The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Kathy Hogan Trochek’s Fatal Fruitcake – as Mary Kay Andrews

I know I have talked about how much I like Kathy Hogan Trochek‘s Callahan Garrity Mystery Series. I really missed her mystery books when she stopped writing this series. I missed Callahan and the whole crew of her House Mouse cleaning company. The series just didn’t last long enough for me (only eight books). With many of my authors, by the time I get to their eighth book, I’m ready to retire the sleuth, not so with this series.

Yes, I know this same author went on to write as Mary Kay Andrews. And yes, I know she has the successful Weezie & Bebe series under that name. But I missed the House Mouse gang. I felt that I had gotten to know them in the 1990s, and was sorry they didn’t stick around in the 2000s. (The last book in the mystery series was published in 2000, so technically, that last sentence isn’t technically correct.)

So imagine my surprise and delight when I saw that Kathy Hogan Trochek has a new Callahan Garrity mystery out! It’s just a story, but I’m still excited. I hope that this is one of many new Callahan mysteries.

As you can see, she is writing this Callahan book as Mary Kay Andrews. She is also republishing her Callahan Garrity Mystery Series as Mary Kay Andrews. I don’t know why, but I am hoping that this means there will be a ninth full-length Callahan Garrity mystery.

I have recently been trying a lot of Christmas theme books and novellas/stories (by new-to-me authors) on my Kindle, and so far, I haven’t been happy with any of them. So, I am really hoping Fatal Fruitcake delivers what I have been craving: a good Christmas mystery yarn.

The Best Christmas Cozy Mystery Book

Most of you know that I have a very long list of Christmas & Hanukkah mystery books on the site. In fact, the list is so long that I have had to cut it into alphabetical pages. We are so lucky to have so many holiday books available to us. While I haven’t read all of the books, I have read several of them.

Recently, I started thinking about the problem some of us might have choosing just one holiday themed mystery. Since there are so many Christmas theme mysteries on these lists, where should we begin? How can we decide which books we want to read? What’s a person to do?!?

That’s when I started thinking that we should make up a list of each of our very, very favorite holiday mystery book. Only one Christmas or Hanukkah mystery book, with each of us telling why the one Christmas or Hanukkah mystery book  is our very favorite holiday theme mystery book for this time of year.

It’s the only time of year when I read anthologies. I know, I know! I’m missing out on a lot of great introductions to many different authors, I just happen to prefer mystery novels. But as I said, this is the time of year when I read both holiday stories and novellas. So, if your one favorite mystery book is an anthology, go for it!

If someone new to holiday theme mystery books asked you for one suggestion, what would that be? I know it’s difficult! Believe me! I have one pretty strong idea about the one Christmas mystery book I would suggest, but let me think about it a little longer! Besides, I’m going to have to go “revisit” the book so that I can tell you why it would be the one I suggest.

Here are some of our favorite Christmas Mystery Books:

Marian Babson: The Twelve Deaths Of Christmas

Mignon F. Ballard: Hark! The Herald Angel Screamed

Rhys Bowen: The Twelve Clues of Christmas

Agatha Christie: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding on Kindle format
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding on Nook format

Conan Doyle: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle (which can be found in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes)

Heather Graham: The Last Noel

Cyril Hare: An English Murder 

Kate Kingsbury: Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery Series (So far there are 8 Christmas mysteries in this series.)

Charlotte MacLeod: Rest You Merry (1st in the Peter Shandy Mystery Series)
Rest You Merry on Kindle format
Rest You Merry on Nook format

Katherine Hall Page: Body in the Sleigh

Valerie Wolzien: We Wish You a Merry Murder AND ‘Tis the Season to be Murdered

Hmmm… Mary Monica Pulver >>> I Really Like This New-to-Me Author!

I just started a new Cozy Mystery Christmas theme book last night, and so far, I am really enjoying it. I have never read one of the author’s mysteries before, but I was quite impressed by some of the comments on the back cover. One of these comments endorsing the author’s books was by Elizabeth Peters also known as the creator of the Amelia Peabody Mystery Series, the Vicky Bliss Mystery Series, the Jacqueline Kirby Mystery Series, and, oh, did I mention she is also known as Barbara Michaels? So, here goes >>> This is Elizabeth Peters’  quote from the back cover of my current Christmas mystery:

“Pulver adds a fresh American luster to the traditional mystery. She’s one of the few writers whose work I actually buy-in hardcover?”

So there I went and told you who I am reading! Mary Monica Pulver, a new-to-me author. Last night I began reading Original Sin, which is the fourth of Pulver’s Peter Brichter Mystery Series. (I make an exception to my always-start-at-the-beginning-of-a Cozy-Mystery-series rule with holiday mysteries.) As I continued reading (way longer than I had planned to read) I thought to myself: “This author is really good! I am going to have to add her to my list of authors to follow. Why has it taken me so long to finally read this Christmas mystery that I have had amongst my TBR Christmas mystery books for the last several years?”

This morning, I brought the book downstairs in order to be able to tell you all about Mary Monica Pulver, this new-to-me author.

HOLD YOUR HORSES!!!

This morning, when I went to my site to check out her other books, imagine my surprise to find that Mary Monica Pulver is indeed not a new-to-me author! She is actually one of my favorite authors! Good grief!!! As many times as I have updated the Monica Ferris page, making additions to her Needlecraft Mystery Series, making sure that I add those very same additions to her Mary Monica Pulver page, you would think that I would have remembered these two authors are one and the same person!

I debated telling you all about this error of mine, but since I have told you all about my need for writing notes to myself for things as obvious as my cleaning day rituals and running errands, why not?!?  And, speaking of my cleaning day tasks, I have to go get back to number 5 on my list!

It’s Only August, and I’m Starting to Update Holiday Theme Mystery Lists…

Yep, just like the title of this entry indicates, I am starting to try to update my Holiday Theme Mystery Lists. So, it’s that time of year when I start to ask you all if you know of any new holiday theme mystery books. If you do, I’d love to hear from you!

As I have been looking around on the internet, I keep coming up with one particular author (who I have not read) – Melanie Jackson. Apparently she writes the Chloe Boston Mystery Series, which is a holiday/seasonal themed series. I have added her holiday mysteries to the different corresponding holiday lists on the site: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day. (Actually, she has a Chloe Boston book of stories which include a Fourth of July theme mystery, but I decided not to add it to that page, since it has other holiday stories in the book as well.)Since Jackson has so many holiday theme mysteries, and her website says they are Cozy, I added a page for her on the site.

Getting back to my initial purpose for this entry… If you all know of any new mystery books that are set during different holiday seasons, would you please let me know?

PS>>> I sure wish Kate Borden would write more Peggy Jean Turner Cozy Mysteries! I loved the New England winter back-drop in her Thanksgiving and Christmas Cozy Mystery books…

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