Halloween Mystery Books being Released during October 2014!

September 4, 2014

So, what holiday-themed Cozy Mysteries can we be hoping to see coming up in October? Well, this probably doesn’t seem likely to surprise anyone, but we’ll be seeing more Halloween-themed upcoming in October than in just about any other month of the year! There are quite a few, so I’ll get right into it!

New Halloween Mysteries:

Juliet Blackwell (aka Hailey Lind) will be releasing A Haunting is Brewing. This will be a crossover novella between her two supernaturally-themed series, the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery Series and the Witchcraft Mystery Series. The Haunted Home series stars Mel Turner, historical home remodeller in San Francisco, also home to the heroine of the Witchcraft series, Lily Ivory, owner of a vintage clothing shop. Together the two will need to quiet the unruly spirits in one of Mel’s remodelling jobs so the building can serve as the perfect location for a Halloween party! (As Hailey Lind she writes the Art Lovers Mystery Series, starring former art forger Annie Kincaid.)

Laura Childs will be releasing Gossamer Ghost, which will be the 12th book in the Scrapbooking Mystery Series. Starring Carmela Bertrand, the Scrapbooking series revolves around Carmela’s New Orleans scrapbooking shop >>>and the many mysteries that have been brought through its doors by her customers! This time, Carmela will need to solve the murder of a neighboring antique dealer, complicated by the presence of the costumed attendees of New Orleans’s many Halloween-themed events. (Laura Childs also writes the very popular Tea Shop Mystery Series set in Charleston and the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series, starring a trio of divorced women.)

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell) will be releasing Picked to Die, the eighth book in her Orchard Mystery Series starring Meg Corey, owner of an apple orchard in scenic Granford, Massachusetts. When a relative of one of Meg’s former apple pickers is found dead behind the feed store, she knows she has to investigate to get to the bottom of the mystery! Strictly speaking this is a “harvest” themed novel, but when I think of harvest time, I generally think of October. However, perhaps it might fit under Thanksgiving a bit better… (Sheila Connolly also writes the Museum Mystery Series and County Cork Mystery Series under this name, as well as the Glassblowing Mystery Series under the name Sarah Atwell.)

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels) will be releasing the third book in the League of Literary Ladies Mystery Series, entitled The Legend of Sleeping Harlow. The series stars Bea Cartwright, owner of a bed and breakfast, Chandra Morrisey, a remarkable cat lover, and winery owner Kate Wilder. When the leader of a ghost hunting group is found dead and Kate turns out to be the leading suspect, the trio will once again need to solve a literature-related mystery! (Logan writes numerous other series, including the Button Box Mystery Series and the Chili Cook-Off Mystery Series under this name, as well as the Cooking Class Mystery Series as Miranda Bliss and the Pepper Martin Mystery Series as Casey Daniels.)

Finally, Livia J. Washburn will be releasing the ninth book in her Fresh-Baked Mystery Series, Trick or Deadly Treat. Starring baker and ex-school teacher Phyllis Newsom and her friend and fellow baker, Carolyn. As avid Cozy Mystery readers likely know, this series is mostly composed of holiday-themed mysteries >>> this will actually be the second Halloween murder Phyllis will need to deal with – hardly a common problem for most people, but she’s already been forced to sleuth on no fewer than three Christmases! This time, Phyllis’s detective skills will help keep the veterinarian of her newly adopted Dalmation, Buck. (Livia Washburn also writes the Literary Tour Mystery Series and the Lucas Hallam Mystery Series.)

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

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for September 2014

August 30, 2014

Here is the list of the mystery movies that I have been able to find for the month of September 2014. I have gone through the Turner Classic Movies channel, as well as the PBS Masterpiece Mystery shows, and the Hallmark Movie channel mystery movies. I hope there are a few that you enjoy!

As usual, if you know of any other mystery movie that will be airing during the month (September), please post a comment. We’d all love to know about it. Thank you!

