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

Esme Addison: Enchanted Bay Mystery Series

October 20, 2023

A Spell for Trouble: An Enchanted Bay Mystery It’s time to once again continue my long-running post series on Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series, which, as the series name indicates, is all about the books that people have recommended the most over the years. This time, I’ll be highlighting a relatively short-lived series that I’ve still gotten a number of suggestions for, the Enchanted Bay Mystery Series by Esme Addison. As usual, I will be specifically discussing the first entry in the series, in this case A Spell For All.

A Spell For All is a rather new Cozy mystery, and as such it isn’t a big surprise that it highlights a number of the most modern trends in Cozies. Specifically, this is one of the most recent of the supernatural Cozies that I have added to the site, this one focusing on magical witchcraft elements.

Aleksandra (Alex) Daniels is returning to the small seaside town of Bellamy Bay, North Carolina. She hasn’t visited since the death of her mother twenty years ago, when her father mysteriously broke all contact with her aunt and cousins. However, when she gets an invitation to visit her relatives, she decides to take up the invitation, bringing along her German shepherd, Athena. This gives her a great opportunity to know her Aunt Lidia, as well as her cousins Minka and Kamila. Since she was also between jobs – her career as a risk-management specialist had hit some professional snags – she also takes some time to get to know her aunt and cousin’s herbal apothecary business, Botanika.

Naturally, this particular visit doesn’t just end up being an uneventful but emotional reunion. Shortly after Alex’s visit begins, a local is poisoned, and suspicion quickly falls upon Aunt Lidia, who had banned him from the store and argued with him earlier. Before long, it becomes evident that Aunt Lidia will need Alex’s help to avoid being blamed for the crime that her niece doesn’t believe she committed. Fortunately, the dead man had plenty of other people potentially looking to do him harm, such as his ex-wife and a questionable business partner.

Alex’s family is Polish, and there are plenty of indications and little touches like the kolaczki pastries that they eat and inclusion of occasional Polish words (with explanation given, of course) in their dialogue that give a lot of good atmosphere to help bring the family and their relationship with the town to life. Significant portions of the book are also dedicated to descriptions of various perfumes, teas, and herbal remedies that help really give a vibrant image of the shop and the products they sell. Magical elements also start to be sprinkled in, as the family is reputed to be magical healers – and naturally have long history with all the other prominent families of the small town.

Unfortunately, this is a short series, with only two entries so far, with this book coming out in 2020 and the sequel, A Hex For Danger, in 2021. I haven’t heard anything about this author in a while, so it might be that this series has already ended – which is quite unfortunate, considering how charming this particular entry is!

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

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Laura Gail Black: Antique Bookshop Mystery Series

September 17, 2023

For Whom the Book Tolls: An Antique Bookshop Mystery I’m back again to talk about a book that I have recently read that is definitely one of the Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series. The next book that I read to be part of that series of posts is the first of the Antique Bookshop Mystery Series, Laura Gail Black’s For Whom the Book Tolls.

In what seems to be a trend in modern cozies (For Whom the Book Tolls was published in 2020), the story is written from the first person perspective of our sleuth, Jenna Quinn. In the beginning of the story, Jenna is arriving from Charlotte, North Carolina to the small town of Hokes Folly to work for her Uncle Paul who runs his antique book shop. Her intention is to stay with him for a while to try to escape from the nightmare that was her life in Charlotte.

In literally a very few pages, she finds her life upside down again because she discovers her uncle dead at the bottom of the staircase that leads to the bookstore.  (Where the crime happened is depicted pretty well on the cover of the book.) So, before Jenna has met anybody in Hokes Folly, Jenna is caught up in a murder investigation.

Because Uncle Paul has generously left Jenna with most of his possessions, including the antique books shop, Jenna is naturally considered a strong suspect by the police detectives, Frank Sutter and Keith Logan. Jenna’s past in Charlotte also lends support to her being a prime suspect. Sutter and Logan, the two detectives, provide quite a contrast. Sutter, the senior detective is overweight and wears ill fitting suits. He jumps to conclusions easily and is ready to arrest Jenna almost right after meeting her. Logan is tall and very good looking. He is a good listener and it is apparent that he is reluctant to settle on Jenna as the perpetrator. Jenna is 26 years old and apparently quite attractive. (One point for guessing who Jenna ends up in a relationship with!) Ok, that one was too easy.

At any rate, before long Jenna decides that she needs to engage in a bit of sleuthing in order to clear her name. And Jenna soon meets her neighbor, Rita, who is eager to help.

For Whom the Book Tolls is set in an interesting small Southern town. It has interesting and not too quirky secondary characters. Laura Gail Black, the author, apparently has a longstanding interest in antique books, so one of the first rules of writing is met easily — write about things you know. Thus, the bookstore seems to have the ring of authenticity that is so important to bring the story to life.

