Me about Ted Bundy.) She has an understanding of the tragedies that can unfold in unfortunate circumstances. Much later in her career, she was even part of the task force that set up the FBI’s VI-CAP system, a computer tracking program that helps identify and document crimes for comparison between local law enforcement agencies!

With all that experience, it’s no surprise that Ann Rule is a master at helping average people like me understand not only how a crime was committed, but also why it occurred and the often-devastating aftermath caused by the events. Ann Rule often goes back through the histories of the victims and the killer alike, looking back over generations to show how the environment developed which lead a person to commit such terrifying acts of brutality, as well as help give a somewhat-human face to people who could just as easily be discounted as aberrations and monsters. Often it seems surprising just how “normal” these people can act on a day-by-day basis once you know all the details of how they grew up and the people who raised them! In most of these cases, I’m left wondering if it’s nature or nurture that caused the killers to become that way. And, of course, you can’t separate those two factors!

I’ve told you what I sometimes read when I take a break (tiny break) from my beloved Cozies. What do you read when you’re ready for a change from Cozy Mysteries? Do you have a favorite author within the field? Please leave a comment below! Thank you!

P.S. Rather than making a list at the bottom of this entry of authors in other genres who you all like, I’m just going to add the highlighted links to your comments. It will save me time to do it that way, so I hope you ALL read all of the comments! (Actually I hope you always read the comments, since they are really, really good AND a great way to see what other Cozy Mystery readers think!)

If you’re interested in reading more of these brief revisits of some of the more popular Cozy Mystery Series that I’ve written in the past, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

From Boston to New Orleans, and a Ready-Made Family

houseJan made this comment a while ago asking for our help in identifying this missing author:

I recently read a mystery that took place in New Orleans about a young woman from, I think, Boston,who inherited a house on the coast of Louisiana from her best friend who died of cancer. She was also made guardian of her friend’s daughter. I can’t remember the name of the author. Does anyone know?

Jan, we usually have pretty good luck identifying mystery authors who are mysteries to the people asking. I hope someone can come up with the correct answer! (And I’m sorry it has taken me so long to post this.)

If you think you might know who Jan is trying to identify, please post a comment. Thank you!

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