The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – August 2016

September will be coming up soon, so I think it’s time for me to ask all of you about the best Cozies you’ve been reading in August. As some of you know, I highlighted two Cozy Mystery series (Katherine Hall Page’s Faith Fairchild Mystery Series and E.J. Copperman’s Haunted Guesthouse Mystery Series), both of which are great examples of popular and entertaining Cozies. Instead of repeating myself here, 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 Cozy Mysteries that you’ve read during August do you think stand out from the rest? 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 August 2016 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:

Victoria Abbott: Book Collectors Mystery Series

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

Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow Mystery Series

Sandra Balzo: Maggy Thorsen Mystery Series

John Berendt: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Claire Booth: Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery Series (The Branson Beauty, book #1)

Rhys Bowen: Royal Spyness Mystery Series

Simon Brett: Mrs. Pargeter Mystery Series

Issy Brooke: Small Town Murder Bureau Mystery Series (The Case of the Lincoln Imp, book #1)

Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli (aka Elizabeth Lee): Little Library Mystery Series

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series

E.J. Copperman (aka Jeffrey Cohen): Haunted Guesthouse Mystery Series

Bill Crider: Dan Rhodes Mystery Series

Waverly Curtis: Barking Detective Mystery Series

Jeanne M. Dams: Dorothy Martin Mystery Series

Leighann Dobbs: Blackmoore Sisters Mystery Series, Mystic Notch Mystery Series, Mooseamuck Island Mystery Series

Wendy Sand Eckel: Rosalie Hart Mystery Series (Murder at Barclay Meadow, book #1)

Monica Ferris (aka Mary Monica Pulver & 1/2 of Margaret Frazer): Needlecraft Mystery Series

Rosie Genova: Italian Kitchen Mystery Series

Chloe Kendrick: Food Truck Mystery Series (Murder To Go, book #1)

Catherine Lloyd: Kurland St. Mary Mystery Series

Charlotte Macleod: Grab Bag (short story collection)

Alyssa Maxwell: Gilded Newport Mystery Series

Edith Maxwell (aka Maddie Day & Tace Baker): Local Foods Mystery Series

Julie Moffett: Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series

Terrie Farley Moran: Read ‘Em and Eat Mystery Series

Carlene O’Conner: Irish Village Mystery Series

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Michael Robertson: Baker Street Letters Series (The Baker Street Letters, book #1)

Sara Rosett: Ellie Avery Mystery Series

Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia Mystery Series

Linda Wiken (aka Erika Chase): Dinner Club Mystery Series

[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.

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for September 2016

So school is starting, the weather is getting nicer (some places… here in San Antonio it is still very hot!), and maybe you’re not spending as much time in front of the tv this season. Still, there are plenty of great options if you’re still looking for a nice mystery movie!

I’m posting the Turner Classic Movies channel mysteries that I think are definitely worth looking at (plus some others from my favorite actors and actresses…) You’re especially in luck if you are a fan of the Falcon series, as there is a marathon scheduled for this classic George Sanders/Tom Conway mystery series that will be airing on September 2nd!

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

September 2016 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):

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

Thursday – September 1, 2016

10:45 AM
MURDER BY AN ARISTOCRAT (1936)
A blackmailer’s murder tears apart a well-off family.
Dir: Frank McDonald Cast:  Lyle Talbot, Marguerite Churchill, Claire Dodd.
BW-60 mins, CC

1:30 PM
THE LONE WOLF STRIKES (1940)
A reformed jewel thief helps an heiress retrieve a stolen necklace.
Dir: Sidney Salkow Cast:  Warren William, Joan Perry, Eric Blore.
BW-67 mins

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
*****Not a mystery. Terrific comedy!*****

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

Friday – September 2, 2016

The Falcon is back!

