The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

One Deserted Island, Two Authors, Lots of Series, Lots of Pseudonyms…

October 8, 2013

So, while on our trip up to Colorado Springs, my husband and I had a lot of time to talk while driving the 1,800 miles (including there and back again). Some of the time we talked about books, authors, series, those types of things, sort of like when our children were small and we would play “What am I?” types of games.

Let me say, before I pose the following question we talked about, that I am utterly spoiled by my Kindle. Taking all sorts of mysteries, a whole lot of authors, and even games in one tiny, little “book” is incredible. But, my husband posed this question to me:

You’re on a deserted island, you don’t have a Kindle (or Nook, ETC), you have only two authors’ books, who would those two authors be?

Of course, my first question was: Is each of the authors a single-name author, or can I lump all of that authors’ pseudonyms and series into that authors’ books? So, here is the revision of this question:

You’re on a deserted island, you don’t have a Kindle, Nook, or any other library-type of reader, you have only two authors (each author is allowed all of his/her pseudonyms and/or series), who would those two authors be?

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

I went through all of the authors who you all said you would want to take with you to a deserted island. Here is the list:

Susan Wittig Albert

Donna Andrews

Amanda Ashley (aka Madeline Baker)

Jane Austen

Donald Bain (aka Jessica Fletcher)

M.C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney)

E.F. Benson

Lilian Jackson Braun

Emily Brightwell

Kathleen Brooks

John Dickson Carr

Laura Childs

Agatha Christie

Philip R. Craig

Clive Cussler

Mary Daheim

Charles Dickens

Michael Dibdin

Doris Miles Disney

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Joanne Fluke

Diana Gabaldon

Sue Grafton

Kerry Greenwood

John Grisham

Carolyn Hart

Peggy L. Henderson

Georgette Heyer

Reginald Hill (aka Patrick Ruell)

J.A. Jance

Harry Kemelman

Mercedes Lackey

Mary Lasswell

Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J. J. Cook & Ellie Grant

Donna Leon

Barbara Mertz (aka Barbara Michaels & Elizabeth Peters)

Louise Penny

Ellis Peters

Terry Prachett

Nora Roberts (aka J.D. Robb)

J.K. Rowling

Dell Shannon (aka Lesley Egan & Elizabeth Linington)

Alexander McCall Smith

Rex Stout

Denise Swanson

Elaine Viets

Patricia Wentworth

P.G. Wodehouse

I hope I didn’t miss anyone!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Back in Texas

October 5, 2013

I just thought I would post a quick entry to say that I’m back home. Our trip out to Colorado Springs was particularly nice since I was able to meet all three of my mother’s care-givers. Each has her own particular strength. As examples, one of them enjoys taking my mother out and about, while another is particularly nurturing.

Even though it is easier to visit because I know she is well-taken care of 24/7, it’s still difficult to see her after having been away for several months. Unfortunately, there have been many changes. I remember my mom as a vibrant, active, social , life-of-the-party type of gal.

I feel a tremendous guilt when I leave her. I have asked her many times if she would please move to San Antonio, but Colorado is her home.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

46 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

November 2013 Mystery Book New Releases

October 1, 2013

The following Mystery Books will be released in November 2013:

David Baldacci: King and Maxwell (This will be the 6th in the Maxwell & King Mystery Series.)

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber): A Potion to Die For (This will be the 1st in the NEW Magic Potion Mystery Series.)

Helen Bran: Silent Night (a Robert B. Parker Spenser holiday novel)

Ali Brandon (aka Diane A.S. Stuckart): Words with Fiends (This will be the 3rd in the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series.)

Anne Canadeo (aka Katherine Spencer): Thomas Kinkade’s Cape Light: Songs of Christmas (not a mystery)

Bailey Cates (aka Cricket McRae): Charms and Chocolate Chips (This will be the 3rd in the Magical Bakery Mystery Series.)

Chris Cavender (aka Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, Casey Mayes, Jessica Beck, & Tim Myers): The Missing Dough (This will be the 6th in the Pizza Mystery Series.)

Nancy Coco (aka Nancy J. Parra): All Fudged Up (This will be the 1st in the NEW Candy-Coated Mystery Series.)

Susan Rogers Cooper: Gone in a Flash (This will be the 11th of the E. J. Pugh Mystery Series.)

