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Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – February 2012

This will be the second entry in the Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations theme. The authors who we will be recommending are Cozy Mystery authors who we have read this month (February 2012) who we think other Cozy Mystery readers should give a try.

Again, if you are currently reading a Cozy Mystery author, or can think of one (or two, or three!) who you read this month, who you think everyone else should try, please post a comment with his/her name and tell us why.

(Please only post about those Cozy Mystery authors and books you have positive things to say about, not who you think we should stay away from!)

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) are you reading (or have read during February 2012), and why are you enjoying it (or him/her)?

February 29, 2012:

Here are the recommendations you all sent in about the Cozy Mystery books you have read (and enjoyed!) during the month of February 2012:

Avery Aames: Cheese Shop Mystery Series

Ellery Adams (aka , J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Books by the Bay Mystery Series

Lucy Arlington (Jennifer Stanley & Sylvia May): Novel Idea Mystery Series

Sarah Atwell (aka Sheila Connolly): Glassblowing Mystery Series

Lorna Barrett (aka Lorraine Bartlett & L. L. Bartlett): Booktown Mystery Series

Lorraine Bartlett (aka L. L. Bartlett & Lorna Barrett): Victoria Square Mystery Series

M. C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series

Carrie Bebris: Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series

Fiona Buckley: Ursula Blanchard Mystery Series

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib): Key West Food Critic Mystery Series

Caroline Cousins: Pinckney Plantation Mystery Series

Deborah Crombie: Kincaid & James Mystery Series

Casey Daniels (aka Miranda Bliss & Kylie Logan): Pepper Martin Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series

Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology – Ramona DeFelice Long (Editor), Chris Roerden (Introduction)

B. B. Haywood: Candy Holliday Mystery Series

Veronica Heley: Ellie Quicke Mystery Series & Abbot Agency Mystery Series

Joan Hess: Claire Malloy Mystery Series

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

Faye Kellerman: Decker & Lazarus Mystery Series

Sofie Kelly: Magical Cat Mystery Series

Liz Lipperman: Clueless Cook Mystery Series

Judi McCoy: Dog Walker Mystery Series

Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone (Holiday) Mystery Series

Ann Purser: Ivy Beasley Mystery Series

Spencer Quinn (aka Peter Abrahams): Chet and Bernie Mystery Series

Sarah R. Shaber: Professor Simon Shaw Mystery Series

Paige Shelton: Country Cooking School Mystery Series

Dana Stabenow: Kate Shugak Mystery Series

Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe Mystery Series

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series

Kathy Hogan Trocheck (aka Mary Kay Andrews): Julia Callahan Garrity Mystery Series

Livia J. Washburn: Fresh Baked Mystery Series

* * *To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link* * *

Comments

  1. I’m going to begin by telling you about my “new find” >>> in Cozy Mystery authors. I have (many times) mentioned that paranormal mysteries are not for me, so I am quite surprised that the author who I discovered this month can be found on the Psychics/6th Sense Theme Mysteries list. Perhaps it is because this author is also found on the Cat Theme Mysteries page that it insured I would enjoy her first Cozy Mystery so much.

    I am talking about Sofie Kelly. Not only do I like her main sleuth, I also like all of the other characters in Curiosity Thrilled the Cat (the first in her Magical Cats Mystery Series) as well as the setting, which happens to be a library in a small town in Minnesota.

    I have to admit that the characters I enjoyed the most, are Hercules and Owen, her “magical cats.” I told my husband that the only draw-back I had while reading this Cozy was that I wanted to go right out and adopt not one, but two cats!

    • Hi Danna, of course you know I will completely agree with you about Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cat Mysteries! I have started the first in the series, and I love it. I, like you, am not crazy about paranormal mysteries but this isn’t as in your face paranormal as some. I am looking to following this series for a while.
      If you get a chance, read her short in the SinC Guppies-FISH TALES/THE FRAIN LEGACY

        • Thanks, Margaret. I wonder why she used her real name (Darlene Ryan) for her story in the 2011 Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology.

