The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Krista Davis: Paws and Claws Mystery Series

February 25, 2023

Murder, She Barked: A Paws & Claws Mystery As most site readers are probably aware, once a month I seek out and reread (or read for the first time, in some cases) a particularly popular and recommended Cozy series by a site author. Well, this month, I’m doing something a bit less common, and revisiting an author that I’ve already discussed once before. I just finished reading Murder, She Barked, the first in Krista Davis‘s Paws and Claws Mystery Series.

If you don’t remember me covering Krista Davis before, I don’t blame you – it’s been quite a while, back in this 2016 post on the Domestic Diva Mystery Series. (Wow, has it really been that short a time ago? It sure does feel like a lot longer!)

As is traditional in modern Cozies, this particular series starts with the soon-to-be sleuth on a bit of a losing streak. Holly Miller is on her way to her grandmother’s inn, the Sugar Maple Inn, in Wagtail, Virginia, having received a troubling phone call indicating medical trouble for her grandmother. Holly had just left a job over ethical reasons a week ago, and as the closest relative to her grandmother geographically, it made the most sense for her to go. Though she starts the novel with a seemingly-reliable if uninspiring boyfriend, it isn’t hard to tell that there is trouble brewing on the horizon for that particular relationship. The only upside is that she’s picked up a passenger at a gas station a few hours out of Wagtail – a Jack Russell terrier that seemed to be waiting for her.

Things become even less pleasant as she continues on her way – Holly witnesses an exploding car on the way into Wagtail, and shortly after her arrival at her grandmother’s inn, an employee staggers in shortly after her, claiming to have jumped on his way in through the side door. This isn’t the only danger to befall the employees of the Sugar Maple Inn – several hours before her arrival, one of the other employees had been killed in a hit-and-run car accident. The only upside is that she learns that her grandmother’s health problem isn’t immediately serious – she had been with the employee who had been killed, and she had only suffered a sprained ankle. Suffice to say, with so many questionable events going on, Holly quickly finds reason to investigate around town.

There have also been a number of changes, both in Wagtail and in the Sugar Maple Inn, the former of which has expanded significantly as a tourist destination, and the latter of which is now serving as a pet resort destination. Holly finds that she’ll be joined by another animal roommate – a calico cat named Twinkletoes.

Most Cozies have a decided niche, and this one is definitely pets – and that’s a great Cozy category by my book! Both Twinkletoes and the Jack Russell are lively and interesting presences, and as an animal lover myself, I was definitely glad to see their appearance. The book also includes some recipes at the end – it isn’t as much of a culinary novel as many other Cozies are, but it’s still a nice touch to see. Going with the animal theme, it does include a couple suited for dogs, and notes for what is definitely not for animals, such as a goulash that includes onions.

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.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

33 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Linda Reilly: Grilled Cheese Mysteries

January 22, 2023

Up to No Gouda (Grilled Cheese Mysteries Book 1) 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.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

18 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Laurie Cass: Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series

December 28, 2022

Lending a Paw: A Bookmobile Cat Mystery (Bookmobile Cat Mysteries Book 1) As part of my ongoing series highlighting the most recommended and popular Cozy Mystery series suggested by site readers, this month I will be discussing the first entry in Laurie Cass (aka Laura Alden)‘s first entry in her Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series, titled Lending a Paw.

Librarian Minnie Hamilton has spent the last three years in the small resort town of Chilson, Michigan, having taken up an assistant director position at the district library, having spent many happy summers there as a small child, staying with her aunt Frances, who still maintains guest rooms for the resort season. More recently, Minnie had acquired a new family member as well – Eddie, a stray cat black and white striped cat that had followed Minnie home from relaxing in a local cemetery.

Though she has been working in Chilson for some time, Minnie is starting another chapter in her career – she had the idea for a bookmobile attached to the local library, driving about town to visit readers and distribute books, and as her idea, when it was decided to go along with the idea, she was the person who would end up driving it.

Naturally, it was a bit of a surprise to her that there would be a co-pilot for the drive – her cat Eddie – and even more of a surprise that at one of her first stops, Eddie would turn up a dead body instead of a book enthusiast looking for some light reading.

The deceased that Eddie and Minnie turned up, Stan Larabee, was a bit of a surprising figure – most of the town considered him a tight man with his money, someone who was more concerned with business than anything else, but he had also been the main donor to setting up the bookmobile, more or less single-handedly bankrolling the project. So despite the fact that most of the small town wasn’t terribly concerned at his sudden death, Minnie felt a certain responsibility – not only as the person who discovered him, but also one of the few that seemed to see him in a better light, no doubt one of the reasons that she began investigating on her own – or rather, with Eddie.

