If you read a Cozy mystery this month and want to recommend it to the rest of us, be sure to post it here! This October, I can recommend the first entry of Ellen Byron’s Cajun Country Mystery Series.
If you’re interested in reading why I’m recommending these series, you can go to the Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my Cozy-Mystery site for my full write-ups on each of these great Cozy series.
So, what have you been reading that you can recommend in October? 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 during October 2017 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?
Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read and recommended this past month:
Victoria Abbott (writing duo Mary Jane Maffini & daughter Victoria Maffini): Book Collectors Mystery Series
Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow Mystery Series
Lorna Barrett (aka L. L. Bartlett & Lorraine Bartlett): Booktown Mystery Series
Juliet Blackwell (aka Hailey Lind): Haunted Home Renovation Mystery Series
Bethany Blake: Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery Series (first entry Death by Chocolate Lab)
Rhys Bowen: Evan Evans Mystery Series
Raymond Buckland: Bram Stoker Mystery Series (first entry Cursed in the Act)
Julia Buckley: Undercover Dish Mystery Series
Ellen Byron: Cajun Country Mystery Series
Elizabeth Lynn Casey (aka Laura Bradford): Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series
Ann Cleeves: Shetland Island Quartet
Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): County Cork Mystery Series
Marla Cooper: Destination Wedding Mystery Series
Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block): Mystery with Recipes Series
Bill Crider: Dan Rhodes Mystery Series AND Sally Good Mystery Series AND Carl Burns Mystery Series
Vicki Delany (aka Eva Gates): Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery Series
Barbara Early (aka Beverly Allen): Vintage Toyshop Mystery Series
Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan): Magical Bookshop Mystery Series AND Amish Candyshop Mystery Series
Kerry Greenwood: Phryne Fisher Mystery Series
Victoria Hamilton (aka Amanda Cooper): Merry Muffin Mystery Series
Nell Hampton (aka Nancy Coco and Nancy J. Parra): Kensington Palace Chef Mystery Series
Carolyn Hart: Bailey Ruth Ghost Mystery Series
Sadie Hartwell (aka Susannah Hardy): Tangled Web Mystery Series
Julianne Holmes: Clock Shop Mystery Series
Anthony Horowitz: Magpie Murders (stand alone)
Julie Hyzy: Manor of Murder Mystery Series
Diane Kelly: Tara Holloway Mystery Series
Kate Kingsbury (aka Rebecca Kent & Allison Kingsley): Special Pennyfoot Hotel Mystery Series (Holiday themed)
Colette London: Chocolate Whisperer Mystery Series
Mary McHugh: Happy Hoofers Mystery Series
Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone Mystery Series
Emma Miller: Amish Mystery Series
Liz Mugavero (aka Cate Conte): Pawsitively Organic Mystery Series
Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Michaels & Barbara Mertz): Amelia Peabody Mystery Series
Cate Price: Deadly Notions Mystery Series
Maggie Sefton: Knitting Mystery Series
Alexander McCall Smith: No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency AND Isabel Dalhousie Series
Dorothy St. James: Southern Chocolate Shop Mystery Series
Denise Swanson: Deveraux’s Dime Store Mystery Series
Sherry Thomas: Lady Sherlock Mystery Series (first entry A Study In Scarlet Women)
Joyce Tremel: Brewing Trouble Mystery Series
[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to his/her page on the Cozy Mystery site. The pages have all of the authors’ books listed chronologically.]
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
October Recommendations 2017
Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. My first three recommendations feature it! After all, isn’t October ‘candy month’? YUM! Actually some books I read were set in the Fall, but none ‘featured’ it, thus you didn’t get that Fall or Halloween ‘feeling’
Assaulted Caramel – Amanda Flower
I’ve read several books by this author and always recommend them. Assaulted Caramel is the first in a new series, again focusing on the Amish. If you’ve read her other two Amish series, you’ll get the ‘same-o, same-o’ feeling about this series. I don’t mean that as a ‘negative’, because I really enjoy the way she writes, and her stories.
