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Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – May 2012

I can’t believe that May is almost over! What a month!!! School terms are over,  neighborhood pools are opening, barbecues are being heated up, and birds are VERY abundant. (I wish we got more Cardinals here, and less of those drab-colored Doves and House Finches!)

Since it is the end of May, how about if we share the Cozy Mystery books we have enjoyed this month? Let’s tell each other why we are “nominating” these authors as writers we think other Cozy Mystery readers should try reading >>> it they aren’t already.

Once you tell us about the author you really enjoyed, and of course, why you enjoyed him/her, I will start accumulating the authors names on a list below. Please tell us a little about why you are recommending this author/book, >>> we’d especially like to know why the author is good.  (I hate to keep droning on about this next thing, but please don’t tell us about the authors you tried reading and disliked.)

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

The Cozy Mystery author who I read this month, who I think others might really enjoy is Margaret Grace. She’s also known as Camille Minichino and Ada Madison.

Perhaps the reason I enjoy Grace so much, is that her main sleuth has a lot of the same thoughts as I do. I find her main sleuth, Gerry Porter, thinking a lot of the same things I would have thought if I had encountered the exact event. Does that make sense? I hope so. I am sure I would not be able to identify with some of Gerry’s thoughts if she weren’t such a three-dimensional character. Grace’s characters are three-dimensional characters, much like those you would encounter in “real life”.

The main characters of the Miniature Mystery Series are Gerry and her granddaughter, Maddie, who is an elementary school age girl. Their relationship is a joy to read about. Gerry simply dotes on Maddie, and the feelings are mutual. Gerry’s nephew, Skip, is a police officer in this Cozy almost-everybody-knows-everybody town. Skip is (quite often!) aggravated by his Aunt Gerry, but he loves her all the same. The relationships between all of the  characters ring true to me, and very life-like. These are “people” who I would love to know!

I really enjoy the writing style of Grace. It isn’t super flowery, with big words sprinkled in to show us just how intelligent the author is, and it also doesn’t rely on profanity to get the different moods across. We “get it” when a character is mad, even without “*!#^*” being used as adjectives and adverbs. Her writing style is effortless and smooth, a very conversational tone, without being simplistic.

I strongly recommend the Miniature Mystery Series by Margaret Grace.

April 2012 Author and Series Recommendations:

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

Charlotte Armstrong: The Turret Room & A Dram of Poison

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Mystery Series

Melissa Bourbon: Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series

Barbara Bretton: Chloe Hobbs’ Paranormal Mystery Series

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries Mystery Series

Frances Brody: Kate Shackleton Mystery Series

Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskell Mystery Series

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): Orchard Mystery Series

Deborah Coonts: Lucky O’Toole Mystery Series

Ellen Crosby: Wine Country Mystery Series

Diane Mott Davidson: Goldy Bear Catering Mystery Series

Anna Dean: Dido Kent Mystery Series

Laura DiSilverio (aka Lila Dare & Ella Barrick): Mall Cop Mystery Series

Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series

Anne George: Southern Sisters Mystery Series

Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino and Ada Madison): Miniature Mystery Series

Victoria Hamilton: Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Miranda James (aka Jimmie Ruth Evans, Honor Hartman, & Dean James): Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series

P. D. James: Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series

Diane Kelly: Tara Holloway Mystery Series

Sofie Kelly: Magical Cats Mystery Series

Liz Lipperman: Clueless Cook Mystery Series

Nancy Martin: Blackbird Sisters Mystery Series

Amy Patricia Meade: Rosie the Riveter Mystery Series

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Mark Schweizer: Liturgical Mystery Series 

Paige Shelton: Farmers’ Market Mystery Series

Alexander McCall Smith: No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Mystery Series

Leann Sweeney: Cats in Trouble Mystery Series

Marcia Talley: Hannah Ives Mystery Series

Elaine Viets: Dead End Job Mystery Series

Dornford Yates: Jonathan Mansell Mystery Series

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

Comments

  1. I know many people have read the Carola Dunn series. Just finished all of them. I am now reading the last of the Anne George Southern Sister mysteries. So many books and so little time!!!

    • Karen, both Carola Dunn’s Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series and Anne George’s Southern Sisters Mystery Series are on my “favorites” list.

