The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Four New Holiday-Themed Cozy Mysteries Coming October 2018 (Part 2 of 3)

As I said a few days ago, there are going to be a lot of holiday-themed releases in October! I’ve decided to split the additional Christmas-themed Cozies into two separate posts.

First, Susan Wittig Albert will be releasing The Darling Dahlias and the Poinsettia Puzzle, the 8th in her Darling Dahlias Mystery Series. Christmas of 1934 will be a season for puzzles in Darling, Alabama, and members of the Dahlias Garden Club, investigative reporter Charlie Dickens, and Sheriff Norris will all face stumpers of one kind or another over this holiday season. Susan Wittig Albert also writes the China Bayles Herbal Mysteries Series, located halfway between Austin and San Antonio, Texas, the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter Series, and (with her husband Bill Albert writing under the name Robin Paige) the Kate Ardleigh Sheridan & Sir Charles Sheridan Series set in Victorian England.

Next up will be a short story in Tasha Alexander‘s Lady Emily Mystery Series, “Amid the Winter’s Snow“. Lady Emily and her husband Colin are looking forward to Christmas in their country estate, Anglemore Park, but this picturesque setting is interrupted by rumors of a barghest (a mythical dog-like creature) threaten the holiday season.

Donna Andrews will be releasing Lark! The Herald Angels Sing, the 24th in her Meg Langslow Mystery Series. The manger in Caerphilly’s nativity has an extra surprise in store this year – a live baby. Attached is a note indicating that Meg’s brother Rob is the likely father, but this might cause issues for his plans to propose to the woman he loves. Meg agrees to look into the matter to help her brother. Donna Andrews also writes the Turing Hopper Mystery Series, starring an artificial intelligence.

Finally (for this post at least), Barbara Early will be releasing Death of a Russian Doll, the third in her Vintage Toy Shop Mystery Series. Liz McCall isn’t exactly crazy about meeting her boyfriend Police Chief Ken Young’s estranged wife, but she won’t need to get to know her for long, as the other woman is quickly found dead in her barber shop. Since Ken is the prime suspect, Liz’s dad (a retired police officer himself) is asked to investigate… and Liz will no doubt need to get involved in the investigation as well. Barbara Early also writes as Beverly Allen, the name she uses when releasing the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery Series, which stars a flower shop owner in Virginia.

If you’re interested in looking for more Christmas themed Cozies, be sure to visit the theme page on my site: Christmas Themed Cozies

One New Cozy Mystery Series and Four New Holiday-Themed Cozy Mysteries Coming October 2018

October will be a really interesting month for Cozy Mystery releases by site authors – we’ll only have one new series, but many holiday-themed Cozy mysteries! So I’ve decided to discuss the new series and the non-Christmas holiday-themed Cozies in this post… Still deciding if I want to split up the Christmas Cozies into two posts or not, as there are a lot of them!

The new Cozy Mystery Series in October by a site author will be the Granny Reid Mystery Series, by G. A. McKevett, a spin-off of her Savannah Reid Mystery Series. The first novel will be titled Murder in Her Stocking, and will star Savannah’s grandmother, Stella, in a mystery set in the 1980s in sleepy McGill, Georgia…. not as “long long ago” as you might think when you consider that the Savannah Reid Mystery Series actually starts in the mid 1990s, but still definitely in “the past”! Also, this is actually also a holiday release, as it is set during Christmas in the 1980s… so I guess I’m discussing at least one Christmas themed Cozy today after all.

Next up will be a Mardi Gras themed Cozy Mystery, Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron, part of her Cajun Country Mystery Series. Mardi Gras is always a big draw in a Louisiana plantation turned bed-and-breakfast like the one Maggie Crozat works at, so anything that could hurt business is going to be hard to deal with. When a flood deposits the body of an unknown stranger behind the Crozat Plantation B&B, Maggie will once again need to put on her sleuth hat to help figure out not only who the person is, but why they were killed – all while maintaining a busy Mardi Gras schedule for the B&B’s scheduled guests.