      • Margaret, you might have hit on the exact reason I like Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cat Mystery Series so much. While they may be paranormal, they aren’t “as in your face paranormal as some.” There’s just a hint of the paranormal in the first mystery, and I know I have said this before, but I love those two cats!

  2. I read three new series (released in Jan./Feb.), all of which I would recommend. I’ll start with the ‘Lucys’. The first is ‘Buried in a Book’, by Lucy Arlington (aka J. B. Stanley and S. May). It is set in a small town in North Carolina, has some quirky characters, and the ‘requisite’ (of many cozy writers) police boyfriend love interest. It’s an interesting mystery which moves along quickly. I don’t know how two authors collaborate, but these two did a good job.

    The second (my favorite) is ‘Appetite for Murder’, by Lucy Burdette with a great setting – the Keys. The first thing I did when I opened this book was read the back inside cover to see what was said about the author. YEA!! YEA!! The publisher didn’t try to hide the fact that Lucy Burdette is a pseudonym for Roberta Isleib. This book took a little while to get into. However, it is smartly/intellectually written and has a great mystery story line with interesting characters. As with most Isleib books, there is the ‘requisite’ psychologist (not the main character). This author ALSO follows the ‘cozy’ formula of the love interest being a police detective. I’m REALLY looking forward to the second book, to be released in September.

    Yesterday I finished ‘If Fried Chicken Could Fly’, by Paige Shelton, set in a small town in Missouri. I was very surprised by this book because I expected it to be similar to her other series. Talk about paranormal — Shelton incorporates a ghost in this story line. Like Danna, it generally isn’t for me. However, I found this book to be enjoyable, even with the ghost. It is light, moves along, and holds your interest. The characters have great potential for future story lines. It appears Shelton is utilizing the same love interest formula as the previous two – police dept. boyfriend to-be!

    I know several mystery cozies have love interests with OTHER occupations. But many (if not most) love interests are detectives (police or private), which is why I jokingly call them ‘formula’.

    • Thanks, MJ, for telling us about your three February Cozy Mystery finds.

      I hope Lucy Burdette (Roberta Isleib) uses the Key West setting a lot in her new Key West Food Critic Mystery Series. (I say this rather selfishly – since I was born there but left after three days.)

      MJ, I totally agree about the ‘requisite” detective love interest! Either that, or the detective is their niece, nephew, son, daughter, best friend, neighbor, ETC! Sure helps the sleuth gather interesting clue-solving tidbits…

  3. Lorraine Bartlett’s Victoria Square mysteries. I was not into crafting books much, but I picked up this book because I love her other series. Anyway, the characters are awesome. I can’t explain how great the whole “square” is with all the little shops. I would like to visit.

    • Thanks, Michelle. For those who are just starting Lorraine Bartlett’s Victoria Square Mystery Series, she has quite a few more mystery books for them to read – written as Lorna Barrett and L. L. Bartlett.

  4. Am glad we are doing this for February as I enjoyed January’s recommendations very much. I probably read 3 or 4 books from those recommendations.

    Samantha-Kathy recommended A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow last January. I enjoyed this book more than any first book in a series in a long time. I liked everything about this book. Liked the lead character Kate Shugak(strong and independent), the Alaskan location, and the cast of characters. The book was very well written. The mystery had more to it than many cozy mysteries. I downloaded the next two in the series after reading it. It is free kindle book on Amazon now which I didn’t realize when I purchased my paperback. It won an Edgar Award.

    I also read One False Move by Harlan Coben. I love the Myron Bolitar series. This is the 5th in the series. The Myron Bolitar series is not cozy and can have a harder edge to it. Myron is a sport agent who gets drawn into solving various crimes. Again the cast of characters help make the book-Esperaza Diaz, Win and just added to this book Big Cyndi.
    Myron loves his Yoo-Hoo drink. Myron can be quite humorous. Harlan Coben has stand alones too which I like ok but not as much as the Myron books.

