The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Six New Cozy Mystery Holiday Cozies Coming October 2016

As many of you no doubt know, I love holiday-themed Cozies, and we’ll have lots of them to look forward to in October – six in fact! Since we’ve got so many, I’m just going to jump right into it!

There will be two Halloween themed Cozies in October. The first will be Behind Chocolate Bars, the 3rd in Kathy Aarons‘s Chocolate Covered Mystery Series. In this entry, Michelle Serrano and Erica Russell, best friends and business partners, are preparing their book and chocolate store’s booth at the annual West Riverdale Halloween Festival in anticipation of one of Riverdale’s biggest events of the season. Unfortunately, a body is discovered in an abandoned building – with a belonging of one of the teenagers who has volunteered to help out at their booth. Can Michelle and Erica keep the teens helping them out from landing in jail?

The other Halloween-themed Cozy released in October will be Diane Vallere‘s Masking for Trouble, the 2nd in the Costume Shop Mystery Series. Halloween is naturally an important season for costume shop owner and former magician’s assistant Margo Tamblyn. So when a local venture capitalist hoping to rezone the local businesses and force out the older stores turns up dead, and Margo lands on the suspect list, it isn’t just an inconvenience that she’s losing time in the investigation – her livelihood and the family business might be at risk! Diane Vallere also writes the Style & Error Mystery Series, the Material Witness Mystery Series, and the Mad for Mod Mystery Series.

Next up will be Laura Childs and Terrie Farley Moran‘s Crepe Factor, the 14th in Childs’s long-running Scrapbooking Mystery Series, and the second written with Moran. It is billed more as a Winter Holiday mystery than a Christmas themed Cozy. In this entry, Carmela Bertrand is enjoying the Winter Market in the French Quarter when a man ends up stabbed to death by a serving fork, dying in front of Carmela and best friend Ava. When a former boyfriend of Carmela is accused of the murder, she needs to solve the case – even if doing so threatens her relationship with current boyfriend, Detective Edgar Babcock. Laura Childs also writes the Tea Shop Mystery Series and the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series. Terrie Farley Moran also writes the Read ’em and Eat Mystery Series.

The other three holiday-themed Cozies coming in October will all be Christmas themed. The first of these is Barbara Early‘s Death of a Toy Soldier, the 1st in the NEW Vintage Toy Shop Mystery Series. Since this is a book I’ve already written about in another post, I’ll just recommend that anyone interested in a new series by the author of the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery Series (which she writes under the name Beverly Allan) should check out my post on October’s New Cozy Mystery Series.

Next up will be Paige Shelton‘s A Christmas Tartan, a mini-mystery in the Scottish Bookshop Mystery Series. When a worn copy of A Chirstmas Carol turns up at the Cracked Spine, the book store in Edinburgh that Delaney Nichols works at, it quickly proves to have an unexpected connection to a missing girl, as it belonged to the girl’s grandmother. Intrigued by the connection, Delaney decides to look into the disappearance, determined to learn the truth. Paige Shelton also writes the Dangerous Type Mystery Series, the Farmers’ Market Mystery Series, and the Country Cooking School Mystery Series.

The final Christmas Cozy will be a collection of P.D. James‘s best Christmas stories written for newspapers, The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories. Two of them star a young Adam Dalgliesh. Besides the Adam Dalgliesh Series, James also writes the Cordelia Gray Series.

Of course, you aren’t limited to these Cozies if you’re looking to scratch that holiday itch >>> be sure to check the below links for many other great Halloween and Christmas themed Cozies!

Halloween Themed Cozies

Christmas Themed Cozies (also includes “Winter Holiday” themed Cozies)

Cozy Mystery News – September 2016

newspaper1111111111111111Well, I’m glad to tell you ALL about some Cozy Mystery behind-the-scenes news! Yes, it’s yet another time when I get my “I-want-to-gossip” thing going! All of it’s good, so I think it’s OK to tell.

There’s great news for those of us who want to know what’s happening at Mel(inda)’s Bow Wow Boutique. Sparkle Abbey has been given the go-ahead for books nine and ten in her Pampered Pets Mystery Series.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell & Tace Baker) has just been given the go-ahead for three more Country Store mysteries! Robbie will have even more trouble to look into while trying to keep her Pans ‘n Pancakes country store/diner running smoothly.