September 2014 Turner Classic Movies Channel Mystery Movies (Central time zone):

Monday – September 1, 2014

3:00 PM
THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932)
A big game hunter decides to stalk human prey.
Dir: Ernest B. Schoedsack Cast: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong.
BW-63 mins, CC

9:30 PM
PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948)
An artist discovers his gift when he falls for a beautiful ghost.
Dir: William Dieterle Cast: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore.
C-86 mins, C

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

Wednesday – September 3, 2014

7:00 AM
ADAM’S RIB (1949)
Husband-and-wife lawyers argue opposite sides in a sensational women’s rights case.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday.
BW-101 mins, CC
*****I think this movie is terrific. How could it not be with Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, and Judy Holliday >>> not to mention George Cukor at the helm?

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

Thursday – September 4, 2014

3:30 PM
OBSESSION (1949)
A jealous husband plots to dispose of his wife’s lover in an acid bath.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Robert Newton, Sally Gray, Naunton Wayne.
BW-98 mins

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

Friday – September 5, 2014

12:30 PM
FRISCO JENNY (1932)
A district attorney prosecutes his own mother for murder.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Ruth Chatterton, Louis Calhern, Helen Jerome Eddy.
BW-71 mins, CC

5:45 PM
THOU SHALT NOT: SEX, SIN, AND CENSORSHIP IN PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD (2008)
This documentary looks at how the social, financial and moral forces all helped shape one of the most intriguing periods in Hollywood history.
C-68 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. I think this is the documentary I saw a few years ago (?) that was pretty interesting to me. They’re airing this again on Saturday, Sept. 20.*****

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

Saturday – September 6, 2014

5:00 AM
HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE (1965)
After marrying while drunk, a cartoonist puts his murderous fantasies into his work.
Dir: Richard Quine Cast: Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas.
C-119 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****I’m not sure if this is a mystery or a comedy.*****

4:45 PM
ROLLERCOASTER (1977)
A terrorist spreads a climate of fear by attacking amusement parks across the U.S.
Dir: James Goldstone Cast: George Segal, Richard Widmark, Timothy Bottoms.
C-118 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – September 7, 2014

1:45 AM
HOUSE OF WOMEN (1962)
A young woman is wrongly implicated in a crime and sent to prison for five years.
Dir: Walter Doniger Cast: Shirley Knight, Andrew Duggan, Constance Ford.
BW-85 mins, Letterbox Format

3:15 AM
CAGED (1950)
A young innocent fights to survive the harsh life in a women’s prison.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast: Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Ellen Corby.
BW-97 mins, CC

11:00 AM
SUSPICION (1941)
A wealthy wallflower suspects her penniless playboy husband of murder.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
BW-100 mins, CC

5:00 PM
THE THRILL OF IT ALL (1963)
A doctor tries to cope with his wife’s newfound stardom as an advertising pitch woman.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Doris Day, James Garner, Arlene Francis.
C-108 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. Doris Day and James Garner: How can you go wrong?

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

Tuesday – September 9, 2014

8:15 AM
THE MOUTHPIECE (1932)
A crusading DA goes into private practice and succumbs to the temptations of corruption.
Dir: James Flood Cast: Warren William, Sidney Fox, Aline MacMahon.
BW-86 mins

9:45 AM
HEAT LIGHTNING (1934)
A lady gas station attendant gets mixed up with escaped murderers.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, Preston Foster.
BW-64 mins

12:15 PM
KIND LADY (1935)
A con artist and his criminal colleagues move in on a trusting old lady.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Aline MacMahon, Basil Rathbone, Mary Carlisle.
BW-76 mins, CC

7:00 PM
THE STRANGER (1946)
A small-town schoolteacher suspects her new husband may be an escaped Nazi war criminal.
Dir: Orson Welles Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young, Orson Welles.
BW-95 mins, CC

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

Wednesday – September 10, 2014

1:00 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, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. William Shatner as Capt. Harrison Byers before he became Capt. James T. Kirk. What a cast!*****

5:00 AM
STRANGE ALIBI (1941)
An undercover cop finds himself on the wrong side of the law when the mob discovers his true identity.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale.
BW-63 mins

6:15 AM
THE GET-AWAY (1941)
A jailed cop befriends a mob chieftain and stages a breakout with him.
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast: Robert Sterling, Charles Winninger, Donna Reed.
BW-89 mins, CC