E. J. Copperman (aka Jeffrey Cohen): The Thrill of the Haunt (This will be the 5th in the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery Series.)

Patricia Cornwell: Dust (This will be the 21st in the Scarpetta Mystery Series.)

Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler: Poseidon’s Arrow (This will be the 22nd in the Dirk Pitt Mystery Series.)

Kate Ellis: The Shadow Collector (This will be the 17th in the Wesley Peterson Mystery Series.)

Janet Evanovich: Takedown Twenty (This will be the 20th in the Stephanie Plum Mystery Series.)

Mary Anna Evans: Rituals (This will be the 8th in the Faye Longchamp Mystery Series.)

Charles Finch: An Old Betrayal (This will be the 8th in the Charles Lenox Mystery Series.)

Beth Groundwater: A Basket of Trouble (This will be the 3rd in the Claire Hanover, Gift Basket Designer Mystery Series.)

Victoria Hamilton: Freezer I’ll Shoot (This will be the 3rd in the Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series.)

Betty Hechtman: For Better or Worsted (This will be the 8th in the Crochet Mystery Series.)

Kay Hooper: Hostage (This will be the 5th in the Bishop Special Crime Units Mystery Series.)

J. A. Jance: Deadly Stakes (This will be the 8th in the Alison Reynolds Mystery Series.)

Mary Lou Kirwin: Death Overdue (This will be the 2nd in the Librarian Mystery Series.)

Joyce and Jim Lavene: Perilous Pranks (This will be a Renaissance Faire Novella.)

Joyce and Jim Lavene: Murderous Matrimony (This will be the 6th in the Renaissance Faire Mystery Series.)

Ada Madison (aka Camille Minichino & Margaret Grace): The Quotient of Murder (This will be the 4th in the Sophie Knowles Mystery Series.) (This is a winter break/intersession mystery theme.)

Jenn McKinlay (aka Josie Belle & Lucy Lawrence): Read It and Weep (This will be the 4th in the Library Lover’s Mystery Series.)

Catriona McPherson: Dandy Gilver and the Bothersome Number of Corpses (This will be the 7th in the Dandy Gilver Mystery Series.) (This is the USA release.)

James Patterson: Cross My Heart (This will be the 21st in the Alex Cross Mystery Series.)

R. T. Raichev: The Riddle of Sphinx Island (This will be the 8th in the Antonia Darcy & Major Payne Country House Mystery Series.)

Ruth Rendell (aka Barbara Vine): No Man’s Nightingale (This will be the 25th in the Inspector Wexford Mystery Series.)

Diane Setterfield: Bellman & Black (This will be a Stand Alone Mystery.)

Sarah R. Shaber: Louise’s Dilemma (This will be the 3rd in the Louise Pearlie Mystery Series.)

Alexander McCall Smith: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (This will be the 14th in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Mystery Series.)

Julia Spencer-Fleming: Through the Evil Days (This will be the 8th in the Clare Fergusson & Russ Van Alstyne Mystery Series.)

Aimée & David Thurlo: Ghost Medicine (This will be the 17th in the Ella Clah Mystery Series.)

Rebecca Tope: The Ambleside Alibi (This will be the 2nd in the Lake District Mystery Series.)

Elaine Viets: Fixing to Die (This will be the 9th in the Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper Mystery Series.)

Penny Warner: The Mystery of the Pirate’s Treasure (This will be the 3rd in the Code Busters Club Mystery Series for children.)

Livia J. Washburn: The Fatal Funnel Cake (This will be the 8th in the Fresh-Baked Mystery Series.)

To go back to the Cozy Mystery New Book Release page, click here.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

45 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for October 2013

September 29, 2013

Here are the mystery movies I was able to glean from TCM’s Now Playing for October 2013. (TCM stands for the Turner Classic Movie channel.) I didn’t list all of the Halloween-type movies they will be airing, but if you’re interested in the likes of Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and/or Christopher Lee, make sure you check the TCM listings for October. You will be able to find a lot of their movies, some of which are campy enough to make them fun.

Recently I have noticed that TCM is including more movies that don’t come from the Golden Age of Hollywood. (I think of this era as being the 1930s and 1940s, so I guess I ought to call it My Golden Age of Hollywood.)  From this month’s mystery movies below, you will see that there are quite a few movies from the 1960s and some that are from even more recent years. [I’m not sure I like this TCM trend, so I’ll be interested in knowing if it continues. Even though the Golden Age (as I define it!) was before I was born, I still am MUCH more interested in the movies from the 1930s and 1940s. Either way, since I’m not on the TCM board of directors, it really doesn’t matter.]

