A while ago, I got this letter from Suzanne asking for help in identifying an author who writes…. well, just let me post what Suzanne said:

“Hope I can get some help from someone…I cannot remember the name of the author or the main character in a police procedural series that I read a lot of, several years ago. I think the location was Los Angeles (or possibly) San Francisco. (Yes, my memory is a total blank on these things.) The main character is a white police detective with a black Jewish partner named “Abe”. The main character is married a second time to “ Fran” who is the sister of his business partner who owns a bar. Abe is into his second marriage after losing his first wife to cancer.

I know that this doesn’t fit the “cozy” category, but if anyone can give me some help with this I would be forever grateful. This is driving me nuts!!!

Thanks,
Suzanne”

So, again I am asking for your help. If you think you might know the name of the author who writes these mysteries, please post a comment.

Thank you!

I am trying to go through some of the questions you all have sent me either by comments posted on the blog, or by letters. Here is another question from a Cozy Mystery site reader.

Julie asks:

“Have you heard of a cozy series, featuring a man who collects toy cars, Dinky toys? He has a couple of friends who help in his sleuthing. I read the books years ago, but can’t remember the author. The books are set in England.”

If you think you might know the author or the series, please post a comment.

Thank you!

PS>>> I just looked up Dinky Toys and found that they are little, miniature die-cast cars which were made by the British Meccano Ltd. company.

Sue asked me the following:

“Hoping someone can help me. I’ve been searching for years for a book I read around 1969 or thereabouts. A woman goes in search of her sister, taking her cat with her. The cat likes a saucer of beer once in awhile. The woman develops pleurisy and has her ribs taped up. When she finally locates her sister, it turns out that the sister is *******. The woman might be a librarian (not sure) and she drives an old car (might be a Volkswagen, not sure).”

If you have any idea of who the author is, or the series, please post a comment.

Thank you!

PS>>> I had to look up “pleurisy” :” inflammation of the pleura, characterized by pain that is aggravated by deep breathing or coughing”

Which led me to have to look up “pleura” : “a delicate serous membrane investing each lung in mammals and folded back as a lining of the corresponding side of the thorax.”

I love this site:  http://dictionary.reference.com/

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I substituted “*******” in Sue’s question. It stands for the ‘bad guy.’