8:45 AM
I WAS FRAMED (1942)
A news man’s political investigations land him in prison.
Dir: D. Ross Lederman Cast: Michael Ames, Julie Bishop, Regis Toomey.
BW-62 mins

11:00 AM
THE BRIGHTON STRANGLER (1945)
An actor playing a notorious killer begins to live the part.
Dir: Max Nosseck Cast: John Loder, June Duprez, Michael St. Angel.
BW-67 mins

12:15 PM
THE HIDDEN EYE (1945)
Blind detective Duncan Maclaine uses his other senses to piece together confusing clues behind a murder.
Dir: Richard Whorf Cast: Edward Arnold, Frances Rafferty, Ray Collins.
BW-69 mins

1:30 PM
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

3:15 PM
FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949)
Police track a mysterious killer nicknamed “The Judge.”
Dir: Richard O. Fleischer Cast: William Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick, Jeff Corey.
BW-59 mins, CC

4:15 PM
STRANGE BARGAIN (1949)
A young bookkeeper is framed for his boss’s murder.
Dir: Will Price Cast: Martha Scott, Jeffrey Lynn, Henry Morgan.
BW-68 mins, CC

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

Thursday – September 11, 2014

6:45 AM
ARSENE LUPIN RETURNS (1938)
A reformed jewel thief helps detectives track down a criminal.
Dir: Geo. Fitzmaurice Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Virginia Bruce, Warren William.
BW-81 mins

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

Friday – September 12, 2014

10:15 AM
FOR THE DEFENSE (1930)
An attorney, who specializes in springing criminals out of prison, is faced with a moral dilemma when his girlfriend drunkenly kills a pedestrian with her car and another man takes the blame.
Dir: John Cromwell Cast: William Powell, Kay Francis, Scott Kolk.
BW-63 mins, CC

11:30 AM
UNION DEPOT (1932)
An out-of-luck con artist discovers a suitcase full of money at a train station.
Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee.
BW-67 mins

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

Saturday – September 13, 2014

1:30 AM
THE STORY OF TEMPLE DRAKE (1933)
A society girl gets mixed up with blackmail and murder after a vicious sexual assault.
Dir: Stephen Roberts Cast: Miriam Hopkins, William Gargan, Jack La Rue.
BW-71 mins, CC

11:15 PM
FRISCO JENNY (1932)
A district attorney prosecutes his own mother for murder.
Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Ruth Chatterton, Louis Calhern, Helen Jerome Eddy.
BW-71 mins, CC

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

Sunday – September 14, 2014

1:00 AM
MADHOUSE (1974)
A horror star’s attempted comeback is complicated by a string of murders.
Dir: James Clark Cast: Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry.
C-91 mins, Letterbox Format
*****This may be a bit “campy”, >>> I’m pretty sure I have it, but can’t remember. I like to watch Vincent Price movies during the Halloween season.*****

8:15 AM
SCARED TO DEATH (1947)
A beautiful murder victim recalls how she met her untimely end.
Dir: Christy Cabanne Cast: Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Nat Pendleton.
C-68 mins

9:45 AM
THE SMILING GHOST (1941)
A newswoman investigates a haunted house.
Dir: Lewis Seiler Cast: Wayne Morris, Brenda Marshall, Alexis Smith.
BW-71 mins, CC

7:00 PM
THE OLD MAID (1939)
An unmarried mother gives her illegitimate child to her cousin.
Dir: Edmund Goulding Cast: Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, George Brent.
BW-95 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. One of the Bette Davis/Miriam Hopkins movies I love to watch.*****

9:00 PM
OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943)
Two writers, friends since childhood, fight over their books and lives.
Dir: Vincent Sherman Cast: Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, Gig Young.
BW-110 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. Another treat with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins.*****

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

Monday – September 15, 2014

1:45 PM
GALLANT SONS (1940)
When a man is charged with murder, his son’s schoolboy friends set out to solve the case.
Dir: William Ryan Cast: Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Gene Reynolds.
BW-76 mins

