The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Cozy Reader Questions

It’s been a few months, so I’m trying to keep more on top of reader questions than I have been. There are still quite a few outstanding questions, though.

From R…

I’m looking for a fiction or mystery book where an older married couple are on a trip(might be a food tour). But they’re in Europe somewhere & I THINK someone gets sick. Every chapter or two though is a different narrator(ie. her POV and then his POV).

I believe that the woman’s name is Caroline/Carolyn but I can’t remember her husband’s name.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read it & I’d like to try and find it again.
Thanks

EDIT: Julie, Susan, and Suzy have posted in that this sounds like the Culinary Food Writer Mystery Series by author Nancy Fairbanks. R confirmed that this is the mystery they were thinking of.

From Gayle….

I’m looking for a series I lost track off….woman has a law firm, married to a man who maybe works for a government agency, they have a plane, and she gets involved in solving crimes. The series has been around for a while.

EDIT: Terry and Marja suggested that this could be the Sharon McCone Mystery Series by Marcia Muller.

From Judithe…

I am trying to find a mystery series about a woman lawyer who comes to work with her father. Not the Sujata Massey series. American or maybe British?

EDIT: Annie and Marja both suggest this could be the Barbara Holloway Mystery Series by Kate Wilhelm.

From Joan… 

Hi, I “lost” an author, as in I cannot remember her name or titles of her books. The main character arrives in a small seaside village in England(?) having left her former life behind. She decides to open a shop. She meets a local woman who befriends her and a cheese farmer/producer with whom she thinks she could have a relationship. There are murders and mysteries to be solved. Help?

EDIT: Laura suggested that this might be the Scarlet Cove Seaside Systery Series, written by Agatha Frost and Evelyn Amber.

From Tom…

At least 20 years ago a woman -AUTHOR – who lived in Mequon wrote a fictional murder mystery based in Milwaukee’s Washington Heights neighborhood and Washington Park. Young school aged girls were involved in story and I believe solved mystery.

Can anyone help with authors name or title, please?

EDIT: Sharon suggested this might be Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagan.

From Lex…

Hi, I have been looking all over and can’t remember a series I have read. The main character is a female detective (maybe a PI) who lives in Cambridge MA on or around Brattle Street in a carriage house.

EDIT: Ellen suggested that this might be the Carlotta Carlyle Mystery Series by Linda Barnes. Marcia thinks it could be the Museum Mystery Series by Sheila Connolly. Ginger thinks it might be the Dog Lover’s Mystery Series by Susan Conant. Marja thinks this could be the Sunny Randall Mystery Series by Robert B. Parker. Lex eventually figured it out – it was Patricia Cornwell‘s Kay Scarpetta Mystery Series.

From Bobbie…

I am looking for a series that takes place in Florida with a young man that is a half brother or illegitimate son of a wealthy boat owner or maker. He has a friend or grandfather that he associates with. It’s a mystery series. I think his name was Chase or Chance. It is not the Saving Chase series.

EDIT: And a late question from Marja…

Now I know this isn’t a Cozy per se, but I have read 2 or 3 books about a Baltimore [possibly Atlanta] female police officer who makes detective at the end of the first book. Because she patrolled a poorer quarter of town, she has connections with many of the people there. She lives out of town in a small country house with a big yard for her two Border Collies [and for awhile they even had some sheep to herd] and has a boyfriend who is a fairly senior detective. Her father, also a cop, committed suicide in this house, in the office, and she has made that space into a judo [?] training room for herself and [I think she has a student or two, or a teacher]? The author’s first name is something like Mary Jo … I’d love to read another but I can’t remember a title of the books or the author’s name! Boy is that frustrating bc as you can see I remember a lot of other stuff from books! ;^D

EDIT: Tad thinks this might be the Detective Sarah Alt Mystery Series by Trudy Nan Boyce. Marja confirmed that this is what she was looking for!

Thank you in advance to anyone who answers! As I get possible answers, I’ll post them with the question…

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for October 2020

As it is almost October 2020, I thought I would post the Turner Classic Movies channel’s October mystery movies today. I don’t know if other people have been so struck by this, but it seems to me that TCM is moving toward presenting more “current” movies these days. (when I say “current” I mean movies from the 1960s and 1970s.) I’ve been a fan of the channel for many years, and I don’t remember a time when the Golden Era of Hollywood was not the main focus of the channel’s movies. Hmmm… Have any of you noticed this, too? And if so, what do you think about it?

