The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Mystery Books that Take Place in California

Here are some Fun California Facts:

State Motto: “Eureka” which means: I have found it.
State Flower is the California Poppy.
Capital is Sacramento.
State Bird is the California Valley Quail.
State Nickname is “The Golden State.”
Spanish explorers thought that California was an island, and named it for a Spanish queen named Califia in a work of fiction written in 1510 by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo.

Mystery authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery Site who feature California locations/settings in their books:

Sparkle Abbey: Pampered Pets Mystery Series

Steve Allen: Steve Allen Mystery Series

Jennifer Apodaca: Samantha Shaw Mystery Series

George Baxt: Celebrity Sleuths Mystery Series

Lillian Bell (aka Kristi Abbott, Eileen Rendahl, & Eileen Carr): Funeral Parlor Mystery Series

Joan Blacher: Ardis Jensen Mystery Series

Juliet Blackwell: Witchcraft Mystery Series

Juliet Blackwell: Sophie Tanner Haunted Home Repair Mystery Series

Kate Bryan: Maggie Maguire Mystery Series

Jan Burke: Irene Kelly Mystery Series

Lynn Cahoon: Tourist Trap Mystery Series

Stephen J. Cannell: Shane Scully Mystery Series

Taffy Cannon (aka Emily Toll): Nan Robertson Mystery Series

Taffy Cannon (aka Emily Toll): Roxanne Prescott Mystery Series

Gayle Carline: Peri Minneopa Mystery Series

Kate Carlisle: Bibliophile Mystery Series

Kate Carlisle: Fixer-Upper Mystery Series

Grace Carroll (aka Carol Culver): Accessories Mystery Series

Bailey Cattrell (aka Bailey Cates & Cricket McRae): Enchanted Garden Mystery Series

Sally Chapman (aka Annie Griffin): Silicon Valley Mystery Series

Margaret Chittenden: Charlie Plato Mystery Series

Carol Higgins Clark: Regan Reilly Mystery Series

Michael Connelly: Harry Bosch Mystery Series AND Mickey Haller Mystery Series AND Jack McEvoy Mystery Series AND Terry McCaleb Mystery Series

Hy Conrad: Mr. Monk Mystery Series

Bruce Cook (aka Bruce Alexander): Chico Cervantes Mystery Series

Marla Cooper: Destination Wedding Mystery Series

Laura Crum: Gail McCarthy Mystery Series

Carol Culver (aka Grace Carroll): Pie Shop Mystery Series

E.V. Cunningham: Masao Masuto Mystery Series

Claire Daniels (aka Jaqueline Girdner): Karma Crime Mystery Series

Eileen Davidson: Soap Opera Mystery Series

Dianne Day: Fremont Jones Mystery Series

Margaret Dumas: Charley & Jack Fairfax Mytery Series

Susan Dunlap: Jill Smith Mystery Series  AND Kiernan O’Shaughnessy Mystery Series AND Vejay Haskell Mystery Series AND Darcy Lott Mystery Series

Pamela DuMond: Annie Graceland Mystery Series

Lesley Egan (aka Elizabeth Linington & Dell Shannon): Jesse Falkenstein Mystery Series AND Vic Varallo Mystery Series

A. A. Fair (aka Erle Stanley Gardner): Cool Detective Agency Mystery Series

Jerrilyn Farmer: Madeline Bean Mystery Series AND Red Carpet Mystery Series (with Joan Rivers)

Mary Feliz: Maggie McDonald Mystery Series

Janet Finsilver: Redwood Cove Mystery Series

Elaine Flinn: Molly Doyle Mystery Series

Earlene Fowler: Benni Harper Mystery Series

Erle Stanley Gardner (aka A. A. Fair): Perry Mason Mystery Series AND Doug Selby Mystery Series

Kellye Garrett: Detective by Day Mystery Series

Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames): French Bistro Mystery Series

Jaqueline Girdner (aka Claire Daniels): Kate Jasper Mystery Series

Lee Goldberg: Mr. Monk Mystery Series AND Diagnosis Murder Mystery Series

Nadia Gordon: Sunny McCoskey, Napa Valley Mystery Series

Ron Goulart: Groucho Marx Mystery Series

Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino): Miniature Mystery Series