7:00 PM
PRIVATE SCREENINGS: LAUREN BACALL (2005)
Lauren Bacall discusses her life and career with host Robert Osborne.
C-50 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****

10:00 PM
THE BIG SLEEP (1946)
Private eye Philip Marlowe investigates a society girl’s involvement in the murder of a pornographer.
Dir: Howard Hawks Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely.
BW-114 mins, CC

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

Tuesday – September 16, 2014

1:45 am
PRIVATE SCREENINGS: LAUREN BACALL (2005)
Lauren Bacall discusses her life and career with host Robert Osborne.
C-50 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****

2:45 AM
HARPER (1966)
A broken-down private eye sets out to find a rich woman’s missing husband.
Dir: Jack Smight Cast: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris.
C-121 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

9:00 AM
DARK PASSAGE (1947)
A man falsely accused of his wife’s murder escapes to search for the real killer.
Dir: Delmer Daves Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bruce Bennett.
BW-106 mins, CC

5:00 PM
DESIGNING WOMAN (1957)
A sportswriter and a fashion designer have a lot of adjusting to do when they marry in haste.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Gregory Peck, Lauren Bacall, Dolores Gray.
C-118 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall!

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

Wednesday – September 17, 2014

10:30 AM
THE BLUE GARDENIA (1953)
A telephone operator kills in self-defense but can’t remember the details of the encounter.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Anne Baxter, Richard Conte, Ann Sothern.
BW-88 mins, CC

1:30 PM
POSTMARK FOR DANGER (1955)
When a journalist dies, his brother takes up his investigation of a smuggling ring.
Dir: Guy Green Cast: Terry Moore, Robert Beatty, William Sylvester.
BW-78 mins, Letterbox Format

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

Thursday – September 18, 2014

12:30 AM
FAST COMPANY (1938)
Married book-dealers Joel and Gerda Sloane try to clear a friend in the murder of a rival book-seller .
Dir: Edward Buzzell Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Florence Rice, Claire Dodd.
BW-75 mins

3:45 AM
DANGEROUS CORNER (1935)
Friends uncover a dark secret when they compare notes about a theft and suicide.
Dir: Phil Rosen Cast: Virginia Bruce, Conrad Nagel, Melvyn Douglas.
BW-66 mins

6:15 AM
TELL NO TALES (1939)
In search of a big scoop for his failing paper, an editor tries to solve a kidnapping case that’s turned into murder.
Dir: Leslie Fenton Cast: Melvyn Douglas, Louise Platt, Gene Lockhart.
BW-69 mins

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

Saturday – September 20, 2014

1:15 AM
THOU SHALT NOT: SEX, SIN, AND CENSORSHIP IN PRE-CODE HOLLYWOOD (2008)
This documentary looks at how the social, financial and moral forces all helped shape one of the most intriguing periods in Hollywood history.
C-68 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. I think this is the documentary I saw a few years ago (?) that was pretty interesting to me. They aired this on Friday, Sept. 5.*****

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

Monday – September 22, 2014

10:45 AM
JEZEBEL (1938)
A tempestuous Southern belle’s willfulness threatens to destroy all who care for her.
Dir: William Wyler Cast: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent.
BW-104 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. Bette Davis at her best!*****

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

Tuesday – September 23, 2014

2:15 PM
JUDGE HARDY’S CHILDREN (1938)
A small-town judge’s Washington trip lands his son in hot water with a diplomat’s daughter.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker.
BW-77 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. I had never sat through an Andy Hardy movie before, but after watching the Nancy Drew movies last month, I watched a few that I had DVR-ed. I wanted to watch some more good, old, black and white family-fare movies. I truly enjoyed them. Now I look forward to the Andy Hardy movies!*****

3:45 PM
THE HARDYS RIDE HIGH (1939)
A small-town family inherits a fortune but has trouble adjusting to society life.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker.
BW-81 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****

5:15 PM
LOVE LAUGHS AT ANDY HARDY (1946)
A small-town boy returns to college after the war only to find his sweetheart engaged to another.
Dir: Willis Goldbeck Cast: Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Sara Haden.
BW-93 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery.*****