5:15 AM
THE GAY FALCON (1942)
A society sleuth tries to break up an insurance scam.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast:  George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, Allen Jenkins.
BW-67 mins, CC

6:30 AM
A DATE WITH THE FALCON (1941)
The gentleman detective postpones his wedding to find a cache of stolen diamonds.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast:  George Sanders, Wendy Barrie, James Gleason.
BW-63 mins, CC

7:45 AM
THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942)
A society sleuth and a lady reporter try to track down a murderous thug’s lost girlfriend.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast:  George Sanders, Lynn Bari, James Gleason.
BW-63 mins, CC

9:00 AM
THE FALCON’S BROTHER (1942)
A gentlemanly detective calls on his brother to help him stop the Nazis from assassinating a key diplomat.
Dir: Stanley Logan Cast:  George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph.
BW-63 mins, CC

10:15 AM
THE FALCON STRIKES BACK (1943)
A society sleuth is framed for murder by criminals running a war-bond racket.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast:  Tom Conway, Harriet Hilliard, Jane Randolph.
BW-66 mins, CC

11:30 AM
THE FALCON IN DANGER (1943)
A society sleuth tracks a lost plane carrying $100,000.
Dir: William Clemens Cast:  Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Elaine Shepard.
BW-70 mins, CC

12:45 PM
THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS (1944)
A society sleuth investigates murder at a girls’ school.
Dir: William Clemens Cast:  Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Rita Corday.
BW-68 mins, CC

2:00 PM
THE FALCON OUT WEST (1944)
A society sleuth turns cowboy to investigate a Texas murder.
Dir: William Clemens Cast:  Tom Conway, Carole Gallagher, Barbara Hale.
BW-64 mins, CC

3:15 PM
THE FALCON IN MEXICO (1944)
A society sleuth travels South of the border to investigate an art dealer’s murder.
Dir: William Berke Cast:  Tom Conway, Mona Maris, Martha MacVicar.
BW-70 mins, CC

4:30 PM
THE FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD (1944)
A society sleuth tours the movie capital, where he uncovers an actor’s murder.
Dir: Gordon Douglas Cast:  Tom Conway, Barbara Hale, Veda Ann Borg.
BW-67 mins, CC

5:45 PM
THE FALCON IN SAN FRANCISCO (1945)
A society sleuth enlists a little girl’s help in nabbing a mob of silk smugglers.
Dir: Joseph H. Lewis Cast:  Tom Conway, Rita Corday, Edward S. Brophy.
BW-66 mins, CC

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

Saturday – September 3, 2016

6:45 AM
THE CORSICAN BROTHERS (1941)
Siamese twins, separated in infancy, join forces to avenge their parents’ murder.
Dir: Gregory Ratoff Cast:  Douglas Fairbanks, Ruth Warrick, Akim Tamiroff.
BW-111 mins, CC

8:45 AM
CODE OF THE SECRET SERVICE (1939)
Secret Service agents try to solve the theft of treasury banknote plates.
Dir: Noel Smith Cast:  Ronald Reagan, Rosella Towne, Eddie Foy Jr..
BW-58 mins

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

Sunday – September 4, 2016

3:00 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

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

Thursday – September 8, 2016

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

6:30 AM
THE CUCKOOS (1930)
Two tramps-turned-fortune-tellers try to solve a kidnapping.
Dir: Paul Sloane Cast:  Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, June Clyde.
BW-97 mins

8:15 AM
BEHIND THE HEADLINES (1937)
A radio station’s newsman rushes to the rescue of his peer, who has been kidnapped by bank robbers.
Dir: Richard Rosson Cast:  Lee Tracy, Diana Gibson, Donald Meek.
BW-58 mins

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

Friday – September 9, 2016

4:45 PM
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
*****Not a mystery. Judy Holliday is absolutely terrific in every movie she’s in!*****

7:00 PM
THE CONVERSATION (1974)
A surveillance expert uncovers a murder plot within a corrupt corporation.
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola Cast:  Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield.
C-114 mins, CC

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

Saturday – September 10, 2016

8:30 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

1:45 PM
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (1952)
An overlooked gold transporter with twenty years service plots to steal a million pounds of gold.
Dir: Charles Crichton Cast:  Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Sidney James.
BW-81 mins, CC

11:15 PM
THE PLAYER (1992)
A rising producer tries to cover up the accidental killing of a screenwriter who was stalking him.
Dir: Robert Altman Cast:  Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward.
C-124 mins, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – September 11, 2016

3:00 AM
BLACK EYE (1974)
A private eye stumbles on a series of murders connected to a movie star’s death.
Dir: Jack Arnold Cast:  Fred Williamson, Rosemary Forsyth, Teresa Graves.
C-98 mins