Sue Grafton: Kinsey Millhone Mystery Series

Annie Griffin (aka Sally Chapman): Hannah Malloy & Kiki Goldstein Mystery Series

Terris McMahan Grimes: Theresa Galloway Mystery Series

Patricia Guiver: Pet Detective Mystery Series

Rebecca M. Hale: Cats and Curios Mystery Series

Gemma Halliday: High Heels Mystery Series AND Hollywood Headlines Mystery Series AND Anna Smith & Nick Dade Mystery Series AND Wine & Dine Mystery Series

Betty Hechtman: Crochet Mystery Series AND Yarn Retreat Mystery Series

Nancy Herriman: Mystery of Old San Francisco Mystery Series – 1860s San Francisco

Lee Hollis: Desert Flowers Mystery Series – Poppy Harmon is a widow who opens the Desert Flowers Detective Agency in Palm Springs.

Dorothy Howell: Haley Randolph Mystery Series

Jonnie Jacobs: Kali O’Brien Mystery Series AND Kate Austen Mystery Series

Sue Ann Jaffarian: Odelia Grey Mystery Series AND Fang-In-Cheek Mystery Series AND Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery Series

Nancy Lynn Jarvis: Regan McHenry Real Estate Mystery Series

Claire M. Johnson: Mary Ryan, Pastry Chef Mystery Series

Linda O. Johnston: Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mystery Series AND Pet Rescue Mystery Series

Stuart M. Kaminisky: Toby Peters Mystery Series

Susan Kandel: Cece Caruso Mystery Series

Leslie Karst: Sally Solari Mystery Series

Faye Kellerman: Decker & Lazarus Mystery Series

Jonathan Kellerman: Alex Delaware Mystery Series AND Petra Connor Mystery Series

Karen Kijewski: Kat Colorado Mystery Series

Laurie R. King: Martinelli & Hawkin Mystery Series

Harley Jane Kozak: Wollie Shelley Mystery Series

Rochelle Krich: Molly Blume Mystery Series AND Jessie Drake Mystery Series

Joyce Krieg: Talk Radio Mystery Series

Martha C. Lawrence: Elizabeth Chase Mystery Series

Laura Levine: Jaine Austen Mystery Series

Hailey Lind: Art Lover’s Mystery Series

Elizabeth Linington (aka Leslie Egan & Dell Shannon): Ivor Maddox Mystery Series

M. Louisa Locke: Victorian San Francisco Mystery Series

T.C. LoTempio: Nick and Nora Mystery Series

Sheila Lowe: Forensic Handwriting Mystery Series

Lisa Lutz: Izzy Spellman Mystery Series

Lindsay Maracotta: Lucy Freers Mystery Series

Mary Marks: Martha Rose Quilting Mystery Series

G. A. McKevett: Savannah Reid Mystery Series

Staci McLaughlin: Blossom Valley Mystery Series

Mary Miley writes the Roaring Twenties Mystery Series which features an ex-Vaudeville/silent films actress in Hollywood during the 1920s.

Marlys Millhiser: Charlie Greene Mystery Series

Camille Minichino (aka Margaret Grace): Periodic Table Mystery Series (Most of the books are set in Massassachusetts, some in California.)

Marcia Muller: Sharon McCone Mystery Series AND Rho Swift Mystery Series (as of Aug. ’10 only one mystery) AND Elena Oliverez Mystery Series AND Joanna Stark Mystery Series

Marcia Muller & Bill Pronzini: The Carpenter & Quincannon,Professional Detective Services Mystery Series features an ex-Pinkerton operative & an ex-Secret Service agent in 1890s San Francisco.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy: Joe Grey Cat Mystery Series

Sister Carol Anne O’Marie: Sister Mary Helen Mystery Series

Carlene O’Neil: Cypress Cove Mystery Series

Diana Orgain: Maternal Instincts Mystery Series

Joyce Oroz: Josephine Stuart Mystery Series

Denise Osborne: Queenie Davilov Mystery Series AND Feng Shui Mystery Series

Nancy J. Parra (aka Nancy Coco & Nell Hampton): Wine Country Mystery Series

James Patterson: Women’s Murder Club Mystery Series

Joanne Pence: Angie Amalfi Mystery Series

Gillian Roberts: Howe & August Mystery Series

Lora Roberts: Liz Sullivan Mystery Series AND Bridget Montrose Mystery Series

Cindy Sample: Laurel McKay Mystery Series

Corinne Holt Sawyer: Benbow & Wingate Mystery Series

Michele Scott: Wine Lover’s Mystery Series AND Horse Lover’s Mystery Series

Dell Shannon (aka Elizabeth Linington & Leslie Egan): Luis Mendoza Mystery Series

