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Louise Penny: Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Series

January 16, 2018

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Book 1) Recently I’ve read one of the most frequently recommended non-Cozy mystery series that site readers have been mentioning for quite some time now, Louise Penny‘s Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Series. Specifically, I read the first book in the series, Still Life.

I’m going to stress again that this is most definitely not a Cozy Mystery, though it does share some elements with the Cozy sub-genre. That said, if your interest in mysteries extends past Cozies and into police procedurals with Cozy elements, I definitely “second” the many recommendations site visitors have already made. There is some swearing, so if you are particular about that, do beware! (Including what seems to be some non-conventional French Canadian swearing…?)

Turning to the murder, the death in Still Life begins with the death of elderly Jane Neal, former beloved local spinster and former schoolteacher. Naturally, she was one of the keepers of the community secrets, and naturally it seems like everyone might have had a reason to kill her, some recent and obvious, others ancient and obscure. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is the man sent to solve the crime, along with his specially picked team, including his right hand, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir. Gamache is a kind, insightful man, with a very intuitive investigation style and a reputation for mentoring his people well, and is balanced by Beauvoir’s more analytical approach to policing and slightly more cynical viewpoint.

Still Life introduces us to not only Chief Inspector Gamache, the head of the Surêté du Québec (police of Quebec) homicide department, but also the scenic, rural, remote village of Three Pines, the iconic setting for the remainder of this series. Three Pines is definitely the element that feels the “Coziest” to me, as it is an out-of-the way community that harbors a wide cast of interesting characters, some native and some transplants, all of whom seem to know each other’s most – except of course the one reason that murder has been committed! That said, Three Pines does depart a bit from many more conventional Cozy settings >>>> as a village in French-Canadian Quebec but not far from the border to the United States, the village is a curious and interesting intersection between the “francophones” and the “anglophones” of Quebec, the division being whether any individual considers French or English their first language.

It feels unfair to keep harping on the fact that this really isn’t a Cozy, but I do want to stress that it’s definitely a well-written, enjoyable police procedural that I have no hesitation suggesting to anyone who is comfortable with a bit more police competence in their mystery reading than the standard Cozy, as well as a tolerance (or interest) in slightly darker “real-world” themes that Cozies sometimes have a tendency to shy away from.

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New Releases – January 15 to January 21, 2018

January 15, 2018

Here is the list of new releases for January 15 to January 21! (It’s short this week!)

Deanna Raybourn: A Treacherous Curse (This will be the 3rd in the Veronica Speedwell Mystery Series.)

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Eight Soon to be Released Cozy Covers

January 13, 2018

 

Here are some of the upcoming Cozy Mystery covers that I’ve found recently!

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity and the King’s Ransom (This will be the 23rd in the Aunt Dimity Mystery Series.)
Rita Mae Brown: Probable Claws (This will be the 27th in the Mrs. Murphy Mystery Series.)
Kate Carlisle: Buried in Books (This will be the 13th in the Bibliophile Mystery Series.)
Tessa Harris: The Angel Makers (This will be the 2nd in the Constance Piper Mystery Series.)
Martha Grimes: The Knowledge (This will be the 24th in the Richard Jury Mystery Series.)
Linda O. Johnston: Picks and Chews (This will be the 4th in the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series.)
Laurie R. King : Island of the Mad (This will be the 15th in the Mary Russell Mystery Series.)
 Karen Rose Smith: Murder with Cinnamon Scones (This will be the 2nd in the Daisy’s Tea Garden Mystery Series.)
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Cozy Mystery News – January 2018

January 11, 2018

Here it is the new year – a time when I thought there would be all sorts of Cozy Mystery news, and I only have a little news to share with you. However, it’s good news!

Julie Chase (aka Jacqueline Frost and Julie Anne Lindsey) will be bringing us Cat Got Your Crown – which is the fourth Cozy in her Kitty Couture Mystery Series. This time the Furry Godmother pet boutique owner and sleuth Lacy Marie Crocker will be attending the New Orleans National Pet Pageant where a murder may take place! (Some of you may have just read the first mystery in this author’s new Christmas Tree Farm Mystery Series which she writes as Jacqueline Frost – Twelve Slays of Christmas.)

Cozy Mystery author Leslie Karst has a very varied educational background. Not only is she a twenty year attorney, but she also has a culinary degree, which is great news for fans of her Sally Solari Mystery Series. Her main sleuth is an ex-lawyer who manages an Italian eatery and the series includes recipes. Anyway, back to the good news: Sally will be back sleuthing! The third book (Death al Fresco) will be released in March AND there’s a fourth Sally Solari mystery on its way, too!

Elaine Viets is the author of several series, including the very popular Dead-End Job Mystery Series (which features sleuth Helen Hawthorne, a woman very familiar with “dead-end jobs”) and the very popular Mystery Shopper Mystery Series (featuring plain-clothes detective Josie Marcus). Here’s the good news for Elaine Viets’ fans: Elaine Viets will be releasing A Deal with the Devil and 13 Short Stories. This will be a collection which will include some of her series’ favorite characters. Good news indeed!

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