Surprise – there will be two Mardi Gras mysteries in October! The second will be Glitter Bomb, the 15th entry in Laura Childs & Terrie Farley Moran‘s Scrapbooking Mystery Series. A Mardi Gras float might seem like a strange thing to use as a murder weapon, but that seems to be the case when a member of a Mardi Gras krewe is killed by what first seems to be a freak accident. However, initial investigations start to turn up more and more reasons why the dead man might have been killed – and even Carmela’s best friend Ava’s ex-husband Shamus might be a suspect. Terrie Farley Moran is also the author of the Read ’em and Eat Mystery Series, while Laura Childs is likely best known for the Tea Shop Mystery Series and the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series.

Finally, Ellie Alexander will be releasing an Oktoberfest themed Cozy Mystery, The Pint of No Return, the second in her Sloan Krause Mystery series. When a movie star and his production crew turns up in Leavenworth, Washington, to film at the local Bavarian brewfest, no one expects him to turn up dead at the bar. Local brewmaster Sloan Krause will need to help get on the case to restore the communities reputation and revive the festivities. Ellie Alexander also writes the Bakeshop Mystery Series, as well as the Rose City Mystery Series and Pacific Northwest Mystery Series under the name Kate Dyer-Seeley.

Six New Holiday-Themed Cozy Mysteries Coming September 2018 (Part 2 of 2)

As promised earlier this week, here’s a quick synopsis of the rest of the holiday-themed Cozy Mysteries coming out in September, 2018! This will be the Christmas-themed Cozies, and there will be six of them.

First up, Allison Brook will be releasing Read and Gone, the 2nd entry in her Haunted Library Mystery Series. Librarian Carrie Singleton is preparing for Christmas when her father turns up, but it isn’t the festive occasion you might think – he’s been in trouble with the law for most of his life, and as she expects his arrival is an attempt to drag her into another questionable enterprise. But she knows he isn’t a murderer, so when he turns up in jail for killing a local jeweler, she knows she’ll need to do something to keep him from being charged with the one crime he actually didn’t commit. Allison Brook also writes under the name Marilyn Levinson, under which she has written the Golden Age of Mystery book Club Mystery Series and the Lydia Krause Mystery Series.

Next, Amanda Flower will be releasing the third book in her Amish Candy Shop Mystery Series, titled Premeditated Peppermint. Bailey King is preparing for her first holiday season in Harvest, Ohio, but it’s interrupted when a former boyfriend turns up unexpected to film an authentic Amish Christmas. She may not be fond of her ex, but when his producer turns up dead and he seems the only suspect, she knows she’ll have to stop him from paying for a crime he didn’t commit. Amanda Flower also writes the Magic Garden Mystery Series, the Living History Museum Mystery Series, the Magical Bookshop Mystery Series, the Appleseed Creek Mystery Series, the India Hayes Mystery Series, and (as Isabella Alan) the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series.

Joanne Fluke will be releasing Christmas Cake Murder, the 23rd in her very popular Hannah Swensen Mystery Series (at least the 3rd Christmas as well!). This might be the 23rd entry, but it’s actually set much earlier in the series – it’s actually a prequel, starring a young Hannah who has yet to open the Cookie Jar! She has been volunteering at the local hospice, and is surprised to find out that what she had thought to be a crime fiction piece by one of the residents was actually a true accounting of a story. To prevent a disaster in the holiday season, she’ll find herself solving yet another (and yet possibly her first) potential mystery.