7:15 AM
AN IDEAL HUSBAND (1947)
An upstanding politician is haunted by his past when a blackmailer threatens to reveal a youthful indiscretion.
Dir: Alexander Korda Cast:  Paulette Goddard, Michael Wilding, Hugh Williams.
C-93 mins, CC

9:00 AM
MR. LUCKY (1943)
A gambling-ship owner is out to fleece a beautiful society woman, but falls in love.
Dir: H. C. Potter Cast:  Cary Grant, Laraine Day, Charles Bickford.
BW-100 mins, CC

11:00 AM
AGATHA (1979)
A fictional account of the real life, eleven day, never explained 1926 disappearance of famed murder mystery writer Agatha Christie.
Dir: Michael Apted Cast:  Dustin Hoffman, Vanessa Redgrave, Timothy Dalton.
C-98 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Friday – September 16, 2016

1:00 PM
THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
Private eye Philip Marlowe investigates a society girl’s involvement in the murder of a pornographer.
Dir: Howard Hawks Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely.
BW-114 mins, CC

9:00 PM
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
Two New York narcotics cops set out to bust a French drug smuggling ring.
Dir: William Friedkin Cast:  Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider.
C-104 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

11:00 PM
NIGHT MOVES (1975)
An L.A. private detective puts aside his own marital woes while tracing a topless nymphet to the Florida Keys.
Dir: Arthur Penn Cast:  Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Susan Clark.
C-100 mins, CC

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

Saturday – September 17, 2016

1:00 AM
THE SPLIT (1968)
A gang of thieves plots to rob the Los Angeles Coliseum box office during a Rams game.
Dir: Gordon Flemyng Cast:  Jim Brown, Diahann Carroll, Ernest Borgnine.
C-90 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

2:45 AM
THE KILLING (1956)
A team of specialists plots a daring racetrack robbery, but they don’t reckon with human frailty.
Dir: Stanley Kubrick Cast:  Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards.
BW-84 mins, CC

5:00 AM
THE UNFAITHFUL (1947)
While her husband is away, a woman gets mixed up in murder.
Dir: Vincent Sherman Cast:  Ann Sheridan, Lew Ayres, Zachary Scott.
BW-109 mins

7:00 AM
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

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

Sunday – September 18, 2016

5:15 PM
MURDER, MY SWEET (1944)
Detective Philip Marlowe’s search for a two-timing woman leads him to blackmail and murder.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast:  Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, Anne Shirley.
BW-95 mins, CC

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

Monday – September 19, 2016

10:00 AM
PROBLEM GIRLS (1953)
A reform school doctor uncovers a murder plot.
Dir: E. A. Dupont Cast:  Helen Walker, Ross Elliott, Susan Morrow.
BW-71 mins

10:30 PM
BACKGROUND TO DANGER (1943)
An American gets caught up in wartime action in Turkey.
Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast:  George Raft, Brenda Marshall, Sydney Greenstreet.
BW-80 mins, CC

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

Tuesday – September 20, 2016

5:15 AM
JOE SMITH, AMERICAN (1942)
Nazi spies in search of government secrets kidnap a munitions worker.
Dir: Richard Thorpe Cast:  Robert Young, Marsha Hunt, Harvey Stephens.
BW-63 mins, CC

11:30 AM
THE YELLOW CANARY (1943)
A socialite poses as a Nazi spy to mask her activities as a British agent.
Dir: Herbert Wilcox Cast:  Anna Neagle, Richard Greene, Nova Pilbeam.
BW-84 mins

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

Wednesday – September 21, 2016

2:15 AM
THE GOOD HUMOR MAN (1950)
A good-hearted ice cream man’s efforts to help a young woman turn him into a murder suspect.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon Cast:  Jack Carson, Lola Albright, Jean Wallace.
BW-80 mins

5:15 AM
GIRL MISSING (1933)
A new bride disappears from her honeymoon hotel the same night a dead body pops up.
Dir: Robert Florey Cast:  Glenda Farrell, Ben Lyon, Mary Brian.
BW-69 mins

