*Sorry that this is so much later than normal… I was going to post it on the 1st, which was already going to be late… then I hit save instead of schedule… very embarrassing!*
June is over, so it’s time to discuss our favorite Cozies that we read this month!
If you read a Cozy mystery this month and want to recommend it to the rest of us, be sure to post it here! For this month, I read the first entry of Korina Moss’s Cheese Shop Mystery Series. For the reasons I want to recommend it, be sure to check out the blog entry!
So, what have you been reading that you can recommend in June? Please be sure to tell us why you liked these Cozies so much. I know we’re all always on the lookout for more particularly good Cozy Mystery authors! (If you have a lot of Cozies you think are great, please post the ones you like the most at the top of the list.)
As always, please do not tell us about the Cozy Mysteries you did not like.
What really good Cozy Mystery did you read June 2024 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?
Ellery Adams (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Secrets, Book & Scone Society Mystery Series
Ellie Alexander (aka Kate Dyer-Seeley): Secret Bookcase Mystery Series
Lorna Barrett (aka L. L. Bartlett & Lorraine Bartlett): Booktown Mystery Series
Lynn Cahoon: Tourist Trap Mystery Series
Ann Claire: Cyclist’s Guide Mystery (first entry A Cyclist’s Guide to Crime & Croissants)
Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series
Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell & Tace Baker): Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery Series
Eva Gates (aka Vicki Delany): Lighthouse Library Mystery Series
Rupert Holmes: McMasters Guide to Homicide (first entry Murder Your Employer)
Susan Elia MacNeal: Maggie Hope Mystery Series
Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series
Korina Moss: Cheese Shop Mystery Series
Linda Reilly: Grilled Cheese Mystery Series
Paige Shelton: Alaska Wild Mystery Series
Jacqueline Winspear: Maisie Dobbs Mystery Series
I will list the authors and series that have been recommended, but I urge you to read the comments below so you can see the reasons other Cozy Mystery readers thought these were their best reads of the month.
♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦
P.S. I usually don’t comment on your recommendations since they speak for themselves.
MJ says
June Recommendations – 2024
Cyclist’s Guide to Crime & Croissants — Ann Claire
What an unusual (weird ?) title! (ha)
This is a new series with a unique premise. Sadie Greene has left her position of financial wizard near Chicago to manage a cycling tour company in France.
My preference is to read books with US settings. I rarely read books set elsewhere. However, I thought this looked interesting. Since it’s set in France, this author does a lot of descriptive writing – almost like a travelogue. There’s also extensive narration by the lead character.
Sadie’s tour includes a family she knows well from Chicago. A bike accident which turns out to be a murder occurs. Of course, this involves some sleuthing by Sadie. The very divergent personalities create an enjoyable read.
I don’t dwell on ‘who did it’ when I’m reading, but I was surprised when I set the book down about page 260, I absolutely had NO clue who the culprit could be. Thus, the ending was a surprise.
Of course, the story also involves a hunky detective.
I found this story enjoyable with pacing moving along quite nicely. If you’re looking for something new and a bit ‘different’, give this book a try.
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The Diva Goes Overboard – Krista Davis
I go from the new to the ‘old’. This is the 17th book in this Diva series. I’ve often mentioned this before — my favorite series by this author is ‘Paws and Claws’. The Diva series always has a good well plotted mystery.
I felt this particular book is a bit different than most of the other books in this series. The focus is solely on the mystery with Sophie Winston taking center stage. Other than her neighbor and good friend (Nina), the rest of the regular characters are rarely mentioned. There really aren’t any ‘side’ stories.
A whole new set of characters are introduced, all having to do with the mystery. I found these characters to be unique and varied, their interactions quite interesting.
At an engagement party, the groom-to-be is poisoned. He doesn’t know Sophie well, but she inherits his antique business. He had an inkling he’d be murdered and hoped she would solve it.