Vicki Delany‘s (aka Eva Gates) Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery Series, which is releasing its first Cozy in March, has been given the green light for at least two more books in this series. How neat is that?

Next, let me tell you about Kaitlyn Dunnett (aka Kathy Lynn Emerson). She has gotten the green light for her 11th Liss MacCrimmon mystery.  And, not only will she be writing that very popular mystery series, but she will also be writing a new Cozy series. Dunnett’s new series will feature an ex-English teacher who lives in the New York Catskill Mountains >>> who will start a new career as a book editor. (As Kathy Lynn Emerson she writes the Elizabethan Mystery Series, the Lady Susanna Appleton Mystery Series, and the Diana Spaulding Mystery Series.)

Most of you know that Dawn Eastman writes the popular Family Fortune Mystery Series. Here’s some great news! Dawn Eastman will also be writing a new Cozy Mystery series that features a doctor in a small town.

And news for those of us who read Sally Goldenbaum‘s Seaside Knitters Mystery Series,  she has gotten a contract for three more books! We’ll be seeing the first one (Murder Wears Mittens) of these three sometime in 2017 – making it the 12th book in this USA Today bestselling series.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been wondering how Jacobia (“Jake”) from Sarah Graves‘s Home Repair is Homicide series is doing, since we haven’t seen her since 2013. Well, we’ll soon be able to read all about Jake and the new Chocolate Moose chocolate shop that some friends opened in Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. And the even better news is that this will be the first of at least three new books in this series!

And, Victoria Houston‘s Loon Fishing Mystery Series will welcome three more books to its queue: Dead Spider, Dead Firefly, and Dead Big Dawg. Looks like Lewellyn will be kept busy solving crimes!

It looks like Anna Lee Huber will be writing a new historical mystery series, along with her Lady Darby Mystery Series. This series will star a widow who teams up with a Secret Service agent to solve mysteries. The first book (An Endless Echo) will unite these two sleuths in order to solve some terrible accusations about her late husband being a WW I traitor. Yikes!

Now for some news for fans of Tonya Kappes‘s Kenni Lowry Mystery Series. As you know, Kappes has released only one book in this series so far, but there will be at least six more Kenni Lowry mysteries to look forward to!

I think I might have already told you about Kate Kingsbury (aka Rebecca Kent & Allison Kingsley) starting her Merry Ghost Inn Mystery Series this January. I think this news is so terrific that I want to be sure to let you know about it, in case I didn’t already tell you!

Have you been wondering when Jess Lourey was going to finally tell us what happens during March? Well, March Madness is the title of  the 11th in Jess Lourey’s Murder by Month Mystery Series. This time a life-sized doll may not be quite what it seems to be!

Nancy J. Parra (aka Nancy Coco) will be starting a new Cozy Mystery series which has a very unique sleuth. The sleuth will be a personal chef for Prince William and Duchess Kate. I’m not sure of the title of the series yet, but I do know that she will be writing the series as Nell Hampton, and the first book in the series is called (so far!) Kale to the Queen.

As they say: That’s a wrap!

New Releases – September 5 to 11, 2016

I’m trying something new this month >>> people have asked me several times to consider discussing books that are coming up very soon, instead of always talking about books at least a month out. So I’m going to begin making very quick posts with just the books expected to release this week.

Julia Buckley: Cheddar Off Dead (This will be the 2nd in the Undercover Dish Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Peg Cochran (aka Meg London): No Farm, No Foul (This will be the 1st in the Farmer’s Daughter Mystery Series.)

Margaret Coel: Winter’s Child (This will be the 20th in the Wind River Reservation Mystery Series.)

E.J. Copperman (aka Jeffrey Cohen): The Question of the Felonious Friend (This will be the 3rd in the Asperger’s Mystery Series.)

Laura DiSilverio (aka Ella Barrick & Lila Dare): Close Call (This will be a Stand Alone Mystery novel.)

Jessica Estevao (aka Jessie Crockett): Whispers Beyond the Veil(This will be the 1st in the NEW Change of Fortune Mystery Series.)

Jean Flowers (aka Margaret Grace, Ada Madison, & Camille Minichino): Cancelled by Murder (This will be the 2nd in the Postmistress Mystery Series.)

Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino, Ada Madison, & Jean Flowers): Matrimony in Miniature (This will be the 9th in the Miniature Mystery Series.) (This is a Wedding themed mystery.)

Sally Gunning: Monticello (This will be a Stand-Alone non-mystery.)

Nancy Haddock: Paint the Town Dead (This will be the 2nd in the Silver Six Crafty Mystery Series.)

Gemma Halliday & Kelly Rey: Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Brash Blonde (This will be the 1st in the NEW Marty Hudson Mystery Series.)

Carl Hiaasen: Razor Girl (This will be a Stand Alone novel.)

Miranda James (aka Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Digging Up the Dirt (This will be the 3rd in the Southern Ladies Mystery Series.)

J.A. Jance: Downfall (This will be the 17th in the Joanna Brady Mystery Series.)

Sofie Kelly & Sofie Ryan (aka Darlene Ryan): Two Tall Tails (This will include one Magical Cat & one Second Chance Cat stories.)

William Kent Krueger: Manitou Canyon (This will be the 15th in the Cork O’Connor Mystery Series.)

Jess Lourey: Salem’s Cipher (This will be the 1st in the NEW (non Cozy) Witch Hunter Mystery Series.)

James Patterson & Max DiLallo: 113 Minutes (This will be a Stand Alone “BookShot” – Amazon describes these as “Novels you can devour in a few hours”)

James Patterson & Andrew Holmes: Hunted (This will be a “BookShot” – Amazon describes these as “Novels you can devour in a few hours”)

Anne Perry: Revenge in a Cold River (This will be the 22nd in the William Monk Mystery Series.)

Sofie Ryan & Sofie Kelly (aka Darlene Ryan): Two Tall Tails (This will include one Magical Cat & one Second Chance Cat stories.)

Denise Swanson: Murder of a Cranky Catnapper (This will be the 19th in the Scumble River Mystery Series.)

Lea Wait: Shadows on a Morning in Maine (This will be the 8th in the Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series.)

If you’re interested in seeing a full list of upcoming Cozy Mystery releases, be sure to check the Soon to Be Released page on my site!

Three New Mystery Series by Cozy Mystery Authors Coming October 2016

Fortunately, unlike September which only has one new Cozy series starting from site authors, October will have three different series beginning!

Barbara Early will be releasing Death of a Toy Soldier, the first in her Vintage Toy Shop Mystery Series. When Liz McCall’s father retires from the local police force of small town East Aurora, New York, to fulfill his dream of owning a toy shop, Liz volunteers to help out by serving as his business manager. When murder threatens to jeopardize their new business venture, Liz will need to act fast to keep her father’s dream afloat. Barbara Early also writes (as Beverly Allen) the Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery Series, starring Audrey Bloom, the co-owner of a flower shop in Virginia.

 Sharon Farrow will be putting out the first entry in her Berry Basket Mystery Series, titled Dying for Strawberries. Marlee Jacob returned to Oriole Point, Michigan, three years ago from the big city of New York, and now runs the Berry Basket, a berry shop and bakery. When Marlee’s best friend Natasha turns up missing, Marlee will need to put aside her business concerns to help locate her friend before it’s too late! Sharon Farrow is also one half of the writing name D.E. Ireland (along with Meg Macy), the writers of the Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mystery Series, a continuation of the story of the classic movie, My Fair Lady.

 Paula Paul will be starting the Irene Seligman Mystery Series with its first entry, A Killer Closet. Irene Seligman quits her job as assistant district attorney in Manhattan to return to her home city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in order to help her mother, whose latest husband has recently died. The two are planning to open a consignment store, but these plans are threatened when Irene finds one of her mother’s friends dead in the storeroom. Can Irene discover the killer in time to ensure that their business venture can possibly succeed? Paula Paul also writes the Dr. Alexandra Gladstone Mystery Series, starring a Victorian era doctor in England, and (under the name Paula Carter) the Murder by Design Mystery Series, starring Hillary Scarborough and Jane Ferguson, a decorator and her assistant in Alabama.

If you’re looking for other great new Cozy Mystery Series >>> these series and more can be found on the New Cozy Mystery Book Series page, or even more upcoming Cozies if you are looking for a continuation of a favorite series on the Soon to Be Released Mysteries page of my Cozy-Mystery site.

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