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

Thursday – September 22, 2016

9:15 PM
THE SECRET SIX (1931)
A secret society funds the investigation of a bootlegging gang.
Dir: George Hill Cast:  Wallace Beery, Lewis Stone, John Mack Brown.
BW-84 mins, CC

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

Friday – September 23, 2016

7:00 AM
DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)
A straying husband frames his wife for the murder of the man he’d hired to kill her.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings.
C-105 mins, CC

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

Saturday – September 24, 2016

7:30 AM
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946)
Illicit lovers plot to kill the woman’s older husband.
Dir: Tay Garnett Cast:  Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway.
BW-113 mins, CC

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

Monday – September 26, 2016

12:00 PM
YOU CAN’T BUY LUCK (1937)
A racehorse owner tries to buy victory by performing good deeds, but gets mixed up in murder instead.
Dir: Lew Landers Cast:  Onslow Stevens, Helen Mack, Vinton Haworth.
BW-60 mins

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

Tuesday – September 27, 2016

10:30 PM
FOUL PLAY (1978)
An innocent woman stumbles onto a plot to murder the pope.
Dir: Colin Higgins Cast:  Goldie Hawn, Chevy Chase, Burgess Meredith.
C-116 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Wednesday – September 28, 2016

8:45 AM
LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE (1951)
An actress champions the cause of a man whom she believes has been falsely accused of murdering his wife.
Dir: King Vidor Cast:  Ruth Roman, Richard Todd, Mercedes McCambridge.
BW-90 mins

10:30 AM
SHADOW OF DOUBT (1935)
Murder charges threaten an actress’s marriage plans.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast:  Ricardo Cortez, Virginia Bruce, Constance Collier.
BW-74 mins, CC

3:45 PM
THE VELVET TOUCH (1948)
After accidentally killing her lecherous producer, a famous actress tries to hide her guilt.
Dir: John Gage Cast:  Rosalind Russell, Leo Genn, Claire Trevor.
BW-97 mins, CC

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

Friday – September 30, 2016

12:00 PM
ALGIERS (1938)
A thief on the run from the law risks his life for love.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast:  Sigrid Gurie, Charles Boyer, Hedy Lamarr.
BW-99 mins

5:30 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

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

If you’re really looking forward to these or other mystery-themed tv specials coming up in September, 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 August 2016 television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for August 2016

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

Great News for Mystery Movie Buffs!

MoviesOK, in the “old days” I would have said get out your pens and pencils, however, I’ll just tell you about this news, and you can annotate it the way you do these days >>> with your I-Pads, I-Phones, Desk Tops, or… with your pens & pencils!

Let me start by telling you all there is good news for us, the Cozy Mystery lovers, from both the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel AND the BBC!

I’ll start with the news from the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel. They have a lot in store for us in the realm of mystery movies! As a lot of you know, the channel is already showing movies that feature: Charlaine Harris‘s Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Kate Collins‘s Flower Shop Mysteries, Joanne Fluke‘s (Hannah Swensen) Murder, She Baked Mysteries, Peter King‘s Gourmet Detective Mysteries, and Suzi Weinert‘s Garage Sale Mysteries.

Here’s the good news! Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will also be starting (New York Times bestselling) Kate Carlisle‘s Fixer-Upper Mysteries! Yes, that’s right! Singer/actress Jewel will be both starring and executive producing the Fixer-Upper mysteries. Jewel will be playing Shannon Hammer, the owner of a construction company that specializes in restoring Victorian houses.

And it just keeps getting better! For those of you who have missed Kellie Martin in the Mystery Woman movies, she’ll be back! Yep! Nancy Grace‘s Hailey Dean Mysteries will be starring Kellie Martin. For those of you who already read Nancy Grace’s mysteries, you already know that Hailey is an ex-prosecutor who specialized in violent crimes who then works as a therapist, and then a TV commentator.

The bad news is that Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is somewhat secretive about giving out their full TV schedules. So, this month I will only be telling you about the following PREMIERS that will air on that channel. Kellie Martin will be hosting what the channel is calling October Sunday Night Mystery Movies in which three new mystery movies will be introduced/air. (In this case, make sure to get these set-up on your DVRs as soon as possible!)

