The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Mystery Book Recommendations – February 2014

So, is it spring yet? I’m looking out my window watching what looks like parent birds teaching their fledglings how to fly from one side of our yard to the other (we planted Red Tip bushes all along the periphery of our yard twenty years ago) and I’m also watching one of our more persistent squirrels chewing some of our oak tree’s buds. If those aren’t signs of springtime in Texas, I don’t know what is!

Down here in San Antonio we still can’t decide whether it’s winter or spring. Yesterday morning I took my walk in 60º weather, a few hours later is was 74º,  and they are predicting that tomorrow our high will be 50º! Good grief! It’s that time of year that pretty much dictates the necessity of checking the daily forecast in order to decide whether to wear a long sleeve shirt or not. (I know I sound totally spoiled by our beautiful weather, but there’s a price we have to pay for this mild winter/spring confusion. Remind me to talk about the weather during our summer and early fall/late spring!)

Back to Cozy Mystery books, which is what I actually was going to write about…

It’s that time of month when I ask you all to tell us about a Cozy Mystery book/author who you read during this month (February 2014) who you thought the rest of us absolutely, positively NEED to know about. Your recommendations should be Cozy Mystery books (that you read this month) that are, in your opinion, really, really, good reads. (Of course, if you were lucky enough to read several really good mystery books, then by all means, tell us about those books, also.) Please tell us why you are recommending the book(s). Your reasons for liking the book(s) are what get the rest of us enthused about reading it/them.

I’m going to start off by mentioning Conrad Allen. I was so excited about his Murder on the Lusitania that I couldn’t wait until now to tell you about it. So, rather that tell you all the very same things that I wrote about on February 9, I’m going to refer you to my entry: What I’m Reading Now >>> Conrad Allen is a New-to-Me Author Who I Just Added to My “Favorite Authors” List

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

[If you click on the author’s name (blue) link, it will take you to their page on the Cozy Mystery site. Their page has all of the author’s books listed chronologically.]

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during February 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:

Conrad Allen (aka Edward Marston & Keith Miles): Dillman Mystery Series

Jeffrey Archer: Clifton Chronicles Mystery Series (not Cozy)

Lucy Arlington (aka Jennifer Stanley & Sylvia May): Novel Idea Mystery Series

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

Cindy Blackburn: Cue Ball Mystery Series (book #1 Playing with Poison)

Rhys Bowen: Royal Spyness Mystery Series

Alan Bradley: Flavia de Luce Mystery Series

Duffy Brown: Consignment Shop Mystery Series

Leslie Budewitz: Food Lovers’ Village Mystery Series

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

Kate Collins: Flower Shop Mystery Series

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): County Cork Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Paws and Claws Mystery Series

Jana DeLeon: Miss Fortune Mystery Series

Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum Mystery Series

Monica Ferris: Needlecraft Mystery Series

Christy Fifield (aka Christy Evans): Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery Series

Joanna Fluke: Hannah Swensen Cookie Jar Mystery Series

Sally Goldenbaum: Seaside Knitters Mystery Series

John Grisham: Jake Brigance Mystery Series (not Cozy)

Carolyn Haines: Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery Series

Veronica Heley: Ellie Quick Mystery Series

Anna Lee Huber: Lady Darby Mystery Series (book #1 The Anatomist’s Wife)

Julie Hyzy: White House Chef Mystery Series

Miranda James (aka Honor Hartman, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James: Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series

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

Gypsy Rose Lee: The G-String Murders (Craig Rice, ghostwriter)

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

Meg London (aka Peg Cochran): Sweet Nothings Vintage Lingerie Mystery Series

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

Mark Schweizer: Liturgical Mystery Series

Ian Rankin: Inspector Rebus Mystery Series (not Cozy)

Sheri Cobb South: In Milady’s Chamber

Arthur Upfield: The Bachelors of Broken Hill

Roy Vickers: The Department of Dead Ends

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

Mary Kay Andrews Writing As Kathy Hogan Trocheck

I should start out by telling you that I actually remember back in the early 2000s, when I figured out that Kathy Hogan Trochek had finished writing her Callahan Garrity Mystery Series. I was bummed … royally bummed! I had come to look forward to spending time with Callahan, Edna (her mother), and the rest of the House Mouse company’s cleaning group.

