The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

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!

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for September 2015

This month, TCM will be treating us to several mystery movies that are based on mystery authors’ novels. Agatha Christie, of course, will be represented. We’ll be able to watch Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and some Stand Alone novels adapted for the screen. Christie is not the only mystery author to be represented. There will be a few Bulldog Drummond mystery movies (written by H.C. McNeile), some Charlie Chan mystery movies (based on the mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers), and The Falcon (courtesy of Michael Arlen) will be appearing, as well as Stuart Palmer‘s Hildegarde Withers. Also, there will be a movie adapted from a Daphne du Maurier novel.

So >>> get your popcorn ready, find a comfortable seat in your home, and enjoy these mystery movies that the TCM channel has in store for us!

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

September 2015 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):

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

Wednesday – September 2, 2015

5:30 PM
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1954)
A dizzy model in love with fame rents a billboard and puts her name on it.
Dir: George Cukor Cast:  Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford, Jack Lemmon.
BW-87 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****This is not a mystery, but anything with Judy Holliday is a must-see for me!*****

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

Thursday – September 3, 2015

6:30 AM
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

11:30 AM
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953)
A dangerous madman kidnaps two businessmen on a hunting trip.
Dir: Ida Lupino Cast:  Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman.
BW-71 mins, CC

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

Friday – September 4, 2015

4:00 AM
THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME (1947)
A faithless husband is charged with a murder he didn’t commit.
Dir: Irving Pichel Cast:  Susan Hayward, Robert Young, Jane Greer.
BW-80 mins, CC

7:15 AM
DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946)
An aspiring actress risks her life to clear a sailor charged with murder.
Dir: Harold Clurman Cast:  Susan Hayward, Paul Lukas, Bill Williams.
BW-83 mins, CC

8:45 AM
GIRLS ON PROBATION (1938)
A dizzy young girl falls into crime but wins her lawyer’s heart.
Dir: William McGann Cast:  Jane Bryan, Ronald Reagan, Anthony Averill.
BW-64 mins

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

Saturday – September 5, 2015

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND ESCAPES (1937)
Captain Drummond becomes a prisoner when he intents to protect a beautiful heiress of an espionage organization.
Dir: James Hogan Cast:  Ray Milland, Sir Guy Standing, Heather Angel.
BW-67 mins

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

Sunday – September 6, 2015

9:15 AM
BERLIN EXPRESS (1948)
Allied agents fight an underground Nazi group in post-war Europe.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast:  Merle Oberon, Robert Ryan, Charles Korvin.
BW-87 mins, CC

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

Monday – September 7, 2015

11:30 AM
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958)
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

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

Tuesday – September 8, 2015

5:30 AM
THE LADYKILLERS (1955)
An eccentric bandit gang moves into a little old lady’s boardinghouse to plot a major heist.
Dir: Alexander Mackendrick Cast:  Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom.
C-91 mins, CC

7:00 PM
ACROSS THE PACIFIC (1942)
An American agent tries to keep Axis spies from blowing up the Panama Canal.
Dir: John Huston Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet.
C-96 mins, CC

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

Friday – September 11, 2015

9:00 AM
MURDER ON A BRIDLE PATH (1936)
Schoolteacher Hildegarde Withers matches wits with the police to solve the murder of a society bride in Central Park.
Dir: Edward Killy Cast:  James Gleason, Helen Broderick, Louise Latimer.
BW-67 mins, CC
*****Based on Stuart Palmer‘s Hildegarde Withers Mystery Series.*****

10:15 AM
CAT PEOPLE (1942)
A newlywed fears that an ancient curse will turn her into a bloodthirsty beast.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast:  Simone Simon, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph.
BW-73 mins, CC

3:30 PM
IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU (1954)
A dizzy model in love with fame rents a billboard and puts her name on it.
Dir: George Cukor Cast:  Judy Holliday, Peter Lawford, Jack Lemmon.
BW-87 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****I just love Judy Holliday movies! Not a mystery.*****

