The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

December 2015 Mystery Book New Releases

The following Mystery Books will be released in December 2015:

Ellie Alexander (aka Kate Dyer-Seeley): On Thin Icing (This will be the 3rd in the Bakeshop Mystery Series.)

Jo Bannister: Desperate Measures (This will be the 3rd in the Gabriel Ash & Hazel Best Mystery Series.)

Jessica Beck (aka Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Chris Cavender, Casey Mayes, Tim Myers, & D.B. Morgan): Vanilla Vices (This will be the 22nd in the Donut Shop Mystery Series.)

Jenna Bennett (aka Jennie Bentley & Bente Gallagher): Adverse Possession (This will be the 11th in the Savannah Martin Mystery Series.)

Juliet Blackwell (aka Hailey Lind): Give Up the Ghost (This will be the 5th in the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery Series.)

Leslie Budewitz (Leslie Ann Budewitz): Guilty as Cinnamon (This will be the 2nd in the Spice Shop Mystery Series.)

James Lee Burke: House of the Rising Sun (This will be the 4th in the Hack Holland Mystery Series.)

Nancy Bush: You Don’t Know Me (This will be a Stand-Alone novel.) (This was originally titled “Tangled” when it was published in the 1990s, as author Nancy Kelly.)

Anne Canadeo (aka Katherine Spencer): A Murder in Mohair (This will be the 8th in the Black Sheep Knitting Mystery Series.)

Amanda Carmack: Murder at Whitehall (This will be the 4th in the Elizabethan Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Laurie Cass (aka Laurie Alden): Pouncing on Murder (This will be the 4th in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series.)

Jane K. Cleland: Ornaments of Death (This will be the 10th in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Peg Cochran (aka Meg London): A Room with a Pew (This will be the 4th in the Lucille Mystery Series.)

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): Watch for the Dead (This will be the 4th in the Relatively Dead Mystery Series.)

J.J. Cook (aka Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant): Fat Tuesday Fricassee (This will be the 3rd in the Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery Series.)

E.J. Copperman (aka Jeffrey Cohen): Ghost in the Wind (This will be the 7th in the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery Series.)

Cleo Coyle (aka Alice Kimberly): Dead to the Last Drop (This will be the 15th in the Coffeehouse Mystery Series.) (Actually, December 1.)

Kathi Daley: Santa Sleuth (This will be the 17th in the Zoe Donovan Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Laura DiSilverio (aka Ella Barrick & Lila Dare): The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle (This will be the 2nd in the Readaholics Book Club Mystery Series.)

Leighann Dobbs: Spell Found (This will be the 7th in the Blackmoore Sisters Romantic Cozy Mystery Series.)

Alice Duncan: Unsettled Spirits (This will be the 9th in the Daisy Gumm Majesty Mystery Series.)

Kathy Lynn Emerson (aka Kaitlyn Dunnett): Murder in the Merchant’s Hall (This will be the 2nd in the Mistress Jaffrey Mystery Series.)

Christopher Fowler: Bryant & May and the Burning Man (This will be the 12th in the Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery Series.)

Ashley Gardner: A Soupcon of Poison (This will be the 1st in the Kat Holloway Victorian Mystery Series. It is novella length, and has appeared in the Murder Most Historical anthology.)

Maddy Hunter: From Bad to Wurst (This will be the 10th in the Passport to Peril Mystery Series.) (This is an Oktoberfest themed mystery.)

Christine Husom: The Iced Princess (This will be the 2nd in the Snow Globe Shop Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Sue Ann Jaffarian: The Ghost of Mistletoe Mary (This will be a Ghost of Granny Apples novella.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

Madison Johns: Meows, Magic & Missing (This will be the 3rd in the Lake Forest Witches Mystery Series.)

Tonya Kappes: A Charming Ghost (This will be the 8th in the Magical Cures Mystery Series.)

Brian Kavanagh: Murder on the Island (This will be the 6th in the Belinda Lawrence Murder Mystery.)

Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Murder Fir Christmas (This will be the 1st in the NEW Christmas Tree Valley Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas themed mystery.)