11:15 PM
CROSSFIRE (1947)
A crusading district attorney investigates the murder of a Jewish man.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan.
BW-86 mins, CC

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

Thursday – September 25, 2014

11:15 AM
LADY OF VENGEANCE (1957)
When he hires a killer to avenge an innocent girl’s death, a man gets caught up in a string of killings.
Dir: Burt Balaban Cast: Dennis O’Keefe, Ann Sears, Anton Differing.
BW-75 mins

12:45 PM
COVER-UP (1949)
An insurance investigator smells something wrong when he looks into a small-town suicide.
Dir: Alfred E. Green Cast: William Bendix, Dennis O’Keefe, Barbara Britton.
BW-82 mins

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

Friday – September 26, 2014

10:15 PM
PENTHOUSE (1933)
The mob frames a lawyer for murder, so he enlists a call girl’s help in finding the real killer.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke Cast: Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Charles Butterworth.
BW-89 mins

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

Saturday – September 27, 2014

2:30 PM
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)
A man’s joking suggestion that he and a chance acquaintance trade murders turns deadly.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, Robert Walker.
BW-101 mins, CC

4:30 PM
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
An advertising man is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason.
C-136 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

7:00 PM
LAURA (1944)
A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he’s investigating.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb.
BW-88 mins, CC

11:00 PM
AUNTIE MAME (1958)
An eccentric heiress raises her nephew to be a free spirit.
Dir: Morton DaCosta Cast: Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne.
C-143 mins, CC, Letterbox Format
*****Not a mystery. Delightful movie.*****

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

Sunday – September 28, 2014

5:00 PM
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
A newspaperman tracks a runaway heiress on a madcap cross-country tour.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly.
BW-105 mins, CC
*****Not a mystery. Delightful movie.*****

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

Monday – September 29, 2014

4:45 PM
PHANTOM KILLER (1942)
A district attorney investigates a crook who seems to be in two places at the same time.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury, John Hamilton.
BW-61 mins

6:00 PM
THE MYSTERY OF THE 13TH GUEST (1943)
An heiress experiences a variety of strange goings on when she goes to collect her inheritance.
Dir: William Beaudine Cast: Helen Parrish, Dick Purcell, Tim Ryan.
BW-61 mins

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

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

PBS Masterpiece Mystery! (Central time zone)

Sundays – August 24 to Sundays -September 7, 2014

8:00 PM
BREATHLESS
This is a “medical drama” set in 1960s London.

*****

Sunday – September 21 & Sunday – September 28, 2014

8:00 PM
MISS MARPLE
Agatha Christie‘s Miss Marple returns in three mysteries: A Caribbean Mystery, Greenshaw’s Folly and Endless Night. (Since this is only slated for two nights, I’m not sure if they will be consolidating the novels, or if two of them will only run one hour.)

*****

Sundays – October 5 to Sundays – October 19, 2014

8:00 PM
INSPECTOR LEWIS: Season 7
Inspector Lewis nad his sidekick, Hathaway will be returning. Remember that at the end of last season, Lewis was retiring, and Hathaway was working on being promoted to Inspector. (Based on Colin Dexter‘s Inspector Morse mysteries.)

*****

Sundays – October 26 to Sundays – November 2, 2014

8:00 PM
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY
Remember when I told you that P.D. James had ventured into a Jane Austen novel? Well this will bring that novel to life. Elizabeth and Darcy will be holding a ball at Pemberley, and what do you suppose happens?

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

Here are the mystery shows I found on the Hallmark Movie channel:

Hallmark Movie Channel (Central Time Zone)

Sunday – August 31, 2014

10:00 AM
Murder, She Wrote marathon begins.

Monday – September 01, 2014

2:00 AM
Murder, She Wrote marathon ends.

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

Wednesday September 3, 2014

08:00 AM
Dear Prudence – Prudence Macintyre is a humorous Martha Stewart-like advice columnist and TV personality, who escapes on a much needed vacation from her work-driven life. While on her vacation, she finds herself embroiled in solving a murder mystery by using her own quick wit and good housekeeping tips. Stars Jane Seymour and Jamey Sheridan.

