The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – July 2012

It’s really difficult for me to grasp the fact that it is already the end of July. But, it is!

I have tried several new authors because of your monthly recommendations. I have enjoyed most of them, and as I have told you before, added some of them to my “favorite authors” list.

Please tell us about a few of the authors you read this past month (July 2012), only those authors who you really, really enjoyed. And, as usual, please tell us WHY you enjoyed the author(s). (Please, do not tell us about the authors you tried reading who you did not like.) I will add the recommended authors to this entry as they come in.

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during July 2012, and why did you enjoy it (or him/her)?

Here are the current authors who some of you have read this past month, and wanted to tell the rest of us about:

Ellery Adams (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series

Kate Atkinson: Started Early, Took My Dog

Elizabeth Bailey: Lady Fan Mystery Series

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

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

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber): Witchcraft Mystery Series

Robin Blake: A Dark Anatomy

Janet Bolin: Threadville Mystery Series

Melissa Bourbon (aka Melissa Bourbon Ramirez & Misa Ramirez): Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Lady Georgiana Mystery Series

Emily Brightwell: Mrs Jeffries Mystery Series

Frances Brody: Kate Shackleton Mystery Series

Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskel Mystery Series

Grace Carroll (aka Carol Culver): Accessories Mystery Series

Heron Carvic: Miss Seeton Mystery Series

Laura Childs: Tea Shop Mystery Series AND Cackleberry Club Mystery Series

Alisa Craig (aka Charlotte MacLeod): Grub-and Stakers Mystery Series

Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block): Mystery with Recipes Mystery Series

Anna Dean: Miss Dido Kent Mystery Series

Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum Mystery Series

Sharon Fiffer: Jane Wheel Mystery Series

Amanda Flower: Appleseed Creek Mystery Series

Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen Mystery Series

Anne George: Southern Sisters Mystery Series

Katherine Miller Haines: Rosie Winter Mystery Series

Rebecca M. Hale: Cats and Curios Mystery Series

Tarquin Hall: Vish Puri Mystery Series

Victoria Hamilton: Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Tessa Harris: The Anatomist’s Apprentice

B. B. Haywood: Candy Holliday Mystery Series

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

Julie Hyzy: Manor of Murder Mystery Series

Dorte Jakobsen: The Cozy Knave

P.D. James: Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series

Craig Johnson: Walt Longmire Mystery Series

Garrison Keillor: Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny

Mitzi Kelly: Silver Sleuths Mystery Series

Sofie Kelly: Magical Cats Mystery Series

Allison Kingsley (aka Kate Kingsbury & Rebecca Kent): Raven’s Nest Bookstore Mystery Series

Victoria Laurie: Psychic Eye Mystery Series

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent): Embroidery Mystery Series

Liz Lipperman: Clueless Cook Mystery Series

M. Louisa Locke: Victorian San Francisco Mystery Series AND The Misses Moffet Mend A Marriage: A Victorian San Francisco Story

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Button Box Mystery Series

Amanda Matetsky: Paige Turner Mystery Series

Lorena McCourtney: Cate Kinkaid Files Mystery Series.

Jenn McKinlay (aka Lucy Lawrence & Josie Belle): Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series AND Library Lover’s Mystery Series

Amy Patricia Meade: Rosie the Riveter Mystery Series

Miss Read: Fairacre Series

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

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

Clayton Rawson: The Great Merlini Mystery Series

Dorothy St. James: White House Gardener Mystery Series

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series

Kari Lee Townsend: Fortune Teller Mystery Series

Peter Turnbull: Hennessey & Yellich Mystery Series

Elaine Viets: Dead-End Mystery Series

P. G. Wodehouse: The Adventures of Sally

Dornford Yates: Chandos Series

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

Comments

  1. Okay I did not get to read 20 books in July. Not sure many I will read in August as I go back to work. Here goes:
    1. Copycat Killing by Sophie Kelly
    2. Dire Threads by Janet Bolin
    3. Pleats for Murder by Melissa Bourbon
    4. Thread Reckoning by Amanda Lee
    5. She Done It by Grace Carroll
    6. Button Holed by Kylie Logan
    7. Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St, James
    8. Tempest in the Tea Leaves by Kari Lee Townsend
    9. Town in a Wild Moose Chase by B. B. Townsend
    10. Hot Button (2nd) by Kylie Logan
    11. Deadly Grind by Victoria Hamilton
    12. Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy
    13. The Scarlet Pepper (2nd) by Dorothy St. James
    14. It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

    I was redoing book shelves and book inventory too. I didn’t get to read but what I did read was great. Most were 1st in a series and I enjoyed very much. Most of them were craft or cooking theme series which I love. I love all mystery books. These 14 books I enjoyed very much and cannot wait until the next one comes out. Thank you Danna for a place to share the authors we read and find new ones.

