The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – March 2017

We’re almost through March, so it’s time to talk about our favorite Cozy Mysteries for we’ve read this month. If you read a Cozy you can strongly recommend in the month of March, be sure to let the rest of us know here! My own recommendation for this month is Nancy Atherton‘s Aunt Dimity Mystery Series.

If you’re interested in reading why I’m recommending these series, you can go to the Most Popular & Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my Cozy-Mystery site for my full write-ups on each of these great Cozy series.

So, what have you been reading that you can recommend in March? Please be sure to tell us why you liked these Cozies so much. I know we’re all always on the lookout for more particularly good Cozy Mystery authors! (If you have a lot of Cozies you think are great, please post the ones you like the most at the top of the list.)

As always, please do not tell us about the Cozy Mysteries you did not like.

What really good Cozy Mystery did you read during March 2017 that you want the rest of us to know about, and why did you enjoy it?

Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read and recommended this past month:

Ellery Adams (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Supper Club Mystery Series

Lucy Arlington (co-written by Jennifer Stanley & Sylvia May): A Novel Idea Mystery Series

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Mystery Series

Lorna Barrett (aka L. L. Bartlett & Lorraine Bartlett): Booktown Mystery Series

Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey): Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery Series

Frances Brody: Kate Shackleton Mystery Series

David Casarett: Murder at the House of Rooster Happiness

Karen Chester: Emma Cassidy Mystery Series (first book Throw a Monkey Wrench)

Laura Childs (aka Gerry Schmitt): Tea Shop Mystery Series

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell & Tace Baker): Country Store Mystery Series

Warren Esby: In Transit

Agatha Frost: Peridale Cafe Cozy Mystery Series (first book Pancakes and Corpses)

Lee Harris: Christine Bennett Holiday Mystery Series

Leigh Hearon: Carson Stables Mystery Series (first book Reining in Murder)

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): League of Literary Ladies Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series

Carlene O’Connor: Irish Village Mystery Series

Louise Penny: Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Series

Spencer Quinn (aka Peter Abrahams): Chet and Bernie Mystery Series

Clover Tate: Kite Shop Mystery Series (first book Blown Away)

Aimée & David Thurlo: Ella Clah Mystery Series

Lea Wait: Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series

Ashley Weaver: Amory Ames Mystery Series (first book Murder at the Brightwell)

Jacqueline Winspear: Maisie Dobbs Mystery Series

Diana Xarissa: Aunt Bessie Mystery Series (first book Aunt Bessie Assumes)

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to his/her page on the Cozy Mystery site. The pages have all of the authors’ books listed chronologically.]

I will list the authors and series that have been recommended, but I urge you to read the comments below so you can see the reasons other Cozy Mystery readers thought these were their best reads of the month.

♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦

P.S. I usually don’t comment on your recommendations since they speak for themselves.

New Releases – March 27 to April 2, 2017

Here is the list of new release for March 27 to April 2!

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell & Tace Baker): When the Grits Hit the Fan (This will be the 3rd in the Country Store Mystery Series.)

Veronica Heley: False Fire (This will be the 11th in the Abbot Agency Mystery Series.)

Emma Miller: Plain Missing (This will be the 4th in the Amish Mystery Series.)

Carla Neggers: Red Clover Inn (This will be the 7th in the non mystery Swift River Valley series.)

James Patterson & David Ellis: The Black Book (This will be a Stand Alone mystery.)

Sara Rosett: Mother’s Day, Muffins, and Murder (This will be the 10th in the Ellie Avery Mystery Series.) (This will be a Mother’s Day themed mystery.)

Clea Simon: As Dark As My Fur (This will be the 2nd in the Blackie and Care Mystery Series.)

Wendy Corsi Staub: Bone White (This will be the 3rd in the Mundy’s Landing Mystery Series.)

Lea Wait: Tightening the Threads (This will be the 5th in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery Series.)

What Happened to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Cozy Mystery Movies Premieres?