Patricia Smiley: Tucker Sinclair Mystery Series

Julie Smith: Rebecca Schwartz Mystery Series AND Paul McDonald Mystery Series

Shirley Tallman (aka Erin Ross): Sarah Woolson Mystery Series

Elizabeth Atwood Taylor: Maggie Elliott Mystery Series

Terri Thayer: Quilting Mystery Series

Diane Vallere: Material Witness Mystery Series

Ayelet Waldman: Mommy Track Mystery Series

Joseph Wambaugh: Hollywood Station Mystery Series

Penny Warner: Party Planning Mytery Series AND Connor Westphal Mystery Series

Betty Webb: Gunn Zoo Mystery Series

Kirsten Weiss: Pie Town Mystery Series, Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum Mystery Series, Doyle Mystery Series, Witches of Doyle Mystery Series, AND Riga Hayworth Mystery Series

Melinda Wells (Linda Palmer): Della Cooks Mystery Series

Don Yarber: Kip Yardley Mystery Series

Please feel free to comment if you see an author from the Cozy Mystery Site who belongs on this list, or if you have any corrections.

♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦

Comments

  2. Thanks, Michelle! And, another author I forgot to include… an author who I really enjoy and read a lot: Camille Minichino/Margaret Grace. Embarrassing as this is, I am actually reading Minichino’s The Nitrogen Murder, which is set in… California! Although most of the Periodic Table Mystery Series is set in Massachusetts, Gloria (the main sleuth) visits her good friend (Elaine) a few times during the series. Also, the Miniature Mystery Series (Margaret Grace) is set in California.

    A prime example of my memory these days!

    Reply

  3. Ex-TwiceSoldTales(CA) Great list and I was excited to see it being from California myself, but gee, what about Sue Grafton? Isn’t Santa Barbara in California or since I’m new to the site, doesn’t she fit into Cozy? I would have thought so and especially with “U” getting ready to come out shortly. Hats off to you for all you found. There is one more author whose detective is in the Sacramento and I can’t remember his/her name but remember the books didn’t come into the store very often. I will go through me “books to remember” list and check it out. In the mean time how about adding Sue Grafton to you list. Thanks, Mary

    Reply

  5. Wow, California is named after a fictional character? Really? Wow. I guess they would’ve chosen someone less, well, imaginary if they’d realized it wasn’t an island! Like their benefactor or real royalty or something!

    Reply

  6. Danna… I’m constantly amazed at the work you do on this site. Do you have any time to yourself 🙂
    I addition to Perry Mason, the Doug Selby (D.A. series) are also in Cali; along with the Cool Detective Agency series written as A.A.Fair.

    Reply

  7. Thanks, Mary, for telling us about Stuart Woods’ Rick Barron Mystery Series… AND for reminding me to get Sue Grafton on the list…

    Yes, Stephanie, I thought that was really quite weird!

    Thanks, Gad, for remininding me that Earl Stanley Gardner (aka A. A. Fair) wrote those California based series.

    I’ll go make my changes right now…

    Reply

  10. Shirley Rousseau Murphy writes a series based on Carmel, CA. I love this series and usually preorder the next one in the series as soon as it shows up on Amazon.

    Reply

  11. Hope I can get some help from someone…I cannot remember the name of the author or the main character in a police procedural series that I read a lot of several years ago. I think the location was Los Angeles (or possibly) San Francisco. (Yes, my memory is a total blank on these things. The main character is a white police detective with a black jewish partner named “Abe”. The main character is married a second time to “fran” who is the sister of his business partner who owns a bar. Abe is into his second marriage after losing his first wife to cancer.
    I know that this doesn’t fit the “cozy” category, but if anyone can give me some help with this I would be forever grateful. This is driving me nuts!!!

    Thanks,
    Suzanne

    Reply

    • THANK YOU!!! I started reading this list to hopefully find the name of author or detective in a series I read a long time ago and really enjoyed. Your question described more than I could remember, and led to the response that answered my question. Again, thank you.

      Reply

  12. Just love it – My bookclub (we are in Silicon Valley) has been reading mysteries set in foreign countries, but now I have a list they can draw from for Mysteries set in California……..

