Lately I’ve been going back and revisiting some of the Cozy Mystery series most recommended by visitors to the site. A few of my recent articles on these topics were on Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats Mystery Series and the Consignment Shop Mystery Series by Duffy Brown. Another of these highly recommended mystery series is the Domestic Diva Mystery Series by Krista Davis – today I’ll be discussing the first book in the series, The Diva Runs Out of Thyme.

This novel introduces us to Sophie Winston, a divorcée with a talent for hosting parties, decorating, giving advice, and other domestic tasks that are traditionally considered the personal domain of divas. When the novel opens she is gearing up to face-off against one of her oldest friends and rivals, Natasha Smith. Natasha’s not a bad person certainly, but the domestic advice she gives out is definitely a bit on the impractical side, far different from Sophie’s more down to earth “common sense” style advice tips. Sophie and Natasha will be competing in a local stuffing competition, suitable since Thanksgiving is coming up over the long weekend.

Unfortunately (as in all Cozies!) disaster must strike for there to be a plot. Naturally, the two people who have turned up dead are tied to Sophie in some way (the first a somewhat-shady private investigator who is apparently investigating Sophie >>> whose body Sofie discovers, the second the main judge of the stuffing competition >>> again unluckily discovered by Sophie). So Sophie’s already complicated Thanksgiving suddenly becomes even more stressful with a pair of homicide investigations lurking in the background. A sudden fire at her rival Natasha’s house further complicates Thanksgiving, as Sophie finds herself suddenly hosting Natasha’s friends and family as well – including Sophie’s ex-husband Mars, who is now quite attached to Natasha! Even worse, Sophie ends up being considered a potential suspect in the fire as well!

The Diva Runs Out of Thyme is in many ways an archetypal Cozy since it takes an already surprisingly stressful situation (in this case a family visit rotating around Thanksgiving) and further adds complicating elements >>> namely police investigations, a wrinkle I think most people can be thankful they don’t have to face at the average holiday gathering! The Domestic Diva Series also gives out a lot of interesting advice, including recipes and tips for entertaining.

This is a fast-paced series, with end-of-chapter cliff hangers that will keep you turning the pages as quickly as you can. The characters are vividly colorful and make you feel like you’re right there spending time with friends. The mysteries are interesting; don’t be surprised to find red herrings, and Davis usually has a few little side mysteries going at the same time as the murders are being solved. Also, if you love holiday themed Cozies as much as I do, you’ll be happy to know that Krista Davis’ Domestic Diva series has several.

If you’re already a fan of the Domestic Diva Mystery Series, you might also be interested in the other series that Krista Davis started relatively recently, the Paws & Claws Mystery Series, which stars Holly Miller, an employee of a family-owned hotel intended for both human guests and their pets. (I’m sure our beloved Sprite would have loved staying at the Sugar Maple Inn in Wagtail, Virginia! I know I would have >>> minus the murders, that is!)

If you’re interested in seeing some of the other entries I’ve written on the other highly recommended Cozy Mystery series in these previous write-ups, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site. Also, if you would like to see even more holiday themed mysteries, check out the Holiday Mystery Book List page on my site.

The Consignment Shop Mystery Series by Duffy Brown is yet another of the most recommended Cozy Mystery series in our monthly recommendations. The first book from the series is Iced Chiffon from 2012 and the series is already up to book five. (Great news for us!)

In Iced Chiffon we are introduced to the heroine, Reagan Summerside, whose mother is a local judge and a staunch Republican (thus the name “Reagan”). Reagan has just recently divorced from Hollis Beaumont, a seemingly well-off and well-connected in Savannah, real estate broker. The marriage lasted seven years. Against the stern advice from her mother, Reagan had married Hollis and had signed a prenuptial agreement that had left her pretty much destitute after the divorce. The only things she has left are her house (which her ex-husband has agreed to sign over but has not yet done so in the first book) and some of her clothes.