    • Thanks, Ginger. That’s still a very long list of books for one month.

    • Ginger, You sure do have a long list of books that you have read. Many of those look like they would be very interesting. If I am reading a cozy I can read 2 books in 3 days, so more power to you.

      • Thanks Linda. I start a book and finish it then I start another. During July I was having trouble sleeping so I read. I do love to read. Sometimes I start a book and finish it in the same day but not always. I am going back to work in 2 weeks so I might get in 2 to 5 a week for a while. I am redoing bookshelves and doing book inventory too.

        • Ginger, Four years ago when I decided to retire I made a list of things that I wanted to do after I retired. The first thing was to sleep past 3:30 a.m. The second was to read at any time I wanted to. Since I have a house to clean, 2 dogs and a hubby to fix meals for I sometimes have to put my book down. But I do get to read very often. There are so many different types of books to read. I am never alone or lonely so long as I have a good book to read.

  2. It isn’t “cozy,” but I love Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire series upon which the new A&E series is based. He is a sheriff in Wyoming and the character development is fantastic. I don’t like Westerns in general, but this series has changed my mind. I’ve read the first five in the last two weeks. I have also enjoyed Mindy Klasky’s Jane Madison series on the kindle. This website has been a great resource for an avid mystery reader. Thanks!

    • Kim,
      After reading your post, I did a search on A&E and found last night(Sunday) they were doing a marathon on Longmire. It started with the pilot show. They were one hour long. We ended up taping four one hour shows. My husband and I watched the pilot and the next show. We both liked it very much. It reminded both of us of Jesse Stone tv shows. Different location-different characters but very good. Am going to check out the books too.
      Thanks for the recommendation!

      • Lynn T, boy am I sorry I didn’t quickly go search for Longmire after Kim told us about it – like you did. It looks like they won’t be playing the pilot for a while, but I will get it eventually.

    • Kim, thanks for telling us about the television show Longmire. I haven’t watched A&E in such a long time, I don’t even know what they are offering. So, thank you for telling us about this show, I just set up my Sage recording device, and am hoping they will play the pilot some time soon.

      • Lynn T. I did pick up the new (or at least new-to-me) book by Craig Johnson. “As the Crow Flies” is the title of this book. I do love this series.
        I have seen the “Longmire” movies advertised on the cable channels but I haven’t gotten to see any of the episodes yet. What with watching the Olympics this week during the day and baseball at night, I just haven’t had a chance to watch anything else yet.
        Do any of you, as you read, ever pick up on certain surnames as being names of people you know that also have those last names? I used to work with 2 brothers by the name of Longmire. One was deaf, had been from birth. I am partially deaf myself. One year one of the brothers, Phil, who was deaf and I had to take inventory together. Sure was an interesting day. But we both finished with our sections before any of the other groups did.
        One more thing about Phil Longmire. Even though he was deaf, he still played a musical instrument at Ohio State. One year he was the tuba player who dotted the “I” in Ohio. I’ll never forget this guy.

        • Linda, it’s funny how we remember people from our pasts, isn’t it?

          • Danna, Kind of dumb for me to think that everyone would know what I was talking about when I said this guy dotted the ‘I” in Ohio at Ohio State. What I meant was at the home games for the Ohio State Football games the band forms Ohio State at the begining of each game. The crowning glory is when the person playing the tuba will dot the ” I.” This is quite an honor. Hope this explains what I meant.

        • Linda, with all of this talk about the Longmire mystery series, I had my husband buy us the pilot to watch. I see they are going to be replaying all of the other nine episodes on A&E in the next two weeks. I’m looking forward to watching it.

          Also, that is something about your Longmire playing in the Ohio State band, and being deaf. That’s quite an achievement!

