The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Mystery Books Recommendations – January 2014

I am sorry, but I absolutely cannot believe that the first month in 2014 is coming to a close! It seems like it was just yesterday that we were all getting ready for Halloween yet, looking at my calendar, I can see that January is almost over.

So, being the end of January, it is the perfect time for me to ask you ALL if there is a Cozy Mystery book (or two, three, or even four!) that you read this past month, which you think the rest of us have absolutely, without a question, got to know about.  Also, would you tell us why you enjoyed that particular Cozy Mystery? (The reasons you like the book are what make the rest of us interested in your Cozy Mystery book recommendations.)

I am going to start with a Cozy Mystery book which I read this past month that made me add yet another author to my favorite authors list. The book I am talking about is by Mary V. Welk. I had been toying with the idea of reading her series for a while, but the thing that held me back was the fact that her last mystery was published in 2004. When I “try” authors, I prefer it if they are currently writing mysteries. (With all of the author cuts the publishers seemed to make a few years back, it has made me hesitant to start with an author I know is no longer writing. I prefer getting to know characters that have the possibility of continuing.)

When I saw that Mary V. Welk was again publishing her Rhodes to Murder Mystery Series (Criminal Mischief was published in October 2013) I decided to finally “try” her. Boy am I glad I did! (And boy, am I glad she’s publishing more Cozy Mysteries!) I usually don’t read Christmas theme mysteries after Christmas, but I decided that I would make this exception, since I had been wanting to read Welk’s books for a while.

I read Welk’s A Merry Little Murder (aka A Deadly Little Christmas), the first mystery in the Rhodes to Murder series. This series features Caroline Rhodes, a nurse who has relocated to a small Illinois college town so that she can be close to her son and daughter in law. Caroline has recently lost her husband, and is trying to start her life without him. It hasn’t been an easy road for her. Caroline befriends Professor Carl Atwater (or more accurately, he befriends her) and together they try to solve the mystery of a rather dangerous Christmas tree.

I enjoyed the setting of Welk’s A Merry Little Murder. The little college town is very Cozy, and of course, being Illinois at Christmas time, it was cold and snowy… exactly what I enjoy reading during our 70º winter days. Also, I liked Caroline. She is a flawed woman, but smart. She is a very believable “person”, a fleshed-out character for me. She is someone I could envision knowing and liking. Her relationships with both her son and daughter in law seem real to me. And the fact that she can have a male side-kick who is not a love interest nor a policeman/detective is an added bonus for me!

When I finished the mystery I felt like I was leaving Caroline and wanted to know what she would do next. She was that “real” to me.

[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 January 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:

Victoria Abbott (aka Jary Jane Maffini & Victoria Maffini): Book Collector’s Mystery Series

Robin Allen: Poppy Markham: Culinary Cop Mystery Series

Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow Mystery Series

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries Mystery Series

Anne Canadeo: Black Sheep Knitting Mystery Series

Laurie Cass: Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series

Bailey Cates (aka Cricket McRae): Magical Bakery Mystery Series

Joelle Charbonneau: Rebecca Robbins Mystery Series

Laura Childs: Tea Shop Mystery Series

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

Hy Conrad: Mr. Monk Mystery Series

Jana DeLeon: Miss Fortune Mystery Series

Elizabeth J. Duncan: Penny Brannigan Mystery Series

Jerrilyn Farmer: Madeline Bean Mystery Series

Barbara Graham: Quilted Mystery Series

Virginia Hamilton: Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Betty Hectman: Crochet Mystery Series

Joan Hess: Claire Malloy Mystery Series

Ellen Elizabeth Hunter: Magnolia Mystery Series

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

Carol Ann Martin: Weaving Mystery Series

Maggie Sefton: Molly Malone Mystery Series

Deborah Sharp: Mace Bauer Mystery Series

Livia J. Washburn: Fresh-Baked Mystery Series

Mary V. Welk: Rhodes to Murder Mystery Series

Christine Wenger: Do or Diner

Jacqueline Winspear: Maisie Dobbs Mystery Series

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

Sarcastic, Lazy, Young British Sleuth…

hammockA while back a Cozy Mystery reader posted a comment asking our help in identifying an author. Here is part of Sandy’s question:

I am desperate to find the title/author of a mystery I listened to 5+ years ago while packing one of our homes. (We have moved twice since then.) My brain wasn’t thinking straight enough to remember either the author or the name of the main character, but I am hoping someone here may know. I have searched the audio books in that library to no avail.

I remember the sleuth was a British young man who was sarcastic and lazy. He goes in the rich category, I think, but only because he had rich friends or relatives with whom he lived. I remember his name seemed ridiculous to me, and that is started with a W. I can’t even remember the plot, but I had that “cozy” feeling the whole way through and laughed and laughed.

I wonder if any of you can answer this identity question for Sandy. If you can, please post a comment. Thank you!

