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

Laura Bradford: Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery Series

December 27, 2017

Éclair and Present Danger (An Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery Book 1) I’ve just finished reading the first book in the Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery Series, Éclair and Present Danger, by Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey). This is the next book of the Most Popular and Recommended Series list that I have been compiling.

Laura Bradford is a new-to-me author, but she has been writing Cozies as Elizabeth Lynn Casey since 2009. She has five series listed on the site, and after having read Éclair and Present Danger, I believe that I must make time to try her other series!

Winnie Johnson is having a very bad day as the book begins. She discovers that her neighbor who recently died left her a cat (who doesn’t like Winnie) and an old ambulance. Winnie was hoping that she was being left some money or at least something of great value since this is also the last day her dream bakery is open. She is being forced to close because of an increase on the rent which she cannot pay and still keep the bakery a going concern. Her bad day gets worse by far when she discovers another elderly neighbor dead — murdered.

Of course, being a Cozy series, Winnie takes it upon herself to find the killer of her neighbor. And, it turns out that there are a number of people with ample motive to want him dead. Winnie, her friend Renee and her other elderly neighbors Bridget O’Keefe and Parker Nelson (Mr. Nelson lives in the other apartment in her house) all lend a hand (to varying degrees) in the sleuthing to find the killer.

And, Winnie has the brilliant idea to turn her old ambulance into a mobile delivery van for her new idea >> the “Emergency Dessert Squad” bakery business.  With Renee as her helper, Winnie uses her own home to bake the goodies with each having emergency-related names. And, then she delivers them using the ambulance. The names of the baked goods are along the lines of “You Are One Smart Cookie, Cookie”, and “Don’t-Be-Blue Berry Pie”. The business quickly becomes a great success with Bridget’s help >> Bridget writes a column in the local paper.

There are several potential romantic interests in the book for Winnie. Her friends are quite keen to see her find someone and settle down. Winnie is not so much in a hurry, but in the first book she does find someone who she likes a lot.

I enjoyed Éclair and Present Danger, and I am quite tempted to read the first book in Laura Bradford’s Amish Mystery Series soon (if I can find the time to squeeze in even more reading time!

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

PS: There are a bunch of recipes included at the end of the book!

 

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Ellen Byron: Cajun Country Mystery Series

October 27, 2017

Plantation Shudders: A Cajun Country Mystery Today I’ll be writing about one of the more popular Cozy Mystery series in recent years, Ellen Byron‘s Cajun Country Mystery Series, and specifically the first entry, Plantation Shudders.

In some ways, it might be a bit surprising to hear that Ellen Byron is one of the more recommended authors in the recent Cozy Mystery recommendations posts. After all, she only has a single series, and it has only had three books released, one per year since the first entry came out Many authors nowadays are putting out three (or more!) books a year, often several different series at the same time, at a pace that personally I can find a bit overwhelming – there’s only so much time in a day after all!

So it can be very refreshing when a quality author is obviously spending their time to “get it right”, releasing one well-written, carefully crafted book per year rather than releasing an endless stream of new series in a hope that something will stick. Looking at Byron’s writing credits, it’s easy to see why she’s gotten so popular so quickly. She might be relatively new to Cozies, but she’s certainly no stranger to comedic writing, with credits to episodes from popular sitcoms such as Wings and Just Shoot Me!.

With that in mind, it shouldn’t be any surprise that Plantation Shudders is far more polished than the average debut novel has any right to be. Most authors take a bit of time to really get their stride and discover their writing voice, but the Cajun Country Mystery Series started strong, and it isn’t any surprise that the debut novel (and other entries since) have had multiple award nominations. Indeed, Body on the Bayou, the second entry, won a Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery Novel in 2017.

In addition to being one of the better written Cozies that has come out in recent years, Plantation Shudders also benefits from having a great setting in Pelican, a small town in Louisiana, and the Crozat family plantation, now converted into a bed and breakfast. Pelican and the Crozat plantation both give a feeling of the civil gentility of the old south, but the novel doesn’t shy away from addressing some of the darker elements of the old south, which can be a refreshing change from some settings in Cozies that seem to be entirely positive portrayals. (Aside from the surprising murder rates of course!)

The Crozat family, including the sleuth herself, Maggie Crozat, are also enjoyable and likable without becoming “over the top” or “zany” in inappropriate places. For example, Maggie’s Gran is portrayed as a fiesty older woman with plenty of spirit left in her – but she’s also an older woman, and it’s clear that the events of the novel make her more tired than normal, which is a surprisingly realistic and sympathetic reaction to such high stress situations as murder investigations (well, at least to someone else who is finding herself slowing down a bit in recent years…).

If you’re looking for a strong, well-written, modern Cozy with a great setting and interesting characters, I highly recommend giving the Cajun Country Mystery Series by Ellen Byron a try!

PS: For those looking for interesting looking Cajun-inspired recipes, be sure to check out the end of the book, as it has several great looking recipes!

To see others of the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery series, click here.