  3. I just finished Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams. It is the start of a new series by her with a touch of paranormal. The book was charming, I liked the characters and am looking forward to their further adventures. I have enjoyed all of her series (whether she is Ellery Adams, JB Stanley, Jennifer Stanley or 1/2 of Lucy Arlington). The main character learns during the book that people who eat her pies are affected by her emotions when she made the pies. (It reminded me of a Sarah Michelle Gellar movie, Simply Irresistible.) Reading the book also made me hungry for pie.

    Jenn McKinlay’s latest Cupcake mystery not only made me hungry for cupcakes, but also for cake pops! These books are a fun read. I also finally got around to reading the first book in her Library Lovers series. I don’t know why I left it on my TBR pile for so long! I’m ready to read the next book in the series.

    Another book I read was Classic Revenge by Mitzi Kelly. It had been recommended on this site and I requested it from my library. It took some time to get it because it was missing for a while, but it was worth the wait. The characters, especially Millie, are a hoot.

    • Thank you for telling us about all three of those authors, Judith. After reading your comments, I added one of them to my list of authors to read.

  4. I have been reading four series. Three of them came from your site and I finished Denise Swanson’s, Scumble River series. I really loved it. I have the first book in her newest series in my to read pile. I have been reading Scumble River for about 10 months. I don’t like to read them one after another as I don’t enjoy them quite as much.
    I read the first book in the Amanda Matetsky “Murderers Prefer Blondes”. I liked the historical stuff. It was a good mystery. It had the flavor of the fifties, however, no longing for the fifties here. Also, read “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree”. Loved it and am looking forward to more from this author.
    I’m currently reading Jenn McKinlay’s “Due or Die”. A library and a puppy who could ask for more.
    The really great find this month is a series by Tarquin Hall. One of my friends gave it to me to read this month as no one expects me to do anything else. I am walking some and going out to physical therapy. Next week I see my doctor and I’m hoping he will allow me to drive.
    I have read both books in this series and have ordered the just out third:
    The Case of the Missing Servent
    The Man Who Died Laughing
    The Case of the Butter Chicken
    These books are charming. They are definitely cozy mysteries, minimal violence and little or no sex. Set in India this series is fun, charming and contains information about another culture. I highly recommend it.
    Another book I want to recommend is a stand alone book:
    Started Early, Took My Dog
    A woman whose whole life is planned commits a totally out of character, spontaneous act, and then has to deal with the consequences of that act. This book was absolutely riveting I could’t put it down. I knew it was going to turn out badly and I would end up being mad. I wanted to look at the end but didn’t even though I couldn’t see any other way it could end. It happily surprised me. This book also contained little violence, no sex and foul language was at a minimum. It was just an all around very good read.
    I am looking forward to other readers’ recommendations. I just ordered Tarquinius Hall’s new book even though my to read pile is getting out of control. However I have found there is always room for another book.
    Sally

    • Sally, it sounds like you are mending right up! I hope your doctor allows you more mobility.

      Thanks for all of the recommendations, including new-to-me Tarquin Hall.

  5. I recently discovered the Library series by Jenn McKinlay and zipped through the first one in record time and quickly got my hands on the second one and read it just as quickly. Then I had to get the Cupcake series books and liked them just as well. Enjoying those topics is no surprise to me as I work in a library and I read many of the “food” related series (LOVE Hanna Swenson Cookie shop series by Joanne Fluke for example) but I found these books so easy to read and got immediately invested in the characters. They had an easy flow that sometimes isn’t present even in books by authors I enjoy. They maintained a nice pace. Can’t quite put my finger on what made them more enjoyable or easier to read than some other series but I am a fan and will have to seek out all of her books.

  6. This is not a cozy, but I enjoyed it. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova. I got it at The Dollar Tree. I also loved Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams. I read Murder on the Half Shelf. This is one of my favorite series.
    I found some books for 99 cents on Kindle.
    Miss Aggie series by Frances Devine
    Misfortune Cookies by Linda Kozar
    A Dying Shame by Elizabeth Spann Craig.
    I haven’t read these but wanted to share. Holly

  7. I’ve been reading a couple of vintage mysteries by Clayton Rawson. “Death From a Top-Hat”, and “No Coffin for the Corpse”. Both featuring The Great Merlini, a well-known stage magician who gets mixed up in (And solves) murders.
    Shades of Sherlock Holmes, with a journalist, Ross Harte, as Merlini’s Watson.
    Rawson himself, was a magician, so he knew what he was writing about and he did it well. I highly recommend this series, if you can find them at a reasonable price.

