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

Crossword Puzzle Cozy Mystery Series…

March 9, 2015

calendarI got a letter asking for help in identifying a Cozy Mystery book that Brenda read a while back.

Brenda:

… I started keeping track of my fav authors/books/characters on a spreadsheet, however about a year (ago) I let it slide, but have since taken it up again.
I had picked up a pocketbook at the library about a lady that created crossword puzzles. Before I go on, no it is not Parnell Hall or the other gentlemen who uses crossword puzzles as a theme.
I can remember the plot but can’t remember the characters name or author’s name, and it is driving me crazy. Because it’s a pocketbook our local library does not keep detailed records on their site, as I have tried looking for it in their search engine.
Here is what I can remember…….she is late twenties/early thirties, married to a former law officer who I think has become a private eye. She creates crossword puzzles and has them syndicated for National Newspapers. In this book, she and 4 other “specialist” columnists are called to a meeting by their agent and are coerced into signing new contracts for less money under threat of losing their newspapers. The Agent is killed, hence the mystery…

I’m at a loss! I have no idea who this author could be. The only two crossword puzzle mystery series I can think of are Parnell Hall and Nero Blanc, but Brenda is sure that neither of them is the author. If you think you know who Brenda is looking for, please post a comment below. Thank you!

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Favorite Dogs in Cozy Mysteries

March 7, 2015

vallere111111111111111f;agjpajgpjRecently I posted a blog about some of our favorite cats featured in Cozy Mysteries, and I thought it would only be fair to give the same treatment to our other four-legged friends, dogs. Naturally, we’ve already got a Dog Themed Mysteries List, but here I’m hoping to be both more selective and less in a way – more selective because we’re only talking about our favorites, and less because we can talk about dogs that aren’t necessarily the stars of the show, so to speak, but instead favorite side characters.

To get the ball rolling, I’m going to say one of my current personal favorites >>> Rocky, the adorable Shih Tzu from Diane Vallere‘s Mad for Mod Mystery Series. Rocky is named after one of his owner’s favorite actors, Rock Hudson. (Some of you know that I’m mad for Doris Day/Rock Hudson movies!) Though only a minor character of the series, he helps bring a charm and life to his owner’s time away from murder and intrigue, helping give the series a much more real feeling while also amusing us with his adorable antics.

So, what are some of your favorite dogs in Cozy mysteries? Let me know in the comments below, so I can start up a list of our most favorite canine crime-solving companions!

Here’s a list of our favorite Dogs in Cozy Mystery Series:

Victoria Abbot: Book Collectors Mystery Series: Walter & Cobain

Ellery Adams: Books by the Bay mysteries: Captain Haviland

Isabella Alan (aka Amanda Flower): Amish Quilt Shop mysteries: Oliver

Barbara Allan: Trash ’n’ Treasure mysteries: Sushi

Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow mysteries: Spike

Donna Ball: Raine Stockton mysteries: Cisco

Laurien Berenson: Melanie Travis: Faith and Hope

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber): Wishcraft mysteries: Missy

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries mysteries: Fred

Rita Mae Brown: Mrs. Murphy Mystery Series: Tee Tucker

Rita Mae Brown: Fox Hunting mysteries: Diana

Leslie Budewitz: Seattle Spice Shop mysteries: Arf

Laura Childs: Tea Shop mysteries: Earl Grey

Laura Childs: Scrapbooking mysteries: Boo and Poobah

Margaret Coel: Wind River mysteries: Walks On Three Legs

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva mysteries: Daisy

Krista Davis: Paws and Claws mysteries: Trixie

Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum mysteries: Bob

Carolyn Haines: Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries: Chablis

Dashiell Hammett: Thin Man mysteries: Asta

Linda O’Johnston: Pet Rescue mysteries: Zoey

Annie Knox (aka Wendy Lyn Watson): Pet Boutique mysteries: Packer

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent): Embroidery mysteries: Angus O’Ruff

Virginia Lowell: Cookie Cutter Shop mysteries: Spunky

Judi McCoy: Dog Walker mysteries: Rudy

Laura Morrigan: Call of the Wilde mysteries: Moss

Leigh Perry (aka Toni L.P. Kelner): Family Skeleton mysteries: Byron

Spencer Quinn (aka Peter Abrahams): Chet and Bernie mysteries: Chet

Maggie Sefton: Knitting mysteries: Carl

Karen Rose Smith: Caprice DeLuca mysteries: Lady

Diane Vallere: Mad for Mod mysteries: Rocky

Tracy Weber: Downward Dog mysteries: Bella

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

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Three New Holiday Releases Coming April 2015 – Fourth of July, Mother’s Day, and Christmas!