Next, Tonya Kappes will be releasing Tangled Up in Tinsel, the 6th in her Kenni Lowry Mystery Series. Christmas in Cottonwood Kentucky evidently involves murder this year, as Sheriff Kenni’s grandfather (former sheriff himself, current ghost) arrives once again to help solve an unexpected death. Tonya Kappes also writes the Killer Coffee Mystery Series, the Camper & Criminals Mystery Series, the Ghostly Southern Mystery Series, the Magical Cures Mystery Series, the Spies and Spells Mystery Series, and the Divorced Diva Mystery Series… among others, plus the Southerner Cake Baker Mystery Series written as Maymee Bell.

Colette London will be releasing the fifth in her Chocolate Whisperer Mystery Series, The Peppermint Mocha Murder. Luxury consultant and chocolate connoisseur Haydon Mundy Moore is preparing for a vacation, but for now she’s off to New England with her friend and financial adviser Travis for the opening of his holiday musical. Unfortunately, the show may not go on when the show’s producer turns up dead. She’ll need to crack the case – and learn a few mysteries about Travis in the process – to enjoy a happy holiday.

Finally, Carol J. Perry will be releasing Bells, Spells, and Murders, the 7th in her Witch City Mystery Series. Lee Barrett, reporter at WICH-TV in Salem, Massachusetts, will have a busy holiday season, covering live events. Unfortunately, one of her interviews turns out to be with a dead man, as she finds the chairman of a walking tour dead in his office, still wearing a bloody Santa hat. As usual, Lee will need to rely on her cat O’Ryan and her own psychic abilities to get to the bottom of this murder most foul.

Whew! That’s quite the list. Christmas in September, I suppose? If you’re still in the mood for more Christmas-themed Cozies, be sure to visit the Christmas Cozies pages on the site.

Two New Holiday-Themed Cozy Mysteries Coming September 2018 (Part 1 of 2)

Well, it’s Monday, so I’d normally post the list of the upcoming weeks… but I’ve been so behind on this from the end of the month rolling right into new month and then another week of releases finally getting posted a few days ago, I wanted to post something a bit more substantive. So I’m going to hold off on the normal Monday post for a few days, and instead begin discussing September’s holiday book releases.

There will be a lot of them! Enough that it makes sense to split it up into two sections, a non-Christmas post and a Christmas themed post. Today will be the non-Christmas holiday themed posts.

First will be Lynn Cahoon‘s A Deadly Brew, a novella in the Tourist Trap Mystery Series. This Halloween-themed mystery Will see the return of Jill Gardner, owner of the Coffee, Books, and More in South Cove, California. A haunted house is being set up, and for whatever reason the town decides that setting it up in the residence of a formerly vacant estate whose owner disappeared fifteen years ago. Of course, Jill can’t let this chance go to get to the bottom of the mysterious event! Lynn Cahoon also writes the Cat Latimer Mystery Series, starring a former English professor running a bed and breakfast, and the Farm-to-Fork Mystery Series, starring the owner of a restaurant in Idaho.

Second will be Forever Fudge, the 7th in Nancy Coco‘s Candy-Coated Mystery Series, and a Labor Day themed mystery! (Super rare! But these do exist…) Labor Day weekend has come at last, the end of the tourist season on Mackinac Island, and fudge shop owner Allie McMurphy would be expecting a bit more peace and quiet, except that a TV crew has arrived to film a murder mystery show. When a note is found on a very real body found in a nearby alley challenging Allie to solve the crime, she feels like it’s her responsibility to stop a crazed killer from striking again! Nancy Coco also writes (as Nancy J. Parra) the Wine County Mystery Series, starring the owner of a family winery, the Baker’s Treat Mystery Series starring a gluten free bakery owner, the Perfect Proposals Mystery Series, starring an event planner, and (as Nell Hampton) the Kensington Palace Chef Mystery Series starring a personal chef to the royal family.

So, that’s it for non-Christmas themed Cozies for September! I know that’s only two, but there will be several more coming up, all Christmas themed – probably after I do this week’s new releases.

For more Halloween Themed Cozies, visit the Halloween Cozies list on the site.

For more Labor Day Themed Cozies, visit the Labor Day Cozies list on the site.

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