    • *Susan, thanks for telling us about Clayton Rawson. He’s another vintage mystery author who has escaped me.

  8. This July I discovered Sharon Fiffer, author of cozy mysteries about yard sales and picking. I’ve read three of them, Killer Stuff, Dead Guy’s Stuff and The Wrong Stuff. I love the details she describes of finding hidden “treasures”. It’s the perfect summer series. Although I must say I’m more taken by her descriptions and characters than I am the actual mystery.

    • Thank you, Christine, I will be adding Sharon Fiffer to the July 2012 list of recommendations.

  9. Danna, I’ve been reading Rhys Bowen’s Lady Georgiana Mystery Series and enjoying it very much. Georgiana is the 34th in line to the British throne during the reign of George V and Queen Mary. She is penniless because her father, the Duke of Glen Gerry and Rannoch gambled most of the family fortune away and lost the rest in the crash of ’29. Although our spunky Georgie moves to the London family home, Rannoch House from Rannoch Castle in Scotland, she has no servants, food or heat. She must find ways of feeding herself and solving crimes all while doing little favors for Queen Mary. This is perfect light summer reading in the vein of Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple.

    I also read the Gaslight Mystery Series by Victoria Thompson. This is set in the early 1900 in New York City. The main character, Sara Brandt, is the estranged daughter of an elite family. She is the widow of a murdered doctor and is trained as a nurse and a mid-wife. The main characters are interesting and although some stories are better than others, I recommend the series.

    • Thank you, Kathryn. Your reasons for putting Rhys Bowen and Victoria Thompson on the recommendations list will probably convince a few people who haven’t read them yet to try their books.

  10. Cozy Mysteries Read in July:

    1. Bookmarked for Death–Lorna Barrett**
    2. Bookplate Special–Lorna Barrett**
    3. Chapter & Hearse–Lorna Barrett**
    4. Sentenced to Death–Lorna Barrett**
    5. Murder on the Half Shelf–Lorna Barrett**
    6. The Gilded Shroud–Elizabeth Bailey
    7. The Deathly Portent–Elizabeth Bailey**
    8. A Crafty Killing–Lorraine Bartlett**
    9. The Walled Flower–Lorraine Bartlett**
    10. Mind Over Murder–Allison Kingsley
    11. A Sinister Sense–Allison Kingsley**
    12. Grace Under Pressure–Julie Hyzy**
    13. Grace Interrupted–Julie Hyzy**
    14. Grace Among Thieves–Julie Hyzy**
    15. Bellfield Hall–Anna Dean
    16. A Gentleman of Fortune–Anna Dean
    17. A Woman of Consequence–Anna Dean**
    18. A Deadly Grind–Victoria Hamilton

    **=Favorites

    • Kimberlee just wanted to let you know there is another Lorna Barrett book coming out October 2, but it is the first 3 books of the Bookmarked for Death series I didn’t want you to think it was a brand new one and be dissapointed.

      • Thanks for the heads up alfred..if you didn’t tell me then I would have thought it was a new one and then get disappointed. I love that series and can’t wait for the next to come out.

    • Kimberlee, I just mentioned to Ginger that her fourteen books were a lot for just a month. Wow, eighteen is a whole lot!

  11. I read Buying Time: An Aspen Moore Novel by Kelly Cochran. It was a decent read. Humor, zany, fun. A wee bit loose when it came to plotting and although it tied up loose ends, it got a little convenient there at the end. Still, not a bad read and I think it’s under three bucks on Kindle so not bad.

  12. Since we all have such varied tastes, my posting is a bit long because when recommending a book, I prefer to give a description/analysis rather than a ‘title list’. Blog readers then have more info to decide if it is something they would enjoy. By each reader’s depictions of a book is how I decide to read (or not) what is posted on this blog. I read several books in July – most I liked, some I didn’t. So, please, excuse the length of this post for just two books!!! Because of originality, these two were the ‘best’ of what I read.