I thought I’d write a quick not to tell you why I stopped posting the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel’s mystery movies. I hated to stop posting them, but I found that it took more time than it should have to find the dates and synopses of the different new mystery movies. Since I post the Upcoming Television Mystery Movies entries during the month before they air, a lot of the time I had to rely on outside sources to post the actual dates of their premieres. Perhaps the channel likes to keep us unaware of the actual airing dates of the movies so that we watch the channel hoping to find out when the movies will finally air, or possibly the channel just wants us to really anticipate the movies. (I don’t know why they use the “Coming in April” tactic, but it doesn’t work for me… I’d much rather they simply tell us when in April the movies are going to air.)

For those of you who miss finding out about these Hallmark Movies & Mysteries premieres, I suggest you look you TV listings for Sunday nights at 8:00 PM (central) to see if they will be airing a new Cozy Mystery movie. That is when they premiere their mystery movies. That’s exactly what I am doing these days, which is how I found out about:

Joanne Fluke‘s Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts premiering tonight (March 26, 2017),

Kate Carlisle‘s Concrete Evidence: A Fixer Upper Mystery premiering next Sunday night (April 2, 2017),

and Nancy Grace‘s Hailey Dean Mystery: Deadly Estate premiering Sunday, April 9, 2017.

Also, last week Charlaine Harris‘ Dead Over Heels: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery premiered. Just in case you missed it, the next showing will be tonight (March 26), right after the premiere of Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts.

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for April 2017

It’s the time of the month again to find out about next month’s upcoming mystery movies that will be on television. As usual, I’m posting the Turner Classic Movies channel mysteries (and some non-mystery movies with my favorite actors and actresses) that I think are definitely worth looking at.

This April, the biggest TCM mystery news will be a Torchy Blaine marathon on April 21st. If you’re a fan of 1930s reporter Torchy Blaine, be sure to check it out!

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

April 2017 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):

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

Saturday – April 1, 2017

12:45 PM
VERTIGO (1958)
A detective falls for the mysterious woman he’s been hired to tail.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes.
C-128 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – April 2, 2017

9:00 AM
THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953)
A telephone operator kills in self-defense but can’t remember the details of the encounter.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast:  Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern.
BW-88 mins, CC

11:00 AM
CALL NORTHSIDE 777 (1948)
A Chicago reporter re-opens a ten year old murder case.
Dir: Henry Hathaway Cast:  James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb.
BW-111 mins, CC

3:15 PM
SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947)
Society sleuths Nick and Nora Charles investigate a murder in a jazz club.
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast:  William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn.
BW-87 mins, CC

5:00 PM
SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943)
A young girl fears her favorite uncle may be a killer.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, MacDonald Carey.
BW-108 mins, CC

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

Wednesday – April 5, 2017

2:30 AM
JOURNAL OF A CRIME (1934)
Before she can confess to shooting her husband’s mistress, a woman succumbs to amnesia.
Dir: William Keighley Cast:  Ruth Chatterton, Adolphe Menjou, Claire Dodd.
BW-65 mins, CC

6:30 AM
DANGEROUS CORNER (1935)
Friends uncover a dark secret when they compare notes about a theft and suicide.
Dir: Phil Rosen Cast:  Virginia Bruce, Conrad Nagel, Melvyn Douglas.
BW-66 mins

11:00 AM
FAST COMPANY (1938)
Married book-dealers Joel and Gerda Sloane try to clear a friend in the murder of a rival book-seller.
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast:  Melvyn Douglas, Florence Rice, Claire Dodd.
BW-75 mins, CC

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

Thursday – April 6, 2017

3:00 PM
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (1945)
Guests at a remote island mansion realize a crazed killer is stalking them.
Dir: René Clair Cast:  Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward.
BW-97 mins, CC

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

Friday – April 7, 2017

5:00 AM
NINE LIVES ARE NOT ENOUGH (1941)
A reporter tries to solve a series of boardinghouse murders.
Dir: A. Edward Sutherland Cast:  Ronald Reagan, Joan Perry, James Gleason.
BW-63 mins