On another note, since it’s October, Turner Classic Movies is going to be showing a lot of “Halloweeny” type movies. So, if you love the old Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price (etc.) movies, then you’re in for a treat this month! (I’m not going to list them, but be sure to be on the lookout for them – if you enjoy them. I watch the same “Halloweeny” type movies year after year… I never get tired of them!) Also, while I’m not talking about movies that happen to be mysteries – for those of you who enjoy the old Dr. Kildare movies, Turner Classic Movies will be airing five of them on Wednesday the 21st of October.

***** ***** ***** *****

TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – OCTOBER 2020

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – October 1

3:00 PM
TWENTY PLUS TWO (1961)
When a Hollywood secretary is found murdered, a detective is hired to investigate the murder.
Dir:  Joseph M. Newman Cast:  David Janssen, Jeanne Crain, Dina Merrill.
BW- 103 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – October 2

10:00 PM
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1958)
A millionaire offers total strangers a fortune to spend the night in a haunted house.
Dir:  William Castle Cast:  Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long.
BW- 75 mins, CC

11:30 PM
THE HAUNTING (1963)
A team of psychic investigators moves into a haunted house that destroys all who live there.
Dir:  Robert Wise Cast:  Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson.
BW- 112 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – October 3

1:15 PM
KEY LARGO (1948)
A returning veteran tangles with a ruthless gangster during a hurricane.
Dir:  John Huston Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall.
BW- 100 mins, CC

5:00 PM
THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1968)
A bored tycoon turns to bank robbery and courts the insurance investigator assigned to bring him in.
Dir:  Norman Jewison Cast:  Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway, Paul Burke.
C- 102 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

11:00 PM
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950)
A police detective’s violent nature keeps him from being a good cop.
Dir:  Otto Preminger Cast:  Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill.
BW- 95 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – October 4

9:00 AM
WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950)
A police detective’s violent nature keeps him from being a good cop.
Dir:  Otto Preminger Cast:  Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill.
BW- 95 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – October 5

5:00 PM
LURED (1947)
A woman helps the police catch the serial killer who murdered her best friend.
Dir:  Douglas Sirk Cast:  George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Charles Coburn.
BW- 103 mins

7:00 PM
CASH ON DEMAND (1961)
A charming but ruthless criminal holds the family of a bank manager hostage as part of a cold-blooded plan to steal money.
Dir:  Quentin Lawrence Cast:  Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Richard Vernon.
BW- 80 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – October 8

9:00 PM
DETOUR (1945)
A hitchhiker takes on a dead man’s identity only to face blackmail by an unscrupulous woman.
Dir:  Edgar G. Ulmer Cast:  Tom Neal, Ann Savage, Claudia Drake.
BW- 68 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – October 9

8:45 AM
BORN TO KILL (1947)
A murderer marries a young innocent then goes after her more experienced sister.
Dir:  Robert Wise Cast:  Claire Trevor, Lawrence Tierney, Walter Slezak.
BW- 92 mins, CC

10:30 AM
DARK PASSAGE (1947)
A man falsely accused of his wife’s murder escapes to search for the real killer.
Dir:  Delmer Daves Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett.
BW- 106 mins, CC

12:30 PM
OUT OF THE PAST (1947)
A private eye becomes the dupe of a homicidal moll.
Dir:  Jacques Tourneur Cast:  Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas.
BW- 97 mins, CC

2:15 PM
RACE STREET (1948)
A night-club owner takes on the crooks who killed his best friend.
Dir:  Edwin L. Marin Cast:  George Raft, William Bendix, Marilyn Maxwell.
BW- 79 mins, CC

3:45 PM
IMPACT (1949)
After surviving a murder attempt, an auto magnate goes into hiding so his wife can pay for the crime.
Dir:  Arthur Lubin Cast:  Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn.
BW- 111 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – October 10

1:00 AM
WHITE LIGHTNING (1973)
A convicted moonshiner helps police track down the bayou bad guys who killed his brother.
Dir:  Joseph Sargent Cast:  Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Louise Latham.
C- 101 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

2:45 AM
GATOR (1976)
An ex-con joins forces with a federal agent to bring down a vice lord.
Dir:  Burt Reynolds Cast:  Burt Reynolds, Jerry Reed, Lauren Hutton.
C- 116 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

5:00 PM
TOP HAT (1935)
A woman thinks the man who loves her is her best friend’s husband.
Dir:  Mark Sandrich Cast:  Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton.
BW- 100 mins, CC
*****It’s been a while since I last saw this movie, but I remember it as being very good. Not a mystery.*****

11:30 PM
THE RACKET (1951)
A tough cop has to fight his superiors in order to battle the mob.
Dir:  John Cromwell Cast:  Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, Robert Ryan.
BW- 89 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – October 11