    I just finished a book I think most everyone on this blog will enjoy. It is, “A Plain Death” by Amanda Flower. It is her first book in this series. Set in Amish country in Northeast Ohio, it is a compelling mystery along with insightful customs of the Amish (and varied between sects) lifestyle. I started reading it at 10:00 one night and had a difficult time putting it down to go to sleep!! The main protagonist is ‘English’ (Amish term for the non-Amish), and the story is told from her perspective. She recently moves to this community to start a new position at the local college. The other two main characters are ‘former Amish’. The author has developed well (w/background info) diverse and complex characters (both Amish and non-Amish) that are very interesting. She lays the groundwork of some compelling subplots for future stories. It is a well crafted story which has several twists and turns, some with menacing aspects. I didn’t figure out the ‘whodunit’ until the end. I’ve read Ms. Flowers other books, and this is by far the best one. I’m surprised this book (as of yet) hasn’t won any awards. We discussed ‘themes’ in the last blog. This author takes a creative approach of an interesting/informative theme and combines it with a mystery. This book sat around on my shelf for a couple of weeks before I picked it up to read. I didn’t know if I’d like it, however it is one of the best stories I’ve read over the past several months. Many kudos to the author for writing something ‘original and different’. I’m really, really looking forward to the second book (release date – 2/15/13)

    The second book I’ll recommend is “Beef Stolen-Off” by Liz Lipperman. This series was ‘mentioned’ in the last topic (themes), but titles and author were not. The main sleuth moves to a small community in Texas and accepts the position of writing a ‘food column’ although she has no idea of how to cook (humorous aspect). She really wants to be a sports reporter. This second book in the ‘Clueless Cook Mystery’ series is particularly interesting because of the imaginative storyline. It is about cattle rustling. Boring, it is not!! The main character’s brother (one of several) is added, bringing an expanded dimension to the story. The author keeps this story moving quickly with several interesting/fun characters. Of course (author sticking with the norm), the romantic interest of the sleuth is an FBI agent!

    • First of all, MJ, I love your comment’s length! I also read the reasons people recommend books before I decide which authors I want to try.

      (Your description of Amanda Flower’s A Plain Death just sent me to Amazon to buy my Kindle copy!)

    • MJ
      I ditto what Danna just wrote about your recommendation. Just downloaded A Plain Death to my kindle. Thanks!

      • Lynn T, that was quite a recommendation of MJ’s, wasn’t it? I’m looking forward to reading A Plain Death.

  13. i read pies and prejudice by ellery adams a new series. can’t wait for the next book.pumped for murder by elaine viets i buy all her books. tempest in the tea leaves by kari lee townsend a sinister sense by allison kingsley and devil’s food cake murder by joanne fluke. i have been buying her books since she started writing them

    • i read pies and prejudice by ellery adams a new series. can’t wait for the next book.pumped for murder by elaine viets i buy all her books. tempest in the tea leaves by kari lee townsend a sinister sense by allison kingsley and devil’s food cake murder by joanne fluke. i have been buying her books since she started writing them

      Thanks, Marilyn, for the recommendation.

    • Marilyn, I just read a book that has our main sleuth making pies. Carol Culver writes “A Pie Shop Mystery” series. The book I read was titled ‘A Good Day to Pie.” This was a good cozy. I will look for more by this author.

  14. People have mentioned many of my favorites, but somehow I got involved in a not-particularly-cozy series by Peter Turnbull featuring British policemen George Hennessey and Somerled (pronounced Sorley) Yellich. It also features a lady pathologist and at least one autopsy in every book, so not for the faint of heart. Having read the most recent one, I had to go back and read all the earlier ones I could get my hands on (sometimes two a day, they were that good). I just finished and am sorry there are not more, but it has meant my cozies are languishing on my library shelf, including Behold a Pale Horse, the latest Sister Fidelma (my very favorite medieval Irish nun/lawyer/detective), One Book in the Grave, by Kate Carlisle; and The Wurst is Yet to Come, by the ever-entertaining Mary Daheim. I know those won’t disappoint. Glad to hear good words about Pies and Prejudice, Judith, because I have it on request (the copy I’ve had out while detecting in the Yorkshire Dales with Hennessey and Yellich is due today!). I won’t say anything about the 2 books I returned unread, but I hate it when I really like one series by a cozy author and can’t stand the second!

  15. My July reading list includes:

    P.D. James – The Black Tower and Death of an Expert Witness they are the 5th and 6th books in her Adam Dalgliesh mystery series and I can’t recommend these highly enough. Great mysteries and beautifully written.

    Janet Evanovich – Hard Eight. The 8th book in her Stephanie Plum series. Great fun to read.

    Dorothy Cannell – Femmes Fatal. The 4th book in her Ellie Haskel series.