Set in a small midwestern sort of town, revolving around two comfortably Cozy topics, in this case cats and books, with a protagonist returning to a familiar family haunt after years away, Lending a Paw is a good example of a fairly conventional modern Cozy – and like most modern Cozies, it’s definitely a story that many modern Cozy fans will be able to sit down and spend some time with. This isn’t an innovation in mysteries by any means, but the interactions of the characters and especially of Eddie make it quite worthwhile to any fans of a combination of mysteries, cats, and bookmobiles.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

15 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Jane K. Cleland: Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Series

November 13, 2022

Consigned to Death (Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries Book 1) Way back in 2006, Jane K. Cleland’s Consigned to Death, the first book in her Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries series, was published. (Coincidentally, 2006 was the year in which I started my Cozy Mystery site. It is weird to think how long ago that was.) Anyway, Consigned to Death is the next in my series of posts about the most popular and recommended Cozy mystery books. 

I just finished re-reading this book earlier this month, and wow, I have to say that if you have any interest at all in reading an excellent mystery that contains a lot of information about antiques, this is the series for you. 

Josie Prescott is the owner of a very busy antique shop in the small seacoast town of Rocky Point, New Hampshire. Josie had moved there only a couple of years before the story begins. Her move from the big city did not happen because of a boyfriend/husband break up, but rather because she had been a whistle-blower about illegal activity happening at the large antique auction house she previously worked for in New York City. She moved to a small town and opened her own auction store/auction warehouse. Somewhat refreshingly, by doing so she stayed in the same field of expertise that she had been in when working in New York.

Unfortunately for Josie, as the book opens the town’s police chief shows up to ask her questions about a potential client that Josie met that same day who had been found murdered. And, even more, unfortunately, as the police’s investigation moved forward, more and more evidence seemed to point to Josie as being the murderer.

On the other hand, fortunately for Josie, she had earlier met a very good lawyer in town who she hired to help her through the legal maze in which she found herself. Even more fortunately for Josie, the chief of police turned out to be a very smart and thorough man (who just happened to be quite handsome). Needless to say, Josie and the police found that there were a lot of threads to pull before this mystery could be unraveled.

Consigned to Death is a very good mystery read with a highly sympathetic main character and a very well-rounded supporting cast. I highly recommend it. There is no doubt that Jane K. Cleland is a very accomplished writer. Just a quick glance at her website’s “about page” and you will see the numerous awards her books have won or been chosen as finalists. And, not only has she written best-selling cozy mystery books, but she has also authored several books and articles about the craft of writing.

As an aside, I have to add that her website is one of the best author websites I have seen in recent years. In my opinion, far too many authors rely on a really difficult-to-navigate Facebook page or have no online presence at all. I really wish that more authors would take a look at this site and try to emulate its depth and quality of information.

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.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

17 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Subscribe to Blog Post Email Alerts

  • Cozy Mystery Blog Home
  • Cozy Mystery Site
  • Soon to be Released Mysteries
  • Cozies by Themes
  • New Mystery Releases
  • New Mystery Series
  • Cozy Mystery Recommendations
  • Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series
  • Holiday Mystery Book Lists
  • What Is a Cozy?
  • TV and Movies
  • Author Interviews
  • Cozy-Mystery.com on Facebook

Recent Posts

  • TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – September 2025
  • Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – July 2025
  • Lauren Elliott: Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery Series
  • TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – August 2025
  • June 30 to July 13

Recent Comments

  • Chris on Bobbsey Twins – Yet Another Terrific Series from Our Childhoods
  • Kathleen Parks on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – July 2025
  • Jeanie Jackson on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – July 2025
  • Charlie on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – July 2025
  • Kathryn J. on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – July 2025

Cozy Mystery List Home | Affiliate Disclosure | Cozy Mystery Blog Home  | Cozy Mystery Blog Sitemap | Privacy Policy  | Contact Me   | About |

Copyright © 2006-2025, Cozy-Mystery.Com, All rights reserved.
A Guide to Cozy Mystery Books, Movies, and TV


MENU
  • Cozy Mystery Blog Home
  • Cozy Mystery Site
  • Soon to be Released Mysteries
  • Cozies by Themes
  • New Mystery Releases
  • New Mystery Series
  • Cozy Mystery Recommendations
  • Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series
  • Holiday Mystery Book Lists
  • What Is a Cozy?
  • TV and Movies
  • Author Interviews
  • Cozy-Mystery.com on Facebook