March 5, 2015

Three of our favorite Cozy authors will be releasing holiday-themed mysteries this April! Let’s jump right into them!

First, Nancy Coco will be releasing a Fourth of July themed mystery, Oh Say Can You Fudge, the third entry in the Candy-Coated Mystery Series. This Fourth of July, Allie McMurphy, owner of the Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop, plans to hire an aerial skywriter for a holiday display… but he turns up murdered! Allie will need to get to the bottom of this mystery fast, before she (and the rest of the island) can enjoy their independence day! Nancy Coco also writes the Baker’s Treat Mystery Series and the Perfect Proposals Mystery Series as Nancy J. Parra.

The second holiday mystery will be Isis Crawford‘s A Catered Mother’s Day, the 11th book in her Mystery with Recipes Series. This entry in the holiday-themed series will focus on Mother’s Day, and the returning mystery-solving adventures of sisters Bernie & Libby Simmons, owners of A Little Taste of Heaven Catering and Bake Shop. When what starts out as a friends’ ill-conceived but harmless ploy for attention from her family uncovers murder, the sisters will need to work fast to get their friend out of trouble! Isis Crawford also writes the Robin Light Mystery Series as Barbara Block.

The third holiday Cozy will be about the most popular holiday for Cozies – Christmas! Margaret Grace‘s Manhattan in Miniature will be the eighth adventure for Geraldine (Gerry) Porter, miniatures enthusiast, who is taking her granddaughter Maggie to a big craft fair in New York. But will the two detectives be able to discover the truths behind the death that will no doubt coincidentally occur on their visit to the Big Apple? Margaret Grace also writes the Periodic Table Mystery Series as Camille Minichino, the Sophie Knowles Mystery Series as Ada Madison, and the Post Office Mystery Series as Jean Flowers.

Originally I thought we had four new Cozy Mystery holiday themed books that would be released in April. However, I contacted Ann B. Ross to make sure her Miss Julia Lays Down the Law is truly a Christmas themed mystery. She very kindly responded telling me that Miss Julia Lays Down the Law is set in the cold of November and the ladies are getting together to make Christmas ornaments to sell at the Christmas bazaar, but it’s not a Christmas themed mystery.

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Laura DiSilverio’s Readaholics Book Club Mysteries & Vineyard Quilt Mysteries: Two New Cozy Series Coming April 2015!

March 3, 2015

Looks like we’ll be looking forward to the first releases for two NEW Cozy Mystery series coming out in April 2015!

First up will be the first entry of Laura DiSilverio‘s Readaholics Book Club Mystery Series, The Readaholics and the Falcon Fiasco. The Readaholics series will star Amy-Faye Johnson, an event planner in the scenic mountain town of Heaven, Colorado, as well as a member of the Readaholics Book Club. When one of the other Readaholics dies a sudden and suspicious death, it will be up to Amy-Faye to help crack the case and discover what happened to her friend! Laura DiSilverio also writes the Charlie Swift and Mall Cop Mystery Series, as well as the Southern Beauty Shop Mystery Series as Lila Dare and the Ballroom Dance Mystery Series as Ella Barrick.

The other new book isn’t by one author, but by two >>> Mae Fox and Jan Fields will be putting out Threads of Deceit, the first book in the Vineyard Quilt Mystery Series. (This is yet another in the Annie’s Crafts Company’s Cozy Mystery series. I have been listing the Annie’s Crafts Company series ever since a Cozy Mystery reader told me about these series which do not contain profanity. Annie’s Crafts Company also publishes the Annie’s Attic, Annie’s Quilted Mysteries, Annie’s Mysteries Unraveled, & the Creative Woman Mystery Series.) The Vineyard Quilt series will feature Mae Fox and a different co-author every book, as she works with the guest author to tell another story in the tales of Julie Ellis, former antiquities bounty hunter and current manager of quilt-themed inn, Quilt Haus Inn, situated in Missouri’s scenic Wine Country. When a corpse is found at the dig site for a famous sunken ship at a nearby farm, Julie will need to use her old expertise to help try to pin down the murderer!

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