    When I was looking at the listing of cozy writers that Danna compiled, I noticed she said she liked the Kathy Hogan Trocheck books. (Julia Callahan) I received books from my sister in the 90’s. I recently cleaned out a closet and rediscovered these books. I spent several hours going through these books. It was like finding a treasure. There are Hess, Hart, many others and 5 books by Kathy Hogan Trocheck. My sister must like that series too. I read the 1st one- Every Crooked Nanny and liked it. Callahan Garrity is an ex Atlanta policewoman and ex P. I. She buys a house cleaning business called the House Mouse (she doesn’t like the name but keeps it anyway) There is a good cast of characters and am looking forward to reading the 2nd in the series.

    Right now am reading The Last Word by Ellery Adams.(aka J.B.Stanley) Takes place on the North Carolina shores. This series is one I automatically buy when a new book come out as I liked the first two in the series.

    • Thanks, Lynn T., for telling us about your new find (Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak Mystery Series) and Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar Mystery Series. Also, Kathy Hogan Trochek’s Julia Callahan Mystery Series is one I followed, until she wrote no more in the series for me to follow! I haven’t started reading the books by Ellery Adams but J. B. Stanley (aka Ellery Adams) is one of my favorite current mystery authors.

      PS>>> Your sister has great taste in mystery books!

    • Thank you so much for mentioning that A Cold Day for Murder was free for kindle! I went and downloaded it right away. That is a great way to try an author risk free!

  5. I’m reading the Victoria Thompson gaslight series. I really enjoy these; I think they are well-written, well-researched, and just tell interesting stories. The love interest angle is pretty laid-back, which is nice.

    • Susie, “well-written, well-researched” with “interesting stories” are great endorsements of Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery Series. It’s so important for an historical mystery series to ring true to the times…

  6. MJ’s point both intrigues and worries me. In the series I’m developing, I don’t have a detective as a love interest in the first book, but I do for the second. But the problem is, as Danna suggests, that the detective (or in my case, constable) comes in handy when you have an amateur sleuth, especially in a time period when women couldn’t serve as police, detectives, etc (my books are set in early modern England). But I suppose he doesn’t need to be a detective, but for a series you need a reason to keep bringing them together. Do you think a lawyer as the love interest is equally formulaic? And if so, do you mind? (I can think of the Anne Perry novels, but not too many others). I would love to know your thoughts on this.

    • Susie, I’m going to post an entry that asks about your comment in a few days. That way, you will get a lot more answers.

  7. I just discovered the late Judi McCoy’s Dog Walker mysteries and reviewed Fashion Faux Paw, the most recent novel.

    • Thank you, Harvee, for telling us about Judi McCoy’s Dog Walker Mystery Series.

      (I was saddened by the news of her passing.)

  8. I received a free copy of “If Fried Chicken Could Fly” from Good Reads, and was pleasantly surprised. A new fun series! I liked the friendly ghost, but then I enjoy Sarah Addison Allen’s books with a hint of the supernatural.

    • Marianne, you are the second person who read and recommended Paige Shelton’s Country Cooking School Mystery Series. Sounds like a must-read!

  9. Spencer Quinn’s, “Chet, the Dog” series. This series is a very fast and fun read. Chet, a dog, is a loyal companion, to Bernie, a private investigator. The stories are written from Chet’s point of view.

    I am a dog owner and lover. I listened to the first one because it sounded fun and something light after the heavier mysteries I had been reading. It was so enjoyable I read the next two right away. The fourth is on my list to pick up next from the library.

    Thanks to your wonderful site I learned that Spencer Quinn is Peter Abrahams. Something else to investigate!

    • Judy, I’m really glad to hear an endorsement for Spencer Quinn’s Chet (the Dog) and Bernie Mystery Series. I wasn’t quite sure if it would be light, or not. It is on my TBR list of mystery books.