Bailey is a chocolatier in NYC and comes to this small Ohio community because her grandfather is having health problems. A developer is discussing with the grandfather the purchase of his candy store, when he (grandfather) collapses on the street with a heart problem. He has refused to sell his shop on multiple occasions. The next morning Bailey finds the developer dead in the candy shop kitchen.
The direction of this story is pretty predictable. However the characters are developed with various idiosyncrasies and are engaging. As par for the course for this author, the mystery is good, well-paced, and a quick read.
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Dead and Ganache – Colette London
This series features only three characters, mainly because the location changes with each book. The protagonist, Hayden Moore, is a chocolatier professional. She mainly lives off a trust fund set up by her deceased uncle. She travels from city to city as she is hired by companies to solve their chocolate problems. In this book, however, she goes to France to attend a retirement party for her mentor. Although the story is set in the fall, there isn’t much descriptive writing to indicate that.
When her mentor is murdered she decides to help find the killer. There are an array of other characters in each story, but the three consistent ones are her accountant (she calls him her ‘keeper’), her bodyguard, and Hayden. She is a likable character with many strengths. This is the first time the story has featured her accountant.
I found the story quite complex and somewhat ‘wordy’. Some may find portions lengthy and boring, but it didn’t bother me at all. There are several suspects and many avenues to explore. Another person in this process is murdered. I can’t say I was surprised when the ‘culprit’ was revealed. This story is methodical and well-paced.
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Asking for Truffle – Dorothy St. James
This is the first book in a new series by this author. It is set in a South Carolina coastal community. Charity Penn (she’s called ‘Penn’) is living in Madison, WI when she receives a letter stating she won candy making lessons. She finds it a bit strange since she didn’t enter any contest. A good friend goes to SC to checks this out. Before he’s able to communicate with her, he is murdered. Penn goes there to try to find out what happened to her friend.
Although she has no previous candy making abilities, she takes up the offer to learn chocolate making from and elderly candy store owner. This story is quite intricate with several unusual characters. The author developed Penn with a lot of depth and introspective qualities. It’s not easy to put this book down with its many twists and surprises. The biggest revelation comes at the end of the story. It’s a good read!
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Just Killing Time — Julianne Holmes
Do you know what a ‘horologist’ is? I sure didn’t. In fact I never heard of the word before. Goes to show you what you can ‘learn’ while reading a cozy!
Recently divorced Ruth Clagan is going to visit her grandfather (GT or Thom) in a small town in the Berkshires. She hasn’t seen him for five years. He owns a clock shop (Cog and Sprocket). Unfortunately when she gets there, she finds out he has been murdered. He left the clock shop to her in his will. Both Ruth and her grandfather are trained horologists (they fix, build, rebuild, and create clocks).
Now who cares about old clocks? I certainly don’t. BUT that didn’t stop me from reading this very enjoyable mystery. For those that don’t read a cozy because you don‘t like the venue, you are really missing out on some good stories. Much more important to me are the characters and the mystery itself. These characters are likable and enjoyable, developed with intelligence.
The story is fast paced and again another book I had difficulty putting down. I read well into the night. The guilty party was a total surprise…….I had no clue! The best thing I can say about a series is, “I’m really looking forward to the next book”. Irrespective of my disinterest in ‘clocks’, it’s the characters I want to read more about. Luckily for me, I started this series late, so there are two more books available.
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Pudding Up With Murder – Julia Buckley
Caterer Lila Drake (lead character) creates ‘secret dishes’ which her customers pass off as their own. At the request of a friend (Ellie, mother of her boyfriend), she prepares a rice pudding for Ellie to bring to a 65th birthday party for a neighbor (Marcus). He is somewhat of a curmudgeon and is murdered at his own party. Since the rice pudding is suspect as the vehicle for the murder — who takes credit for making this dish? Ellie doesn’t want to admit to anyone that she didn’t make it.