I was given Strange Brew as a gift, when it was just published in 1997. Even though it was the sixth book in the mystery series, I decided to go ahead and read it. Sure, I don’t like to read my books out of sequence, but since it was a Halloween mystery and I had received the book during October, why not? (I can be flexible sometimes…)

After I finished Strange Brew, I quickly read Every Crooked Nanny, the first in the series. Hmmm… This Kathy Hogan Trocheck was equally good in her first mystery book. How neat was that? You know how sometimes a new author takes a few books to reach a really good level of writing? Not so with Trocheck, she started out really good, and just kept going!

By the time Trocheck’s seventh mystery came out in 1998, I was all caught up with Callahan, Edna, and the rest of the gang. I couldn’t wait to read about Callahan’s Christmas season in Midnight Clear.

Oh, oh… I had to wait two years for Trocheck’s eighth mystery, Irish Eyes, a St. Patrick’s Day mystery. Well, that’s OK. I can certainly wait two years for one of my favorite authors to release another mystery.

Hmmm… Then two more years passed, three years, doggone it, what’s going on here?

It was at this time that I finally found out what was going on. Kathy Hogan Trocheck was releasing her Weezie & Bebe Mystery Series as Mary Kay Andrews. (Andrews was also publishing non-mystery stand alones.) Trochek was finally back on my radar!

Imagine how happy I was to find that she is now writing more Callahan Garrity mysteries. Andrews/Trocheck has released three stories in the mystery series, and I am hoping she will be writing more book-length Callahan Garrity mysteries.

So I guess it just goes to show that sometimes you have to be a detective just to be able to follow your favorite Cozy Mystery authors!

Alice Duncan Has 20 Daisy Gumm Majesty Mysteries to Give Away

I thought I would make this “public” for all of you who may want to participate. On Thursday, February 20, I asked for help to identify an author for Tessa. It turns out that the author Tessa was looking for is Alice Duncan. Yesterday we heard from Alice Duncan with this great give-away she has going. I thought several of you might want to participate, so here is the information:

Alice Duncan:

Thanks for looking for my books! I’m giving the first one (Strong Spirits) in audio this month, if you’d like to enter my contest. I have about 20 copies to give to folks, so if you’re interested, just email me at alice@aliceduncan.net

Thanks!

Good luck!

Cozy Mystery: Mother Sleuth, Mooching Sons…

So, here is the third (and for the time being, final) question I received asking for help identifying an author. This one is from Donna B:

” … Over a year ago, I was in my grandmother’s assisted living facility and they have book racks there. I was browsing and found a great cozy mystery but I can’t remember the name of it or even the author. It was about a slightly older mom of two young adult mooching sons. I don’t remember if she has a job. She may have been a real estate agent. The two sons don’t treat her very well and I think she was divorced so she’s alone, which frees her up to solve mysteries. There’s nothing more frustrating than reading a few pages of a mystery and not being able to take it with you at the time and then you end up losing it! Of course the book was gone when I went in for my next visit…”

Hmmm, this one does not ring any bells for me. I’m hoping that one of you can help Donna B find the author for whom she is looking. If you think you might know who the author of this book is, please post a comment. Thank you!

P.S. #1  Janet thinks Donna B may be looking for:

Tierney McClelland: Schuyler Ridgway Mystery Series

P. S. #2  Donna B wrote this comment:

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that I looked up Heir Condition and my library system had it here in Western Mass.! The cover art and the story description seem familiar. I’ve ordered it and we’ll know shortly. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions!

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