Today I’ll be featuring another classic Cozy, one that has been recommended many times and, in this case, one that I have read before myself, though years ago at this point, titled Thyme of Death. This is the first book in Susan Wittig Albert‘s China Bayles Mystery Series, which has grown to not only be one of the longest-running mystery series on the site, but also one of the most influential regarding modern Cozies.

Published in 1992, this is definitely the precursor to what I would consider the modern Cozy Mystery. The protagonist, China Bayles, is a former lawyer from the “big city” – in this case, Houston. Hitting a midlife crisis in her late thirties, China decided to give up her law career and follow her old passion of herbal botany, moving to the small (fictional) town of Pecan Springs midway between San Antonio and Austin. Naturally, having made this move a few years ago, she’s already close friends with many of her eccentric neighbors.

All of this might be very standard in modern Cozies, but it wasn’t anywhere near as widespread back when this was released in the early ’90s. I would go so far as to say that this is one of the cornerstones of modern Cozies in general. There are some modern elements missing – a modern Cozy usually features a zany/free-spirited older relative, and I don’t think China ever spent childhood summers in Pecan Springs that she has come to idealize during her breakneck city career – but you can definitely see the blueprint of the modern Cozy quite clearly despite these variations.

One element from many modern Cozies that I don’t miss is that this particular novel gets to the crime very quickly, while many modern mysteries tend to move much more slowly into the crime element. One of the previously mentioned eccentric neighbors is discovered dead by her daughter and China is one of the first people she calls for consolation. Naturally, it turns out that there are plenty of people who might have wanted the dead woman gone, and serious questions about whether she committed suicide.

Despite having so many familiar modern elements, it also has its old-fashioned parts, at least by modern sensibilities. First, I will warn those who prefer their Cozies perfectly “clean” that this does include significantly more profanity than I would consider normal in a modern Cozy. There are also some relatively uncomfortable “real-life” influences that might be a bit less likely to be brought up in modern Cozies. In this case, the primary victim is currently undergoing depression due to her bad prognosis for her breast cancer, which causes the initial ruling of suicide that the police reach seem more plausible. Many of these elements would be less likely to be present in a modern Cozy – none of them bother me, but I did think I should bring it up for my more sensitive readers.

I will also say that I normally link Kindles in my image links because that is how I read books these days, but that is not what I would recommend here. The Kindle isn’t a particularly good transfer, with numerous formatting issues and errors in punctuation and other minor issues that I doubt are present in the paperback. So I would recommend against the Kindle version.

All told, I would strongly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an older Cozy, though be warned that compared to more modern, more sanitized Cozies, this is going to be a bit closer to “reality” than most of the comfort-food sort of Cozies of today.

Death on Tap by Ellie Alexander is the next book that I am featuring as part of my Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series posts. Death on Tap introduces Sloan Krause, a craft beer expert who works at a family brewery in Leavenworth, Washington.  Within the first few pages of the story, Sloan catches her husband cheating on her with a barmaid, and she leaves him and joins a new brewery called Nitro. There she meets Garrett Strong, a handsome brewmaster who is the owner of the newest microbrewery in town.

The story takes place in Leavenworth, Washington, a small town that has a Bavarian theme and attracts tourists and beer lovers with its festivals and breweries. When I say small town, I mean really small town with maybe 2000 full-time residents. Thus, when Sloan, who had been married for around 15 years to Mac, discovers him with another woman, she is mortified that everyone will find out or, even worse, already knows about his cheating. So, she lies low for a few weeks, kicks Mac out of the house, and finds a job with another brewery since she can’t see herself continuing to work beside Mac in his family’s brewery.  

Before too long, there is a murder and Sloan feels compelled to try to solve the mystery of who committed the first such crime in town in many years.

Death on Tap is perfect for fans of Cozy Mysteries who enjoy quirky characters, witty dialogue, delicious food descriptions, and especially beer information in a very a cozy setting. The book is also great for beer enthusiasts who want to learn more about craft beer and its origins. 

I was especially impressed by the quality of the writing. The style is concise and precise. There are not too many flowery descriptions and the story (written in the first person from Sloan’s perspective), jumps from one important scene to another. I have to admit, I appreciated for once that the murder did not take place until maybe 20-30 percent into the book. Despite the apparently slow pace that this suggests, the introduction of Sloan and the town is written in a way that I found hard to put down.

Anyway, I guess I’m just trying to say that I really enjoyed Death on Tap.

As a side note, Ellie Alexander has also written the Bakeshop Mystery Series which I wrote about back in 2021 — here’s a link to that post if you are interested.

And, finally she also has written under what I believe is her real name, Kate Dyer-Seeley.

If you’re interested in seeing some of the other entries I’ve written on other highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

Carly Hale is a thirty two year old woman who has recently moved back to her home town of Balsam Dell, Vermont, to fulfill her dream of opening a grilled cheese restaurant. Carly used the insurance money she received after the tragic death of her husband in an accident to furnish and fit-out the cafe. Carly, of course, is the sleuth in Linda Reilly’s Up to No Gouda, the first book in the Grilled Cheese Mystery Series, which is the next book I’m featuring in my posts discussing the most recommended and popular Cozy Mystery series.  

Up to No Gouda, begins, appropriately enough, with Carly ladling out tomato soup to be served with her “Party Havarti” grilled cheese sandwich. Carly’s restaurant has only been open a few months, but sitting near the Balsam Dell town center with its tourist attracting shops and foot traffic from the locals, it has become quite the sensation in the town that has earned the reputation as one of New England’s coziest villages. Carly was not only fortunate in her choice of locations — she also has hired two of the best employees a small cafe could want. Both Suzanne, her server and all around helper, and Grant, her young cook, are excellent at their jobs.

Unfortunately, Carly only rents the space for her cafe. The lease is soon expiring, and the new owner of the property has no intention of extending or renewing the lease. So, after only a few months of being open, Carly faces the prospect of relocating to another location farther from the town center.

Being a cozy mystery, before long Carly finds a body behind her restaurant. And, one of her prized employees comes under a cloud of suspicion. Carly can’t let her employee be wrongly accused, and thus, the sleuthing begins.

I love grilled cheese as much as just about anybody. But, I have to admit, I had my doubts about a series centered around a grilled cheese restaurant. However, after reading just a few pages of Up to No Gouda, I was hooked and my misgivings vanished. The setting has all of the classic (and thus attractive) elements of cozy mysteries. Balsam Dell is literally a cozy village. Carly is surrounded by old and new acquaintances in this small town and in her cafe. Carly is widowed, but not so recently that she doesn’t have a budding potential romance. Also, she is quite familiar with the older police chief who is an old friend of her family. And, there is a small dog (pictured on the cover) who becomes part of the story. (I almost forgot to mention that there are grilled cheese tips and recipes at the end of the book.) 

I had a good time reading Up to No Gouda.  The setting is attractive, and the characters are memorable. My time reading this story just flew by. I hope there are many more entries in this charming series by Linda Reilly. 

If you’re interested in seeing other most recommended or popular Cozy Mystery authors/series, please visit the Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.