Sunday – October 9, 2016

8:00 PM Central
Death Al Dente: A Gourmet Detective Mystery *****PREMIER*****
IMDB: When Henry Roth is hired to find the best Italian chef for a new high-end eatery, murder was not on the menu. As the body count climbs, Henry and Maggie find themselves at the heart of another mystery with deadly consequences. Stars Dylan Neal & Brooke Burns. Based on the mysteries by Peter King.

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

Sunday – October 16, 2016

8:00 PM Central
The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery *****PREMIER*****
Aurora Teagarden is a beautiful young librarian with a passion for solving murders. After an exhaustive search for the perfect home, Aurora finally purchases her dream house, unaware of its murky history. As she prepares to move in, Aurora discovers that the family who once lived there mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Stars Candace Cameron Bure & Yannick Bisson. Based on the mysteries by Charlaine Harris.

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

Sunday – October 23, 2016

8:00 PM Central
Murder, with Love: A Hailey Dean Mystery *****PREMIER*****
(No information is available at this time.)
Stars Kellie Martin
Based on the mysteries by Nancy Grace.

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

Now on to the great news from BBC. Last December, author Donna McLean told us about the Lifetime channel’s airing of the BBC’s And Then There Were None. (Thank you so much, Donna! I really enjoyed it!) Great news! The BBC will be making seven more of these wonderful Agatha Christie adaptations.

Ordeal by Innocence will be the first movie Agatha Christie Productions will be making for the small screen. Death Comes as the End and The ABC Murders are among the other Agatha Christie movies they will be making. If these new Agatha Christie movies are as good as December’s fare, we’re in for some exceptional TV mystery movies!

Television Mystery Series… What to Start With?… (Part 3)

Back in May I wrote part 2 of this series where I am giving some advice concerning where to begin when looking for Cozy Mystery tv and movies. As I said then, I started out with a pretty long list with just looking for the best television and movies to begin with, so I have ended up with this being a three part series.

As before, the  TV and Movies page on my site is the place where I have listed all the tv and movies that are related to Cozy Mysteries (and some not related) that I have enjoyed. However, as you can see on that page, the list is a bit long and not really organized except by alphabet, so I am trying to whittle it down to those I particularly enjoyed and that are really great examples of the Cozy genre.

This time, the first show I want to talk about is Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple with Joan Hickson. Wow, what a great portrayal of an absolutely classic Cozy character! I wrote about Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple way back in 2008 when this site was still pretty new.

I know a lot of us began reading mysteries with Agatha Christie. She was one of my earliest reads (only coming after a few other youthful favorites such as the Bobbsey Twins). Miss Marple is my favorite Agatha Christie character – I think her clever solving of crimes by using the way she can compare people to various characters she has known in St Mary Mead is sensational. Her unassuming personality combined with her super sharp wit, makes her a great adversary for criminals!

I know there have been other great actresses who have portrayed Miss Marple >>> and I have seen them all >>> but Joan Hickson just does it best for me. The series with her is a bit old and is lacking today’s production standards (no HD here) but I love the shows anyway. This is one of the few Cozy series that I have re-watched more than twice.

The next series that I am recommending if you haven’t seen them is the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. This is another series that I wrote about way-back-when. This series stars the delightful Patrick Malahide. Although it may be a bit hard to acquire some of the episodes of this series, it is very much worth seeking them out. Ngaio Marsh, one of the classic authors in the golden age of mysteries who is known as one of the Golden Age’s Queens of Crime, created a classic character with police Inspector Roderick Alleyn. The tv series is a bit old as well, but I think it holds up pretty well. This is a good example of British detective series with a very sharp upper-crust main sleuth.

The last series that I am going to mention this time as a good series to see if you haven’t already is The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency . Based on Alexander McCall Smith’s book series with the same title, I found this tv series to be a delightful adaptation of the wonderful stories set in Botswana featuring the sage Mma Ramotswe (Precious) and her slightly kooky sidekick Mma Makutsi (Grace). I wrote an entry about this series back in 2011. Just as with the books, these stories have a very light mystery plot, but are instead focused on the characters of the sleuths and their interactions with many other interesting  people. Again, these shows are worth looking for.

If you’ve got any other suggestions for great Cozy Mystery TV or movie series to start with, please be sure to leave them in the comments below!

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