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

Saturday – September 12, 2015

3:00 AM
THEY MADE ME A FUGITIVE (1947)
After being framed for a policeman’s murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
Dir: [Alberto] Cavalcanti Cast:  Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Griffith Jones.
BW-101 mins, CC

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND AT BAY (1937)
A rock thrown through his window sets a gentleman adventurer on a search for enemy agents.
Dir: Norman Lee Cast:  John Lodge, Dorothy Mackaill, Victor Jory.
BW-74 mins
*****H.C. McNeile wrote the Bulldog Drummond mysteries.*****

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

Sunday – September 13, 2015

7:00 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

9:00 PM
HUSH… HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964)
A wealthy southern spinster fights to keep her family’s secrets hidden.
Dir: Robert Aldrich Cast:  Bette Davis, Olivia De Havilland, Joseph Cotten.
BW-133 mins, CC

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

Monday – September 14, 2015

5:00 PM
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (1941)
An acerbic critic wreaks havoc when a hip injury forces him to move in with a midwestern family.
Dir: William Keighley Cast:  Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, Monty Woolley.
BW-113 mins, CC
*****This is a sometimes over-looked Christmas movie. It’s never too early to DVR it for the holiday season coming up! Not a mystery.*****

7:00 PM
DEATHTRAP (1982)
A blocked playwright plots to kill a beginner and steal his script.
Dir: Sidney Lumet Cast:  Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Dyan Cannon.
C-116 mins

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

Tuesday – September 15, 2015

6:30 AM
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
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries!*****

8:15 AM
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1958)
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
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries!*****

10:15 AM
MURDER SHE SAID (1961)
When nobody will believe she witnessed a murder, elderly sleuth Miss Marple takes a job as a maid to ferret out clues.
Dir: George Pollock Cast:  Margaret Rutherford, Arthur Kennedy, Muriel Pavlow.
BW-86 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries! A rather different portrayal of Miss Marple.*****

12:00 PM
MURDER MOST FOUL (1964)
Elderly sleuth Miss Marple joins a small-town theatre to investigate a murder.
Dir: George Pollock Cast:  Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Charles Tingwell.
BW-91 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries! A rather different portrayal of Miss Marple.*****

1:45 PM
THE ALPHABET MURDERS (1965)
Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates a series of murders committed in alphabetical order.
Dir: Frank Tashlin Cast:  Tony Randall, Anita Ekberg, Robert Morley.
BW-91 mins, CC
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries! The Hercule Poirot portrayal is rather different than you might expect.*****

3:30 PM
TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1966)
Party guests at a remote mansion have been brought together to pay for past crimes.
Dir: George Pollock Cast:  Hugh O’Brian, Shirley Eaton, Fabian.
C-90 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****One of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries!*****

5:15 PM
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
*****Not one of Agatha Christie‘s mysteries, however it does have to do with her!*****

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

Thursday – September 17, 2015

5:00 AM
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

8:30 AM
THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS (1957)
A young girl’s murder leaves a hotel full of suspects.
Dir: Howard W. Koch Cast:  Lex Barker, Anne Bancroft, Mamie Van Doren.
BW-75 mins

10:00 AM
NIGHTFALL (1957)
A man on a hunting trip gets mixed up with murderous bank robbers.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast:  Aldo Ray, Brian Keith, Anne Bancroft.
BW-79 mins, CC

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

Friday – September 18, 2015

7:15 AM
THE ASPHALT JUNGLE (1950)
A gang of small time crooks plots an elaborate jewel heist.
Dir: John Huston Cast:  Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen.
BW-112 mins, CC

9:15 AM
LARCENY, INC. (1942)
An ex-convict and his gang try to use a luggage store to front a bank robbery, but business keeps getting in the way.
Dir: Lloyd Bacon Cast:  Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford.
BW-95 mins, CC

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

Saturday 19, 2015

7:00 AM
JAMAICA INN (1939)
A young woman on the British coast stumbles onto a ring of bloodthirsty scavengers.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast:  Charles Laughton, Horace Hodges, Hay Petrie.
BW-99 mins, CC
*****Based on Daphne du Maurier‘s novel.*****