    Heron Carvic – Miss Seeton Sings. The 4th book in the Miss Seeton series.

    Emily Brightwell – Mrs Jeffries Takes the Cake. The 13th book in the Mrs Jeffries series. I’m slowly tracking all the missing books down! Also, following on from Alfred’s tip about the 4th, 5th and 6th books being printed as an omnibus volume later this year, I’ve discovered that they are also planning on printing book 7, 8 and 9 as an omnibus volume in 2013.

    Katherine Hall Page – The Body in the Kelp. The 2nd book in the Faith Fairchild series. I’m really enjoying this series and I’ve already ordered the next one in the series.

    Dornford Yates – Red in the Morning. The 7th book in the Cjamdps series. I’m slowly re-reading this series and rediscovering why I enjoyed them so much the first time around.

    Frances Brody – Murder in the Afternoon. The 3rd book in the Kate Shackleton series. These are well written and well constructed mysteries that I’m really enjoying.

    Anne George – Murder on a Bad Hair Day. The 2nd book in the Southern Sisters mystery series. I’m loving these books!

    • Thank you, Carrie. From your list, I can see you have a lot of really good books in your near future.

    • Carrie, thankyou! I’ve had a couple of Dornford Yates in my TBR Pile for ages. I’d almost forgotten that they were there.
      I’ll have to dig them out, now that you’ve reminded me of them! 🙂

    • Where are you located? I am in the United States and cannot find any of the Kate Shackleton mysteries past the first one. I am dying to read the others and am curious where you are getting a hold of them. Please let me know. Thanks

      • Kimberlee, except for the first in the series, they haven’t been released yet in the USA. (The only ones available are through third party sellers.)

    • Carrie, Each one of the books from this series just got better and better. If you enjoyed the first 2 books you will love the books that follow!

  16. Danna: Just wanted to add my recommendation for the “Longmire” TV series. My husband and I both enjoy it. There are only two episodes left to air this season. We really hope it returns. I did finish reading “When Winter Returns” by Katherine Miller Haines. It is the fourth (and final?) book in the Rosie Winter series. I thought it was the best of the four books.

    • Laura, I have our Sage recorder set up. It’s really reliable, so I am hoping that they will eventually show the pilot of Longmire and the first three episodes again.

  17. I have to second Kathryn’s recommendation of Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series. One of my favorites – pure fun. I love the pace of her books and how you get whirled up in the story. I am a sucker for historical mysteries and this is one of the best I think. I especially like that it captures the feel of the roaring 20s era without many of the typical cliches.

    This month I finally sunk my teeth in M. Louisa Locke’s Victorian San Francisco Mystery series. I picked the two novels up on kindle for cheap months ago, along with two of her short stories, The Misses Moffets Mend a Marriage and Dandy Detects. The novels are good fun and I particularly like the short stories where she draws out some secondary characters and gives them a chance to shine. The Misses Moffets are spinster dressmakers and a joy – if you, like me, like spinster characters and Miss Marple type sleuths, it’s a good bonus bit. It’s an interesting series in that it takes Victorian sensibilities and drops them into an almost Wild West type setting, since San Fran was still very much a pioneer city. I feel like it satisfies my yen for traditional Brit mysteries and a love of Americana.

    Not at all a mystery, but very much a cozy read, I also read Village School by Miss Read, the first of her Fairacre series. Chock full of quirky characters and a very sly, droll, subtle sense of humor. Definitely will be reading more of these.

    I’ve been on the hunt for good cozy short stories – especially on kindle – so if anyone has any recommendations, I’d love to hear them. Locke’s stories drew me into pursuing the novels, and I also picked up an Alexander McCall Smith Isabel Dalhousie “kindle single” which I loved. I commute in NYC and I find the short stories are a perfect fit for my train rides when I’m in between novels. I’d love to find a kindle collection like the Murder Most Cozy or the Domestic Malice ones.

    • Thank you, Joshua, for your recommendations. I don’t read short stories very often, but hopefully some of the Cozy Mystery site readers will be able to help you with your query.

      • Kay and Joshua, years ago I was going to read one of the Miss Read books, but got side-tracked. I guess I had better put her in my TBR pile again!

