The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Mystery Books that Take Place in Texas

April 22, 2009

Here are some Fun Texas Facts:

Texas is known as the “Lone Star State.”
Texas means friend in Hasinai.
Austin is the capital, but Houston is the largest city
State Motto: friendship.
State Flower: Bluebonnet.
State Animal: Armadillo

Mystery authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery Site and who feature Texas locations in their books:

Jeff Abbott: Jordan Poteet Mystery Series AND Whit Mosley Mystery Series

Rebecca Adler: Taste of Texas Mystery Series

Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Herbal Mystery Series

Susan Wittig Albert: Crystal Cave Mystery Series

Jeffrey Allen: Stay at Home Dad Mystery Series

Robin Allen: Poppy Markham: Culinary Cop Mystery Series

Carolyn Banks: She Rides, He Doesn’t Mystery Series

Nancy Bell: Biggie Weatherford Mystery Series AND Judge Jackson Crain Mystery Series

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

Laura Bradley:  Hair-Raising Mystery Series

James Lee Burke: Billy Bob Holland Mystery Series

Susan Rogers Cooper: E. J. Pugh Mystery Series AND Kimmey Kruse Mystery Series

Bill Crider: Dan Rhodes Mystery Series, Sally Good Mystery Series, Carl Burns Mystery Series, AND Truman Smith Mystery Series

Nancy Fairbanks (aka Nancy Herndon): Culinary Food Writer Mystery Series AND Elena Jarvis Mystery Series

Kay Finch: Bad Luck Cat Mystery Series AND Corie McKenna Mystery Series

Louise Gaylord: Allie Armington Mystery Series

Kaye George (aka Janet Cantrell): Imogene Duckworthy Mystery Series

Chloe Green: Dallas O’Connor Mystery Series

Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series

Charlaine Harris: Midnight, Texas Mystery Series

Carolyn Hart: Death on the River Walk (book 5 in the Henrie O Mystery Series)

Honor Hartman (aka Dean James & Jimmie Ruth Evans): Bridge Club Mystery Series

L.C. Hayden: Harry Bronson Mystery Series

Nancy Herndon (aka Nancy Fairbanks):  Elena Jarvis Mystery Series AND Culinary Food Writer Mystery Series

James Hime: Jeremiah Spur Mystery Series

Sharon Kahn: Ruby, the Rabbi’s Wife Mystery Series

Diane Kelly: Tara Holloway Death and Taxes Mystery Series

Diane Kelly: Megan Luz Mystery Series

Mitzi Kelly: Silver Sleuths Mystery Series

Elizabeth Lee (aka Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli): Nut House Mystery Series

Liz Lipperman (aka Lizbeth Lipperman & Liz Roth): Clueless Cook Mystery Series

Lizbeth Lipperman (aka Liz Lipperman & Liz Roth): Dead Sister Talking Mystery Series

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Chili Cook-Off Mysteries

Lee Martin (aka Anne Wingate & Martha G. Webb): Deb Ralston Mystery Series AND Mark Shigata Mystery Series AND Smoky O’Donnell Mystery Series

Nancy Martin: Miss Ruffles Mystery Series

Susan McBride: Debutante Dropout Mystery Series AND Maggie Ryan Mystery Series

Susan McBride: River Road Mystery Series

D.R. Meredith: Murder by the Yard Mystery Series AND  Sheriff Charles Matthews Mystery Series AND John Lloyd Branson Mystery Series

Rick Riordan: Tres Navarre Mystery Series

Aileen Schumacher: Tory Travers Mystery Series

Barbara Burnett Smith: Purple Sage Mystery Series AND Kitzi Camden Beading Mystery Series

Ann Summerville: Stand Alone Storms & Secrets

Leann Sweeney: Yellow Rose Mystery Series

Teresa Trent: Pecan Bayou Mystery Series

Diane Vallere: Mad for Mod Mystery Series

Mary Willis Walker: Mollie Cates Mystery Series

Wendy Lyn Watson: Mystery à la Mode Mystery Series

Livia J. Washburn: Fresh Baked Mystery Series

Martha G. Webb (aka Anne Wingate & Lee Martin):  Smoky O’Donnell Mystery Series AND Mark Shigata Mystery Series AND Deb Ralston Mystery Series

Anne Wingate (aka Lee Martin & Martha G. Webb): Mark Shigata Mystery Series AND Deb Ralston Mystery Series AND Smoky O’Donnell Mystery Series

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

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

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

21 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Comments

  1. Dennis says

    April 23, 2009 at 6:33 am

    Great List!!! I Love Texas. Thanks. Don’t forget Bill Crider and his series. One features Sheriff Dan Rhodes.