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

Friday September 5, 2014

10:00 AM
After All These Years – When a woman is wrongly accused of the death of her ex-husband, she sets out to solve the murder mystery and find the real killer before the day of the funeral, when she is to be taken into custody. Based on the book by best-selling author Susan Isaacs. Stars Wendie Malick Gregory Harrison.

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

Sunday September 7, 2014

10:00 AM
Perry Mason marathon begins.

Monday September 8, 2014

4:00 AM
Perry Mason marathon ends.

08:00 AM
Recipe For Murder – Fed up with the system, Murray Maguire, Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York, decides to personally investigate the death of his goddaughter. Stars Gary Basaraba.

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

Thursday September 11, 2014

10:00 AM
My Gal Sunday – A newlywed couple must prove their crime-solving prowess when their politically-tied parents are taken hostage by a vengeful kidnapper looking for justice for the wrongful murder conviction of his brother. Based on the book by Mary Higgins Clark. Stars Jack Wagner, Cameron Mathison and Rachel Blanchard.

06:00 PM
My Gal Sunday – A newlywed couple must prove their crime-solving prowess when their politically-tied parents are taken hostage by a vengeful kidnapper looking for justice for the wrongful murder conviction of his brother. Based on the book by Mary Higgins Clark. Stars Jack Wagner, Cameron Mathison and Rachel Blanchard.

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

Sunday September 14, 2014

10:00 AM
Matlock marthon begins.

Monday September 15, 2014

2:00 AM
Matlock marathon ends.

(The Hallmark Movie channel guide currently ends to Sept. 20, so I am not able to check beyond that date for any more mystery movies.)

(All of the above Hallmark Movie channel descriptions were copied from the Hallmark Movie channel site.)

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

If you know of any other mystery movies that are going to be aired on television during September 2014, please post a comment.

If you would like to see more Television and Movies ideas, click on this link.

Mystery Book Recommendations – August 2014

August 27, 2014

This past month I have sort of been off my Cozy Mystery reading pattern. I have read a few Cozy Mystery books, but I also have taken a little break from Cozies, and have filled my reading time with three non-mystery books. I am currently reading an Ann Rule true crime novel, which I am enjoying a lot. I used to read her true crime novels quite frequently, but for some reason, I sort of forgot about them until this month. (I won’t be adding her to the Cozy Mystery recommendations, since she obviously isn’t a Cozy Mystery author.)

Another non Cozy Mystery book I have been reading this month is Katherine Hepburn’s Me. Being an old Hollywood movie fan, it’s been fun to hear about how things were back when they were making my favorite black and white movies. (I won’t be adding this book to the Cozy Mystery recommendations list, either!) I go back and forth between Ann Rule’s true crime and Hepburn’s autobiography, and let me tell you, they are truly different from each other!

Please tell us about a Cozy Mystery series (or a few!) that you read this past month and want the rest of us to know about, in case we don’t already. And, please tell us why. These should only be the Cozy Mysteries that you think stood out as being even better than the other Cozies you read during the month.

[As usual, I ask that you don’t tell us about the mystery books you read that you didn’t like.]

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during August 2014, and why did you enjoy it (or him/her)?

Here are the current recommended authors who some of you have read this past month:

Avery Aames (aka Daryl Wood Gerber): Cheese Shop Mystery Series

Allyson K. Abbott (aka Annelise Ryan & Beth Amos): Mack’s Bar Mystery Series

Ellery Adams (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Book Retreat Mystery Series

Esri Allbritten: Tripping Magazine Mystery Series (Chihuahua of the Baskervilles book #1)

Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series

M.C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Agatha Raisin Mystery Series

Jessica Beck (aka Elizabeth Bright, Casey Mayes, Melissa Glazer, Chris Cavender, Tim Myers, & D.B. Morgan): Donut Shop Mystery Series

Laurien Berenson: Melanie Travis Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Royal Spyness Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy Mystery Series

Ali Brandon (aka Diane A.S. Stuckart: Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series

John Bude: The Cornish Coast Mystery

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib): Key West Food Critic Mystery Series

