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

Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – August 2015

Another month gone by already! It is almost to the point in San Antonio when I can start looking forward to reasonable temperatures (<90 degrees – probably in another three or four weeks)! If it weren’t for my daughter coming home for a few weeks in September (before moving up to the D.C. area), I’d really be looking forward to October because the weather usually breaks around here by then.

Although I have been doing a lot of summertime reading, this month I have focused on a few new-to-me authors. In fact, right now I have been trying another new-to-me author, and I just have not gotten to the point yet of being able to decide whether I can recommend this author, or not.

So, it’s the time when the rest of us would love to hear about books you’ve read this month that you really enjoyed. If you have one or two Cozy Mysteries that you read during August that you think the rest of us should definitely know about, please drop us a comment telling us why you liked the book(s) >>> so we can take a look at it/them. If you have a few more than two, go for it! 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 best!

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 August 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:

Ellery Adams: Book Retreat Mystery Series

Barbara Allan: Trash ‘n’ Treasures Mystery Series

Lucy Arlington (aka Susan Furlong): Novel Idea Mystery Series

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Mystery Series

Richard L. Baldwin: Murder at the Ingham County Fair (possibly not Cozy)

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

Kathleen Bridge: Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery (Better Homes and Corpses, book #1)

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries Mystery Series

Frances Brody: Kate Shackleton Mystery Series

Ellen Byron: Cajun Country Mystery Series

Lynn Cahoon: Tourist Trap Mystery Series

Dorothy Cannell: Florence Norris Mystery Series

Kate Carlisle: Bibliophile Mystery Series

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

Isis Crawford (aka Laura Bradford): Mystery with Recipes Mystery Series

Lila Dare (aka Laura DiSilverio & Ella Barrick): Southern Beauty Shop Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Paws and Claws Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Wendy Sand Eckel: Murder at Barclay Meadow

Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan): Appleseed Creek Mystery Series

Susan Furlong (aka Lucy Arlington): Georgia Peach Mystery Series

Carolyn Hart: Death on Demand Mystery Series

A.L. Herbert: Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mystery Series

Lee Hollis: Hailey Powell Food & Cocktail Mystery Series

Julie Hyzy: White House Chef Mystery Series

Darynda Jones: Charley Davidson Series (First Grave on the Right, book #1) (paranormal romantic suspense)

Jerusha Jones: Mayfield Mystery Series (Bait & Switch, book #1)

Sofie Kelly (aka Sofie Ryan): Magical Cats Mystery Series

Joyce and James Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Pumpkin Patch Mystery Series

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

Dixie Lyle: Whiskey, Tango, and Foxtrot Mystery Series

Mary Marks: Martha Rose Quilting Mystery Series

Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Hat Shop Mystery Series

Carlene O’Neil: Cypress Cove Mystery Series

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Sandra Parshall: Rachel Goddard Mystery Series (The Heat of the Moon, book #1)

Hannah Reed (aka Deb Baker): Scottish Highlands Mystery Series

Maggie Sefton: Knitting Mystery Series

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series

Leann Sweeney: Cats in Trouble Mystery Series

Lea Wait: Mainely Needlepoint 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 won’t be commenting on your recommendations since your comments speak for themselves!

Scotland: Cozy Mystery Books with a Scottish Theme

I have had several requests for a Scottish Cozy Mystery theme, and I have finally put it together.

Cozy Mystery authors who feature Scotland or Scottish characteristics in their books:

COZY MYSTERIES WITH A SCOTTISH THEME:

Donald Bain: The Highland Fling Murders – Jessica Fletcher and some of her Cabot Cove friends visit a Scottish castle.

D.B. Barton: Singing Sleuth Mystery Series – Alec DunBarton is a Scottish band auditor and cruise ship employee.

M.C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series – Hamish is the local constable in Lochdubh, Scotland.

Rhys Bowen: Royal Spyness Mystery Series – Lady Georgiana, although not rich, is still the 34th in line to the British throne!

C.S. Challinor: Rex Graves Mystery Series – Rex Graves is a Scottish barrister.