    Reply
  2. Danna - cozy mystery list says

    April 23, 2009 at 10:40 am

    Thank you for reminding me about Bill Crider…. I started working on the Texas list way before I added him to the site.

    Thanks, again…

    Reply
  3. Beach Mum says

    April 23, 2009 at 10:51 am

    This site has been such a great source of info. Although I read all mysteries I lean more to a British cozy . I want to be transported from Michigan, to a small Cotswold village with thatched roofed cottages and a Miss Marple like lady solving the mysteries. Of course she needs to live in a cottage and a cat is preferable. I have read Ann Purser , M C Beaton and now finished all of Barbara Harwin. If anyone has any suggestions , I would love to hear them. Thank you so Much !

    Reply
  4. Danna - cozy mystery list says

    April 23, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    Hi Beach Mum,

    Have you taken a look at the “If You’ve Run Out of Agatha Christie” post that I wrote? That might give you some ideas…

    Reply
  5. Edie Dykeman says

    May 1, 2009 at 5:21 am

    Beach Mum – I’m with you. I read the books, or watch such shows as Midsomers Murders and love the quaint cottages in the small rural towns and think it would be great to live there (not with the murders, of course).

    Danna – what a comprehensive list. I have lived in Texas and will again someday (after my caregiver duties in Michigan come to an end). China Bayles is my very favorite, but with a list like this, looks like back to the library I go.

    Thanks for putting this list together!

    Reply
  6. Kayanna says

    March 11, 2010 at 3:42 pm

    First I want to thank you for this site. I am one of the many avid readers who consume a book or two a day when home (more frequently than I like) and your site has been a great place to turn for book titles. I love these books from Texas, and I notice that books from the South (which may not include all of Texas, I’m not entirely clear on the concept!) seem to have a similar flavor and pride of place.
    Do you already have a Southern list? I know it’s a state of mind! I’d love to find more books written from that perspective. They often write about small town values; respect, honoring parents, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. I’m thinking of Anne George and Patricia Sprinkle’s Southern series here, and some of the Texan authors exude that same charm. I’m rereading Anne George for the millionth time, but I’m looking for more like her!
    (And thank you, I didn’t know about Elena Jarvis. I love the Nancy Fairbanks books. I always leave this site with at least one book to seek.)

    Reply
  7. Margie says

    January 21, 2011 at 5:20 pm

    Susan Wittig Albert is our yellow rose of Texas cozy mystery writer.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      August 29, 2022 at 6:03 pm

      The British lovers might like her stories of Beatrix Potter in the Lake District.

      Reply
  8. Randy says

    September 20, 2011 at 8:29 pm

    What happened to Allana Martin? She was my favorite but hasn’t written anything new in years…

    Reply
  9. Connie says

    December 11, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    Melissa Bourbon’s Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series needs to be added to this list as it takes place in Texas. Her series came out after Texas was added to the states theme list.

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      December 11, 2011 at 3:28 pm

      Thank you, Connie. When I add new authors or simply new series by authors already on the Cozy Mystery site, I try to add them to their correct theme pages. I don’t always succeed in doing this, though. So, thank you!

      Reply
  10. Connie says

    December 14, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    You’re welcome, Danna! It’s hard to keep up with all the new cozy authors and new series coming out to remember where their setttings are located. You are doing a fantastic job with all the themes. Love them all!

    Here’s another one to add to Texas – Marion Moore Hill’s Deadly Past Mystery series located in Richardson, Texas.

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      December 16, 2011 at 5:15 pm

      Connie, thanks for telling us about Marion Moore Hill.

      Reply
  11. Donkat says

    May 11, 2014 at 7:09 am

    C.L. Bevill writes a mystery that takes place in Texas. The main character is a man called Bubba. There are 5 books in the series and 2 novellas.