  2. Hi Danna,

    here’s my list for the past two months since I forgot to post in April. But it’s not long. Life got in the way too much.

    Of course I read a couple more of the Mrs. Jeffries Mysteries by Emily Brightwell. Except for the last two I’m now current and I won’t buy the last but one until the price goes down (it’s at 13,79 € for Kindle now when all the others are at 4,60 €!!!). I love the closeness of the household and I appreciated the introduction of a new housemaid, Phyllis. While the routine is much the same the changes in the household give it more life.

    A first book I enjoyed much was Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton. This is paranormal but it’s the kind of paranormal I can live with because it’s about internal power rather than brewing potions in cauldrons. The main character is Chloe Hobbs, she owns a knitting shop and has done so for a while. There is none of the more modern harping on abuse, her past, what an a** her husband was etc. It’s just solid storywriting with a touch of the paranormal.

    Another book I loved was How To Murder A Millionaire by Nancy Martin. This was another one with solid writing, but nothing paranormal. It wasn’t completely clean though although nothing hot really happened. But it’s quite clear it will happen. The book also has a bit of a dark side with one of the main people helping our heroine having a violent past. A really violent past. This is a first book where the heroine wasn’t suspected of being the murderer which I found refreshing. I always dread those books. Nora, the middle sister of three, is simply trying to find out who murdered a dear friend. Unfortunately she was the one to stumble upon the body – almost literally. Being a fletchling reporter gives her a solid background for her snooping, she doesn’t shirk her regular work as so many do and she seemed quite sensible, too.

    Btw, I managed NOT to buy any of the books recommened last month but simply added those that appealed to me to my wishlist. What about you, could you keep yourself from buying?

    Brita

    • Brita, you have some very good reasons for liking these three authors. Thanks!

      As for your question at the end of your comment:

      I could not keep myself from buying more books! As I have posted many, many times, I am often offered free books by both authors or publishers. Sometimes I wish I could “feel good” about accepting them, but I feel like it would be a type of “conflict of interests” to do so. The times I wish I could change my view about accepting free books and ARCs are when I order more books for my Kindle!

  3. I have read Erica Chase’s A Killer Read. I have read Jessica Beck’s Drop Dead Chocolate. I read Lorraine Bartlett’s The Walled Flower. I read Lucy Arlington’s Buried in a Book. I read Josie Belle’s 50 % Off Murder. I read Jenn McKinlay’s Due or Die. Now I am reading Darynda Jones’s First Grave on the Right. You asked what I read in the month of May and that’s all I have. The last one is not a cozy but I am enjoying it. I loved every one of these books and can’t wait until the next ones in the series come out.

  4. The reason I liked the books I have read in May is because they are set in small towns and just about everybody knows everybody. I live in a small town. The books very easy to read. Once you get started on them, you can’t put it down until you know what happens next and who did it. They open a whole new world for you to enjoy.

    • Ginger, now that your summer is upon you, I am guessing that you will read even more! It has been a while since I was able to read as many books as you do in a month. Thanks for telling us about them.

  5. I just finished the first book in Amy Patricia Meade’s new Rosie the Riveter series, Don’t Die Under the Apple Tree, and I really enjoyed it. Rosie is not a riveter, but catches heated rivets and passes them on to another member of the team. She is feisty, holding her own among the men who don’t like women working, caring about her sister and nephew who are living with her, and good at ferreting out the truth of why her ex-boss was murdered the night he fired her. I’m looking forward to the next book!
    I also read 2 Elaine Viets books: the new Mystery Shopper, Death on a Platter, in which Josie Marcus who works all kinds of weird jobs gets to try disgusting local dishes for a travel tour company, and the new Dead End Job mystery, in which Helen and her new P.I. husband take on jobs to solve mysteries. Another favorite author, Nancy Atherton, has a new book, Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch, in which Lori and her ghostly friend solve an age-old mystery. Old favorites and a new series – what a good month for reading!

    • Deb, I just added your authors to the May 2012 list. It does look like you had a “good month for reading!”

  6. I highly recommend Ellen Crosby’s wine country series! Only six books and she’s taking a break to start a new series, but the wine country mysteries are very well written!

    • Thanks, Heidi, I just added Ellen Crosby’s Wine Country Mystery Series to the list.