7:00 PM
LOVE LETTERS (1945)
A soldier falls for the woman who may have killed his best friend.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast:  Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ann Richards.
BW-101 mins, CC

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

Saturday – April 8, 2017

5:00 AM
WHISTLING IN THE DARK (1941)
A radio detective is kidnapped and forced to plan the perfect murder.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon Cast:  Red Skelton, Conrad Veidt, Ann Rutherford.
BW-78 mins, CC

9:45 PM
BLACK WIDOW (1954)
The murder of a scheming female writer throws a group of theatrical friends into turmoil.
Dir: Nunnally Johnson Cast:  Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney.
C-95 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – April 9, 2017

1:30 AM
THE ZODIAC KILLER (1971)
San Francisco police try to track down a vicious serial killer.
Dir: Tom Hanson Cast:  Hal Reed, Bob Jones, Ray Lynch.
C-86 mins, CC

9:00 AM
SCARLET STREET (1945)
A middle aged wouldbe painter falls into the clutches of an unscrupulous woman.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast:  Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Dan Duryea.
BW-102 mins, CC

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

Tuesday – April 11, 2017

3:30 AM
DEAD OF NIGHT (1945)
Guests at a country estate share stories of the supernatural.
Dir: Charles Crichton Cast:  Mervyn Johns, Roland Culver, Hartley Power.
BW-103 mins, CC

7:00 PM
THE LADY EVE (1941)
A lady cardsharp tries to con an eccentric scientist only to fall for him.
Dir: Preston Sturges Cast:  Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn.
BW-94 mins, CC
*****I absolutely love this very funny movie! Not a mystery.*****

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

Wednesday – April 12, 2017

12:45 AM
WOMAN OF THE YEAR (1942)
Opposites distract when a sophisticated political columnist falls for a sportswriter.
Dir: George Stevens Cast:  Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Fay Bainter.
BW-114 mins, CC
*****Tracy and Hepburn are delightful in this non mystery comedy.*****

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

Tuesday – April 18, 2017

5:00 AM
M (1931)
The mob sets out to catch a child killer whose crimes are attracting too much police attention.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast:  Theo Lingen, Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke.
BW-110 mins

7:00 AM
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)
A bogus preacher marries an outlaw’s widow in search of the man’s hidden loot.
Dir: Charles Laughton Cast:  Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish.
BW-93 mins, CC
*****TCM has played this movie quite a bit recently, perhaps because it is so good…*****

12:30 PM
GASLIGHT (1944)
A newlywed fears she’s going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Dir: George Cukor Cast:  Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten.
BW-114 mins, CC

2:30 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
*****For those of you watching the FX channel Feud miniseries, you’ll be able to see just how wonderful Susan Sarandon’s and Jessica Lange’s portrayals are of these two dynamic actresses!*****

5:00 PM
SHOCK CORRIDOR (1963)
A reporter fakes insanity to crack a murder committed in an asylum.
Dir: Samuel Fuller Cast:  Peter Breck, Constance Towers, Gene Evans.
C-101 mins, CC

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

Wednesday – April 19, 2017

6:45 AM
THE MURDER OF DR. HARRIGAN (1936)
A doctor investigates the murder of a colleague involved in experimental surgery.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast:  Ricardo Cortez, Kay Linaker, John Eldredge.
BW-67 mins

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

Friday – April 21, 2017

1:00 AM
REAR WINDOW (1954)
A photographer with a broken leg uncovers a murder while spying on the neighbors in a nearby apartment building.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey.
C-112 mins, CC

3:15 AM
THE WINDOW (1949)
A boy who always lies witnesses a murder but can’t get anyone but the killer to believe him.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff Cast:  Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Paul Stewart.
BW-73 mins, CC

Torchy Blane movies:
5:00 AM
SMART BLONDE (1936)
An ambitious reporter forces her policeman boyfriend to let her help with a murder case.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Winifred Shaw.
BW-59 mins, CC

6:15 AM
FLY AWAY BABY (1937)
Reporter Torchy Blane takes to the skies to track down a band of killers.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Gordon Oliver.
BW-60 mins