9:00 AM
THE RACKET (1951)
A tough cop has to fight his superiors in order to battle the mob.
Dir:  John Cromwell Cast:  Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, Robert Ryan.
BW- 89 mins, CC

2:45 PM
THE CATERED AFFAIR (1956)
A working-class mother fights to give her daughter a big wedding whether the girl wants it or not.
Dir:  Richard Brooks Cast:  Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds.
BW- 94 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery, but it’s really good.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – October 13

8:00 AM
THE SOLITAIRE MAN (1933)
Crooks double cross each other during a tense flight from Paris to London.
Dir:  Jack Conway Cast:  Herbert Marshall, Mary Boland, Lionel Atwill.
BW- 67 mins

9:30 AM
BLIND ADVENTURE (1933)
An American in London stumbles on a criminal ring.
Dir:  Ernest B. Schoedsack Cast:  Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Roland Young.
BW- 63 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – October 14

9:15 AM
THE UNHOLY THREE (1925)
In this silent film, a ventriloquist masquerades as an old lady to front a crime ring.
Dir:  Tod Browning Cast:  Lon Chaney, Mae Busch, Matt Moore.
BW- 86 mins

12:00 PM
THE BLACKBIRD (1926)
A benevolent bishop helps the needy during the day, but runs a crime syndicate at night.
Dir:  Tod Browning Cast:  Lon Chaney, Renée Adorée, Doris Lloyd.
BW- 86 mins

1:30 PM
THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR (1929)
A phony medium tries to prove her protege innocent of murder.
Dir:  Tod Browning Cast:  Conrad Nagel, Leila Hyams, Margaret Wycherly.
BW- 72 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – October 15

12:45 PM
THE BAD SEED (1956)
A woman suspects that her perfect little girl is a ruthless killer.
Dir:  Mervyn LeRoy Cast:  Gage Clarke, Jesse White, Joan Croyden.
C- 129 mins, CC

3:00 PM
THEY WON’T FORGET (1937)
Bigotry flares when a teacher is accused of killing a small-town girl in the South.
Dir:  Mervyn LeRoy Cast:  Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson, Edward Norris.
BW- 95 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – October 16

7:00 AM
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960)
A clumsy young man nurtures a bloodthirsty plant that forces him to kill to feed it.
Dir:  Roger Corman Cast:  Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles.
BW- 72 mins, CC
*****This doesn’t  qualify as a mystery, but if you’ve seen the 1986 version of this movie, you may enjoy seeing this one. Steve Martin’s role is played by Jack Nicholson in this earlier version.*****

5:15 PM
THE NANNY (1965)
A disturbed young man tries to prove his nanny is out to kill him.
Dir:  Seth Holt Cast:  Bette Davis, Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett.
BW- 93 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – October 17

11:00 PM
DESTINATION MURDER (1950)
A woman infiltrates the mob to find her father’s killer.
Dir:  Edward L. Cahn Cast:  Joyce MacKenzie, Stanley Clements, Hurd Hatfield.
BW- 73 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – October 18

9:00 AM
DESTINATION MURDER (1950)
A woman infiltrates the mob to find her father’s killer.
Dir:  Edward L. Cahn Cast:  Joyce MacKenzie, Stanley Clements, Hurd Hatfield.
BW- 73 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – October 19

8:15 AM
TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
A narcotics agent risks his wife’s life to investigate a crooked cop.
Dir:  Orson Welles Cast:  Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles.
BW- 111 mins, CC

12:45 PM
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
An advertising man is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.
Dir:  Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason.
C- 136 mins, CC

3:15 PM
IN A LONELY PLACE (1950)
An aspiring actress begins to suspect that her temperamental boyfriend is a murderer.
Dir:  Nicholas Ray Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy.
BW- 93 mins, CC

7:00 PM
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)
Sherlock Holmes investigates the haunting of an isolated British estate by a murderous canine.
Dir:  Terence Fisher Cast:  Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Christopher Lee.
C- 87 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Based on Sir Conan Doyle’s novel.*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Tuesday – October 20

2:30 PM
IT’S A WONDERFUL WORLD (1939)
A runaway poetess helps a fugitive prove himself innocent of murder charges.
Dir:  W. S. Van Dyke II Cast:  Claudette Colbert, James Stewart, Guy Kibbee.
BW- 86 mins, CC
*****This is a comedy mystery movie, probably more comedy than mystery…*****

***** ***** ***** *****

Wednesday – October 21

8:30 PM
THE BEAST OF THE CITY (1932)
A police captain leads the fight against a vicious gangland chief.
Dir:  Charles Brabin Cast:  Walter Huston, Jean Harlow, Wallace Ford.
BW- 86 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – October 22