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND COMES BACK (1937)
An old enemy kidnaps Bulldog Drummond¿s fiancée.
Dir: Louis King Cast:  John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell.
BW-59 mins
*****H.C. McNeile wrote the Bulldog Drummond mysteries.*****

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

Sunday – September 20, 2015

11:15 AM
HIGH SIERRA (1941)
An aging ex-con sets out to pull one more big heist.
Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast:  Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis.
BW-100 mins, CC

7:00 PM
DARK ALIBI (1946)
Famed Asian detective Charlie Chan tries to disprove fingerprint evidence left at a bank robbery.
Dir: Phil Karlson Cast:  Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Ben Carter.
BW-61 mins
*****Earl Derr Biggers wrote the Charlie Chan mysteries.*****

8:15 PM
DANGEROUS MONEY (1946)
Famed Asian detective Charlie Chan investigates a shipboard murder.
Dir: Terry Morse Cast:  Sidney Toler, Gloria Warren, Victor Sen Young.
BW-66 mins
*****Earl Derr Biggers wrote the Charlie Chan mysteries.*****

9:30 PM
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
*****Michael Arlen wrote The Falcon mysteries.*****

10:45 PM
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
*****Michael Arlen wrote The Falcon mysteries.*****

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

Monday – September 21, 2015

6:30 AM
THE ROADHOUSE MURDER (1932)
Reporter has bright idea of claiming to be a murderer and writing his own expose.
Dir: J. Walter Ruben Cast:  Dorothy Jordan, Eric Linden, Rosco Ates.
BW-73 mins

12:45 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

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

Wednesday – September 23, 2015

7:00 AM
THE SELLOUT (1951)
A small-town newspaper editor risks everything to expose a corrupt sheriff.
Dir: Gerald Mayer Cast:  Walter Pidgeon, John Hodiak, Audrey Totter.
BW-83 mins, CC

8:30 AM
THE UNKNOWN MAN (1951)
A scrupulously honest lawyer discovers that the client he’s gotten off was really guilty.
Dir: Richard Thorpe Cast:  Walter Pidgeon, Ann Harding, Barry Sullivan.
BW-86 mins

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

Friday – September 25, 2015

5:00 AM
WHERE LOVE HAS GONE (1964)
Family secrets come to light when a teen-ager murders her mother’s lover.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast:  Susan Hayward, Bette Davis, Michael Connors.
C-114 mins

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

Saturday – September 26, 2015

9:30 AM
BULLDOG DRUMMOND’S REVENGE (1937)
Captain Drummond travels to Switzerland in order to marry his girlfriend but the disappearance of a dangerous cargo of explosives makes him delay his plans.
Dir: Louis King Cast:  John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell.
BW-55 mins
*****H.C. McNeile wrote the Bulldog Drummond mysteries.*****

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

Monday – September 28, 2015

5:00 AM
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944)
A young man about to be married discovers the two aunts who raised him have been poisoning lonely old men.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast:  Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey.
BW-118 mins, CC

9:00 AM
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

11:00 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

3:00 PM
THE LETTER (1940)
A woman claims to have killed in self-defense, until a blackmailer turns up with incriminating evidence.
Dir: William Wyler Cast:  Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson.
BW-95 mins, CC

5:00 PM
WAIT UNTIL DARK (1967)
A blind woman fights against drug smugglers who’ve invaded her home.
Dir: Terence Young Cast:  Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna.
C-108 mins, CC

10:00 PM
STOLEN IDENTITY (1953)
A jealous musician kills his wife and frames a cab driver.
Dir: Gunther Fritsch Cast:  Donald Buka, Joan Camden, Francis Lederer.
BW-78 mins

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

Wednesday – September 30, 2015

2:45 AM
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (1961)
An aging American judge presides over the trial of Nazi war criminals.
Dir: Stanley Kramer Cast:  Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark.
BW-179 mins, CC

11:15 PM
GILDA (1946)
A gambler discovers an old flame in South America, but she’s married to his new boss.
Dir: Charles Vidor Cast:  Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready.
BW-110 mins, CC

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

(All of the above TCM descriptions were copied from the TCM site.)