Lynn Cahoon: Tourist Trap Mystery Series

Blaize Clement: Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series

V.C. Clinton-Baddeley: Only a Matter of Time

Nancy Coco (aka Nancy Parra): Candy-Coated Mystery Series

J.J. Cook (aka Joyce and Jim Lavene & Ellie Grant): Biscuit Bowl Food Truck Mystery Series

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

Gina Cresse: Kate Cimaglia Mystery Series (Sinfandel is book #1)

Jessie Crockett: Sugar Grove Mystery Series

Mary Daheim: Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast Mystery Series

Jeanne M. Dams: Dorothy Martin Mystery Series

Hannah Dennison: Honeychurch Hall Mystery Series

Anne George: Southern Sisters Mystery Series

Dorothy Gilman: Mrs. Pollifax Mystery Series

Elly Griffiths: Ruth Galloway Mystery Series (The Crossing Places is book #1)

Victoria Hamilton (aka Amanda Cooper & Donna Lea Simpson): Merry Muffin Mystery Series

Carolyn Hart: Death On Demand Mystery Series

Lee Hollis: Hailey Powell Food & Cocktail Mystery Series

J.A. Jance: Ali Reynolds Mystery Series

Annie Knox (Wendy Lynn Watson): Pet Boutique Mystery Series

Viginia Lowell: Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery Series

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig): Sarah Kelling & Max Bittersohn Mystery Series

Ada Madison (aka Margaret Grace & Camille Minichino): Sophie Knowles Mystery Series

Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott Mystery Series

Alyssa Maxwell: Gilded Newport Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series

Ruth Moose: Beth McKenzie Mystery Series (Doing it at the Dixie Dew is book #1)

Liz Mugavero: Pawsitively Organic Mystery Series

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Anne Perry: Thomas & Charlotte Pitt Mystery Series

Sara Rosett: Ellie Avery Mystery Series

Mark Schweizer: Liturgical Mystery Series

Heather Webber (aka Heather Blake): Lucy Valentine 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.]

♦To access more Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, click on this link♦

P.S. While I try to respond to all of the comments that are made on the Cozy Mystery blog, I generally don’t respond to the comments on these monthly recommendation entries. I do, however, list the recommended books that come via the Cozy Mystery blog’s comments!

Ruth Rendell: From Doon with Death, Reginald Wexford, Revisited

August 24, 2014

Once again I’ve decided to go on a trip down memory lane, this time to revisit another favorite of mine, this time one who doesn’t quite fit into the “Cozy” mold as easily as the majority of my most beloved authors – Ruth Rendell. I’ve just finished re-reading From Doon with Death, and I’m pleased to realize that I love it as much now as when I first read it.

Ruth Rendell is one of those authors I sometimes have difficulty calling “Cozy.” There are a lot of elements to Rendell’s novels that don’t exactly fit into the “Cozy” mold as neatly as someone like Ngaio Marsh or Agatha Christie. Certainly her Inspector Wexford isn’t the typical Cozy sleuth – he’s a police inspector through and through, not an amateur who just happens to stumble into murder time and time again. Rendell even makes it a point to describe him as fitting into the mold the average person would imagine if asked to think of a police chief, at least by the standards of the day.

All that said, From Doon with Death is perhaps the Coziest of her novels that I can recall, and serves to show why I ultimately think her Inspector Wexford books can usually be considered… well, if not Cozy, at least somewhat Cozy-adjacent. The murder itself is quick, off-screen, and relatively painlessly conducted, while the backdrop of Kingsmarkham, England, feels very much like the comfortable Cozy settings we’re all familiar with. Old relationships are unearthed between most of the members of the cast of suspects, most of whom had made some attempt to distance themselves from the unfortunately departed.

That said, there are also elements present, even in From Doon with Death, that may certainly put off many Cozy-minded readers. However, these elements have mellowed somewhat with age, and what must have been considered ground-breaking at the time is no longer such a shock.

(As a side note, Rendell’s stand alone novels and the books she has written under the pseudonym Barbara Vine tend to veer a lot further from the standard Cozy mold, though like the Inspector Wexford series they are also very good books.)

If you’re interested in reading more of these brief revisits of some of the more popular Cozy Mystery Series that I’ve written in the past, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

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