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Wendy Sand Eckel: Rosalie Hart Mystery Series

August 24, 2017

Murder at Barclay Meadow: A Mystery (Rosalie Hart) I have been reading (or sometimes re-reading) the first book from some of the most popular and recommended mystery series. I am trying to post at least one of these mini-reviews once every month. This month is one of the ones where I have met and exceeded my goal since this book is the second I am discussing this month!

Wendy Sand Eckel‘s Rosalie Hart Mystery Series is a relative newcomer to the Cozy Mystery site. The series so far only has two books, one from 2015 and one from 2016. Murder at Barclay Meadow begins the series with a bang, I think.

(Click on this link to see the entire list of Wendy Sand Eckel’s books on my site.)

Rosalie Hart, a recently separated 40 something housewife has just moved to an old house on the Eastern Shore area of Maryland she inherited from her aunt Charlotte. The house came with some prime farmland and sits on the banks of a river near a small town. Just after settling in to the old house, Rosalie discovers the body of a student, Megan, in the marsh on the edge of the river that borders Rosalie’s property.

Rosalie begins her investigation into what happened to Megan when the Sheriff inexplicably closes his case. Rosalie, and the new friends she meets in a creative writing class, become more and more convinced that Megan was murdered as they uncover details about Megan’s life and her last few days alive. The Sheriff remains uninterested and actually tries to intimidate Rosalie into stopping her snooping. But Rosalie, in the long tradition of mystery sleuths, will not be dissuaded and she (and her friends) persevere to find the truth.

As is not unusual in modern Cozies, there is a bit of strong language in the book (not too much, just a bit) and the description of Megan’s body is probably a bit more graphic than would have been in an Agatha Christie book.

Nevertheless, Murder at Barclay Meadow has many modern Cozy features such as the small town setting, a policeman who (definitely!) needs the sleuth’s help, a small group of good friends trying to help solve the mystery, and several potential romantic interests – which in Rosalie’s case include a handsome professor and a rugged farmer/handyman. Rosalie and her friends also use the Internet, especially Facebook, a great deal both in communicating with each other and in pursuing clues about Megan’s fate.

The book also contains a good amount of non-mystery related material and especially covers Rosalie’s emotional state regarding her husband’s recently discovered infidelity and her separation from him. And, it deals somewhat extensively with Rosalie’s relationship with her daughter, Annie, who attends college away from both Rosalie and her husband. Annie, like Rosalie, is having a hard time dealing with Rosalie’s split from her husband.

The novel is a delightful introduction to Rosalie, her new home, her small town and her small group of friends. There were enough suspects to keep me (mostly) unsure until very near the end of the book. And, Rosalie and her friends are given enough detail that they could well be real people. I hope there will be many more Rosalie Hart Mysteries.  I am looking forward to visiting with her and her friends again!

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

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Elizabeth J. Duncan: Penny Brannigan Mystery Series

July 20, 2017

The Cold Light of Mourning: A Penny Brannigan Mystery The next book that I have read in my effort to read (or reread) the most popular and recommended Cozy Mysteries that are listed on the site is “The Cold Light of Mourning“, the first in the Penny Brannigan Mystery Series by Elizabeth J. Duncan.

In this, the first of eight books in the series (so far), we are introduced to Penny Brannigan and her new friend, Victoria Hopkirk. Penny and her friend live in a small town in North Wales, Llanelen. Penny is a 50 something Canadian who stopped in Llanelen while backpacking across Wales when in her 20s. She found the town so welcoming and picturesque, that she stopped there for the night and never left. Penny is a manicurist and a part time artist (thus the beautiful Welsh town and countryside are especially attractive to her.) Victoria is a harpist who recently relocated from London after a divorce. Both of the (amateur) sleuths are in their early 50s.

The mystery opens with the death of Emma Teasdale, the elderly friend of Penny who Penny first encountered on that fateful day when Penny was looking for a place to stay for one night. Emma was a long-time school teacher, and she and Penny became great friends during  the 25 years or so after Penny arrived in Llanelen.

At the same time as Emma’s funeral is being planned, anticipation runs high in the small town for the imminent wedding of the local rich landowner’s son, Emyr, to a self-made beauty, Meg Wynne. When Meg Wynne goes missing on the day of her wedding, the mystery really begins.

Of course, there are several people who had a reason to wish Meg Wynne dead. And, Penny gets involved in the case because she was apparently the last person to see Meg Wynne before she disappeared. Also, Penny notices something wrong at her friend Emma’s funeral.

The police inspector in charge of the case is in his 50s and is also single – as is Penny. (Hmmm… Does this mean there will be an almost inevitable romance?) Victoria, of course, helps solve the case. More surprisingly, Emma also helps solve the case (I won’t give away the details of how except to mention that the mystery does not contain paranormal elements.)

This book is a great start to the mystery series. I can understand why this book was nominated for the Agatha Award for best best first novel. Penny, Victoria, Chief Inspector Gareth Davies and his Sergeant, Bethan Morgan, are all terrific Cozy Mystery characters. The small town setting is extremely well suited to the Cozy Mystery genre. And the mystery plays out in a very enjoyable way. After reading “The Cold Light of Mourning”, I felt as though I had found new friends to visit when I feel in the mood for a new Cozy!

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

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