Buckley creates several characters with multiple levels of traits, giving variety to this ‘cast’. The story itself is multilayered, keeping the reader engaged and speculating who-dun-it. The ending is somewhat of a surprise.
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Purring around the Christmas Tree – Liz Mugavero
I know, I know, it’s ‘Halloween’ time, not ‘Christmas’ time. I got a jump on the season, so I can recommend this book and you can read it closer to Christmas (wasn’t that nice of me?). Like I mentioned in the ‘Clock’ series, I could care less about a pet pastry shop. But again, if the characters are intelligent/engaging and the mystery is good, then it’s worth reading.
When I started reading this story it moved along quickly. However, about the middle of the book it was very slow going. I was tempted to give up on it. But I didn’t. AND, I’ll advise, “don’t give up — the pace picks up again”. It is really a good mystery with many, many layers and several story lines. Mugavero writes in a very methodical manner.
Santa is murdered in a sleigh. You will never (and I mean NEVER) guess who commits this crime. However, there is a focus on two missing persons with a somewhat convoluted (in a good way) story, weaving though many puzzling developments before the outcome is revealed. Ah!……..also an exciting final page!
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Murder on the Toy Town Express – Barbara Early
Liz McCall and her father Hank (former police chief) own a vintage toy store in western NY. A Toy and Train show comes to town and the McCall’s have set up a booth. In a booth next to them is a comic store booth. The owner of this store is killed when he fell off scaffolding. It is later determined he was murdered. Liz befriends the only employee of the comic store in an effort to help.
This author writes a mystery with wit and humor. The characters are varied. The story line is complex with many interesting revelations. The personal (romantic) takes quite a turn at the end, leaving the reader saying, “Huh?”. I suppose the ‘details’ will be revealed in the next book (assuming there will be one).
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I read some other books this month – thanks to authors who write absorbing and ‘QUICK reads’. I’ll mention two that are worth considering to add to your TBR pile. ………….’Body on Baker Street’ by Vicki Delaney and ‘Knit before Dying’ by Sadie Hartwell. Both are enjoyable reads.
susy lewis says
I have enjoyed the Phryne Fisher books by Kerry Greenwood. The Aussie setting, Melbourne, and a view of the 1920s from that perspective, are very engaging! The supporting characters are well written and interesting.
Hanna says
I read two books that are on the most recommended list here: Lorna Barrett’s Murder is Binding, and Victoria Abbott’s The Christie Curse, and liked them both. I like books where the backgrounds are.. books, especially mystery ones. This is one of the charm of Carolyn’s Hart Death on Demand series, I think
And I read Anthony Horowitz’ Magpie murders. Really great. As many know, this is a story within a story. Horowitz does not shy about imitating Agatha Christie or “blowing his own horn.” He is behind the Midsommer Murders and Foyle’s War series. So when the heroine – no spoiler – talks to a TV producers wondering whether there is still room for murder mysteries he replies: of course, look at Midsommer Murders, Foyle’s War and others..
The inner story is pure Agatha Christie. Not only does it take place in a “typical” English village and the detective is a pedantic foreigner, but at the end, no clue, even insignificant, get left behind. I really like it when Poirot, or Miss Marple, or the detective here sits and builds the case one point after the other.
In more modern mysteries, the story unravels along the pages and there is no “denouement.” I don’t remember Poirot or Miss Marple ever been physically threatened, but in almost all the series with women heroines, their lives are in danger right before they are saved. It gets to a point that when I am close to the end, and the villain is known, I know that this is not the end yet, since the heroine has yet to face her life or death situation…
Bek says
Oooohhhhh…this series is going on my “must have” list! I lived in a small town in Bayou Country. That’s where my elder son was born. I still get a bit home-sick when I hear someone talk about an “on-yon” ring! We had to move, as the heat and humidity were playing havoc with my allergies and COPD, but BOY I miss it!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Bek, it certainly does a good job showing off the “local flavor” of the area, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it for that!
