The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Are You a Holiday Cozy Mystery Fan? If So, When (and Which!)?

halloween1111111560780We have finally had our second cool day here in San Antonio! Of course, this doesn’t mean it will continue to be cool, which is why I am so ready for holiday Cozy Mysteries! Those of you who have been with me for a while know that I read Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Cozies only during their corresponding holidays. And since I’m a stickler for reading my Cozy Mysteries in their chronological order >>> I’m way behind with some of my favorite Cozy Mystery authors. Sometimes this means I have to wait almost a whole year to read the next book in a favorite Cozy Mystery series!

thanksgiving1111116878990-0With this in mind, I thought I would ask: How early do you start reading the holiday Cozy Mysteries in your ToBeRead pile/queue? What I mean is: Do you wait until the beginning of December, mid-December, or (if you’re an especially fast reader) the end of December to start reading your Christmas Cozies? (You can substitute Christmas/December with Halloween/October or Thanksgiving/November.)

christmas333346997Also >>> which holiday Cozy Mysteries do you prefer: Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas? And, (Good grief! I’m making this into a 3-part question which is much more complicated than it needs to be!) would you tell us about one or two favorite Cozy Mysteries that are set during that holiday?

Thank you! (I’m really looking forward to reading your comments!)

Two New Cozy Mystery Series Coming in November 2014

November 2014 will be bringing us two new Cozy Mystery series. Both Kate Carlisle and Diane Vallere will be debuting their sleuths this coming month. As always, upcoming releases can be found at my New Cozy Mystery Book Series page.

First, Kate Carlisle will be releasing A High-End Finish, the first book in her new Fixer-Upper Mystery Series. This series will star Shannon Hammer, a home renovation and repair contractor in a seaside town in northern California. Most of you know that Carlisle writes the popular Bibliophile Mystery Series. Here’s hoping that her new Fixer-Upper sleuth (Shannon Hammer) will be as good at solving mysteries as Bibliophile’s Brooklyn Wainwright is!

The other Cozy Mystery author planning a debut during November of this year is Diane Vallere. Vallere will be releasing the first book in her new Material Witness Mystery Series, titled Suede to Rest. This series will star Polyester “Poly” Monroe, a dress designer and store owner in California. Vallere also writes the Mad for Mod Mystery Series and the Style & Error Mystery Series.

If you would like to see more New Cozy Mystery Series by authors on the Cozy-Mystery site, please click here: New Cozy Mystery Series

Also, if you would like to revisit the entry I wrote about the new Cozy Mystery series some of our favorite authors are bringing to us this month (October 2014) click on this link:

Four New Cozy Mystery Series Coming in October 2014

Christmas Mystery Books being Released during November 2014

Well, November will be upon us soon, and with it we’ll get another batch of holiday themed mystery novels, all of them Christmas-themed this time. We’ll have five new Christmas themed novels, so let’s jump right into it! (Most of you know just how happy “my” holiday Cozy Mysteries make me! Love ’em!)

First, Lynn Cahoon will be releasing If the Shoe Kills , the third book in the Tourist Trap Mystery Series. Though Cahoon only released her first novel earlier this year, she’s already established her Tourist Trap series, starring Jill Gardner. As always, this novel will center around “Coffee, Books, and More,” Jill’s shop. When the unpleasant manager of the unpopular local internship programs turns up dead in his car, everyone seems willing to chalk it up as a suicide – except Jill of course, who will need to get to the (real!) bottom of this case!

 Kathi Daley will be putting out Christmas Cozy, the 11th book in the Zoe Donovan Mystery Series. Zoe’s holiday season is about to take a somewhat grim turn as she goes to visit the Ashton Falls High School Christmas Tree Lot and stumbles across the body of a local teacher. Unfortunately, the lot is run by her best friend, Levi Denton, so she’ll have to work fast to solve this murder in time to insure truly happy holidays! As always, Kathi Daley’s work should include some interesting recipes, presumably Christmas-themed this time around. (Kathi Daley also writes the TJ Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Series, starring high school teacher and coach, TJ Jensen, and also released the non-mystery Christmas-themed work Road to Christmas Past.)

 J.A. Jance will be releasing a novella in her Ali Reynolds Mystery Series, titled A Last Goodbye. This novella will have a very interesting hook for long-time fans of the Ali Reynolds series, as Ali will be getting married to B. Simpson, her long-time fiance. When a stray miniature dachshund winds up in Ali’s care, it seems like the last thing in the world she needs >>> but as she has trouble returning the stray pet to its owner, she starts wondering if something has been done to her! Hopefully she’ll be able to wrap up the mystery before it interrupts her Christmas wedding! (Jance also writes several other highly popular series, most notably the Joanna Brady Mystery Series, starring an Arizona sheriff, as well as the J. P. Beaumont Mystery Series, starring a Seattle homicide detective.)

Jenn McKinlay‘s next book, On Borrowed Time, will be coming out as well. This will be the fifth book in the Library Lover’s Mystery Series, highlighting the continued adventures of Lindsey Norris, Connecticut-based library director. Christmas is going to be busy this year for Lindsey, as she has a bit of personal trouble to take care of >>> her brother, Jack, has gone missing, forcing her to put all of her other holiday plans out of mind as she tried to find out what has happened to him. (Jenn McKinlay writes a number of other very popular series, including the Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series and the Hat Shop Mystery Series, as well as the Decoupage Mystery Series under the name Lucy Lawrence and the Good Buy Girls Mystery Series as Josie Belle.)

Finally, renowned mystery novelist Anne Perry will be releasing the next in her long-running Christmas Mystery Series, A New York Christmas. As has become custom for Anne Perry’s annual holiday release, A New York Christmas will star a character familiar to her avid readers as a support character from her popular Thomas & Charlotte Pitt Mystery Series, this time Jemima Pitt, Thomas Pitt’s daughter, now 23 years old and visiting America for the marriage of her friend Delphinia. (Anne Perry writes many other series, including the William Monk Mystery Series.)

If you would like to see more Cozy Mystery Christmas-themed books, click on this link to take you to the Christmas Mystery page.

(If you are interested in all sorts of holiday mysteries, click on this link to take you to the Holiday Mystery Book page.)

Also, here are the entries I wrote about the Halloween and Christmas mystery books that will be released during this month – October:

Halloween Mystery Books being Released during October 2014

Christmas Mystery Books being Released during October 2014

Christmas Mystery Books being Released during October 2014 – Part 2

Donald Bain Interview

I am absolutely delighted to tell you that my newest Cozy Mystery Author Interview is with Donald Bain. That’s right!!! THE Donald Bain, “co-author” (with “Jessica Fletcher”) of the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series.

Over the course of our many months of the monthly Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, Donald Bain’s Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series is one of the most recommended series you all have submitted. That’s saying a lot!

Who doesn’t know (and love!) Jessica Fletcher? She is the epitome of a Cozy Mystery sleuth. I actually used her as an example in my 2006 Cozy Mystery definitions.

The interview was quite insightful for me. I was surprised to see when he started writing Margaret Truman’s Capital Crimes Mystery Series, as well as how Mr. Bain feels about Jessica leaving Cabot Cove. (You’ll have to read the interview, no SPOILERS here!)

Please take a few minuted to read the Donald Bain interview. I think you’ll find it as informative as I do!

Click here for the Donald Bain Interview.

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