Most Popular and Recommended Mystery Series

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Mystery Series

March 23, 2017

Next in my series of posts looking at some of the most popular and recommended cozy mystery series is Nancy Atherton’s Aunt Dimity’s Death, the first of her much beloved Aunt Dimity books.

I first read this book not long after it first came out way back in the 90s. Upon re-reading it recently, I have to say I learned that I gave it way too little credit back then.

The book, and the series for that matter, is quite unusual for the Cozy Mystery genre. There are lots of differences from the standard Cozy. One is that the books are mostly shorter than the norm for today. Aunt Dimity’s Death is listed at 196 pages. I know we have discussed the length of modern Cozies before (see here and here for a couple of our earlier discussions) — with many of you suggesting that you want the books to be longer – in the 300 page or longer vicinity. However, I find this book to be refreshingly short.

Oddly enough, even though the book is short, the pacing is leisurely. This is not a Cozy for those of you who want the murder to be in the first two chapters! In fact, although there are mysterious goings on in the first half of the book, I don’t think the real mystery that needs to be resolved is revealed until somewhere approaching half-way into the book!

Another difference is that the series has a number of books where there is no murder at all to solve. I don’t think I am giving too much away to suggest that in this first book of the series, the mystery is not a murder but rather is one of love and separation, and guilt and regret.

I understand now why this series is so often recommended and is so beloved by its fans. The series began in 1992 and the newest book, number 22 of the series, will be released this year. Nancy Atherton only releases about one book a year – another unusual fact for a modern Cozy author!

The book is charming; it tells a beguiling story of a little girl now grown up, a friendship that was sustained only by letters for decades, a woman who had lost everything including her faith in humanity, a haunted English cottage, and the spirit of “Aunt” Dimity who was filled with regret and guilt but whose love for her friend’s daughter leads to both her and the daughter learning again the power of love, friendship and laughter.

Yes, there is a paranormal aspect to this series. However, in re-reading Aunt Dimity’s Death I was surprised by what a relatively small role the paranormal played in the story. Normally, I am not one for paranormal mysteries, but, to me, in this book the paranormal was both literally and figuratively “magical”.

If you are in the mood for a charming and whimsical mystery with a touch of paranormal and a large dose of heart, I heartily recommend Aunt Dimity’s Death.

Click here to read more posts about the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery series.

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series

February 14, 2017

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that I have been trying to read (or re-read) and talk about some of the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery series at least once or twice a month. The next in this series is the Flower Shop Mystery Series by Kate Collins. Mum’s the Word is the first book in this series which introduces us to our sleuth, Abby Knight.

Abby Knight is the proud owner of her own flower shop, “Bloomers”. She recently flunked out of law school and was dumped by her rich lawyer fiancée just a few weeks before her wedding. However, despite her recent setbacks, Abby has bought both a used yellow Corvette and “Bloomers” and is trying to make the flower shop a go.

The book opens with Abby in a good mood ready to face another day when someone in a dark SUV backs into her prized Corvette and drives off without leaving any contact information. This hit and run accidents starts a series of events that eventually lead to Abby investigating a murder that may involve a corrupt politician, corrupt policemen, an abusive husband of a friend of her co-worker, illegal sales of drugs and more!

Needless to say, Abby has her hands full sleuthing! Luckily she gets the support of the handsome bar owner just a couple of doors down from her shop, Marco. Marco is an ex-cop so he has some sleuthing chops of his own. He and Abby make quite a team. In addition to Marco, Abby has a contact (and other potential suitor), Greg, who is a lawyer in the District Attorney’s office. So when she needs inside information she has this insider to use.

As some of you already know, normally I’m not crazy about a lot of romance in my Cozies. I prefer the Cozies I read to be heavy on the mystery puzzle to solve and light on the romance (or other extraneous) elements. This Cozy is pretty heavy on the “how will Abby’s love life go” element. But, for some reason, I thought these parts of the book were just fine. They were woven into the mystery story so skillfully that I thought they naturally belonged.

Also, there is a (very) little use of strong language by one of the potential villains in the book. The words he uses seem to fit his character and the circumstances, but for those of you who want absolutely no such language in your Cozies, this is not for you.

Finally, I need to mention that several of the books in this series have been made into Hallmark mystery movies that are shown on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. Brook Shields portrays Abby in the movies and the plot and characters in the movies bear little resemblance to those of the book. I wouldn’t say either the book or the movies are better Cozy Mysteries, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide. I will say that I enjoyed the movies, and I recommend this book.

And, as a postscript, I’ll mention that a while back I interviewed Kate Collins – you can read the interview here.

