Well, November might not be as good as this month for holiday-themed Cozy Mystery releases, (October will have 8 Holiday Cozies!) but it will still be pretty good with three holiday Cozy releases – all of them Christmas themed!

First will be Rhys Bowen‘s The Ghost of Christmas Past, the 17th in her Molly Murphy Mystery Series. Life hasn’t been particularly kind to semi-retired private detective Molly Murphy Sullivan, and she’s hoping that an invitation to a mansion on the Hudson for her holidays will be a healing interlude for both her and her husband, Daniel. But mystery will haunt them even there, as the daughter of the house disappeared ten years ago on another winter night – and a young woman will appear on the doorstep during their visit, claiming to be her! Bowen also writes the Royal Spyness Mystery Series and the Evan Evans Mystery Series.

Next up, Vicki Delany will be releasing Hark the Herald Angels Slay, the third in her Year-Round Christmas Mystery Series. This will be a “Christmas in July” style mystery, as summer is heating up in  Rudolph, New York, where the residents maintain the Christmas spirit all year round.  When Merry Folger’s ex-fiance, Max, arrives unexpectedly, he isn’t exactly welcome – especially since it’s clear that he’s there to win back her heart, and she’s decidedly lukewarm about those intentions. But she never wanted him dead – and that’s just how he turns up. Delany writes several other mystery series, including the Constable Molly Smith Mystery Series and the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery Series.

Finally, Krista Davis will be putting out Not a Creature Was Purring, the 5th in her Claws and Paws Mystery Series. Christmas is always a jolly affair in Wagtail, Virginia, but Holly Miller’s grandmother is determined to make it even more special this year by holding a Christkindl Market. Unfortunately, the holiday will have other, less “paw-sitive” activities as well, as a local pet clothing tycoon turns up dead. Krista Davis also writes the Domestic Diva Mystery Series and the Pen & Ink Mystery Series.

For more Christmas-themed Cozy Mysteries, visit the Christmas Cozy Theme page on the site site.

And here’s the continuation of Friday’s post, the rest of October’s eight holiday themed Cozy Mysteries!

The first of the holiday Cozies I’ll be looking at today is a Christmas one – Barbara Early‘s Murder on the Toy Town Express, the 2nd in the Vintage Toyshop Mystery Series. Liz McCall is looking forward to her fist Chrismas in East Aurora, New York, since she has taken over her father’s vintage toy store. When childhood bully and current competitor Craig McFadden takes a fatal fall in what first appears to be an unfortunate accident, Liz realizes she’ll need to investigate the case herself to make sure that it is solved in time for Christmas. Early also writes the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery Series as Beverly Allen.

Next up is another Christmas themed Cozy, Karen Rose Smith‘s Slay Bells Ring, which will be the 7th in the Caprice De Luca Mystery Series. Caprice de Luca has just finished her job of staging a scenic downtown home in Kismet, Pennsylvania, when one of the owners is found murdered. The owner, a Vietnam vet, had been acting strangely since returning from a recent trip, and Caprice’s instincts tell her that she’ll need to help to make sure that this crime gets solved. Smith is also the author of the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery Series.

The last of our Christmas Cozies coming out in October will be Thread the Halls, the 9th in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery Series by Lea Wait. Angie Curtis and Patrick West are preparing for a hectic holiday season, as they’ll be hosting not only Patrick’s movie star mother, but a number of her coworkers including a costar, screenwriters, and the director. Unfortunately, murder is in the air, and it won’t be long into the holiday visit before tragedy inevitably strikes. Wait also writes the Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series.

Finally, the last of October’s Holiday Cozies won’t be Christmas themed, but Oktoberfest! Joyce Tremel will be putting out A Room with a Brew, the 3rd in the Brewing Trouble Mystery Series. Oktoberfest is likely to be very busy at the Allegheny Brew House in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A natural addition to the festivities is an oompah band, though the exact selection proves to be unfortunate when one of the band members turns up dead, and owner Maxine “Max” O’Hara will need to solve the crime.

Click here to see Part 1 of this post.

For more Christmas-themed Cozy Mysteries, visit the Christmas Cozy Theme page on the site.

For more Oktoberfest Cozy Mysteries, visit the Halloween Cozy Theme page on the site (which is where I keep the much rarer Oktoberfest and generic Fall Cozy Mysteries.)

WOW! October will be a really big month for holiday-themed Cozy Mysteries, with EIGHT new holiday Cozies coming out!!! I don’t like making these posts too long so I’m going to break this one up >>> to one post now, and another later! All of the mysteries this post will be Christmas themed.