  18. I finished “The Cosy Knave” by Dorte Jakobsen. The author has a sense of humor mixed in with the mystery. The vicar’s name is George Gershwin. Characters include his daughters – Rhapsody and Psalmonella – police named Smith, Wesson and Winchester, and lots of British with hyphenated names.

  19. Danna, This is not about a cozy mystery author, but I want to point out that Maeve Binchy,a very popular author, died today (7/31) in Ireland. I always enjoyed her books because they were usually a good story.

    • Regina, I really enjoyed Maeve Binchy’s Tara Road. Thanks for letting us know.

  20. Hi Danna,

    This is my first visit to your blog. I found you by searching for a cozy mystery definition.

    I just read Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney–a cozy mystery. I’ll publish my review August 19th. However, I can recommend it to you and your followers now!

    Smiling Sally of Blue Monday

    • Welcome to the site, Sally! AND thanks for your recommendation of Lorena McCourtney’s Cate Kinkaid Files Mystery Series.

  21. Came upon your site by accident and have enjoyed checking out the titles. I’ve told friends for years that a good mystery is a puzzle to unravel and the cozy mysteries definitely fill the bill. I’ve already ordered and read titles from the links on your site. Keep up the good work. By the way; I think your name is pronounced the same as my younger daughter’s although hers has but one ‘n’. She was named after a school chum of her mom’s. Have a great day!

    • Welcome to the site, Jim. My name is pronounced Danna, as in banana (just the “nana” part of banana), but people usually try to make it Dana (with a long a) or Donna. I’ll bet your daughter gets a lot of mispronunciations, also.

  22. Danna, This post you have at the end of each month sure seems to be the most popular. I love it. I love reading about what others are reading. I do read a lot of those books that people recommend .
    Like Ginger I have read quite a bit this month, too. It’s just been too hot to go outside to do much of anything else. I worked 45 years in old hot, hot factories and if I can get out of the heat now in my retirement years I am going to!
    After reading some of writer Sherryl Woods series, I did read the Stuart Woods Stone Carrington series, as I told you before. None of these series are Cozies but were good reads, anyway.
    After reading those series I read two by Penelope Stokes titled ” Heart Break Cafe” and ” The Book of Peach.” These were excellent books for me to read. Both these books made me realize that just because God doesn’t answer our prayers in the time we want Him too, doesn’t mean He won’t. We just have to wait until He feels as if we can appreciate and listen and learn when He does answer. We just have to give Him time. We need to see we are not the only people who He needs to listen to. Enough preaching for today.
    After reading these different type books I was more than ready to read some Cozies. One particular book that I read Sunday was “Dutch Me Deadly” by Maddy Hunter. This is a completely new author to me. The series is called “A Passport to Peril Mystery.” What a good, funny, interesting book. There were several places that I laughed out loud. My hubby said he thought I was reading a mystery. I told him I was but it was so funny in places!!
    Our main sleuth, Emily is an escort for a group of Senior Citizens from Iowa that has her grandmother as a member of the group. This book has the group traveling to Holland. Also on the trip are a group of highschool reunion classmates from Maine. The interactions of the 2 groups are really funny, except for the murders, of course.
    There are some serious parts of the book, especially when the group tours the place where diarist Anne Frank was hiding with her family from the Nazis during WW2. Some of the parts that describe some of the beaches where the Germans had placed barriers from the Allis were very interesting also.
    There were a few small sections that I really didn’t care for, or could have done without and that was when a few times “Emily’s” grandmother had some dialog the author gave her, at times, atrocious grammar. I know a lot of times that my writing here is sort of messed up but that is because I can’t always think of just how I want to express myself so that others can understand what I am trying to get at.
    But just because Nana was an older woman was no reason to have her using the bad grammar. I hope I am making myself understood here okay. I do hope that I am not making more of this than I need too.

    I loved this book. I could not put it down. I cannot hardly wait for the next book in the series to come out. I am going to try to find the other books in the series. With this book I have found another new “Favorite.” I love this kind of Cozy.

    • Linda, it looks like you spent some time in the “W” aisle of your library – between the Sherryl Woods to Stuart Woods books!

      This is a really good recommendation for Maddy Hunter’s Passport to Peril Mystery Series. Thanks!

  23. Just by reading the comments and author list, I have added at least 6 authors to my to buy list. I love finding out about authors to try. Thank you Danna for this.