  7. One book I really enjoyed this month was A Woman of Consequence by Anna Dean – the third Dido Kent mystery. It is set in the Regency era and I love the Jane Austen feel to it – with a mystery added. Dido Kent is an unmarried woman in her thirties and I like how the books deal with her financial dependence upon her brothers.

    Another book I enjoyed was Death, Taxes and a Skinny, No-Whip Latte by Diane Kelly – the second Tara Holloway book. Tara Holloway is a Criminal Investigations agent for the IRS. These books have a lot of humor along with the mystery – but there is some discussion and description of her sex life, so those who prefer clean mysteries may not want to read these.

    • Judith, I just added both Anna Dean and Diane Kelly to the list for May 2012. Thank you for telling us about their mystery book series.

  8. For May, I read: File M For Murder by Miranda James
    CopyCat Killings by Sofie Kelly, The Cat, the Wife, and the Weapon by Leann Sweeney
    Love all of the above series and make sure I get when they first come out. The personalities that are given to each of the cats in each series just makes the books for me.

    I also read All Sales Fatal (Mall Cop Bk 2) by Laura DiSilverio. Had also read the first one which was a little slow to me but this one I enjoyed much better. Even read it in one day. Takes place in a mall so it was interesting to see what could take place on a daily basis if you were in the security area.

    • Cindy, I had to take a break from my Cozy Mystery series with cats. They were making me feel like I simply HAD to go adopt a cat! I’ll be getting back to them soon, though.

  9. Kathryn Hall Page has been previously recommended on this blog. I just finished her new book, ‘The Body in Boudoir’ and found it to be the best in the Faith Fairchild series. I enjoy ALL her books, but this one really stands out. Normally I like reading books sequentially, however this book can be read out of order. It’s a bit of a departure for this author since it is set up like a prequel – the back story of Faith and Tom, parents, sister, other relatives, and employees. She integrates an enjoyable/interesting story and fascinating characters along with a good mystery that has a very surprising finish. I hope there are many more books to come in this series, but I wouldn’t be surprised if after 20 books, this was the final one and Ms. Page moves on to creating another series. She is really a gifted writer and story teller. This story is smart, creative, and moves along quickly. I highly recommend reading it even if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series.

    This book should be a winner in a mystery award category – hopefully it will be submitted. Many, many kudos to this author for a job well done!

    • MJ, thank you so much for telling us about Kathryn Hall Page’s The Body in the Boudoir. Your really interesting comment has me contemplating moving it up on my TBR list of books! (I sure hope you’re wrong about Faith retiring!)

  10. Well I continued with some of the series that I have already mentioned in previous months so I will skip those this time. I will mention a few of the books I read this month that stood out (much easier than listing all the books I read!) I started Sheila Connelly’s apple orchard series with “One Bad Apple”. I liked it a little more then her museum series and am looking forward to continuing the series. There were 2 new to me books this month that I enjoyed, Melissa Bourbon’s “Pleating for Mercy” (paranormal) and Liz Lipperman’s “Liver let Die”. Both of these books had a good mystery and engaging characters. I look forward to the next installments.

    • Angela, don’t you just love it when you try new-to-you authors and you enjoy them so much you look forward to future installments?

  11. Here is my list of book that I’ve read this month:

    Alexander McCall Smith – The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection. This is the latest in his No.1 Detective Agency series. This one is just as good as all the others and well worth reading.

    Dornford Yates – An Eye for a Tooth. In fact this was a re-read. I’ve read all of his Jonah Mansell books before and have really enjoyed them all. Re-reading this one was like visiting with a great friend you haven’t seen for some time.

    Nancy Atherton – Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree. I love this series and am really sad that there is only one more for me to read before finishing the series. I hope she writes some more soon.

    Emily Brightwell – Mrs Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings and Mrs Jeffries Speaks Her Mind. Unfortunately I’ve had to break my rule of only reading a series of books in the correct order as published because I can’t find some of her earlier Mrs Jeffries books anywhere. I understand you can get her books on Kindle … unfortunately I don’t have a Kindle!

    Dorothy Cannell – Mum’s the Word. This is the third in her Ellie Haskell series and I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous two books. It was okay, but not as good as the others. I hope the next one in the series is back to her usual level of excellence.

    P D James – Cover Her Face. This is the first in her Adam Dalgliesh series and I’ve already ordered the next two!