Alice Duncan, Barbara Graham, Dee Henderson, & Kate Parker : Four Mystery Author Additions to the Cozy Mystery Site

I know it has been less than a week since I added four new Mystery Authors to the Cozy Mystery site. I have actually surprised myself! (It usually takes me so long to get pages up for mystery author additions to the site.)

Alice Duncan: Daisy Gumm Majestic Mystery Series (Daisy is a séance and tarot psychc medium in 1920s California.)
Mercy Alcutt Mystery Series (Mercy is the owner of a rooming house in 1920s Hollywood.)
Annabelle Blue Mystery Series (Annabelle works at her family’s dry good store during in 1920s New Mexico.)

Barbara Graham: Quilted Mystery Series (Theo Abernathy is the owner of a quilting shop in Tennessee. Her husband Tony is the county’s sheriff.)

Dee Henderson: O’Malley Family Mystery Series (This Romantic Suspense series features a family of non-related adults who were abandoned as children. All six of the members have chosen professions that help other people. There’s a paramedic, a fireman, a child psychologist, and a hostage negotiator among them.)

Kate Parker: Victorian Bookshop Mystery Series (Georgia Fenchurch is the sleuth in this Victorian London mystery series. Georgia is a member of the secret “Archivist Society” and is an antiquarian bookseller.

Even More Television Mystery Movies for January 2014

I want to let you all know that I have found some more television mystery movies that will be airing this month. I am not going to add these to the January 2014 Upcoming Television Mystery Movies list since some of you have told me that you print the lists as soon as I publish them in order to make them handier for you to set up your DVRs, which would mean you wouldn’t see these additions.

I know that some of you don’t have access to the Hallmark Movie channel, I’m sorry about that. But for those of you who do, all of these movies will be shown on that channel. I have listed them in my time zone: Central. (As you can see, adaptations of Mary Higgins Clark’s mysteries make quite a few appearances this month on the Hallmark Movie channel.)

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

Saturday – January 25

12:00 PM
After All These Years – After celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, Audrey is stunned when her husband tells her he wants a divorce and is in love with another woman. As if things couldn’t get worse, Audrey awakens one night to discover her husband’s dead body and becomes the number one suspect in a murder investigation. With no one else to turn to, Audrey enlists herself as her own private investigator with a single mission—to solve the crime and clear her name. Based on the book by best-selling author Susan Isaacs. Stars Wendie Malick.

6:00 PM
Garage Sale Mystery – Jennifer loves scouring garage sales to look for items to sell in her resell shop, but when she realizes a series of burglaries and a friend’s murder may have a connection to the sales, she not only helps the cops, but does some undercover sleuthing of her own. Stars Lori Laughlin and Andrew Dunbar. (Based on Suzi Weinert’s Garage Sale Mystery Series.)

8:00 PM
My Gal Sunday – Based on the book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark, it centers on the wife/husband-May/December crime solving duo of Sunday and Henry Parker; he an ex-Vice President of the United States, she a legal aid lawyer – who met cute and fell head over heels in love on his last day in office via her Secret Service Agent Dad.

10:00 PM
My Gal Sunday – Based on the book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark, it centers on the wife/husband-May/December crime solving duo of Sunday and Henry Parker; he an ex-Vice President of the United States, she a legal aid lawyer – who met cute and fell head over heels in love on his last day in office via her Secret Service Agent Dad.

Sunday – January 26

12:00 AM
After All These Years – After celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, Audrey is stunned when her husband tells her he wants a divorce and is in love with another woman. As if things couldn’t get worse, Audrey awakens one night to discover her husband’s dead body and becomes the number one suspect in a murder investigation. With no one else to turn to, Audrey enlists herself as her own private investigator with a single mission—to solve the crime and clear her name. Based on the book by best-selling author Susan Isaacs. Stars Wendie Malick.

2:00 AM
Garage Sale Mystery – Jennifer loves scouring garage sales to look for items to sell in her resell shop, but when she realizes a series of burglaries and a friend’s murder may have a connection to the sales, she not only helps the cops, but does some undercover sleuthing of her own. Stars Lori Laughlin and Andrew Dunbar. (Based on Suzi Weinert’s Garage Sale Mystery Series.)

8:00 AM
My Gal Sunday – Based on the book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark, it centers on the wife/husband-May/December crime solving duo of Sunday and Henry Parker; he an ex-Vice President of the United States, she a legal aid lawyer – who met cute and fell head over heels in love on his last day in office via her Secret Service Agent Dad.

10:00 AM
The Mystery Cruise – Alvirah, Regan and their husbands join a murder mystery cruise in honor of Regan’s mom Nora’s new book. But, when Alvirah sees a real murder attempt, she and Regan must find a way to keep the intended victim safe while trying to find proof to expose the murderer. Meanwhile, the ladies husbands have a mystery to solve as well when they run into a counterfeiter and are also called upon to help solve a string of petty thefts. Stars Gail O’Grady and Michelle Harrison. (Based on a novel by Mary Higgins Clark  & Carol Higgins Clark.)