      I am always impressed by mystery authors who are already best selling, established mystery authors when they then write mystery series for children/young adults. Peter Abrahams (aka Spencer Quinn) writes the Echo Falls Mystery Series, of which the first mystery won the Best Children/Young Adult Agatha Award in 2005. Both of the following books in the series were also nominated for the Best Children/Young Adult Agatha Awards in 2006 and 2008.

  10. I have one to highly recommend in cozy fantasy: Unicorn on Speed Dial by Jeanette Cottrell.

    Oh this is a FUN, FUN, FUN mystery that takes place in the US–it’s just that there’s unicorns and a couple of dragons. But the mom is just a mom trying to get her kids to and from school (think soccer mom). She just happens to take in stray pets like unicorns and ferrets and migrating dragons…
    It’s such a fun book. I reviewed it at Amazon and my blog. The cover is pretty weird, but the book was just fabulous. Highly recommended if you don’t mind a little magic in your cozy reads.

  11. Danna: Cozy Mystery List: 2/26/12
    I just a few months ago bought a new cozy mystery series that came out I think in 2010; the Author is Ann Purser (she had writen the Lois Meade Mysteries but in this new series its about a beloved spinster who is cantankerous as she is smart, and she found she is good at solving mysteries. Then a mystery pops up, and a fellow senior, name of Gus & some of the other senior citizens get together to solve the murder mystery. TITLE: “THE HANGMAN’S ROW ENQUIRY”
    I am loving it from the first page…….jump in and hope one and all will enjoy, it too. Her next came out in 2011, and my daughter bought it…..I think that one is called “THE MEASBY MURDER ENQUIRY” grin.

    • Shirley, I have just added the Ivy Beasley Mystery Series (by Ann Purser) to the list of authors who come recommended for us to read. Thanks!

  12. I’m reading a third book by Casey Daniels in the Pepper Martin series. Just love her writing style and the fact that Pepper is a “Ghost Whisperer”. She fights being one by tooth and toenail but to no avail. She’s stuck with the “Gift”. I started off with A Hard Day’s Fright (bk 7) but then went back to books 1 (Don of the Dead) and 2 (The Chick and the Dead). I’ll read the rest in the order they were written.

    • Charlene, thanks for recommending Casey Daniels’ Pepper Martin Mystery Series. If you “have to be” a ghost whisperer, what better profession than cemetery tour guide?

  13. Pride and Prescience. By Carrie Bebris… Charming
    The Doublet Affair by Fiona Buckley….interesting, historical
    Simon Said by Sarah Shaber ….liked it alot..North Carolina locale
    The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman…..all hers are good
    Read a bunch of non cozies; I read a book a day

    • Oh my goodness, Ricky! A book a day?!?

      (Thanks for all of the recommended authors, and get back to reading!)

      • I can and have read a book a day, especially the Cozies. But in doing this sometimes I don’t always read every word. Sometimes some books have a lot of description that I just don’t care for, so those parts I will skip over. A lot of times though I find that I have to go back because by doing this skipping I find that I have missed something important to the story. Sometimes I just can’t win!

        I have a brother and a sister who both speed read. Reading a book a day is nothing to them.

        • Linda, when I belonged to the mystery book reading groups, if I didn’t like a book, I would skim through the end – and annotate my usual “*****YUCK” on my list of authors. Now, however, if I don’t like a book, I simply stop reading it. There’s no way I could skim through a book and expect to retain anything >>> and I have a big enough problem trying to remember details that belong to different mystery series I follow.

  14. I love Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cat series. I’ve read the first and have the 2nd one to read soon.

    Going to start B.B. Haywood’s Town in a Lobster Stew this week. I read the first in the series and loved it; they take place in Maine and I live there.

    • Rachel, I am happy to add B. B. Haywood’s Candy Holliday Mystery Series to the Feb 2012 Recommendations list.