    Reply
  12. Dee says

    August 14, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    Why isnt David Lindsey on this list? Just wondering.

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      August 14, 2015 at 4:24 pm

      Dee, no one has recommended him for the Cozy Mystery site.

      Reply
  13. Susan* says

    April 17, 2017 at 5:39 pm

    ‘Death on the Riverwalk’ by Carolyn Hart is set on / around San Antonio’s Riverwalk. From things you’ve said, Danna, not too far from you. 🙂

    Also found this in my internet wanderings: http://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/jcr:11dd82c7-f97c-41fe-a9b1-ec108981d5ba/mystbib.pdf A bibliography of Texas based mysteries past and present. (Hope I’m not stepping on your toes, Danna. I don’t mean to.)
    The list was written to accompany an exhibition of the books at Texas State University, by the Southwest Writers collection. Further info is here: http://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu/exhibitions/past/scenecrime.html and it is apparently open to the public if you happen to be around that way!

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      April 18, 2017 at 1:12 am

      Susan, thanks for the suggestions! I’ve added the Carolyn Hart book. I’m probably not going to be adding the full list you linked – I don’t generally add books unless someone suggests them, unless I’ve read it myself and thought it fit a theme. (It is too easy to get bad information from another site accidentally, not knowing how much they checked first.) That said, it’s always interesting to see other compilations of this sort and seeing where the overlap is!

      Also thanks for the suggestion of the Wittliff Collections – it can be surprising to hear about that sort of thing existing right under your nose and not knowing about it! I’ll have to make the time to check it out the next time I go through San Marcos (which isn’t too far from home, really).

      Reply
  14. Susan* says

    April 18, 2017 at 1:22 pm

    I haven’t really even looked through the list properly, myself – it’s a long list! 🙂
    If people are interested, they can follow the link and have a look for themselves – I just thought it might be interesting. (And I was hoping you wouldn’t mind me adding it, was all. I think I’ve spent too much time on another – completely unrelated – site, where they’re jealous about such things!)

    If you do get to have a look at the collection, maybe you could make it a blog post. I for one would love to hear about it!

    Reply
  15. Kathleen Kendler says

    July 17, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    Ancestry Detective Series by S.C. Perkins is set in the Hill Country of TX. The main character lives in Austin.

    Thanks for having & keeping this site up.

    Reply
  16. Janet Smith says

    July 20, 2020 at 9:23 am

    Helen Currie Foster writes a fine series, the Alice MacDonald Greer Mysteries, with most books based in the Texas Hill Country. I have enjoyed her crisp writing and sense of place in the collection recommended by a very well-read friend.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please don't tell us about Cozy Mystery authors or books you don't enjoy.

Please use a nickname or your first name and last initial (unless you are an author and want your full name to appear).

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Blog Post Email Alerts

  • Cozy Mystery Blog Home
  • Cozy Mystery Site
  • Soon to be Released Mysteries
  • Cozies by Themes
  • New Mystery Releases
  • New Mystery Series
  • Cozy Mystery Recommendations
  • Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series
  • Holiday Mystery Book Lists
  • What Is a Cozy?
  • TV and Movies
  • Author Interviews
  • Cozy-Mystery.com on Facebook

Recent Posts

  • Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Jacqueline Winspear: Maisie Dobbs Mystery Series
  • TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – May 2025
  • April 14 to April 27
  • March 31 to April 13

Recent Comments

  • Regina Williams on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Fortney, Sally on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Shirley on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Georgia on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Rob Jarrad on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025

Cozy Mystery List Home | Affiliate Disclosure | Cozy Mystery Blog Home  | Cozy Mystery Blog Sitemap | Privacy Policy  | Contact Me   | About |

Copyright © 2006-2025, Cozy-Mystery.Com, All rights reserved.
A Guide to Cozy Mystery Books, Movies, and TV


MENU
  • Cozy Mystery Blog Home
  • Cozy Mystery Site
  • Soon to be Released Mysteries
  • Cozies by Themes
  • New Mystery Releases
  • New Mystery Series
  • Cozy Mystery Recommendations
  • Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series
  • Holiday Mystery Book Lists
  • What Is a Cozy?
  • TV and Movies
  • Author Interviews
  • Cozy-Mystery.com on Facebook