Ann Cleeves: Shetland Island Quartet Mystery Series – reportedly not Cozy

Kaitlyn Dunnett (aka Kathy Lynn Emerson): Liss MacCrimmon Mystery Series – Liss MacCrimmon is a Scottish troupe dancer, who lives in Maine.

Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan): Magic Garden Mystery Series – Fiona is a florist who is from the USA.

Patience Griffin: Kilts and Quilts Series – Cozy but not mysteries

Anna Lee Huber: Lady Darby Mystery Series

Alanna Knight: Rose McQuinn Mystery Series

Molly MacRae: The Highland Bookshop Mystery Series stars the co-owner of a book store in Scotland.

Sharyn McCrumb: Elizabeth MacPherson Mystery Series – Elizabeth, a forensic anthropologist, loves her Scottish fiancé and everything else that has to do with Scotland.

Val McDermid: Lindsay Gordon Mystery Series

Catriona McPherson: Dandy Gilver Mystery Series –  Dandy (short of Dandelion Dahlia) is a wealthy sleuth who lives in Scotland during the 1920s.

Melinda Mullet: Whisky Business Mystery Series – Abi Logan is a Scottish photojournalist.

Hannah Reed (aka Deb Baker): Scottish Highlands Mystery Series – Eden Elliott is a recently single author living in the Scottish Highlands.

Paige Shelton: Scottish Bookshop Mystery Series – Delaney Nichols has moved to Scotland from Kansas and works at a rare book/manuscript shop in Edinburgh.

Fran Stewart: ScotShop Mystery Series -Peggy Winn owns the ScotShop, a store in Vermont that specializes in Scottish items. (Peggy has a 14th century Scottish specter who accompanies her.)

Please leave a comment if you know of a Cozy Mystery author who I don’t have on the list, but who belongs on it >>> or if you have any comments.

♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦

Cozy Mystery Set (Possibly) in Chicago with Three Mob Uncles…

MafiosoTwo days ago, Linda S asked for help (on behalf of herself and her mom) in identifying the following Cozy Mystery:

… One quick question…we both enjoyed a series where the young woman lived with her three “retired from the mob” uncles that was, I believe, set in Chicago. We haven’t read one in a while and, unfortunately, neither one of us can remember who wrote the books. Is that, by any chance, enough info for you to identify the author? I looked through your list by themes but nothing jumped out at me. Between the two of us, we have literally read hundreds of cozies & after a while, it’s difficult to remember “who’s on first” when it comes to specifics.

I appreciate your thoughts on that particular author. If she doesn’t sound familiar, I will continue to look.

Thank you …

Linda S, the Cozy Mystery readers who frequent this area usually can come up with the authors other Cozy Mystery readers are looking for.

So, to ALL of you Cozy Mystery readers, if any of you know who Linda S could be referring to, would you please post a comment? Thank you!

Hallmark Will Present Debbie Macomber’s “Dashing Through the Snow” Movie this Christmas Season!

First off, I must warn you that this entry has nothing to do with mysteries. However, it does have to do with a Christmas movie, and I know lots of us like those! Those of you who have been with me for a while know I love seasonal movies! I post entries about both Halloween and Christmas television movies as soon as I find them. Well, this movie I haven’t found yet, however, I know it’s on its way!

I am excited to tell you that Debbie Macomber will be releasing a new Christmas novel, Dashing Through the Snow, just in time for the Hallmark channel to make it into one of its Christmas television movies. In the past, we have been treated to two of Debbie Macomber’s Mrs. Miracle Christmas movies as well as last year’s Mr. Miracle Christmas movie. Well this year, we’ll be able to catch Dashing Through the Snow during Hallmark’s Christmas line-up, which I’ll be posting as soon as I find it.

Debbie Macomber doesn’t write Cozy Mysteries, however she does write Cozy novels. She was recommended (a few years ago) by several Cozy Mystery readers who thought her books definitely belonged on the site because of their particular Cozy-ness. Some of you are familiar with Debbie Macomber through her novels, some through her knitting books, and others may watch her Cedar Cove series on the Hallmark network.

As I told you two days ago when I published my Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for September 2015, I’ll be watching for more mystery movies (or in this case seasonal movies) that I think you all might enjoy as much as I will!

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