Bek says
And two weeks later, I’ve re-read the list, and am adding two more series to my “MUST TRY!” I really want to read the “A Magical Bookshop Mystery” series, as well as the “Haunted Home Renovation Mystery” series.
LOL, with any luck, I shall order three more bookcases next week!
Chris W. says
I recently read, and would highly recommend: Prose and Cons, by Amanda Flower. It is cozy, to be sure, but is also quirky and fun, creative and well-written. It is the second in her Magical Bookshop Mystery series, which begins with Crime and Poetry. I recommend reading them in order.
Rob Jarrad says
Danna: I have rediscovered a favorite: Maggie Sefton has a new Knitting mstery out with Kelly and the gang-Only Skein Deep! With her usual happy ending and great characters. Loved it like I always do her works.
A new favorite that I’ve been reading all three of his series: Bill Crider writes as a small town Texas Sheriff Dan Rhodes, also as two (separate series) college professors Carl Burns and Sally Goode. I just finished Bill’s Sheriff in the books: Ghost of a Chance, Winning Can Be Murder and A Mammouth Murder. For an English department Chairman and many books authored writer-he brings a cozy and clean cut Sheriff to a small town and makes him believeable. You’d think he had been a policeman in real life. Very authentic on his police procedurals. Excellent and he gets you into the town and it’s people in such a way that you want to come back. I highly recommend him.
Kathie B. says
I have read all of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes books. And enjoyed every one of them. Bill Crider is one of my favorite authors!
Sharon S says
I read Tears of the Giraffe, #2 in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith. I love Precious and her assistant. It’s one of my favorite series.
I am currently reading The Sunday Philosophy Club, #1 in the Isabel Dalhousie series by AMS. I really enjoy this author’s writing, and I intend to read more in this series also.
And I have one of Anne Perry’s Christmas novels waiting to read next, The Christmas Promise.
Marie Lawlor says
I’m reading Ann Cleeves. I read Raven Black and am halfway through White Nights. I want to read the books before I watch the Shetland DVDs. She’s good!
Janice G says
My favorite book this month was A Room With a Brew by Joyce Tremel. Max and her ex-hockey player turned chef boyfriend are preparing for Oktoberfest. While checking out a band to play at the brew pup, Max is concerned by the strange behavior of her friend Candy, an older bakery owner. The details that emerge about Candy’s past are truly surprising. This series is set in my hometown and the references to familiar places and events adds to the enjoyment of this book.
I just finished reading A Cajun Christmas Killing by Ellen Byron and enjoyed it very much as I have her other two books. I also read and liked Dial Meow for Murder, the second book by Bethany Blake in a series about a pet friendly town.
Susan* says
MJ is not the only one reading ‘ahead of the season’, it seems. I’ll read almost anything, at almost any time. I recently got ahold of one of the ‘Pennyfoot Hotel’ books by Kate Kingsbury. “The Clue is in the Pudding”. A Christmas mystery, of course. No. 20 in the series.
A famous actor, staying at the hotel, is murdered and the staff (including the unpopular temporary housekeeper) are at times both suspects and sleuths.
A gentle mystery with a lot of mixed goings-on both involved with the murder and not, but still a better read than I expected. If you like old-fashioned British cozies, set ‘below stairs’, then I think you’ll like this.
I’m not usually a fan of ‘historical’ mysteries, (Ie: anything set in a specific time period) unless they were actually written at the time, (Sherlock Holmes, anyone?) or they’re very, very good. (The Kerry Greenwood mysteries recommended above, for instance). I am also *definitely* not usually a fan of anything that uses a real person as a main character – it just never feels right.
Yet, recently, needing something to read, I picked up “Cursed in the Act” by Raymond Buckland. This is set in and around a Victorian London theatre and features Bram Stoker, the author (to be) of the Dracula books, as a major secondary character. I finished it in one sitting. Took me about two – three hours.
