Recently I’ve been re-visiting a lot of the Cozy (and almost-Cozy) series that I’ve enjoyed over the years. I have written previous posts talking about these books: Spencer Quinn’s Chet and Bernie Mystery Series and “Jessica Fletcher” & Donald Bain: Murder She Wrote Mysteries are two such examples. My most recent re-visit is Death by Darjeeling, the first book in Laura Childs‘ Tea Shop Mystery Series.

The Tea Shop Mystery Series stars Theodosia Browning, former advertising executive and current owner/manager of Charleston’s Indigo Tea Shop. When a customer of a local tour dies suspiciously after having a drink of Theo’s special tea blend, her business begins to suffer. To make things worse, the investigator in charge seems to think that Theo’s part time worker might be responsible… or maybe even Theo herself!

Aside from Theo herself, the Indigo Tea Shop staff includes, Drayton, somewhat fussy but nevertheless loveable master tea taster, and Haley, a part-time college students who serves as both the clerk and the baker for the shop. Also of particular note is Earl Grey, Theo’s darling adopted dog. The series also has a regular cast of backup characters such as Delaine Dish, local gossip, and Jory Davis, lawyer and love interest.

One of the great things about local based Cozies like the Tea Shop mysteries is that they give a strong sense of location. Childs works hard to make Charleston almost a character in and of itself. Childs sprinkles in plenty of verifiable facts, such as the ownership of the Charleston Tea Plantation, that quickly give her an air of authority about Charleston, helping the reader feel like they are truly immersing themselves in the location.

Overall, I would say that the one word that most summarizes the Tea Shop mysteries is charm. The Tea Shop mysteries excel because of the rich and vibrant portrayal of both the characters and the setting as well as the mysteries themselves.

P.S. If you’re interested in other entries about some highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can see them on the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

As most of you Cozy Mystery readers who have been with me for a while know, I usually enjoy reading Cozies that you would consider “classics” of the Cozy Mystery genre, however, sometimes I make exceptions >>> as I’m guessing a lot of you do! I little while ago I found myself reading another of Spencer Quinn‘s Chet and Bernie mysteries. While you technically wouldn’t consider them to be Cozy Mysteries, I absolutely love them! Spencer Quinn is one of my very favorite mystery authors. I would recommend the Chet and Bernie mysteries to anyone who is looking for a good time, however, I must warn you that it is not technically a Cozy Mystery series.

The Chet and Bernie Mystery Series starts with Dog On It. Chet is an almost-former police dog who is now owned by private investigator, Bernie Little. I wouldn’t call Chet this book’s “sleuth” – despite being the narrator, Chet is limited far more than most animals you will see portrayed in Cozy fiction, which can be surprisingly refreshing. Many books featuring an animal as a main character tend to make them more “human” than in this book – instead, Chet is periodically distracted by things like cats, noises, and his own tail, and even has trouble telling people apart if he can’t smell them clearly. It is because of these limitations and shortcomings that I came to love Chet – he’s a dog, not a person that happens to look like an animal.

In a lot of ways, Dog On It feels more like a pulp detective novel than a Cozy Mystery. The detective Bernie is a rather hard-bitten, hard-drinking private investigator with military experience. He investigates things like drugs and disappearances, not the politely bloodless murders often featured in Cozies. Another character even compares Bernie to a Raymond Chandler character at one point, so Bernie is obviously intended to fit the “private investigator” more popular in pulp fiction. All that said, I still consider the Chet and Bernie series somewhat Cozy because of the narration provided by lively Chet. Because so much of the story is told through his clever (but limited) point of view, Quinn’s stories always feel light, even if the subject material sometimes isn’t.

By the way, Spencer Quinn is also known as Peter Abrahams, a mystery author for both adults and children. He writes both the Echo Falls Mystery Series and The Outlaws of Sherwood Street mysteries for grades 5-8. Abrahams (Quinn) has been nominated and won the Agatha Award for Best Children/Young Adult mysteries as well as the been nominated and won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult mysteries.

For those of you who haven’t already found how wonderful the Chet and Bernie Mystery Series is, Quinn has written three stories that can give you a feel for the series:

A Cat Was Involved (prequel story)

The Iggy Chronicles

Tail of Vengeance

P.S. If you’re interested in other entries about some highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can see them on the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

As I told you a little while back, I’m going to start to look more closely at the most recommended Cozy Mystery authors and series you all have recommended. This time, I’m taking a look at Donald Bain (and “Jessica Fletcher‘s”!) first Murder, She Wrote mystery, Manhattan & Murder. Oh, and before I forget, Donald and “Jessica” have been recommended many times, so I must not be the only one who enjoys their Cozy Mysteries! (Gin and Daggers is actually the first Murder, She Wrote mystery – although it was republished chronologically as the 13th book. Hope that makes sense!)

I have to be honest – normally I don’t expect a lot when I hear that a television show or movie has a series of books based on the format. Generally such works seem like blatant cash-ins, with little actual effort going into their production, and whatever magic was involved in the show tends to get lost in translation. This hasn’t ever been the case with the Murder, She Wrote mystery books, a fact that I think can be traced to Donald Bain’s (and “Jessica Fletcher’s”!) quite excellent work.

Of course, the classic cast and the characters they portrayed in the show certainly do help set the stage. Jessica Fletcher is one of the greatest personifications of the author-sleuth, a mystery writer who uses her imagination and “experience” with fake murders to helps solve actual crimes. Her recurring supporting cast from Cabot Cove also help set the right tone, with just the right amount of small city affability without turning them into caricatures. I’m not sure I’d enjoy the books as much if I didn’t have a perfect mental image of Jessica Fletcher already in my head – but fortunately this isn’t a question I’ll ever need answered. If you enjoy the television series and love reading Cozy Mysteries, I’m sure you’ll love Donald Bain’s (and “Jessica Fletcher’s”!) book adaptations of the Murder, She Wrote television show.

P.S. If you’re interested in other entries about some highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can see them on the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.