7:30 AM
THE ADVENTUROUS BLONDE (1937)
Reporter Torchy Blane walks out on her own wedding to solve the case of a murdered actor.
Dir: Frank MacDonald Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Anne Nagel.
BW-61 mins

8:45 AM
BLONDES AT WORK (1938)
Even a jail term for contempt can’t keep reporter Torchy Blane from investigating the case of a murdered department store owner.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-64 mins

10:00 AM
TORCHY BLANE IN PANAMA (1938)
An ambitious newspaper woman traces bank robbers to an ocean liner.
Dir: William Clemens Cast:  Lola Lane, Paul Kelly, Tom Kennedy.
BW-59 mins

11:15 AM
TORCHY GETS HER MAN (1938)
Female reporter Torchy Blane tries to crack a counterfeiting case.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-63 mins

12:30 PM
TORCHY BLANE IN CHINATOWN (1938)
A daring lady reporter sets out to catch a blackmailer.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-58 mins, CC

1:30 PM
TORCHY RUNS FOR MAYOR (1939)
After digging up the dirt on local politicians, a newswoman decides to run for office.
Dir: Ray McCarey Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Tom Kennedy.
BW-60 mins, CC

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

Saturday – April 22, 2017

4:45 PM
FAMILY PLOT (1976)
A phony psychic takes on a pair of kidnappers.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris.
C-120 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – April 23, 2017

4:45 PM
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957)
A British lawyer gets caught up in a couple’s tangled marital affairs when he defends the husband for murder.
Dir: Billy Wilder Cast:  Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton.
BW-116 mins, CC

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

Monday – April 24, 2017

8:00 AM
THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955)
A corpse creates a world of trouble for several passersby who each believe they may have caused the death.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred Natwick.
C-99 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Wednesday – April 26, 2017

10:15 AM
THE NAKED CITY (1948)
A step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.
Dir: Jules Dassin Cast:  Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart.
BW-96 mins, CC

2:15 PM
ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
An ambitious young actress tries to take over a star’s career and love life.
Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Cast:  Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders.
BW-138 mins, CC
*****I love, love, love this movie! Not a mystery.*****

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

Thursday – April 27, 2017

12:45 AM
IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)
A black police detective from the North forces a bigoted Southern sheriff to accept his help with a murder investigation.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast:  Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates.
C-110 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

8:30 AM
THE MALTESE FALCON (1931)
In the first screen version of The Maltese Falcon, detective Sam Spade investigates the theft of a priceless statue.
Dir: Roy Del Ruth Cast:  Bebe Daniels, Ricardo Cortez, Dudley Digges.
BW-81 mins, CC

3:45 PM
THE PHANTOM OF CRESTWOOD (1933)
Five men have to prove their innocence when a blackmailer is murdered.
Dir: J. Walter Ruben Cast:  Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Anita Louise.
BW-76 mins, CC

5:15 PM
HAT, COAT AND GLOVE (1934)
A lawyer gets mixed up in a net of intrigue when he witnesses a suicide.
Dir: Worthington Miner Cast:  Ricardo Cortez, Barbara Robbins, John Beal.
BW-65 mins, CC
***** ***** ***** *****

Friday – April 28, 2017

1:15 AM
BELLS ARE RINGING (1960)
An answering service operator gets mixed up in her clients’ lives.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast:  Judy Holliday, Dean Martin, Fred Clark.
C-126 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****You can’t go wrong watching any movie with Judy Holliday. Not a mystery.*****

11:00 PM
ABOUT MRS. LESLIE (1954)
An aging woman recalls the affair that consumed her life.
Dir: Daniel Mann Cast:  Shirley Booth, Robert Ryan, Marjie Millar.
BW-104 mins, CC
*****If you are only familiar with Shirley Booth as Hazel from the old TV series, you’ll love seeing what a really great actress she was in this non mystery movie.*****

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

If you’re particularly looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in April, 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 March television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for March 2017

And of course, 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

P.S. I just posted the premieres of the April 2017 Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel’s Cozy Mystery movies.

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