    Finally, I’ve just finished reading Frances Brody – Dying in the Wool. This is the first in her Kate Shackleton series and I’m totally hooked. If you like Jacqueline Winspear’s books you will like Frances Brody’s series.

    • Thanks, Carrie, for all of your recommendations. I have added all of them to the list, and see that a few of them are series I also enjoy. Thanks, again!

  12. Danna, I’m not sure if these are considered cozies or not, but I sure am enjoying the series. The books are by Deborah Coonts and the first two are Wanna Get Lucky? and Lucky Stiff. I think there are two more now, at least I saw something about them on Amazon.

    Anyway, Lucky is the head of customer relations for the newest and biggest casino in Las Vegas. She and her friends get into all kinds of trouble while also solving cases. They are a lot of fun to read and do have the earmarks of a cozy – or at least are on the line.

    • Thanks, Edie, for telling us about Deborah Coonts’ Lucky Mystery Series.

  13. I stumbled upon the latest book in the Hannah Ives Mystery Series by Marcia Talley in May. I just ordered the first two books in the series, Sing It to Her Bones and Unbreathed Memories. Hannah approaches life with a sassy, upbeat outlook after going through chemo and radiation for breast cancer. Her offhand comments are delightful and very funny. Lovely to read a book where the husband and wife are still in love after many years of marriage. I plan to spend a lot more time with her. Happy reading all!

    • Thanks, Karen, for recommending Marcia Talley’s Hannah Ives Mystery Series. I have added her to the May 2012 list.

  14. Danna, This has been a slow “mystery story month”, but I have read a few of the new authors. I have a reserve on Marcia’s Talley’s new book. As previously mentioned, I have read Katherine Hall Page, Ann Purser,Nancy Atherton,Carola Dunn among a few. I re read Anne George on my Nook,and I just began Cynthia Smith in paperback. Two authors I would like to suggest for June are Mark Schweizer,an old favorite of mine, his musical series is hilarious, and James Runcie. Runcie is a flyer for me as I have never read his book, but the NY Times gave it good reviews as Cozy.

    • Regina, your list does not look like a slow month to me! I’ve added all of your authors to the May list.

  15. Edie

    There are 4 Deborah Coonts “Lucky” books out and they are great
    If you have not checked out Bill Crider’s Sheriff Dan Rhodes mysteries yet, give it a try. Quick and easy reading. He has a new one coming out soon.
    JMW

  16. Danna, I have read the first 2 Diane Mott Davidson’s culinary mysteries and love them! I’ve already bought the next 2 and plan to keep going until I’m ‘current’ with all of them. Don’t know what took me so long to find her – guess my cat mysteries have kept me pretty well occupied for a while. Am truly enjoying my summer books thus far !

    • Petie, Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldie Bear Culinary Mystery Series is one I follow, also. (Although I am a little behind – as I am with most of the series I follow.)

  17. Danna, Please put a hold on mentioning Mark Schweizer for July. BN just canceled my pre-order for 6/1 and Amazon is not listing his new book at all. I am sorry that I jumped the gun.

    • Yikes, Regina, I hope you’re able to get to the bottom of why BN canceled your pre-order!

  18. I have a complaint. I don’t have enough time to read everything everyone has mentioned! 🙂 In May I read three books by a “new” old author, Charlotte Armstrong, whose books have been recently re-released on Kindle. The first one I read was The Turret Room, followed by A Dram of Poison, and now I’m hooked! She writes (wrote) novels that are very suspenseful but not exactly mysteries. The story is usually set in a small town or closely knit family, and are sort of psychological suspense but without any mumbo-jumbo to weigh things down. They’re real pageturners and clean, too. Armstrong’s books are a lot like Agatha Christie’s books that weren’t whodunits, like the Mary Westmacott novels Christie wrote.

  19. Valerie sent me her May recommendations in a letter:

    “Just to let you know that my favourite cozies for May were: Victoria Hamilton’s “A Deadly Grind”. I’m really glad thatDonna Lea Simpson decided on a name and genre change. This book has all the best elements of the cozy genre.

    I also loved the Ellery Adams “Olivia Limoges” series. I’ve read all 3.

    I also discovered Paige Shelton’s Farmers’ Market series.”

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