7:00 PM
THE KILLERS (1964)
Surprised that their contract victim didn’t try to run away from them, two professional hit men try to find out who hired them and why.
Dir:  Donald Siegel Cast:  Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Cassavetes.
C- 97 mins, CC

8:45 PM
THE BREAKING POINT (1950)
A desperate fishing boat captain rents his ship to some gunmen on the lam.
Dir:  Michael Curtiz Cast:  John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter.
BW- 97 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – October 23

6:30 AM
ABSOLUTE QUIET (1936)
Murder follows when a plane filled with shady characters is forced to land on a tycoon’s ranch.
Dir:  George B. Seitz Cast:  Lionel Atwill, Irene Hervey, Raymond Walburn.
BW- 70 mins

3:15 PM
ASSIGNMENT TO KILL (1968)
A private eye gets too involved in his investigation of a crooked shipping magnate.
Dir:  Sheldon Reynolds Cast:  Patrick O’Neal, Joan Hackett, John Gielgud.
C- 99 mins, Letterbox Format

5:00 PM
THE DROWNING POOL (1975)
A private eye’s investigation of an anonymous letter leads to murder.
Dir:  Stuart Rosenberg Cast:  Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Tony Franciosa.
C- 108 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – October 24

11:00 AM
HARPER (1966)
A broken-down private eye sets out to find a rich woman’s missing husband.
Dir:  Jack Smight Cast:  Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris.
C- 121 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

9:15 PM
FLESH AND FURY (1952)
Dir:  Joseph Pevney Cast:  Tony Curtis, Jan Sterling, Mona Freeman.
BW- 83 mins

11:00 PM
MACAO (1952)
A man on the run in the Far East is mistaken for an undercover cop.
Dir:  Josef von Sternberg Cast:  Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix.
BW- 81 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Sunday – October 25

5:15 AM
MURDER ON THE BLACKBOARD (1934)
A schoolteacher matches wits with a police detective when they both try to solve a pretty music teacher’s murder.
Dir:  George Archainbaud Cast:  James Gleason, Edna May Oliver, Bruce Cabot.
BW- 72 mins
*****Based on Stuart Palmer’s Hildegarde Winters mystery book.*****

9:00 AM
MACAO (1952)
A man on the run in the Far East is mistaken for an undercover cop.
Dir:  Josef von Sternberg Cast:  Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, William Bendix.
BW- 81 mins, CC

4:30 PM
WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962)
A crazed, aging star torments her sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion.
Dir:  Robert Aldrich Cast:  Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono.
BW- 134 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Monday – October 26

1:00 AM
DIABOLIQUE (1955)
A cruel man’s wife and lover plot to kill him.
Dir:  Henri-Georges Clouzot Cast:  Paul Meurisse, Vera Clouzot, Simone Signoret.
BW- 117 mins
*****For those of you who speak French or who don’t mind having to read the subtitles…*****

6:45 AM
MARA MARU (1952)
A salvage diver is accused of murder while hunting a mysterious treasure.
Dir:  Gordon Douglas Cast:  Errol Flynn, Ruth Roman, Raymond Burr.
BW- 98 mins, CC

8:30 AM
THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME (1947)
A faithless husband is charged with a murder he didn’t commit.
Dir:  Irving Pichel Cast:  Susan Hayward, Robert Young, Jane Greer.
BW- 90 mins, CC

10:15 AM
WHERE DANGER LIVES (1950)
A psychopath draws her doctor into her murderous schemes.
Dir:  John Farrow Cast:  Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue, Claude Rains.
BW- 80 mins, CC

12:00 PM
FINGERS AT THE WINDOW (1942)
A magician uses hypnosis to create an army of murderers.
Dir:  Charles Lederer Cast:  Lew Ayres, Laraine Day, Basil Rathbone.
BW- 81 mins, CC

1:30 PM
FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK (1941)
An aspiring mystery writer stumbles on to a real murder.
Dir:  Lloyd Bacon Cast:  Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Ralph Bellamy.
BW- 96 mins, CC

3:15 PM
KILL OR CURE (1962)
A detective bumbles through the investigation of murders at a spa.
Dir:  George Pollock Cast:  Terry-Thomas, Eric Sykes, Dennis Price.
BW- 88 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

5:00 PM
THE GAZEBO (1960)
A suburban couple tries to cope with a murder victim whose body refuses to stay put.
Dir:  George Marshall Cast:  Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Carl Reiner.
BW- 102 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

7:00 PM
NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT (1972)
A police inspector and a doctor investigate the murders of a large fortune’s trustees.
Dir:  Peter Sasdy Cast:  Christopher Lee,
C- 91 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