      (I’m looking forward to reading the second Magical Cat mystery, also. And, the third (Copycat Killing) will be out this May.)

  15. I don’t remember which series I recommended last month so forgive me if I’m repeating myself… I have recently discovered Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple series and really love it! It’s an english cozy and she’s a member of the aristocracy who has nothing of her own and works as a writer to make her own way. The time setting is between WW1 and 2. Daisy is a strong character, the mysteries are entertaining and the relationship between her and her middle class Scotland yard detective is fun to watch progress. Highly recommend it to anyone who likes “english” cozies!

    • Aha, Angela, I see Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series has yet another fan! Very British!

  16. I just finished The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig – it is not a mystery, but it is the latest book in a series I love and have introduced many people to. The series starts with The Secret of the Pink Carnation and the premise of the books is that Baroness Orczy’s Scarlet Pimpernel is real and was succeeded by other English spies, such as the Pink Carnation. While the bulk of the books are the historical romance adventures, each book also tells the story of the Harvard student researching the tales for her dissertation. These books are so much fun!

    As for cozy mysteries, I read the latest Daisy Dalrymple book by Carola Dunn, Gone West. This is another series I just love.

    A new series I just started was Liver Let Die by Liz Lipperman. It was really cute and I am looking forward to more books in the series.

    • Thanks for telling us about Lauren Willig’s non mysteries, Judith.

      Also, you’re in good company with Angela. She just told us about Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple, also.

      I am going to go add Liz Lipperman’s Clueless Cook Mystery Series to the list for March 2012.

  17. Well I am all caught up with my Domestic Diva Mysteries (Krista Davis) and my Book Town Mysteries (Lorna Barrett); while I am reading the Magical Cat Mysteries I have started the Cheese Shop Mysteries (Avery Aames). I can tell I will follow this series as long as Ms Aames continues to write them. Even tho it is not set in my specific geographic location the little town is a quaint as can be. The shop just perfect setting. Again what I like in my series is belivability to offset all the crazy murders!
    Of course I also enjoyed the newest installment to Lucy Stone (Leslie Meier). Great Valentine’s Day read and Lucy never disappoints me!

  18. I just finished reading Carola Dunn’s “Mourning Wedding.” I do like her Daisy Dalrymple series. Now I’ve started the new Hamish MacBeth, “Death of a Kingfisher” by M.C.Beaton (Marion Chesney). Her books are always straightforward and quick-moving. I enjoy the glimpse into Highland life, but I hope everyone there isn’t that rude in real life. Oh my!
    For audiobooks it’s Nero Wolfe. I can read them over and over and over again. Doesn’t matter if I already know whodunit.

    • Kay, you gave us some real good Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations for this month. Thanks a lot!

  19. I didn’t see the January offerings yet, but I did just finish reading The Feng Shui Detective Goes West by Nury Vittachi. It’s the second Master Wong mystery, and in the foreign category at Felony and Mayhem Press. Very interesting story. Wong is reminiscent of Poirot.

    I second A Cold Day for Murder – really enjoyed the book, but haven’t caught up with her following books.

    I like that you are doing this type of post every month. Gives us a chance to check out new-to-us cozies recommended by others.

    • Thanks, Edie, for telling us about Nury Vittachi’s Master Wong Mystery Series.

      I’m going to try to do these Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations each month because several people said they would like to see what the other readers on the site enjoy. I just started with the January 2012 list, which turned out to be rather long!

      • Danna, I know the January installment on the reader recommended topic got to be quite long but this has gotten to be one of my all time favorite postings on your blog. I love knowing what others are reading or have already read. Keep this up. I love your blog. I am keeping a small notebook beside my computer here so that I can write down authors’ names. Now if I can just remember to take the notebook with me when I go to the library!!!!

        • Linda, I’m glad you’re getting good ideas of authors to look for in your library. (When you can remember to take your notebook with you!)