First, Donna Andrews will be putting out the 22nd in the Meg Langslow Mystery Series, How the Finch Stole Christmas!. Meg’s husband has decided to expand his one-man show of Dickens’s Christmas Carol into a full family affair, pulling in not only Mega but their sons and outside actors as well. Mysteries are also starting to pile up around the holiday, including enemies of the aging actor hired to play Scrooge and the sudden appearance of caged finches around the town. Donna Andrews also writes the Turing Hopper Mystery Series.

Emily Brightwell will be releasing Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women, the 36th in the Victorian Mystery Series. An extremely unpopular gentleman was shot several months before Christmas in what was originally deemed a robbery gone wrong, but pressure has been mounting to solve the case. To this end, Inspector Witherspoon has been put on the case – and his household isn’t keen spending Christmas helping investigate a murder! To avoid this unfortunate turn of events, his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries will need to act quickly – and discretely – to help the inspector maintain his sterling reputation as well as holiday plans.

Next, Ellen Byron will be releasing A Cajun Christmas Killing, the 3rd in the Cajun Country Mystery Series. Maggie Crozat is looking forward to spending a bayou Christmas in Pelican, Louisiana, with her family in their former-plantation-turned bed and breakfast. When another local vacation lodging owner turns up dead at Maggie’s workplace, she and her family quickly become prime suspects in the murder investigation. She’ll have to solve the crime quickly if she wants to enjoy a very merry Christmas this year.

Finally (at least for this set…) Nancy Coco will be releasing Deck the Halls with Fudge, a story in the Candy-coated Mystery Series. Senior sleuths Francis and Douglass are enjoying the scenic snowscape that is winter Mackinac Island, when they notice a horse-drawn sleigh carrying nothing but a frozen corpse! They’ll need to put their thinking caps on to solve this holiday homicide! Nancy Coco also writes the as Baker’s Treat Mystery Series and Perfect Proposal Mystery Series as Nancy J. Parra and the as Kensington Palace Chef Mystery Series as Nell Hampton.

Click here for Part 2 of this post and see more new holiday mysteries.

For more Christmas-themed Cozy Mysteries, visit the Christmas Cozy Theme page on the site site.

 

Cozy holiday season will really be in full swing by September, as we can look forward to four new Holiday themed Cozy Mystery books in that month – two Christmas, one Valentine’s Day, one Thanksgiving!

First will be a Valentine’s Day themed novel, Cat Got Your Secrets by Julie Chase, which will be the 3rd in the Kitty Couture Mystery Series. Valentine’s Day is just on the horizon for pet boutique and organic treat bakery owner Lacy Marie Crocker, when she stumbles upon a body while delivering doggy biscuits. Unfortunately, the most recent person to see the deceased appears to be Lacy’s father, so Lacy will need to work through Valentine’s to help keep her father out of prison and determine who bumped off the unfortunate deceased!

Next up will be Leslie Meier‘s Turkey Trot Murder, the 24th in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series. Lucy Stone is preparing for the annual Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving Day when she stumbles across the frozen body of the daughter of a wealthy investor in local Blueberry Pond. She had struggled with addiction, so the police quickly chalk it up as an accidental overdose, but the puzzling funeral service gives Lucy other suspicions on what may have happened to the unfortunate girl.

Both of the other September Holiday Cozy releases will be Christmas themed.  Laurien Berenson will be releasing Wagging through the Snow, the 21st in the Melanie Travis Mystery Series. Melanie Travis is preparing for Christmas when she learns that her ex-husband and brother have bought a run down pine tree farm, and she agrees to help them get it back into good condition. However, it doesn’t take long before they stumble across a deceased body on the farm. Now Melanie will need to work fast to get the mystery solved in time to have a happy holidays!

Last but not least, Liz Mugavero will be releasing Purring around the Christmas Tree, the 6th in the Pawsitively Organic Mystery Series. Kristin “Stan” Connor and the rest of Frog’s Ledge are preparing for Christmas by lighting up the town with their annual light festival. Unfortunately, the festival is marred by the arrival of Santa’s sleigh – and Santa is dead! Stan will need to figure out why someone would bump off Santa before that most jolly of nights arrives so she and the rest of the town can have a Merry Christmas!

Also of note will be a re-issue of the classic Leslie Meier Christmas themed Cozies, Mistletoe Murder and Christmas Cookie Murder, sold together as Holiday Murder. Neither is new, but if you haven’t read either yet or feel that you’re ready to reread either, this is a convenient way to get both for a lower price!

For more Holiday-themed Cozy Mystery releases, be sure to check my themes on Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas Cozies:

Thanksgiving-Themed Cozies

Valentine’s-Themed Cozies

Christmas-Themed Cozies