Here are some fun Maine facts:
The capital is Augusta.
The largest city is Portland.
State motto is “Dirigo” (“I direct”)
State nickname is “Pine Tree State”
State flower is the White Pine Cone and Tassel
State bird is the Black-capped Chickadee
Maine shares its borders with only one state, and has the USA’s most eastern city – Eastport.
Maine supplies almost all of USA’s blueberries (99%).
Mystery authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery Site who feature Maine locations/settings in their books:
Annie’s Antique Shop Mystery Series
Donald Bain & “Jessica Fletcher”: Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series
Jennie Bentley: Do It Yourself Mystery Series
J. S. Borthwick: Deane & McKenzie Mystery Series
Kerry J. Charles: Dulcie Chambers Mystery Series
Vivian Conroy: Country Gift Shop Mystery Series
Leighann Dobbs: Blackmoore Sisters Romantic Cozy Mystery Series AND Mooseamuck Island Cozy Mystery Series
Claire Donally: Sunny & Shadow Mystery Series
Kaitlyn Dunnet (Kathy Lynn Emerson): Liss MacCrimmon Mystery Series
Jessica Estevao (aka Jessie Crockett): Change of Fortune Mystery Series
“Jessica Fletcher” & Donald Bain: Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series
Cynthia Gallant-Simpson: Coastal Maine Mystery Series
Sarah Graves: Home Repair is Homicide Mystery Series
Sarah Graves: Death by Chocolate Mystery Series
Linda Hall: Whisper Lake Mystery Series AND Fog Point Mystery Series AND Teri Blake-Addison Mystery Series AND Coast of Maine Mystery Series
B. B. Haywood: Candy Holliday Mystery Series
Lee Hollis: Hayley Powell Food & Cocktail Mystery Series
Margaret Lawrence: Hannah Trevor Mystery Series
Karen MacInerney: Gray Whale Inn Mystery Series
Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone (Holiday) Mystery Series
Meira Penterman: a Stand Alone
Virginia Rich: Eugenia Potter Mystery Series
Barbara Ross: Maine Clambake Mystery Series
Sofie Ryan (aka Sofie Kelly): Second Chance Cat Mystery Series
Lea Wait: Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series AND Mainely Needlepoint 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.♦
Mrs. Mike says
It does seem to me that Maine is a very cozy mystery site. But that must be from years of watching Murder She Wrote!
Thanks for the reading suggestions!
Greenway says
Mendocino, California “played” Cabot Cove (though mostly in establishing shots). Try an image search of “beautiful Mendocino County” (it IS: wine and redwoods and picturesque coast, as well as abundant Victorian frame houses), and you may find options for “Mendocino houses”: Look! There’s Jessica’s! And go deeper with “Mendocino as Cabot Cove”. The last got me, and maybe you, too, to the delightful “Murder, She Watched” fan site, particularly the host post “Mendocino as Cabot Cove in Deadly Lady” (and other episodes). It’s usually cool to cold on the Pacific Northwest “Emerald Empire” coast, but hardly ever gets to the (many months long) “Down East” deep-freeze. –As well as Mendocino being only hundreds, instead of thousands, of miles from Universal City.
Enjoy!
Mary says
I am not sure I’ve read any of these authors, except, “Murder She Wrote”, in fact, I really don’t pay a lot of attention to where the book is written, it’s more about who and what for me. I do enjoy knowing the area, being a Navy wife, it is fun to notice the places I’ve been in a story I’m reading, but I don’t read a book just because I happen to know the area. However, on that same note, in my store, the older folks, loved to read books that took place in their home town. They so enjoyed the trip down memory lane as well as a good book at the same time.
Thanks again, good work
Mary (TST-CA)
Mary says
Oh! I thought Maine only had one Capitol! Is it Portland or is it Augusta? I think the big money is on Portland. But I bet Augusta is a nice place too!
Mary (TSTCA)
Dorothy L says
Augusta is the state capitol and Portland is the largest city.
Heidi says
Largest city- Portland
Capital- Augusta
Mary (mud on face) says
OK, I went to google and Augusta IS the capitol of Maine. Good Bye, I’m going to finish my book (J.D. Robb) Mary
Angie says
Thank you for these recommendations. I always seem to be drawn to stories set in places like Maine. Not sure why. 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Mrs. Mike, my husband and I are slowly making our way through the old Murder, She Wrote shows. I actually prefer the ones where the action takes place in Maine. Unfortunately, by the fourth season, Jessica was already usually off visiting one of her very best friends in another state. I love it when she returns to Cabot Cove every once in a while…
Mary, I think that the “fun to notice the places I’ve been” is what draws some of us to specific state settings. But, like you said, the “who and what” are what keep us coming back for more.
