The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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Christmas Mystery Book List Recommendations

I just remembered that it’s time for me to ask you all about your favorite Christmas mysteries. The last time I did this was at Thanksgiving time (Favorite Thanksgiving Mysteries). We also made up a list of our Favorite Halloween Mysteries.

As you can see from all of the pages of Christmas Mystery Books, the Christmas mystery book theme is a really popular one. Many of my favorite authors have at least one mystery book in their series that takes place during the Christmas holidays.

I have enjoyed many Christmas mysteries, especially since living down here in San Antonio. Because the weather isn’t really “Christmas-y”, I rely on my authors to bring me the snow and cold associated with this time of year. I have to admit that I prefer reading mysteries that take place in cold climates at this time of year, rather than the Christmas in the tropics types of mysteries.

That’s not to say that I haven’t enjoyed Christmas mysteries that take place in weather similar to ours here in San Antonio. An example of this is Margaret Grace’s Mayhem in Miniature. Of course since Margaret Grace is one of my very favorite authors that’s no surprise. Luckily, as Camille Minichino she wrote The Helium Murder, which is set during Christmas in a very cold Massachusetts. That mystery did indeed give me my preferred snowy setting. Another Christmas mystery that just popped into my head is Charlotte MacLeod’s Rest You Merry. Who doesn’t love that Christmas mystery? My list of Christmas mystery favorites goes on an on, and on some more!

If you know of any Christmas theme mysteries that you think should definitely be on this Christmas mysteries recommendations list, please post a comment. And please tell us why you like it so much. Thank you!

Christmas Mystery Book Recommendations:

Donna Andrews: Duck the Halls

Marian Babson: The Twelve Deaths of Christmas

Jennie Bentley (aka Jenna Bennett & Bente Gallagher): Home for the Homicide

Carola Dunn: Death at Wentwater Court

Carola Dunn: Mistletoe and Murder

Shelley Freydont: Silent Knife

Jane Haddam: Not A Creature Was Stirring

Lee Harris: The Christmas Night Murder

Lee Harris: The New Year’s Eve Murder

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig): Rest Ye Merry

D.R. Meredith: Murder by Sacrilege

Valerie Wolzien: We Wish You a Merry Murder

Valerie Wolzien: ‘Tis the Season to be Murdered

I Just Found a Few More Christmas Mysteries

When I was looking at my (computer) desktop’s folders I discovered a list that I had apparently made a very short while ago, but that I had totally forgotten. I clicked on the folder (which was conveniently titled “Christmas”) only to see a list of additional titles I had saved in order to add them to the Christmas mysteries lists. When I clicked the folder open, it looked somewhat familiar; it had authors’ names on it and the titles of their Christmas mysteries, both in the book format as well as the story/novella length. I vaguely remember going through my individual Christmas mysteries lists and finding out that I didn’t already have these authors/titles listed.

Here is the list of Christmas mysteries authors and titles that I just added to the Cozy Mystery site’s lists:

Hannah Alexander & Jill Elizabeth Nelson: Season of Danger: Silent Night, Deadly Night\Mistletoe Mayhem 

Pat Amsden: A Christmas Wedding to Die For

Gale Borger: Totally Decked (Story)

Roxy Boroughs, Brenda M. Collins, & C.J. Carmichael: A Frost Family Christmas Anthology

C.J. Carmichael, Roxy Boroughs, & Brenda M. Collins: A Frost Family Christmas Anthology

Brenda M. Collins, Roxy Boroughs, C.J. Carmichael: A Frost Family Christmas Anthology

Bill Crider, Terence Faherty, Wendi Lee, & Aileen Schumacher: Murder, Mayhem, and Mistletoe

Caroline Dunford: The Mistletoe Mystery  (Story)

K.J. Emrick: The Ghost of Christmas (Novella)

Terence Faherty, Bill Crider, Wendi Lee, & Aileen Schumacher: Murder, Mayhem, and Mistletoe

Andrea Frazer: White Christmas with a Wobbly Knee

Andrea Frazer: Snowballs and Scotch Mist

Andrea Frazer: Christmas Mourning

Jim Green: Miss Tayke Investigates Murder Under the Mistletoe (Story)

Diane Kelly: Death, Taxes, and Mistletoe Mayhem (Novella)

Carol Lee: A Catered Christmas Killer (Novella)

Wendi Lee, Terence Faherty, Bill Crider, & Aileen Schumacher: Murder, Mayhem, and Mistletoe