8:45 PM
MADHOUSE (1974)
A horror star’s attempted comeback is complicated by a string of murders.
Dir:  James Clark Cast:  Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Natasha Pyne.
C- 91 mins

***** ***** ***** *****

Thursday – October 29

7:30 AM
BEFORE DAWN (1933)
Detectives compete to solve the murders at a mysterious mansion.
Dir:  Irving Pichel Cast:  Stuart Erwin, Dorothy Wilson, Warner Oland.
BW- 61 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – October 30

5:30 AM
DOCTOR X (1932)
A reporter investigates a series of cannibalistic murders at a medical college.
Dir:  Michael Curtiz Cast:  Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Lee Tracy.
C- 76 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

Saturday – October 31

1:45 PM
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (1945)
A man remains young and handsome while his portrait shows the ravages of age and sin.
Dir:  Albert Lewin Cast:  George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed.
BW- 110 mins, CC

5:00 PM
THE HAUNTING (1963)
A team of psychic investigators moves into a haunted house that destroys all who live there.
Dir:  Robert Wise Cast:  Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson.
BW- 112 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

11:00 PM
THE SEVENTH VICTIM (1943)
A girl’s search for her missing sister puts her in conflict with a band of satanists.
Dir:  Mark Robson Cast:  Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell.
BW- 71 mins, CC

***** ***** ***** *****

If you’re really looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in October, be sure to leave a comment below!

In case you’re interested in seeing the rest of this month’s television mystery movies, here’s the September 2020 television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for September 2020 on Turner Classic Movies channel

And here is the page on my site with plenty of entries about movies and television shows you may enjoy:

Cozy Mystery List TV and Movie Section – all you have to do is click on the link to go to that page on my site.

(The above movie descriptions were taken off the TCM website.)

Sofie Ryan: Second Chance Cat Mystery Series

The Whole Cat and Caboodle (Second Chance Cat Mystery Book 1) It seems to me not very long ago (but I see now that it was more than four years >> March of 2016!), I wrote about Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cat Mystery Series as part of my series of posts talking about the first book in series that are among the most popular and recommended Cozy Mystery series. This month I decided to read another book by the same author (this time writing as Sofie Ryan), the first in another series with a cat in the title, the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series’ first book, The Whole Cat and Caboodle. 

The series revolves around Sarah Grayson, who owns and runs “Second Chance, the Repurpose Shop” in a small coastal town in Maine called North Harbor. Second Chance isn’t exactly a thrift shop. As Sarah describes it:

Second Chance was a cross between an antique store and a thrift shop. We sold furniture and housewares—many things repurposed from their original use, like the tub chair that in its previous life had actually been a tub. As for the name, the business was sort of a second chance—for the cat and for me. We’d been open only a few months and I was amazed at how busy we already were.

In fact, at the beginning of the story, Sarah had only been in town for a few months. She had returned to a place she dearly loved from childhood visits — where her grandmother lived after her late-night syndicated radio show had been canceled. After only a few months, Sarah’s new store was already a success. And, Sarah had already acquired Elvis, a big black cat that, as a stray in the town, had acquired a large scar across his nose. Before long, one of Sarah’s grandmother’s friends is found sitting beside a dead man, and the friend, Maddie, is accused of murder.

In a refreshing change, Sarah is not eager to begin her detecting career. Maddie’s friends, who are mostly elderly ladies, are though. Sarah is, however, very interested in trying to keep Maddie’s and Sarah’s grandmother’s friends out of trouble. And, after failing to persuade them to let the police do their job, Sarah reluctantly begins to participate in the sleuthing to try to keep them safe.

Of course, as you could guess from the title of the series and the title of the book, Elvis, the cat, plays a pretty big role. Sarah is convinced that Elvis can understand everything that people say, although she also believes that sometimes Elvis just isn’t interested enough to be listening. Be that as it may, although Elvis is not overtly magical, he sure is smart and plays a part in almost every scene in the book.

Finally, there are several eligible men in town who will probably provide plenty of romantic interests in this series of books, although not much in that direction happens in this first book.

Sofie Ryan, aka Sofie Kelly, has a way of making me feel as though I too spent my summers in North Harbor, Maine. At least after having visited there in this book, I sort of wish I had! If you like your Cozy Mysteries with a lot of cat, a bit of second hand store, and a strong dash of New England charm, The Whole Cat and Caboodle should be high on your to be read (TBR) list!

P.S. As always, if you are interested in reading some of the other entries about highly recommended Cozy Mystery series, you can find them at the Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on the site.

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