And, Mary, you’re right! Maine does have only one capital! When I add a new state to the site, I copy and paste the information from a previously-posted state, and then make the needed changes. Unfortunately, once I saw that I had put Augusta down as the capital, my eyes fixated on the word “largest” in the next line, I simply put Portland down as the largest city, and didn’t even notice that “and capital” followed. Thanks for pointing that out… Now look who has mud on her face (me!)
Angie, Maine just sort of implies “Cozy”… doesn’t it? Little village-type coastal towns with town squares >>> anyway, that’s what I think of when I think of Maine.
Penny McKinney says
Actually an interesting tid bit, Portland, Maine at one time was the Capital which makes sense because it’s so much larger than Augusta. During the prohibition, Portland buildings were extremely close to each other, one caught on fire since they were wooden, they all built down to the ground. At that time it was moved to Augusta with plenty of room between buildings. Portland, Maine buildings are mostly brick now to avoid the same situation. There is only one capital, but it was originally in Portland, so in a loose way, there are, were two Capitals, it depends on how you look at it.
Jennifer says
I believe that J.S. Borthwick’s Sarah Deane series is largely set in Maine (a few of the books are set in other locales, but Deane is a teacher at a school in Maine).
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Jennifer. I just added J. S. Borthwick to the Maine theme page.
paula says
I bought a book in a Maine Mystery Bookstore by a local author-don’t remember name-storyline, woman had a coffee house which burnt down and she opens one in a old train station where her cousin tries to murder her.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I’ll be asking for help on this one, Paula…
Ann says
I think Virginia Rich can be added to the Maine cozies list since her Baked Bean Supper Murders mystery takes place along the coast of Maine. I loved this story so much I’ve read it a few times. As you mentioned in another section of this website, Nancy Pickard collaborated with Ms. Rich on The 27 Ingredient Chili Con Carne Murders and then picked up the series herself. Not all of the stories in the Eugenia Potter series take place in Maine, though. But if you haven’t read the Baked Bean Supper Murders yet, treat yourself to a real Maine cozy – lots of Yankee characters and great scene settings. You feel like you’re with Eugenia all the way through the story. It’s wonderful (and also has recipes).
Danna - cozy mystery list says
OK, Ann, I’ll go add Rich to the Maine list…
Shirley says
hi Danna…..I think the mystery that Paula was asking about….Sandra Balzo….coffee mysteries…..I think she has written 4 or 5 mysteries about coffee….and working on the next one I got my daughter for birthday in March, but this last book I think will be a new series. I know my daughter loves her books and now I enjoy them. I usually surprise her with Christmas or birthday book (newest by this author). Her first book was Grounds for Murder. Hope this helps her…..or confuse her. grin.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Shirley. Sandra Balzo’s new mystery series is the Main Street Mystery Series…
Peg says
Ladies, if you want a true taste of Maine, you must read Elisabeth Ogilvie’s novels- all of them. Even though they were written beginning in the 1940’s, they have a timeless appeal, I promise. They are cozy/romance/murder all rolled into one. You will particularly love those that tell of the Bennetts, a lobstering family. I have read and re-read these several times over the years and never tire of them. I’d love to hear from some of you after you’ve given them a try.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Peg, for telling us about Elisabeth Ogilvie’s mysteries set in Maine.
Rebecca says
I just checked my local library’s online and they do not have any of her books. But I will write her name down and next time I am @ the book store I will look for her. Thanks for the suggestion!!!
Rebecca says
I love Leslie Meier and I would recommend her books to everyone. I have only 2 more in her series to read. They are very interesting and they keep me interested from start to finish.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Rebecca, as much as I like reading Cozy Mystery books by my favorite authors, I hate it when I get so close to the end of a series, and know I will have to wait until the authors write more books.
I have actually been putting off reading The Accidental Florist by Jill Churchill because I hated to “catch up” and knew that if I did, I would have to wait until she put out another book… and that’s since 2007!
Cynthia Gallant-Simpson says
My latest book takes place in Blue Hill, Maine. Title: Earth and Fire Book I Leave No Stone Unturned. I hope you will include it in your listing. Avail. at Amazon and Kindle. Thanks, Cynthia
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Cynthia, for telling us about Leave No Stone Unturned, the first in your Coastal Maine Mystery Series.