Jill Elizabeth Nelson & Hannah Alexander: Season of Danger: Silent Night, Deadly Night\Mistletoe Mayhem 

Jemima Norton: The Mistletoe Bride

Martha Ockley: The Advent of Murder

Ashantay Peters: Death Under the Mistletoe (Novella)

Sally Quilford ….. Mistletoe Mystery

Lawrence Rotch: Mistletoe and Murder

Aileen Schumacher, Bill Crider, Terence Faherty, & Wendi Lee: Murder, Mayhem, and Mistletoe

Laura Scott: Her Mistletoe Protector

N.E. Sully: A Mystery & Some Mistletoe (Novella)

Laina Turner: Mistletoe & Murder (Story)

It’s probably no surprise to all of you that I am asking you to take a look at the site’s lists to make sure I have all of the Christmas mysteries listed. (I usually try to do this before most holidays.) So >>> would you mind looking at the Christmas mysteries lists from the Cozy Mystery site and letting me know if you see any titles that are missing?

Christmas Mysteries –  Authors Beginning with A, B, & C

Christmas Mysteries –  Authors Beginning with D, E, & F

Christmas Mysteries –  Authors Beginning with G, H, I & J

Christmas Mysteries –  Authors Beginning with K, L, M, N & O

Christmas Mysteries –  Authors Beginning with P, Q, R, & S

Christmas Mysteries –  Authors Beginning with T, U, V, W, & Y

Thank you! I will add the titles – if there are any I’m missing.

Thanksgiving Mystery Book List Recommendations

I know I should have done this a week ago, but I am wondering if any of you can think of a Thanksgiving mystery that you think the rest of us should absolutely know about. I did this at Halloween time (Halloween Recommendations), and thought you all had such great ideas, that I should try to do this at different holiday times. I really let time get away from me, and know this is pretty close to Thanksgiving, but wonder if you all would let us know about Thanksgiving Day mysteries you really like. We may not be able to finish the Thanksgiving mysteries we start reading, but at least we can get some of the book’s ambiance before the holiday.

If you’re anything like me, you might need to refresh your memories. Here is the Thanksgiving Mystery Book List from the Cozy Mystery site. Also, if I am missing any Thanksgiving mysteries on the list, please let me know.

Thanksgiving Mystery Book Recommendations:

Donald Bain & Jessica Fletcher: A Fatal Feast

Kate Borden (aka Kate Grilley): Death of a Turkey

Krista Davis: The Diva Runs Out of Thyme

Jane Haddam (aka Orania Papazoglou): Feast of Murder

Lee Harris: The Thanksgiving Day Murder

J. Alan Hartman, editor: The Killer Wore Cranberry

J. Alan Hartman, editor: The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Second Helping

J. Alan Hartman, editor: The Killer Wore Cranberry: Room for Thirds

Leslie Meier: Turkey Day Murder

Livia J. Washburn: The Pumpkin Muffin Murder

If you know of any Thanksgiving theme mysteries that you think should definitely be on this Thanksgiving mysteries recommendations list, please post a comment.

Updating the Holiday Mysteries Pages on the Cozy Mystery Site…

I have been busy “behind the scenes” getting the holiday pages updated and in a more orderly format. I know, I know! It’s way too early to be thinking about the holidays, or is it?!?

Around here, as soon as children return to school, the stores down-size their school supply merchandise and start pushing their Halloween items. And with school starting in just a few days (Monday) that means we’ll have more than two months to “enjoy” the Halloween items.

I say “enjoy” rather skeptically. As a home with diabetes, the all-too-often and all-too-present large bags of chocolate bars greeting me at the entrance of almost all the stores is rather tempting. I say tempting because I know all too well that we simply can’t have it in the house. (Chocolate is simply a red light item for ALL of us, those with and without diabetes!)

Getting back to my “behind the scenes” goings on >>> I am just about finished updating and consolidating the different Holiday pages.  I have added more books and holiday themes, although I’m not quite finished yet. (I am thinking about adding a Birthday mysteries list, although I’m not 100% sure.)

The one draw-back of updating the lists is that I am now starting on a holiday book that I have been wanting to read for a while, but that I tried to put off until the correct season. I have been wanting to read Margaret Grace’s Monster in Miniature for several months, but made myself save it until the Halloween season. Well, after all of these holiday titles, I simply could not hold myself back, and am (probably for the first time ever!) reading one of “my” holiday mysteries out of season. (Now you see how bad I am about foregoing my temptations!)

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