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

I have been posting the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel’s mystery movie line-up here, but I just looked at it, and it looks like they won’t be offering any new mystery movies. They will have the marathons of the old Diagnosis Murder shows, as well as the Murder, She Wrote and Columbo old shows, ETC. I will be watching the channel’s roster and will try to announce when they air a new mystery movie.

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

Please post a comment if you know of any other TV mystery movies that will be airing during September 2015.

Here is the August 2015 television mystery movies schedule:

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for August 2015

Here is the page on my site with lots and lots of entries of movies and television shows you may enjoy:

Cozy Mystery List TV and Movie Section

Mr. & Mrs. Murder Television Show

Mr. & Mrs. Murder: Series 1 Here is yet another Australian television mystery show that is a gem. My husband and I both enjoy Mr. & Mrs. Murder and only have one problem with it: there are only thirteen episodes!

Mr. & Mrs. Murder is an Australian television show that aired in 2013. It features a married couple with a rather “different” profession. They are a cleaning duo. Actually, rather than being just a cleaning duo, they specialize in cleaning up crime scenes >>> and some of them are pretty messy!

Charlie and Nicola Buchanan arrive to the scenes of crimes right after the police have finished collecting their clues. They not only have odd professions, I have to tell you, they are… a little odd themselves! They are a couple who are madly in love with each other. Nicola’s niece lives with them, and they often corral her into performing crazy tasks while they’re on a case.

Nicola & Charlie often get referrals for crime scene clean-ups by an inspector who values their help in solving the crimes of which he’s in charge. The inspector apparently dated Nicola before she fell madly in love with Charlie, so there are some uncomfortable moments. (If you watch the show, you’ll see what I mean!)

After watching the first episode, my husband and I weren’t quite sure if we wanted to continue watching the show. The mystery was good, but Nicola & Charlie were zany >>> with a capital “Z”! We decided to go ahead and watch the second episode, and then we were hooked!

The four principal characters are Charlie (Shawn Micallef), Nicola (Kat Stewart), Inspector Peter Vinetti (Jonny Pasvolsky), and Nicola’s niece Jess (Lucy Honigman). They are all terrific.

Each episode starts out with Nicola & Charlie going to a crime scene where they start the cleaning process. While cleaning the crime scene they invariably make friends with some of the suspects. I should mention that they make friends quickly. They are both affable, friendly, fun-loving people. The couple manages to get invited to many functions you wouldn’t typically envision a crime scene cleaning duo being invited to.

Oh, and did I mention this is a funny mystery show? My husband and I find ourselves chuckling quite often. Every once in a while I think about the old adage: There’s someone out there for everyone. Well, this quirky couple was simply meant to be together! They are the… oddest pair of sleuths you have probably ever encountered!

Charlie (Shaun Micallef) is also the creator and one of the writers of the show. As Charlie, he is one quirky guy! As for Kat Stewart (Nicola) she is absolutely model-beautiful, yet she is totally believable in the less-than-flattering hazmat outfit. Also, they are both terrific in the crazy situations in which they invariably find themselves.

Nicola’s niece, Jess, is a delight as an unwilling participant in the crazy situations Nicola and Charlie put her in. The couple’s idea of the importance of Jess’s studies (she’s working on her MBA) versus her helping solve a crime usually has my husband and me laughing. Let’s see >>> miss an exam vs.. help with the crime >>> you can always make up an exam. (I told you, Charlie & Nicola are a zany couple!)

Mr. & Mrs. Murder‘s Charlie & Nicola have the same playfulness going as the Thin Man‘s Nick & Nora Charles >>> without the martinis or Asta! I definitely recommend Mr. & Mrs. Murder. It is available on Netflix, in disc format only. Also, on Acorn.

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

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