The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Karen Anne Golden: The Cats that ….. Mystery Series, Liesa Malik: Daisy Arthur Mystery Series, Marta Perry: Lots of Amish Cozy Series, & Mary Stewart: Stand Alones

I have been meaning to add these four Cozy Mystery authors for a while, and finally, I have got their pages up!

 Karen Anne Golden grew up in a small town in Indiana, and spends much of her free time hard at work restoring her dream-house – a Victorian era house built at the end of the 19th century. She also adopts stray cats – all experiences that are reflected in her Cozy Mystery works. Her Cozy series is The Cats That… Mystery Series, starring Katherine “Katz” Kendall, a former computer professional who suddenly inherits a pink Victorian mansion (and fortune) in Erie, Indiana.

 Liesa Malik    A current resident of Colorado, Liesa Malik has lived in a number of other interesting places as diverse as Texas, England, Florida, and Michigan. She has worked for a variety of newspapers throughout her career, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from the University of Florida as well as an Art degree. Her Cozy Mystery series (titled the Daisy Arthur Mystery Series) stars a retired special education teacher now beginning a second career as a romance novel author.

 Marta Perry    Perry grew up in Pennsylvania, where she was first exposed to the culture that she would later come to write about, the Amish communities of Pennsylvania. She has an interesting spin on her series, in that many of them are set more around communities, with each individual book having a different character who serves as a protagonist. Her Dark series revolves around the town of Deer Run, while her Watcher in the Dark Series is set in Laurel Run. Her Three Sisters Inn series takes a slightly different approach, revolving instead around three sisters, with each book written about each. (Perry also writes Amish series that are not mysteries.)

Mary Stewart was a British novelist and one of the most popular authors of the “romantic mystery” genre of her time. She graduated with honors from Durham University with a degree in English, but her education was derailed by World War II before she would eventually go on to earn her master’s degree. Most of her novels in the mystery genre are stand-alone novels. Some of the most successful works were The Moon-Spinners, which was adapted into a Disney movie, and Madam, Will You Talk?, her first work.

Inspector Lynley Mystery Series Television Mystery Series

I was an avid fan of Elizabeth George (even though they aren’t Cozy Mysteries) when I first attempted to watch the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, a British police procedural mystery show. Because I had read all of the novels, and felt I “knew” George’s well-defined main characters, I could not embrace this BBC television series when I first tried watching it. (It originally aired 2001-2007.)

My favorite Elizabeth George character was Sergeant Barbara Havers – a very unattractive, over-weight, socially inept police detective who wore too-tight clothes, and could not keep her opinions to herself. She was brusque, to the point of being rude, but an incredibly quick learner and an incredibly astute detective. Although she was terse and opinionated, she also had a more tender, giving side to her personality, which George was able to show every time Havers interacted with her little neighbor.

I felt that the Inspector Lynley Mysteries took all of George’s well-defined, complex characters and tossed them aside… This television mystery series had a classical beauty portraying Sgt. Barbara Havers. They had this beautiful actress wear an over-sized pea coat & no make-up. Yikes! I would have thought this was a North American production rather than a British one. (I had pictured an unattractive, overweight actress playing Barbara Havers >>> certainly not svelte Sharon Small without makeup!)

However…

My husband decided he wanted to watch the Inspector Lynley Mysteries series. Once he convinced me to look at the series as if it was NOT based on the Elizabeth George mysteries I enjoyed so much, I actually enjoyed the shows! I found myself looking forward to the next time we would be able to watch one!

Nathaniel Parker (aristocratic police inspector) and Sharon Small (blue collar Havers) were perfect in their roles. (Remember, I am no longer basing them on Elizabeth George‘s very complex, three-dimensional characters!)

As with the Elizabeth George mysteries, this made-for-television series is gritty. It is not a series that you would want to watch with children. It is also not a Cozy series, so don’t watch it if you don’t want to see graphic violence!

Again, once I was able to divorce the Inspector Lynley Mysteries television series from Elizabeth George’s mystery books, I enjoyed the shows. I am sure I would have watched them when they originally aired on PBS had they titled them something like “The Inspector Smith Mysteries” and had not mentioned Elizabeth George as the author.

If you would like to see more TV & Movies entries, here is the link to that page on my Cozy Mystery site: TV and Movies page,

*** This series is available on Netflix.

Two New Holiday Themed Cozies Coming August 2015 – Ellery Adams: Murder In the Paperback Parlor, Leslie Meier: Candy Corn Murder

I love this time of year. Well, actually not so much the sweltering days of July, but I love the Cozy Mystery releases that start at this time of the year. It seems like August is when a lot of our holiday themed Cozies start being released, and it looks like we’ll have two new Holiday themed Cozy Mysteries to look forward to this coming August – one Valentine’s Day themed and one Halloween themed!

First is Ellery Adams‘s Murder in the Paperback Parlor, which takes place near Valentine’s Day. This second entry in the Book Retreat Mystery Series will see the return of amateur sleuth Jane Stewart, manager of the Storyton Hall Book Resort in the hills of western Virginia. When one of the prominent authors visiting the resort is killed, she’ll need to once again help get to the bottom of the case if she wants to keep her beloved resort afloat! Ellery Adams writes multiple other popular Cozy Mystery series, including the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series, the Books by the Bay Mystery Series, and the Supper Club Mystery Series, among others!

Second is the Halloween-themed Candy Corn Murder by Leslie Meier. Halloween will once again be coming to Tinker’s Cove! This Cozy is the 22nd in the holiday themed Lucy Stone Mystery Series, and will be the third Halloween themed mystery in the series. Homemaker Lucy Stone’s plans for a festive Halloween are ruined when her husband Bill’s friend Evan turns up dead – and Bill is the primary suspect, since he’s the last person who saw Evan alive, Expect even more holiday mystery and fun in this continuation of the Lucy Stone series!

In case you’re interested in more mysteries in both of these themes, you can click on these links to go to the corresponding pages on my Cozy Mystery site:

Halloween Theme Mysteries

Valentine’s Day Mysteries

Cozy Mysteries by Location – Is It Important to You?

WinterI have talked before about one of the reasons I enjoy reading seasonal Cozy Mysteries. Before we moved down to San Antonio, I don’t think it was quite as important to me. However, since we don’t really see the four seasons down here, I especially like Cozies that remind me of the seasons I miss. These are Cozies that are set in cold-weather locations as well as Cozy Mysteries that take place during crisp autumn days when the gold/orange/red leaves are shedding from the trees.

That said, I have to admit that I have a preference for Cozy Mysteries that take place in the northeast part of the USA, the northern states, or Great Britain. These areas provide me with the cold, blistery weather of winter and the cool, sometimes windy weather of autumn. Also, it just seems easier for me to imagine a Cozy village setting in Great Britain or New England.

My husband and I were talking about the importance of location in my Cozies when he asked me if I would read Cozies set here in San Antonio. I replied that the San Antonio locations wouldn’t draw me to those books since I am already familiar with the area. However, I know a lot of Cozy Mystery readers read Cozies that are set in their towns or geographical areas and seem to enjoy reading about familiar places.

How about you? Do you have a location that attracts you to your Cozy Mystery books? Is the location something you look for when you choose a new Cozy series? Are there locations you avoid when choosing a Cozy?

MENU