The book opens with Reagan living in her much loved sparsely furnished Victorian house that she and Hollis had bought and that she has partially refinished. Most of the furnishings have gone to pay some of her bills, and she is going through her clothes to take them to a consignment shop to pay even more bills. Instead, she eventually opens her own consignment shop (the Prissy Fox) due to the rapidly spreading of the word that Reagan has some nice designer clothes to sell. When she discovers the body of her ex-husband’s new girlfriend in front of her house in his car’s trunk, not only does the hunt for the killer begin, but Reagan’s new business gets some free publicity! (Hmmm, I think it’s a good thing…)

Our plucky heroine gets involved in solving the mystery to prevent her house from needing to be sold to pay for Hollis’ attorney fees when he (inevitably) is arrested for the murder. Reagan, along with her Aunt Kiki (who conveniently lives and runs a dance studio right next door), begins searching for clues and suspects in order to get her ex-husband off before the attorney’s fees rack up too high.

Set in and around a district with lovely historic homes in Savannah, Georgia, Reagan and her Aunt Kiki make a classic modern Cozy Mystery sleuth duo. With those two, along with Reagan’s practical, stern, and political mother, and Reagan’s two retired teacher neighbors who make money being paid to attend wakes, there are plenty of interesting recurring characters to get to know. (Yes, that’s what I said! Paid mourners!)

And, there is the handsome ex-gang member lawyer, Walker Boone. Walker represented Reagan’s ex in their divorce proceeding and has been retained to defend him over the murder charge. Reagan can’t stand Walker Boone because of the divorce negotiations where she lost practically everything. But she has to work with him (after a fashion) to try to get her ex-husband off before the attorney fees skyrocket and she loses her house. A handsome lawyer with a bad-boy past whom our heroine hates but has to work with. Hmm, I wonder where that leads?

Duffy Brown’s Consignment Shop Mystery Series is frequently recommended in our monthly recommendations >>> and I know why. It is a modern Cozy series with interesting and quirky but not too kooky characters. It has a setting filled with southern charm (and possible romance), with a sleuth who adopts a stray dog, is not daunted by having to take the bus (she has sold her car) to search for clues, and stops at nothing to get the truth to save her house and business. Recommended for anyone looking for a light and fun modern Cozy Mystery read.

P.S. If you’d like to see other entries about some of the most recommended Cozy Mystery authors, be sure to check out the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

As some of you know, I’ve been going back recently and revisiting some of the most popular Cozy Mystery series most frequently recommended by visitors to the site. I’ve written previous entries on authors like Donna Andrews’s Meg Langslow Mystery Series and the Southern Sisters Mystery Series by Anne George. Today I’ll be discussing another of the relatively recent “classic” types of Cozy >>> namely the paranormal cat series by Sofie Kelly, the Magical Cats Mystery Series, which starts with Curiosity Thrilled the Cat. (Although I don’t read a lot of paranormal Cozy Mysteries, this is one of that I do.)

Kathleen is a bit different from some other Cozy Mystery sleuths in small towns, namely she isn’t a local coming home to take over some type of family business. Instead she is a relative “city slicker” herself, having grown up travelling from city to city with her parents, both of whom are professional actors. (If you lived in her setting, you may know her father best as singing raisin in that one catchy cereal commercial or some similar role of questionable dignity).

When Curiosity Thrilled the Cat starts, Kathleen has been in the small town of Mayville Heights, Minnesota for a very short time, but she’s already started to learn a surprising amount about many of the town’s residents from her job, temporary head librarian. (Apparently you can learn a lot about people from the sort of books they read >>> I wonder what that says about us Cozy lovers!)

When another “city slicker” turns up dead, the unsurprisingly disagreeable celebrity director of the Mayville Music Festival, Kathleen’s two newly adopted feline friends (tabby Owen and tuxedo Hercules) seem surprisingly intent on her getting to the bottom of the case. This proves especially difficult for Kathleen to ignore, as she quickly learns that Owen and Hercules have some very paranormal abilities over which Kathleen has absolutely no control. Catnip-addicted Owen is able to make himself invisible while Barry Manilow-loving Hercules is able to walk right through walls. All of this means Kathleen is going to not only solve the mysteries, but also contend with these paranormal felines! And, of course, there’s the town’s handsome detective who will join them in their sleuthing. (Actually, the detective isn’t that crazy about getting Kathleen’s help…)

The solid writing by Sofie Kelly makes the Magical Cats Mystery Series one of the most interesting of the “paranormal” type Cozy Mystery series available. Oh, and before I forget, Sofie Kelley also writes the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series as Sofie Ryan.

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.