A very well-written and fast paced mystery that just didn’t seem to flag. There was something going on the whole time and very little extraneous detail. A nice twist at the end that I did suspect was coming, but that I don’t know if everyone will. Highly recommended, either way. I’m on the lookout for more.
Amy says
I don’t know how I missed this whole genre, but I’m immersed in Emma Miller’s “Amish” mysteries – I LOVE them!
Can anyone recommend an Amish Christmas novel?
MJ says
Amy, I HIGHLY recommend both of Amanda Flower’s Amish series. The Appleseed Mystery series (the third book, “A Plain Disappearance” is set during the Christmas holiday).
Flower also writes under the name of Isabella Allen. Under this name she authors the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery series. (The third book in this series, “Murder, Served Simply” is also set at Christmas time).
However, both of these series should be read sequentially.
Betsy N says
Two of my favorites this month have been Ghost on the Case by Carolyn G Hart and How the Finch Stole Christmas by Donna Andrews. In the first book, I love the charming and kind hearted main character Bailey Ruth. Donna Andrew’s books are my favorite go-tos for quirky characters and great humor!
Ellen Byron says
Thrilled to be on this list!! And to see so many authors I love on it as well. Thanks to Danna and all mystery readers. <3
Margaret StashEmpress says
Yet again I missed the posting date for last month, so here are my great reads for the last 2 months — alas — I used to read more than this number in a SINGLE month… oh well…
Donna Andrews — Gone Gull (Meg Langslow series)
Another great title in this series. Love Meg & her & wacky family. This time she’s teaching at a summer crafts resort started by her grandmother & investigating vandalism & murders at the same time. I totally didn’t see the ending coming — was a complete surprise — and that says something!
Julie Hyzy — Grace to the Finish (Manor House series) — Sadly the end to this series. I hate when they do that. 🙁 But it was well done & some loose ends were tied up — but at least the main characters are left alive & well so the author could revive the series at some future point if she wishes.
Elizabeth Lynn Casey — Patterned After Death (Southern Sewing Circle series) Another ending to a beloved series. Very sad to see some of my favorite series ending! Another where I totally didn’t see who the murderer was — well plotted! My only question is — in a small town like this where, if you’ve forgotten what you came into the room for, 3 neighbors will be happy to tell you, how is it possible for the main character to be nauseous for 300 pages w/o anyone in town coming over to tell her why????
Victoria Hamilton — Muffin to Fear (Merry Muffin series) — Merry comes back from her honeymoon to discover her castle overrun with ghosthunters from a popular television show — and murders occur.. of course they do! Very good read, though I wish that when the sleuth figures out who it is (about 40 pages before the end) she would share it with us — instead of cryptic comments like — once she saw the detail she was looking for, all the pieces fell into place and she knew who the murderer was… please tell us what she saw?????? Also wondering — does anyone know if this is the last in the series or will there be more? The author is writing so many series under different names at this point, that I’m wondering if 5 titles per series is all we get? Does anyone know?
Elizabeth Peters — Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody series) First book in this iconic series, rereading from the beginning now that the series is well & truly over. Still great.
Diane Kelly — Death, Taxes, and Sweet Potato Fries (Tara Holloway series) Another great book in this series, and I just love that its DIFFERENT from all the other series — Tara works for the IRS… not just pushing a pencil, but toting a Glock & wearing steel toed (cherry red) Doc Martens… In this title she’s racing the clock to nail a bad guy smuggling illegals into the country (and taking advantage of them) while the lives of 3 kidnapped girls hang in the balance.
Marla Cooper — Dying on the Vine (Kelsey McKenna Destination Wedding series) I loved the first book in the series (Terror in Taffeta) and this book, the second is just as much fun. Kelsey is a wedding planner specializing in destination weddings. In this title she has to solve the murder of rival wedding planner Babs Norton before bad cop/good cop arrest her for the murder. Now I’ve been yelling long & loud about how I don’t care for new series & pretty much try to avoid them — and the exceptions — like this one — prove my point. I was drawn to this series BECAUSE the premise is DIFFERENT from the glut of new cozy series on the market today. The first title in the series involves a murder at a destination wedding in Mexico — and the wedding planner (and everyone else) can’t leave Mexico until the murder is solved — so of course she has to solve it — this is a different enough situation to catch the imagination! (Unlike the current formula of girl gets single, girl goes home & opens business in either crafts or food, girl hooks up with 2 boyfriends, one a cop & one not a cop….)