  24. I just finished:
    Laura Childs- Agony of the Leaves Teashop mystery
    Isis Crawford- A Catered St. Patrick’s Day
    Anna Dean – A Woman of Consequence
    Tessa Harris- The Anatomist’s Apprentice
    P.G. Wodehouse- The Adventures of Sally
    Spencer Quinn- To Fetch a Thief
    Rebecca Hale – How to Moon a Cat
    This has been in the last 2 weeks, but back to school tomorrow will definitely cut into my reading time. Sigh…
    All these books were great reads. The Childs Teashop Mystery was the first of the Teashop mysteries I had read.
    I have Laura Childs- Skeleton Letters ( Scrapbooking ) still in my library stack yet to be read.
    I had read some of the authors suggested, but others are new to me.
    I agree with the other contributors who like Longmire- and I truly appreciate A & E’s practice of running the same episode back to back on Sunday nights. I have been able to catch all of the PBS Inspector Lewis and all the episodes of Longmire as well.

    • Kay, it sounds like your school district starts its school year really early. Either that or you’re on a year-round schedule. My husband and I went to WalMart today, and it seemed like everyone was there getting ready for our school year, which I don’t think starts for a few more weeks.

  25. Haven’t read many mysteries this month. I’ve been in a rather scattered state of mind. Pick up book, read 10 pages, take it back to library. Is it me or the formulaic books, poorly proofed and edited and written? Or am I just fussier than usual? Hmmm.

    One I picked up recently is “Guy Noir and the Straight Skinny” by Garrison Keillor. Those of you who listen to “A Prairie Home Companion” will know Guy Noir, the detective “on the 12th floor of the Acme Building, looking for the answers to life’s persistent questions.” I had sampled this book at a chain bookseller while enjoying some coffee, but couldn’t afford to buy it. Thing was, it made me laugh. Loudly. Snorting loud.

    So I was thrilled to find it at my public library!

    I’m also reading “A Dark Anatomy” by Robin Blake,
    set in 1740s England, in a borough in Lancashire, told by the local Coroner, Titus Cragg, with plenty of observations suitable to the time – describing, for example, the strange fixations of certain religious people, who take great pleasure in discussing the victim’s “obvious” curse of lycanthropy! They don’t trust her because she came from the Caribbean – her husband, the prime suspect, captained a ship and he met her there and brought her back to England. So “obviously” she must be evil, in their lights.

    I haven’t got to the end yet, but the main characters are likeable and – as usual for me – I’m enjoying the historical aspect of the story.

    • Marja, I’ve been in a “scattered state of mind” these past few weeks, also!

      Thanks for telling us about all of these authors.

  26. I just last night finished reading “The Grub and Stakers, House a Haunt” by Charlotte MacLeod writing as Alisa Craig. What a strange, weird, funny wonderful book this was! The thing that I loved most about this book, other than the fact that no one in the story was much concerned with the fact that they had a living, breathing (??) ghost in their myst, was that I had no idea who the villian was until almost the very end of the book. that!! This is the first book I have read by this author but I can tell you now, it will not be the last!
    When I first started to read the book the style of the writing took some getting used to and some of the names of characters were sort of hard to figure out but as the story went on I became accustomed to both.
    The story was about an old, long dead mule skinner who had come back to search for his bones and to let someone from the living world know there was a trunk full of gold hidden near whereever his bones were.
    The fact that quite a few of the characters in this village were sort of the strange variety didn’t seem to bother anyone else in the village either!
    I sort of think that although this story takes place near Toronto, Canada that the people were a mixture of Welch and Scottish. What a wonderful mixture!
    As I wrote when I began, this is the first book of this author that I have read but I will definitively try to find other books. Wonderful read! Can’t hardly wait to get to the library to find more! Once more this week I think I have found another new-to-me favorite author!!

    • Just an added note on this wonderful book: the front cover art is what caused me to read this book. Loved the cover art.

      • Linda, I just looked at the different The Grub and Stakers The House a Haunt, and wonder which of the cover arts you enjoyed…

    • Linda, I enjoyed the series written as Charlotte MacLeod more than her Alisa Craig series.

      Thanks for telling us about them.

  27. I just finished a book in Laura Childs’ “Cackleberry series” and one in Victoria Lauries’ “Psychic Eye series.” I am currently reading the second book in the Domestic Diva series–thanks to his blog!

    • Thank you, Teressa, those two authors have been on the month mystery book recommendations before, so you are not alone!

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