M. Louisa Locke: Violet Vanquishes a Villain (This will be a Victorian San Francisco mystery novella.)

Alyssa Maxwell: Murder Most Malicious (This will be the 1st in the NEW Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery Series.)

Julie Moffett: No Room for Error (This will be the 7th in the Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series.)

Liz Mugavero (aka Cate Conte): Murder Most Finicky (This will be the in the 4th Pawsitively Organic Mystery Series.)

Gail Oust: Cinnamon Toasted (This will be the 3rd in the Piper Prescott Mystery Series.)

Larissa Reinhart: The Body in the Landscape (This will be the 5th in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series.)

Ruth Rendell (aka Barbara Vine): Dark Corners (This will be a Stand Alone mystery.)

David Rosenfelt: Blackout (This may be a Stand Alone mystery.)

Laurence Shames: Key West Luck (This will be the 10th in the Key West Mystery Series.)

Gayle Trent (aka Amanda Lee & Gayle Leeson): The Party Line (This will be a prequel short story to the Myrtle Crumb Mystery Series.)

Lea Wait: Thread and Gone (This will be the 3rd in the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery Series.) (This is a Fourth of July themed mystery.)

In case you would like to see this month’s releases: November 2015 Mystery Book New Releases.

I have lots and lots of  Cozies that are scheduled to be released so please click on this link to go to the Soon to be Released Mysteries page on the site.

(These are the mysteries by authors who are currently on the Cozy Mystery site.)

Happy Halloween!

halloweenqHappy Halloween to ALL of you! I’m getting ready for the little ghosts and goblins who will be knocking, knocking, knocking at our door! And by ready, I mean I’m doing many taste-tests of the Butterfingers, Heath Bars, and the rest >>> just to be sure they’re up to my standards. (In other words, I made the mistake of opening the candy bags before 6:00 PM!)
October has been here and is ready to make its exit. Hope you all have enjoyed the month, and are ready for tonight’s festivities >>> whether you’re attending a Halloween party, are Trick-or-Treating, or are staying home to dole out the candy.
halloweenuAnd, as a “P.S.” >>> don’t forget to roll your clocks back an hour >>> getting a extra hour to do what you most want to do!

Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – October 2015

I have been busy reading Halloween Cozies. Even though I rarely re-read my Cozies, I decided I would read some of the Halloween Cozies I have read (and enjoyed) in the past, two of Leslie Meier‘s Cozies were amongst them (Trick or Treat Murder and Wicked Witch Murder). Right now I am reading (not re-reading!) Krista Davis’ The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer. This is a Halloween themed Cozy that was released last December which has sat in my TBR Kindle queue since then. As much as I wanted to read it, I made myself wait until this month.

I think of the Paws & Claws Mystery Series (by Krista Davis) as an equal opportunity pet Cozy. You can be a devoted dog lover or a cherishing cat owner, and still there is a little something for you. Krista Davis sets this series in Wagtail, Virginia >>> and with a name like that, you know the town is a pet-friendly community.

As with her Domestic Diva Mystery Series, Krista Davis has developed her Paws & Claws characters in a way that makes you feel like you’re visiting with your friends. (I hope that makes sense!) I’m never quite sure where the mystery will end up, and sometimes the red herrings have fooled me completely! (I especially like it when a Cozy author does that >>> rather than the other way, when I can guess who the culprits are within the first fourth of the book.)

If you’re looking for a Halloween themed Cozy Mystery, I’d definitely recommend The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer. Now I’m going to go read some more to find out what Holly, Trixie, and Twinkletoes are up to!

How about you? Would you please tell us about the really good Cozy Mysteries you read this month, and please tell us why you liked them so much more than the other Cozies you read? These should be the Cozies you think are even better than the others you read this month. The rest of us are always interested in finding Cozy Mystery authors who write great Cozies  who we don’t yet read. Please list the ones you liked the most at the very top of the list, that way we’ll know those are the ones you liked the most.