    Reply

    • Mystery Fan, it looks like you and your Silicon Valley reading bookclub have a lot of authors who can keep you in California for a while…

      Reply

  13. Danna,
    I started reading Ann B Ross’s latest and thought this is a true cozy – I wonder if anyone has a website about them and Eureka! I found your site.
    I love it. Many thanks from Australia.
    Susan

    Reply

  14. Hi – I am trying to remember the name of an author – here is what I remember about the books – Main character was in the newspaper business (I think) in a large city in CA (San Francisco, I think) and when her dad died in a small town in Northern CA she went home to take care of things. I think her dad owned the local paper and she ended up keeping it open – solving some mysteries – meeting up with her high school boyfriend, the local attorney who was her dad’s friend – and deciding to live there again. I remember a story involving a good friend from high school and a big fire (arson, I think). Does this sound familiar to anyone? Would appreciate any suggestions on how to find this series. Thanks.

    Reply

    • Hi Deborah, I don’t know which series you are thinking about, but I have copied down your comment, and will ask for help in a future entry.

      Reply

    • Deborah,

      You’re referring, I believe to the Alpine series by Mary Daheim. They take place in the Pacific Northwest, though. But everything else sounds spot on.

      Reply

  15. I’ve been enjoying A Victorian San Francisco Mystery by M. Louisa Locke called Maids of Misfortune. I believe there is at least one more in the series. Great price on Kindle too

    Reply

    • Faye, I’m so glad you wrote this comment. You would think that when I listed M. Louisa Locke’s Victorian San Francisco Mystery Series on the site I would have had a V-8 moment, and added her to the Mystery Books that Take Place in California theme page right away.

      Thanks!

      Reply

  16. Does anyone remember a mystery or series written about Hollywood mansions of old celebrities or Hollywood grave sites of the old Hollywood stars? I remember reading about this a few years (perhaps several years). I don’t remember if it had a haunted theme or not but I have wanted to find this book and cannot remember the author or much if the detail about it. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so very much!

    Reply

    • Laura, you might want to take a look at Stuart M. Kaminsky‘s Toby Peters Mystery Series. Toby is a “discreet” private investigator in 1940s Hollywood. He work usually consists of getting the Hollywood stars out of trouble.

      Reply

  18. Hi…I read a series of books that were about women in the Sacramento area…different problems, but they were murder mysteries. The author was not well known but the series was a continuation and included all four (?) women that worked together…does this ring a bell? Thank you…

    Reply

  19. I live in Los Angeles and have found Naomi Hirahara’s mysteries to be interesting, enjoyable and educational. She writes two series, one about a Japanese gardener and one about a Japanese female police officer both based in Los Angeles.

    I don’t know if the mysteries fulfill the definition of a ‘cozy’ but they should be consider for inclusion here.

    Reply

    • Sue, thanks for the suggestion! Most of the lists I’m seeing for Naomi Hirahara put her work somewhere in police procedural or thriller territory. I’ll take a closer look later and consider adding her to the list, but at least for now she’s gotten a mention in the comments!

      Reply

  20. Hi,

    This a very partial response to the request for information about a mystery series about a California phone company worker.

    Sadly, I cannot remember the series name or the author name, but thought that this might help jog someone else’s memory.

    As I recall, the series dates back to the late 20th century and features a single woman who reads meters along Sonoma County’s Russian River. To the best of my recollection, the author had a second series about a woman who cleaned houses and “lived on the margins” in Berkeley.

    I hope this helps!

    Escholzia

    Reply

      • I have been going crazy trying to find this author and Escholzia’s hint did the trick. The author is Susan Dunlap; the character is Vejay Haskell. As far as I can tell, she only wrote 3 Vejay mysteries; they are available from Amazon in Kindle format. She also writes mysteries featuring three other characters. Check out susandunlapmysteries.com for a complete list of her books.

        Reply

  21. I am trying to remember the name of the author who wrote a few mystery books about an older woman who ran a salvage business in the Sacramento area. I think the character’s name was Henry O. or something like that.

    Reply

  22. So, a long shot if anyone comes to this page. Help! Looking for a cozy series about a woman with a husband who left college teaching to work in Silicon Vally so in first book they are moving into a new home. Two sons and a dog. There is a dead body found in the basement of their inherited house. She by profession is an organizer/decorator but solves this crime joined in her investigation by new friends she makes. I

    Reply

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