The series is up to three books now, with the latest in 2022. Click here to see the page on the cozy site that lists the books. Here’s hoping there are going to be many more books in the series!

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

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Elizabeth Logan: Alaskan Diner Mystery Books

August 18, 2023

Mousse and Murder (An Alaskan Diner Mystery Book 1) The best thing about reading for me is escaping from my everyday life and exploring other places, meeting other people, and sometimes finding out about other times. The book I just finished is set in a very different place from where I live (San Antonio, Texas). The action takes place in a small town, Elkview, a few hours drive away from Anchorage, Alaska and is set in and around a café, the “Bear Claw”. Mousse and Murder is the first book in the Alaskan Diner Mystery Book series by Elizabeth Logan. And, this is my next book that I am writing about as part of my Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series posts.

The story is written in the first person from the point of view of thirty-three year old Charlotte (Charlie) Cooke who runs the diner her mother started, the “Bear Claw Diner”. Charlie is a trained chef, but the head chef of the diner is Oliver, a French chef with some extraordinary abilities and a somewhat hot temper. The book begins with Charlie’s parents traveling (as they often do) and so Charlie is left without her mother’s support to run the diner and to take care of her mother’s cat, Eggs Benedict (Benny for short).

Anyway, as is common in Cozy Mysteries, before long there is a murder that affects the diner directly. Charlie, with her mother’s encouragement, and the tacit permission from the overstretched local police (who is apparently just one person who everyone calls “Trooper”), gets working on the case. Assisting Charlie is a local newspaperman (who just happens to be a likely romantic interest), Chris. Chris and Charlie are even “deputized” by Trooper.

I’ve got to admit that this is one of the (pretty unusual these days) mysteries in which I figured out the culprit about half way through the book. The characters, the cat and especially the setting of the book kept me going, though, even though I was pretty sure I knew who did the deed. Exactly how Charlie and Chris will get the clues together to prove who did it and to figure out why the murder happened keeps the remainder of the book being pretty compelling reading.

The book is written by an author who has a long and growing list of pseudonyms, Camille Minichino, aka Margaret Grace, Jean Flowers, Ada Madison, and, now also Elizabeth Logan. Long time readers of my blog may remember that she is one of my favorite modern authors. I’ve written about her a bunch of times including when I talked about her many pseudonyms. Another post was when I was named her as one of my favorite “must-read-right-away” authors. I am glad to say I still follow her, and I enjoyed Mousse and Murder very much.

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

PS: For recipe fans, there are two recipes included at the end of the book.

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Leslie Budewitz: Spice Shop Mystery Series

July 23, 2023

Assault and Pepper (A Spice Shop Mystery Book 1) As regular readers no doubt know, I’ve been doing a long-running monthly series on specific mystery series, most of which have been recommended by site readers. This month I’ll be featuring Leslie Budewitz‘s Spice Shop Mystery Series by reading the first book in the series, Assault and Pepper. The second Cozy mystery series by Budewitz, this is a fairly established series, with this first entry coming out more than eight years ago and with a total of seven books in the series.

40s-something divorcee Pepper Reece is the owner of the Seattle Spice Shop, which she started running about a year before the beginning of the novel, so she’s already somewhat established by the time the story begins. Her divorce is a result of her husband’s affair with a coworker, while her change in career from a law firm HR manager is due to the failure of the firm. Moreover, she is a life-long resident of Seattle, she’s an even more established part of her community. Her ex-husband is also part of the police force, giving her a connection to local law enforcement – though one she doesn’t really want to call upon if she can avoid it.

The theming in this novel is quite strong – at the very beginning, there is a significant stretch where Pepper and her employees talk about their new recipe ideas for a new spice-themed Fall spice blends, for example. This will no doubt be a big draw for fans of teas and spices.

The mystery also kicks off relatively early, though it does take some time to be revealed as a definite murder. When Pepper discovers the body of a panhandler named Doc. Doc, who was new to the area, had a cup of the Seattle Spice Shop found near him. He had already formed a bit of an impression as a troublesome outsider, coming into conflict with another panhandler and with one of Pepper’s employees. The case is originally assumed a death by natural causes, as Doc had been obviously quite old. when that employee is arrested, Pepper becomes more directly involved in the case to help clear her name.

Overall, this novel gives a good sense of atmosphere to the “Seattle Public Market” – likely a reference to the real Pike Place Market due to several references to street locations in the book. It also serves the theming admirably, spending significant time discussing various spice applications and weaving it into many otherwise normal mystery conversations.

As mentioned above, Leslie Budewitz is also the author of another Cozy Mystery Series, the Food Lovers’ Village Mystery Series.

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

PS: For fans of recipes, this novel does include a recipe section at the back including a number of seasoning and spice-forward recipes.

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