Juliet Blackwell — A Ghostly Light & Keeper of the Castle (Haunted Home Renovation series) So on the blog you were recently discussing accidentally skipping a title in a series… and that’s exactly what happened to me. I started reading A Ghostly Light, the latest title in the series — and I just didn’t recognize some of the characters! This character is supposed to be Mel’s good friend, but I can’t remember her! She’s done renovations on that site for that billionaire — and there seemed to have been a “story” there — but I don’t remember any of it! I checked back and I KNOW I read the previous title (Give Up The Ghost)…. so… confused…. I looked further back –and realized I’d skipped the book before THAT! So now I’ve read Keeper of the Castle (which introduces those characters and yes, there WAS quite a story involved!) — and now I think I’m up to date LOL! Both very good stories, revolving around Mel Turner who runs Turner Construction, specializing in historic renovations, and who can (and does) frequently see ghosts at said historic locations — and usually between solving the ghosts issues gets involved in solving current murder at the same time.
As an aside — When reading Victoria Hamilton’s “Muffin to Fear” (Merry Muffin series) I was quite thrown by the mention of the construction company working on building her new home — Turner Construction! I’m saying HUH????? We all know Turner Construction is in California and the Muffin series takes place in New York!!!!! LOL!!! I’m sure if you open a phone book of any major city, there are probably MANY companies named “Turner Construction” — it just threw me for a loop when one cozy is using the name of a company that features prominently in a different series — and its obviously not the same one! There was another similar case in a book I read recently where they used a name that I already “knew” from a different series — and I found it extremely distracting!
Amanda Flower — Prose and Cons (Magical Bookshop series) — Did you ever fall in love with an entire series in the first page of a book? This is actually the second book in the series, but I was hooked from page 1 & now have the first book waiting for me on hold at the library. As far as I know, there are just these two and I haven’t seen anything about any more coming — I do hope there will be more — I loved it so much! This series centers around Violet Waverly and her grandmother Daisy who own Charming Books — where the bookshop literally chooses the right book for everyone who walks in, thanks to the power of the magical tree at the center of the store. When a murder occurs, the bookstore “helps” Violet to solve the crime by “telling” her to read selections from the works of Edgar Allan Poe — unfortunately the store isn’t exactly explicit on what she’s supposed to figure out from reading these particular stories… Sooooo good — can’t wait to get my hands on the previous book and hope there will be more!
Isis Crawford — A Catered Costume Party (Mystery with Recipes series) (What mystery series DOESN’T have recipes???) OK, so I kind of sort of guessed the answer to this one (when you read a lot of mysteries, there are certain “givens” — “when this, don’t believe that” kind of things) — but still very entertaining story with Bernie and Libby Simmons doing what they do best — catering and sleuthing — in that order.
Denise Swanson — Lions and Tigers and Murder, Oh My! (Devereaux’s Dime Store series) I really enjoyed this newest installment in the series — most particularly because Dev FINALLY chooses between the “boyfriend who is a cop” and the “boyfriend who is NOT a cop”! (You know how much I hate those triangles!!!!)
Sheila Connolly — A Turn for the Bad (County Cork series) I’m really enjoying this series. American Maura Donovan, now living in Ireland and owner of Sullivan’s Pub goes head to head with smugglers to save a local man whose gone missing.
Cate Price — Lie of the Needle (Deadly Notions series) Daisy Buchanan, owner of Sometimes a Great Notion (selling vintage sewing notions and other treasures) is involved in a historical society trying to save an old farmhouse. When a photographer working on their fundraising calendar is murdered and a friend disappears, Daisy has to go back in history to find the answers to current mysteries. Very well written & love the characters.
