The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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Mystery Book Recommendations – May 2014

I really don’t know where this month has gone! I know I have said this before, but it feels as if time goes faster as we get older. I remember back to my school days when it seemed like time stood still! Being the end of the month, it’s time for me to ask you for your monthly Cozy Mystery book recommendations.

Please tell us about a Cozy Mystery book (or two, or three…) that you read during May of 2014 which you think was so good, it would be a shame if the rest of us didn’t know about it. Also, please tell us why you think this particular Cozy Mystery is so good. Your reasons may strike a chord with us! Who knows, we may read your comment, and decide we also would enjoy that particular book/author.

[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 May 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:

Annie Adams: Cozy Flower Shop Mystery Series (The Final Arrangement is book #1)

Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Mystery Series

Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Mystery Series

Catherine Bailey: The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret

M.C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series

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

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): Good Buy Girls Mystery Series

Melissa Bourbon (aka Melissa Bourbon Ramirez & Misa Ramirez): Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series

Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey): Amish Mystery Series

Duffy Brown: Consignment Shop Mystery Series

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

Lynn Cahoon: Tourist Trap Mystery Series

Dorothy Cannell: Florence Norris Mystery Series

Agatha Christie: Miss Marple Mystery Series

Edie Claire: Leigh Koslow Mystery Series

Sandra Carey Cody: Jennie Connors Mystery Series (Put Out the Light, book #1)

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series

Lesley Cookman: Libby Serjeant Mystery Series

Jana DeLeon: Miss Fortune Mystery Series

Leighann Dobbs: Mystery Notch Cozy Mystery Series (Ghostly Paws, book #1)

Elizabeth Duncan: Penny Brannigan Mystery Series

Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series

Monica Ferris: Needlecraft Mystery Series

“Jessica Fletcher” & Donald Bain: Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series

Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen Cookie Jar Mystery Series

Andrea Frazer: Falconer Files Mystery Series (Death of an Old Git, book #1)

Rosie Genova: Italian Kitchen Mystery Series

Sally Goldenbaum: Seaside Knitters Mystery Series

Kerry Greenwood: Phrynne Fisher Mystery Series

Victoria Hamilton (aka Amanda Cooper): Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series

Mary Ellen Hughes: Pickled and Preserved Mystery Series

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

Sue Ann Jaffarian: Odelia Grey Mystery Series

Sue Ann Jaffarian: Ghost of Granny Apple Mystery Series

Tracy Kiely: Elizabeth Parker Mystery Series

Victoria Laurie: Psychic Eye Mystery Series

Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Renaissance Faire Mystery Series

Lizbeth Lipperman (aka Liz Lipperman & Liz Roth): Dead Sister Talking Mystery Series

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Chili Cook-Off Mystery Series

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): League of Literary Ladies Mystery Series

Karen MacInerney: Gray Whale Inn Mystery Series

Alyssa Maxwell: Gilded Newport Mystery Series

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

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Hat Shop Mystery Series

Amy Metz: Goose Pimple Junction Mystery Series

Laura Morrigan: Call of the Wilde Mystery Series

Kathryn O’Sullivan: Colleen McCabe Mystery Series (Foal Play is book #1)

Nancy J. Parra (aka Nancy Coco): Baker’s Treat Mystery Series

Deanna Raybourn: Lady Julia Grey Mystery Series

Ruth Rendell (aka Barbara Vine): Inspector Wexford Mystery Series  (Police Procedural)

Peter Robinson: Inspector Banks Mystery Series (Police Procedural)

Barbara Ross: Maine Clambake Mystery Series

Dorothy L. Sayer: Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery Series

Connie Shelton: Samantha Sweet Mystery Series

Joanna Campbell Slan: Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery Series

Dorothy St. James: White House Gardener Mystery Series

Charles Todd: Bess Crawford Mystery Series

Elaine Viets: Mystery Shopper Mystery Series

Livia J. Washburn: Fresh-Baked 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!

I’m Back Home in San Antonio…

I meant to tell you in my Memorial Day greeting that I got home last week. We wanted to get back in time for our daughter to come home over the Memorial Day weekend. Once she moves to New Orleans, we won’t be able to see her very often.

There were several changes in my mother’s care while I was there. One of the three ladies who comes in to spend time with her has been moved to another “client”. That is great for the two caregivers who didn’t get along, but in the long run, my mother (the “client”) is the one who loses out. (Can you tell I’m not very happy about this change?) She was pretty used to two of her three “ladies” >>> since they had been with her for about a year. Unfortunately, jealousy has a bad way of appearing when and where you would least expect it!

As I mentioned in one of my comments last week, we joined my younger brother while he bought a new truck. I’m glad I was able to spend the time with him. Lately, when I visit my mother, I spend the entire time with her, so it was especially nice to spend a few hours with my brother.

The weather was absolutely beautiful. Very déjà vu-ish for me… Took me back to when I taught school out there, before I moved with my husband.

2013 Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Novel (Mystery)

OK, I have to say, I absolutely love it when established mystery authors write children’s mysteries. I love it! By “established” I mean that they are already known for mystery books that adults enjoy. Katherine Hall Page wrote the Christie & Company Mystery Series for 5th to 8th graders, James Patterson writes the Middle School Series (as well as three other series for teens), John Grisham writes the (for young adults) Theodore Boone Mystery Series, Harlan Coben writes the young adult Mickey Bolitar Mystery Series, Peter Abrahams (aka Spencer Quinn) writes the Echo Falls Mystery Series, Carl Hiaasen‘s funny children’s books all take place in Florida, Penny Warner writes the Code Busters Club Mystery Series, Chris Grabenstein has written several award winning mysteries for children 9-12, and just a few weeks ago I found out that Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan) writes the Andi Boggs Mystery Series.

Who knew?!?

Whenever I post the winners/nominees for different mystery awards, I become aware of more and more “established” authors who are now writing mysteries for children and young adults. I think that’s terrific! So, here are two mystery series for children that are written by two of our Cozy Mystery authors. Both of them have been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Award for Best Children/Young Adult Novels:

writes the Code Busters Club Mystery Series. The Code Busters Club is made up by Cody, Luke, Quinn, and M.E. >>> all are children who enjoy using different types of codes like Morse Code, American Sign Language, and Consonant Code. These four have a private club with all sorts of passwords. They use different types of codes to help them solve mysteries.These books actually involve the reader, having him/her work out different codes throughout the mystery books. All three mystery books in the Code Busters Club Mystery Series have been nominated for the Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Novel for 2011, 2012, and 2013. (for ages 9-12)

 Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan) writes the Andi Boggs Mystery Series. Andi (Andora) Boggs is a twelve year old girl with a passion for all-things-science. After the death of her parents, Andi and her teen sister move in with their aunt, who isn’t much older than they are (in her 20s). “Andi Unexpected” is the first novel in the Andi Boggs series, and it was nominated for the 2013 Agatha Award Best Children/Young Adult Novel. (for ages 9-12)

(I posted part of this entry a little while back on Facebook, and my husband asked me why I didn’t actually write an entire entry about this for the Cozy Mystery site, since he knows how much I love that these authors are writing mysteries for children. I then took it off of Facebook, and finished the entry, and finally posted it here.)

If you’d like to take a look at more children’s books that have been nominated/won the Agatha Award: Best Children/Young Adult Novel, click here.

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