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

What really good Cozy Mystery book did you read during October 2015 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:

Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Herbal Mystery Series

Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series

Tessa Arlen: Lady Montfort Mystery Series

Donald Bain & “Jessica Fletcher”: Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series

M.C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Agatha Raisin Mystery Series

Carrie Bebris: Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): Good Buy Girls Mystery Series

Cindy Blackburn: Cue Ball Mystery Series

Kate Borden (aka Kate Grilley): Peggy Jean Turner Mystery Series

Maia Chance: Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery Series

Blaize & John Clement: Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series

J.J. Cook (Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant): Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery Series

Deborah Crombie: Kincaid & James Mystery Series

Waverly Curtis: Barking Detective Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Paws & Claws Mystery Series

Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series

Dawn Eastman: Family Fortune Mystery Series

Janet Evanovich: Lizzy & Diesel Mystery Series

Shelley Freydont: Celebration Bay Mystery Series

Daryl Wood Gerber (aka Avery Aames): Cookbook Nook Mystery Series

Elly Griffiths: The Zig Zag Girl (not Cozy)

Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series

Sherry Harris: Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery Series

D.E. Ireland: Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery Series

Miranda James (aka Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Southern Ladies Mystery Series

Miranda James (aka Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series

Diane Kelly: Tara Holloway Mystery Series

John J. Lamb: Bear Collector’s Mystery Series

Joyce and Joe Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Retired Witches Mystery Series

Colette London: Chocolate Whisperer Mystery Series

Susan McBride: Debutante Dropout Mystery Series

G.A. McKevett: Savannah Reid Mystery Series

Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Angela Pepper: Stormy Day Mystery Series

Leigh Perry (aka Toni L.P. Kelner): Family Skeleton Mystery Series

Lora Roberts: Liz Sullivan Mystery Series

Michael Robertson: Baker Street Letters Mystery Series

Jeff Shelby (aka Jeffrey Allen): Moose River Mystery Series

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series

Lea Wait: Shadows Antique Print Mystery Series

Donna Glaser White: Letty Whittaker 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.

Mrs. Bradley Mysteries – British Television Series

Mrs. Bradley Mysteries: The Complete Series [DVD] Calling all Diana Rigg fans! Get ready to see Rigg dead-panning to the camera as only Diana Rigg can do. She is absolutely delightful as Mrs. Bradley, a middle age flapper with very modern views.

Mrs. Bradley Mysteries is a BBC production that I was fortunate to have watched years ago. It ran in Great Britain during 1998-1999, so I’m not sure when my local PBS channel aired it >>> some time around then. It was particularly fun to watch Diana Rigg as she introduced the shows (she starred) in on PBS – during her Mystery! hosting years. (Those were the days when they actually provided background information about the authors, times, ETC.)

Neil Dudgeon (lately seen as John Barnaby on Midsomer Murders) plays George, Mrs. Bradley’s chauffeur. Mrs. Bradley, with George’s help, solves crimes, and is quite a celebrity. She is known to be an excellent crime solver and a very modern thinker. She is a woman who never stops learning. She keeps up with all the events that are happening during the current times. She is a loyal friend, but values justice over friendship. Her interests include those that were thought to be only men’s interests during this time. She is not a woman who would retire with the ladies while the men smoked cigars and drank cognac in the study!

The ambiance of this series is beautiful. Diana Rigg (Mrs. Bradley) wears the most amazingly beautiful clothes. The entire wardrobe department has done a wonderful job. The 1920s was a time of opulence: sequined gowns, soft fabrics, and tuxedos were common-place for the upper echelon to wear during the evening. This was a time when people (at least in Mrs. Bradley’s aristocratic circle) dressed up for dinner >>> which was “announced.”

The sets are excellent, the props are perfect. The Rolls Royce that George and Mrs. Bradley tootle around in is a phenomenal piece of art. And, the mysteries are good, too!

The unfortunate thing about the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries is that there are so few episodes. A 90 minute pilot aired in 1998 and only four sixty minute episodes were made for their 1999 airing. I ask you: WHY only five episodes!?! These productions are so delightful. What a shame there are so few… (and while I’m asking “Why?” >>> why can’t the USA match Britain’s beautiful period pieces?)

For more movie and television show recommendations, visit this page on my site: TV and Movies.

*** This series is available on Netflix in the disc format. Also, check your libraries.

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