Mary McHugh — Chorus Lines, Caviar, and Corpses (Happy Hoofers series) New series (to me). Group of 50-something tap dancers, The Happy Hoofers, get a gig on cruise line — sounds great — except its not as luxurious as expected, the food is horrible, the cook disappears, a body is found. While the “Hoofers” don’t actually solve the murder themselves, its still fun watching women of a certain “age” going off on adventures. I have two more of their titles in my TBR pile.
Nell Hampton — Kale to the Queen (Kensington Palace Chef series) — OK — LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What’s not to love? Kate & Will & the kids…. ok, and a murder thrown in. Very good read. Not sure how realistic (not knowing what’s standard operating procedure in royal households and what they would really do if there was a murder in their greenhouse — and what goes on between chefs in various departments) – but a good read for this Anglophile who loves everything Cambridge! Looking forward to the next!
Sherry Thomas — A Conspiracy in Belgravia (Lady Sherlock series) Second book in the series, where Sherlock Holmes is actually Miss Charlotte Holmes — a not so proper Victorian lady who of course can’t be a detective in her own right — so pretends to be the sister of “Sherlock” (who is an invalid & is never seen, only conducting business through his “sister” Charlotte). She is aided in this charade by her friend and benefactor, Mrs. Watson. Taking the whole Holmes canon and standing it on its head, this series is just soooooooooo good!!!!! And I NEVER saw the ending coming!!!!
Carolyn Hart — Ghost On The Case (Bailey Ruth Ghost series) I love Bailey Ruth, I just do!!!! Newest in this favorite series, Bailey Ruth, Heavenly Emissary (ie. ghost) is sent down to Adelaide, OK (her old hometown) to aide Susan Gilbert who will do anything to save her sister who has been kidnapped. Unfortunately the kidnapping turns out to be a hoax intended to frame Susan for murder and Bailey Ruth has to find the real killer and save Susan. I’ve read this series since the beginning, as well as every title in Hart’s other series (wildly popular Death on Demand series, and the shorter lived Henrie O series). For some reason I found this title just seemed to “read” more like a Death on Demand title — which I’ve never found before. Maybe it was the whole “7 suspects at lunch” scenario and the way the detecting proceeded from there? Somehow I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was reading a Death on Demand title…
Ann says
The Constable Evans series by Rhys Bowen is my current favorite. Great setting in Wales.
Ann
MJ says
Margaret, I chuckled when I read your comment about authors using familiar names……..
I mentioned this in my Sept. Recommendations. A featured character in the latest Goldenbaum book, ‘Murder Wears Mittens’ name is Hannah Swensen. Well, EVERYONE knows that’s the name of the lead character in Joanne Fluke’s popular ‘Hannah Swensen’ series. Guess we know which series Ms. Goldenbaum doesn’t read!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
MJ, well, it could be an homage, I suppose?
Bek says
Since my budget is tiny and most of my books are second-hand, most of you have already read what I’m just now reading. That said, I have thoroughly enjoyed the Lucy Stone Mysteries that a kind friend sent to me (she sends a big box of books to me every 4-5 months! Good friend indeed!) It isn’t a series that I will be collecting, but OH MY, I am enjoying them once around. Lucy is an inquisitive, hard-headed woman with a family that reminds me so of my own when my kids were young! And I must say, I haven’t been able to figure out who dunnit before the last two chapters of the seven books that were sent!
Ginger griffin says
I read 36 of authors listed and I have not read anything this month. I have been busy at work. I have a new task at work I am the head archery coach. My mom has been in the hospital and I have been sick. But I will catch next week. We are out for the week.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ginger, I sure hope everyone is on the mend and that you will soon be “back to normal”. As for you taking becoming the head archery coach >>> that has got to be a lot of work! I hope you’re able to soon make some time for your reading again.