12:00 PM
My Gal Sunday – Based on the book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark, it centers on the wife/husband-May/December crime solving duo of Sunday and Henry Parker; he an ex-Vice President of the United States, she a legal aid lawyer – who met cute and fell head over heels in love on his last day in office via her Secret Service Agent Dad.

2:00 PM
Mary Higgins Clark: Pretend You Don’t See Her – When a young rising star on Manhattan’s high-powered and competitive real estate scene witnesses a murder, she is placed in a Federal Witness Protection Program and starts a new life in Minnesota. But that new life is put in danger when a professional hitman discovers her identity. Stars Emma Samms, Hannes Jaenicke and Beau Starr.

4:00 PM
Mary Higgins Clark: Sees You When You’re Sleeping – Mary Higgins Clark’s Christmas fantasy tells the tale of Sterling Brooks, a self-absorbed stock-broker who is killed in a freak accident. In order to secure a heavenly future, Sterling is given the chance to redeem himself by reuniting a family. Stars Cameron Bancroft and Erika Eleniak.

6:00 PM
Mary Higgins Clark: You Belong to Me – When several wealthy women are murdered after checking in at a variety of “lonely hearts” luxury hotels, Susan launches an investigation, with the help of fellow “radio shrink” Dr. Richards and millionaire Aidan Masters. The key to the mystery may well be a ménage à trois involving two women and one man, but by the time Susan gets to the truth, her own life is in jeopardy. Stars Lesley-Anne Down, Barclay Hope and Daniel Morgenroth.

8:00 PM
My Gal Sunday – Based on the book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark, it centers on the wife/husband-May/December crime solving duo of Sunday and Henry Parker; he an ex-Vice President of the United States, she a legal aid lawyer – who met cute and fell head over heels in love on his last day in office via her Secret Service Agent Dad.

10:00 PM
My Gal Sunday – Based on the book of short stories by Mary Higgins Clark, it centers on the wife/husband-May/December crime solving duo of Sunday and Henry Parker; he an ex-Vice President of the United States, she a legal aid lawyer – who met cute and fell head over heels in love on his last day in office via her Secret Service Agent Dad.

Monday – January 27

12:00 AM
The Mystery Cruise – Alvirah, Regan and their husbands join a murder mystery cruise in honor of Regan’s mom Nora’s new book. But, when Alvirah sees a real murder attempt, she and Regan must find a way to keep the intended victim safe while trying to find proof to expose the murderer. Meanwhile, the ladies husbands have a mystery to solve as well when they run into a counterfeiter and are also called upon to help solve a string of petty thefts. Stars Gail O’Grady and Michelle Harrison. (Based on a novel by Mary Higgins Clark  & Carol Higgins Clark.)

2:00 AM
Mary Higgins Clark: You Belong to Me – When several wealthy women are murdered after checking in at a variety of “lonely hearts” luxury hotels, Susan launches an investigation, with the help of fellow “radio shrink” Dr. Richards and millionaire Aidan Masters. The key to the mystery may well be a ménage à trois involving two women and one man, but by the time Susan gets to the truth, her own life is in jeopardy. Stars Lesley-Anne Down, Barclay Hope and Daniel Morgenroth.

8:00 AM
Mary Higgins Clark: Pretend You Don’t See Her – When a young rising star on Manhattan’s high-powered and competitive real estate scene witnesses a murder, she is placed in a Federal Witness Protection Program and starts a new life in Minnesota. But that new life is put in danger when a professional hitman discovers her identity. Stars Emma Samms, Hannes Jaenicke and Beau Starr.

10:00 AM
Mary Higgins Clark: Sees You When You’re Sleeping – Mary Higgins Clark’s Christmas fantasy tells the tale of Sterling Brooks, a self-absorbed stock-broker who is killed in a freak accident. In order to secure a heavenly future, Sterling is given the chance to redeem himself by reuniting a family. Stars Cameron Bancroft and Erika Eleniak.

12:00 PM
Mary Higgins Clark: Loves Music, Loves to Dance – Trendy magazines become a source of danger when a murderer uses the personal ads to lure his victims. After college, best friends Erin Kelley and Darcy Scott move to the city to pursue exciting careers; Erin is a promising jewelry designer, Darcy finds success as a decorator. On a lark, Darcy persuades Erin to help their TV producer friend research the kinds of people who place personal ads. It seems like innocent fun…until Erin disappears. Stars Dean McDermott and Patsy Kensit.

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

Here is the complete list of the January 2014 Upcoming Television Mystery Movies that I know about. If you know of any other mystery movies that are going to be airing this month, feel free to post a comment.

(All of the above descriptions were copied from the Hallmark Movie channel site. I hope they don’t change their line-up!)

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

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