  20. Danna. I just finished Deborah Crombie’s new book. It was a great mixture of a police procedural and domestic problems faced by police families. Maddy Hunter’s new book was most enjoyable. It was good to read about her zany senior tourist group. She has a new publisher, so maybe we will read more from her. Joan Hess did not break any new barriers, but she provided a readable story. I am glad to see that Claire’s daughter Caron and her friend Inez are aging in each book. Maybe the next books will deal with Caron’s experiences in college. After reading J.A. Jance’s new book, I realize that I prefer her other 2 series better.

    • Regina, I just added Deborah Crombie’s Kincaid & James Mystery Series to the list, as well as Maddie Hunter’s Passport to Peril Mystery Series.

  21. I just finished reading “Deader Homes & Gardens” by Joan Hess. Love it, love it, love it. I have two small remarks that sort of bothered me . One is Caron is starting to remind me of Veronica Heley’s Ellie Quick’s daughter Diana. Caron can get rather snotty with her mother.

    *****SPOILER*****
    *****SPOILER*****
    *****SPOILER*****
    *****SPOILER*****
    *****SPOILER*****

    The second one is Claire’s husband Peter thinking that just because he tells Claire to stay out of an investigation he assumes that she is going too! Rather lame on his part!

    Glad to see you back, Joan Hess. Missed you, don’t stay away so long this time. By the way, has Arly Hanks ever had her baby yet?

    • I was reading about this book and found one by Joan Hess that I missed. Tickled to Death…don’t know how I missed this one since this is one of my favorite series. But I am now reading this one before I read Deader Homes and Gardens.

      A great series…

      • Anne, I’m so glad you found a book you missed by Joan Hess, as you say she is one of your favorite authors.

        (I’m glad it wasn’t a Carola Dunn book that you had missed. I just found out I had two of her mysteries “topsy-turvied” on my list. I don’t know how I managed to do that!)

        • Danna, Sometimes when I find books that are series books I will read by the publishing date so that I can read the books in order. But sometimes two or more books will have the same publishing dates. Maybe this is how you got these books out of order.

          • Linda, the process I go through when I add a book to the author’s page involves a lot of cutting and pasting from my draft. I have been known (once or twice!) to click on the wrong areas, ETC.

            (Clearly “once or twice” is an exageration on my part!)

    • Linda, I went ahead and added the spoiler alerts for those people who may not be as far into the Joan Hess Mystery Series as you are. I hope that’s OK.

      • Okay Danna, I understand about the spoiler alerts. I have this strange idea that by the time I get copies of these newer books, most others who contribute to this forum have already read them.

        • Linda, I was thinking about the people who are thinking about starting a series by an author. I know that a lot of times, as readers, we wonder if two characters will marry, split up, and even in some cases – since we are talking about mysteries – if they will kill each other!

    • Hey Danna, This is your blog. Run it the way you want. I think you do a wonderful useful service here. Hope you keep up the good work. I love being able to discuss what I am reading and I love reading what others think about what they read.

  22. I couldn’t wait to get to the library yesterday to pick up Veronica Heley’s new Abbott Agency mystery, False Report. I started reading it this morning and I know it’s going to be great, but I would recommend reading at least some of the earlier books in the series so you can understand what’s going on in the beginning. She really had my blood pressure up for the first 44 pages, but I think Bea’s going to come to her senses any page now! (You know you’ve fallen in love with a character when you can get that emotionally involved!) I love this series and her Ellie Quicke series as well. They’re both British and among the best contemporary mysteries.
    I finished The Gingerbread Bump-off, by Livia Washburn, just in time to return it to the library. It’s from the Fresh-Baked Mystery series. I was a little late reading it, because it was set around Christmas, but it’s good reading any time.
    It was so nice to have another Claire Malloy mystery. Super as always!
    Thanks for the recommendations, Danna and everybody else. I see wonderful cozies stretching well into my future!