P.S. As always, if you are interested in reading some of the other entries about highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

Jenn McKinlay: Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series

November 22, 2016

Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series is the next in the posts I am writing about the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery series. Sprinkle With Murder is the first in the series which introduces us to Melanie Cooper, Angie Delaura, Tate Harper and other characters closely associated with Mel, Angie and Tate. Mel and Angie have just opened a cupcake bakery in old town Scottsdale. Tate, an investment adviser, has invested in the bakery to support his two oldest friends, Mel and Angie.

Before you know it, Tate’s fiance is found murdered with a poisoned cupcake in her hand. Since Mel and Angie really disliked Christie (and there was much to dislike in the victim), it is only natural that they become prime suspects. After all, the cupcake in question was provided by Mel as a sample for the planned wedding.

Of course, there are several other suspects, including Tate himself. Given Christie’s personality, it seems that almost everyone in Scottsdale (or at least everyone who has met her) is a reasonable suspect.

Anyway, in order to clear her and her friends names, and to reverse the blot on the bakery’s reputation that a poisoned cupcake has caused, Mel, naturally, starts to investigate the murder.

This is a fun Cozy Mystery. I enjoyed the fast action and the distinctive (but not zany) characters. (Well, maybe the owner of the competing bakery in town is a bit zany — at least she is obsessed with the new competition.)

The book contains some potential romance for the two main female leads. This side of the story is not emphasized too much, so if you are like me and you are happy to focus on the mystery, the romance is fine.

Also, the book does contain recipes for cupcakes, but there is not excessive discussion of baking or running a bakery >> and that is fine by me! Don’t get me wrong, I like cupcakes (probably a bit too much) but, here as with most themed Cozy Mysteries, I like the characters and the mysteries to be the primary emphasis of the stories with the theme providing only an interesting background.

The Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series began in 2010 and will be up to nine books with the release of the next one planned in 2017. So, if you like series that don’t end after three or so books, this one might be for you. And, Sprinkle With Murder is 242 pages, so it does not hit the all too common 300 page length that I sometimes feel means the story is padded a bit. I enjoyed reading about Mel, Angie and Tate and look forward to the rest in the series.

To see all the series written by Jenn Mckinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence), click here for her page on the site.

You can see the other entries I have written about the most popular and recommended series here.

Ellery Adams: Books by the Bay Mystery Series

October 26, 2016

Next up on my list of the most popular and recommended series, I’ve decided to reread the first book in Ellery Adam‘s Books by the Bay Mystery Series, A Killer Plot.

This book actually ties in neatly to one of the previous entries in this series, the Ashton Corner’s Book Club by Erika Chase. Much like Erika Chase’s series, the Books by the Bay series revolves around a group of book enthusiasts, though in this case it is a writer’s group instead of a reading group. I do find it interesting that none of the initial writers are necessarily writers of mystery fiction. Most books revolving around a literary theme such as a writer’s club, reader’s club, or library or book store type setting tend to revolve around mystery fiction, but the Bayside Book Writer’s Club instead has a wide variety of would-be authors, including diverse interests such as romance, science fiction, and Olivia (the sleuth of the series) own interest, historical fiction.

As is inevitable in Cozy mysteries, whenever more than three people gather, murder is sure to follow, and it isn’t long before the leader of the writer’s club turns up dead. New group member Olivia Limoges, touched by the charmer (the victim) and offended by the murder, decides to get to the bottom of the case.

One thing I definitely like about this series is that Olivia isn’t too similar to what you would think of as a standard modern Cozy sleuth. Many modern Cozy sleuths are either small business owners of food industry like bakeries or hobby shops catering to something like knitting, while others work in a very Cozy-friendly environment like a library. While these are good ways to hook a series into a given “theme” through the protagonist’s work, after a while they can sometimes seem a bit similar. In contrast, Olivia is independently wealthy, as her family has had significant means and influence in the town she lives in for some time. This also helps lend a certain amount of realism to certain elements of a Cozy that sometimes feel a bit questionable – namely, how does the owner of a small business also find time to continuously solve mysteries? It sure must be easier if you are wealthy enough to not worry about working a regular job!

(As someone who recently adopted a dog, I’ll admit I also particularly enjoyed Olivia’s interactions with her four-legged companion, Captain Haviland, her well-trained standard poodle. I’ll admit our little Cocoa isn’t at all as well-trained as Captain Haviland, but she is still a puppy after all!)

If you’re looking for a modern Cozy series with a non-standard protagonist, there’s a lot to recommend in the Books by the Bay Mystery Series. Ellery Adams also writes a number of other popular series that are at the top of a lot of our favorite Cozies lists; she’s also the author of the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series, the Book Retreat Mystery Series, the Supper Club Mystery Series, the Antiques & Collectibles Mystery Series, and the Hope Street Church Mystery Series. (She sure does keep busy!)

If you’re interested in reading more of these brief revisits of some of the more popular Cozy Mystery Series that I’ve written in the past, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

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