What doesn’t make sense to me is why police detective ‘Wolf’ has a prominent role in this story. He’s not in most of her other recent stories. And, although he’s reunited with his wife, he keeps dropping in at Sophie’s house for treats and meals
I’m not doing well with my explanations here, but I mention this particular book because I think it’s one of the best ‘mystery’ stories of the series.
Fortney, Sally says
I read The Stranger in the Library by Eva Gates and Murder at the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day. It is nice to see how well the authors handle the characters now they both are married.
A Questionable Character by Lorna Barrett and Knot Dead Again have changes in the sleuths’ love lives. A Deceptive Composition advances Keira’s family life.
Same Difference is a little different but good. Take it as granted that all these books have great mystery plots.
Diana says
I just finished up the fourth book in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries by Linda Reilly. I think they’re great! I like the characters, and I’m always craving something cheesy by the time I put the book down.
MendoGirl says
I read a book in June a little off the beaten path, but I thought I would give it a mention. The book is called Murder Your Employer: A McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes.
Instead of solving a murder, one learns how to commit a murder.
In Murder Your Employer we follow three students at the fictional McMasters Conservatory to the ultimate goal of murdering their employer; or, deleting their employer as McMasters calls it.
At McMasters there are science classes on poisons and physics, physical education classes that include archery, running, weightlifting and more. There are also cosmetology classes, surveillance classes and many more.
The book is fast paced and quite funny. I will say that following the three “deletists” to their ultimate goal sometimes felt like they were trying to be the Rube Goldbergs of Murder. But they do achieve their goals to varying degrees.
It was a really fun read and I am now reading some of my cozies with a little different eye towards clues.
One last thing. If the name Rupert Holmes is ringing a bell – try singing “ if you like piña coladas …”. He wrote that song.
Cecile Fleetwood says
I was wondering about that! Sounds like a lot of fun to read! I will be searching for his books! Thank you!
Marianne says
I discovered Paige Shelton’s Alaska Wild series in June and really like the heroine as well as the descriptions of remote areas in Alaska. The running story of the heroine’s attempt to hide in a town where others are also hiding is compelling, too. Hope to read Book #3 in July.
I finished Susan Elia McNeal’s “The Last Hope,” the last book in the Maggie Hope series and, while a bit disappointing, it was nice to tie up loose ends. The story was thoroughly forgettable, though.
In contrast, I’m almost finished reading the last Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series, “the Comfort of Ghosts” and finding it a very satisfying ending to a well written series that spans both world wars.
Finally, I enjoyed the latest Ellery Adams’ “Secret Book & Scone Society” book, “Paper Cuts,” featuring a small bookshop in a southern resort town and a likeable heroine who has a somewhat mysterious past.
Janice G says
I read the first two books in a new series by Ellie Alexander The Body in the Bookstore and A Murder at the Movies. The books are set in a small town in California that has trouble attracting tourists so plans are made to host a mystery weekend in the first story. Anyone who reads cozies knows what happens next. The second book involves a film premiere. The characters are interesting and the stories are enjoyable. Both books were released on the same day and were available on Kindle Unlimited.
I also liked Fondant Fumble by Jenn McKinlay and Olive You to Death by Lynn Cahoon.
MJ says
I, too. just finished Ellie Alexander’s newest release, “Body in the Bookstore”. I like this author (Kate-Dyer Seeley) and enjoy most of her stories.
Since Janice mentioned it, I wanted to add a ‘second’ and thumbs up to her recommendation.
I have the second book on my shelf, but haven’t read it yet.
Rebecca says
Hello! I’m hoping this community of people can help me. I am a librarian and a patron of mine is trying to remember a series she read. She says it was about a group of older women who have a detective agency and all of them have flowers for first names. It isn’t Rosemary & Thyme.
Thank you!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Rebecca, is it the Desert Flowers Mystery Series, by Lee Hollis, starring Poppy, Iris, and Violet?