    • Deb, I just added both of Veronica Heley’s mystery Series, as well as Livia J. Washburn’s and the Claire Malloy Mystery Series to the list. I’m glad I waited to the end of the month to do this entry!

  23. I recently read the Caroline Cousins series that are set in the area surrounding Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, and the fictional Indigo island. Great fun particularly since we just spent time there and recognized many of the locations. I swear we sat next to a Pinckney straight out of “Fiddle Dee Death” while dining at The Hominy Grill. She told us all about her family, plantation, and even said they were Pinckneys. Too funny.

    • Thanks, Nikki, for adding Caroline Cousins’ Pinckney Plantation Mystery Series to the February list. It’s A Small World, After All…

  24. I am reading The Harbor by Carla Neggers. Just took it off the library shelf because I liked the look of the spine. I know nothing about Carla, but the book is great. Believable characters, great setting – some day I will get to the Northeast – and if she hasn’t written more yet, I sure hope she does soon.

  25. I am now reading “Chocolate Covered Murder” by Leslie Meier. This is another Cozy series that I love to read. What I like about Cozies is the author allows the characters’ children to grow. Lucy Stones’ offspring have been allowed to grow up and I love that.

    I want to make a comment on part of the plot . I really don’t think this is a spoiler because the person who is murdered is on the inside cover of the book. There are several mentions in this story, and other mysteries too for that matter, that the wife and children of the murder victim has been left penniless! This is a mystery in itself, because with Social Security, Medicaid and food stamps how can these people be left penniless? I know, I know, this should be a moot point and these stories are a work of fiction.. But if these stories are to be believed in any way, why aren’t these kids getting their father’s social security?

    Being a senior citizen of an unmentionable age I am collecting SS and yes I DO KNOW this money only goes so far. But when my son died my grandchildren were not left penniless and they started getting his SS almost right a way!

    Maybe I am just getting too critical??

    • Linda, I remember a friend of mine in college who received Social Security after his dad passed. I don’t remember it being a huge amount, though.

      I know that there are sometimes things that annoy me when I am reading a book, that keep annoying me. Most of them spark a “Hmmm… That doesn’t make sense to me!” reaction. Once I start feeling that way, even though I try to forget it, I still keep thinking that the situation didn’t make sense when I read it, and it still doesn’t make sense later.

      • I just read a book yesterday that had a sequence of happenings wrong. Our main sleuth went to meet the person who was murdered for the first time on a Saturday. Then he talked about doing things with his son on Sunday. Then on Monday when the subject was murdered our main sleuth told the police that he had just met the man “yesterday.” No it wasn’t!. He met our subject two days ago. Might be silly but I would have thought a proof reader should have picked this up as fast as I did!
        Just thought I would add this.

        • I read a mystery once where much significance was given to the discovery of a crucial clue. Of course they didn’t actually discover the clue until about 30 pages later. I too wondered where the editor was in all this.

          Needless to say, that was the last I read of that author.

          • Linda and Julia, there’s no excuse for sloppy editing!

            I remember reading a book in a series I enjoyed a lot that actually got the name of the sleuth wrong at the very beginning of the book. I kept trying to figure out if there was another character the author was referring to…

  26. Danna, As a humorous note to the latest book I am reading, I just started Dana Stabenow’s newest one. I am a fan of “Alaska State Troopers” TV show. Now when I read her book, I can picture how her trooper lover and his friend look. It sure helps liven up the story.

    • Regina, the Dana Stabenow series is what got me hooked on the Alaskan State Troopers TV show. I love that show! The TV show has quite a few maps that show where the different areas of Alaska are. I like that because when I read the Stabenow books then I kind of know where the places in the books are.
      I read a book a few weeks ago that took place in the northeast. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as Canada were all interwoven into the storyline. I couldn’t figure out how all of this could be until I finally got out a USA map! Sometimes I wonder why gave God gave me a brain when at times I refuse to use it! I must have been taking a nap during geography class years ago!
      Now when I start a new series that is set in a different area of this country or in the United Kingdom, I will get out a map first off!