Allison Cesario Paton says
Good day, Cozy Mystery! FYI you already have me listed as a Vermont mystery author for my MRS BUNDLE MYSTERY SERIES which is accurate. However, the third book in the series is set on Peaks Island, Maine: MRS BUNDLE’S MAINE VACATION: Subterfuge at the Seashore. I lived in Maine for many years and now use it as a home base during the summer months. Also, my updated bio can be found on my Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mrs-Bundle-Mystery-Series/334559971736 , and a watercolor series featuring scenes and characters from the books at https://squareup.com/market/bundle-publishing. Could you update this info on your website? Thanks so much, Allison
Ginnie says
I was delighted to discover another author of Maine mysteries on your website, but didn’t see her name on the list of “Maine-themed” authors. Please add Barbara Ross to the list. I look forward to reading Clammed Up!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ginnie, thank you for the reminder! I cannot believe I added a Barbara Ross page, but forgot to add her to the Maine page. I try to do that as soon as I post the authors’ pages, that way I don’t forget.
Thanks!
Mary says
I really like the Murder She Wrote mysteries. Maine really seems to lend itself to mystery and intrigue. For kindle mysteries that take place in Maine, try the Fancy Cat Mysteries on amazon – Fancy That, Fancy’s War, Fancy’s Signature and a few more. Really captures the flavor of an island off the coast of Maine. Best part is prime members can borrow them for free.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Mary, thank you for telling us about the Fancy Cat mysteries. Is the story Fancy That the first in the series?
Trisha says
So excited to find this list of Maine cozy mysteries. You might wish to check into another set-in-Maine and highly readable author, Garnet Quinn, for the cat-cozy enthusiasts among us.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Trisha, thank you for telling us about Garnet Quinn‘s Merry Maine’s Mystery Series.
TXRed says
Lea Wait also has the relatively new Mainely Needlepoint mystery series. Thread and Gone, the third in series, just came out and I’m reading it now. I’m enjoyed the first two in series also – Twisted Threads and Threads of Evidence. This series also obviously fits into series involving needlework.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
TXRed, thanks for the reminder! I’ve updated the Maine page.
Vivian Conroy says
I love Murder She Wrote, both the TV series and the TV movies! Like you, Danna, I like the Cabot Cove episodes better than the later ones in NYC, but I do love a good ‘spy type’ plot abroad, espec if Michael Haggarty is in it. Widow Weep For Me from season 2 is one of my fave episodes of all times.
It was a great compliment for me when a reviewer said of DEAD TO BEGIN WITH, book 1 in my Country Gift Shop mysteries set at a British themed gift shop in Maine, that she could see Jessica Fletcher cycle through the streets of my fictional town.
I think seaside towns lend themselves to a certain intrigue because the sea is both pretty and calming but can also rage and take lives: you can never quite take the power of water for granted!
Happy reading!
Debbie says
B.B. Haywood is a great Maine cozy series. I have read them all so far. Anxiously awaiting another though someone did tell me there will not be any more. Candy and her dad, and the rest of the characters are all so great that you would love to spend some time with them.
Pam Healy says
I have read some of the authors but was very glad to find others. I usually read female authors with female main characters. I have also just finished some Native American and Native Alaskan mysteries with women protagonists. Thanks for the list.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Pam, you’re welcome!
Gail B says
I seem to remember another Needlepoint Mystery series that isn’t mentioned. I think the word Needlepointers is part of the name of the series. There was a book about a body found in a freezer and another one about a wealthy debutante type who was murdered. I didn’t write down the author’s name or series thinking I would remember it, but no … I am sure it is not the Mainely needlepoint cause a woman was the main character. Thank you for your help.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Gail, I can’t guarantee that it’s there, but you might want to check the Needlepoint/Knitting/Other Needlework theme page I have for Cozies.
Gail Beebe says
Thank you for that theme page info. I didn’t find what I was thinking of, so I think my memory is a bit off, but did find some others that I will look into!
Greenway says
Today (Superbowl counterprogramming…Beside the Puppy and Kitten Bowls) features a MURDER, SHE WROTE marathon on Hallmark Mystery. Took a break after my preposterous favorite about a beagle millionaire (still miss good ol’ Lynn Redgrave), and Wikipedia’d M,SW, which of course mentioned “If Cabot Cove and it’s murder rate were real”… Anyway, murder rate research showed that the state of Maine, despite Cabot Cove, Stephen King and all the rest, to be one of the most murder free states. The DownEasters can be said to have a ruthless side (shellfish have feelings, too!), but, purty good place fa human safety, ayah!
Cheri Dickey-Whitish says
As a lifelong and very deep-rooted Mainer, I agree that this is a fertile environment for mysteries. I have spent a good part of my life delving into true stories of the past here in Maine and have found many story-worthy mysteries that have never seen the stroke of a pen, (or tap of a keyboard)! Unfortunately, most of them would not be classified as “cozy”. I like Karen MacInerney’s Gray Whale Inn series.
Monica M says
I loved The Apron Shop series by Elizabeth Penney – I believe that was set in Maine, too.
Sue says
I love Sarah Graves’ Home Repair is Homicide series so much I had to buy a copy of each which I re read and loan to friends. Now have additional names; thanks!