      • Linda, this is a perfect example of why we tell our children they need to know what the square root is of a number. You never know when you’ll need to rely on what you learned at school… regardless of how useless you might have thought it was!

  27. I would recommend the mystery series by Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins. They are called the Summit Murder Mystery Series. The first book is called Murder on Everest. Each book is a murder mystery that takes place on one of the world’s seven continental summits. The mountains themselves are already full of danger, but the authors have added in murder which makes a series I really enjoy and can’t put down. The series is as follows… Murder on Everest, Murder on Elbrus, Murder on Mt. McKinley, Murder on Puncak Jaya with Murder on Vinson Massif and the finale Murder on Kilimanjaro coming soon. Check them out!

    • Thanks, Jennifer, for all of the information on Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins!

  28. I just found your blog/website today and have been reading most of the day. Plus I have found some new books to request from the library!

    I wanted to recommend some books that I haven’t seen on here yet, The “A Mystery A La Mode” series by Wendy Lyn Watson. I’m on the 3rd book in the series and it’s really good.

    Another series I’ve read is from Jenn McKinlay, “The Cupcake mystery” series. She also has another series called the “Library Lover’s Mysteries”. And she has another book coming out in April that is a new series under the name of Josie Belle that is called “50% off Murder” that I think looks good.

    Anyways I wanted to say that this is a site that I will be coming back to time and again to get new books!

  29. Danna, Along with several other reasons why I really enjoy it when you list the up and coming list of new releases happened yesterday. Although I don’t buy books this way any more I got mailings from 3 mail order book companies. These books are a lot less expensive then buying them at the book stores but when the shipping and handling is added to these books I find that I can get these books a whole lot cheaper by going to Walmart or Kroger’s. But with the list of books being in the catalogues I find that I read most of the books that I like because these were listed here on your blog.

    • Linda, I remember when those mail order book catalog stores used to do so well. (I actually never used one, since I knew I would inevitably forget to send in my selections, and get stuck with the books they had chosen to send out.) I’m surprised they still exist, with places like Amazon and Barnes/Noble doing so well.

  30. I picked up ” Scotched” by Kaitlyn Dunnett at the local library this week. I am trying my best to save this book for the weekend. One of the things I like about this series is that I have Scots ancestors and this series has a lot of Scots lore and myths as well as Scotland history mixed in with the storyline.
    Another reason I like this series is because any town with the name” Moosetookalook” has to be worth reading!

  31. Well, I sort of knew that I was not going to wait for the weekend to start before I began reading “Scotched” by Kaitlyn Dunnett. I found one paragraph though that sort of sums up, to me anyway, what Cozies are. The storyline is about a mystery writers’ conference being held in Moosetookalook.
    I certainly hope this is legal and not infringing on this wonderful writer. That is no way my intent.
    “The attendees (of this mystery conference) would all be fans of the traditional mystery–crime stories with limited violence and no graphic sex that tended to feature amature detectives inspired by such classic sleuths as Agatha Christie’s Miss Marpel and Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael.” Sort of fits those of us who really love Cozies, huh?

    • I couldn’t agree with you more, Linda. Those are great examples of authors who really “know” what Cozy Mystery readers want!

  32. I just now finished reading Janet Evanovich’s “Explosive Eighteen” and I have to say this is a very good book! I wasn’t sure about trying to read this book after the last 2 or 3 being sort of raunchy. But I did give it a try and I am glad that I did. There were a lot of laughs with Lula and her antics and some really laugh out loud parts with Stephanie’s dad, mother and grandmother. This is not a wishy washy book. But it was just a good read.

    I am so glad that Stephanie is back the way I like her, feisty and funny! Now I can hardly wait for 19!

    Just wondered if Stephanie’s sister and her group will ever be back in the mix?

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