I’m listing the movies in Central time zone. If you know of any other mystery movies that are going to be aired on television during October 2013, please post a comment.

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

Tuesday – October 1, 2013

THE OUTRAGE (1964) 3:15 PM
A Mexican bandit’s crimes receive wildly different interpretations from four witnesses.
Dir: Martin Ritt Cast: Paul Newman, Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom
BW-96 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) 9:00 PM
An insurance salesman gets seduced into plotting a client’s death.
Dir: Billy Wilder Cast: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
BW-108 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Wednesday – October 2, 2013

THE BIG SLEEP (1946) 3:30 AM
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, TV-PG, CC

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

Thursday – October 3, 2013

DR. CRIPPEN (1963) 2:00 AM
The real-life story of a doctor who was hanged in London in 1910 for poisoning his wife.
Dir: Robert Lynn Cast: Donald Pleasence, Coral Browne, Samantha Eggar
BW-98 mins, TV-PG

BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952) 2:00 PM
A widow discovers her handyman is an escaped mental patient.
Dir: Harry Horner Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Taylor Holmes
BW-77 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Saturday – October 5, 2013

MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY (1993) 1:00 PM
A middle-aged couple suspects foul play when their neighbor’s wife suddenly drops dead.
Dir: Woody Allen Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Jerry Adler
C-108 mins, TV-14, CC

HALLMARK MOVIE CHANNEL
MARY HIGGINS CLARK’S THE MYSTERY CRUISE (2013) 8:00 PM
Cast: Gail O’Grady, Larry Miller, Michelle Harrison
(Carol Higgins Clark appears as the rich woman whose dog’s collar is lost.)

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

Sunday – October 6, 2013

KEEPER OF THE FLAME (1942) 5:00 AM
A reporter digs into the secret life of a recently deceased political hero.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Richard Whorf.
BW-101 mins, TV-PG, CC

IN A LONELY PLACE (1950) 7:00 AM
An aspiring actress begins to suspect that her temperamental boyfriend is a murderer.
Dir: Nicholas Ray Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy
BW-93 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Wednesday – October 9, 2013

DEAD RINGER (1964) 3:30 PM
A woman murders her rich twin and tries to take her place.
Dir: Paul Henreid Cast: Bette Davis , Karl Malden , Peter Lawford .
BW-116 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

MURDER BY DEATH (1976) 8:30 PM
A criminal madman invites the world’s greatest detectives for a night of dinner and murder.
Dir: Robert Moore Cast: Peter Falk, Truman Capote, Alec Guinness
BW-95 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Friday – October 11, 2013

DANGEROUS MISSION (1954) 12:30 AM
A woman flees westward after witnessing a mob killing.
Dir: Louis King Cast: Victor Mature, Piper Laurie, William Bendix
C-75 mins, TV-G, CC

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

Saturday – October 12, 2013

MYSTERY STREET (1950) 7:30 AM
Criminal pathologists try to crack a case with nothing but the victim’s bones to go on.
Dir: John Sturges Cast: Ricardo Montalban, Sally Forrest, Bruce Bennett
BW-93 mins, TV-PG, CC

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (1935) 11:30 PM
A young student murders for money then tries to escape his guilt and a brilliant detective.
Dir: Josef von Sternberg Cast: Peter Lorre, Edward Arnold, Marian Marsh
BW-88 mins, TV-14, CC

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

Sunday – October 13, 2013

RAFFLES (1939) 9:00 PM
A suave thief falls in love again with his high school sweetheart and finds temptation and a detective on his trail while visiting her family.
Dir: Sam Wood Cast: David Niven, Olivia de Havilland, Dame May Whitty
BW-72 mins, TV-G, CC

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

Tuesday – October 15, 2013

BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (1965) 3:00 PM
A distraught mother searches for her seemingly non-existent daughter, bringing her sanity into question.
Dir: Otto Preminger Cast: Keir Dullea, Carol Lynley, Lucie Mannheim
BW-107 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Wednesday – October 16, 2013

GASLIGHT (1944) 6:30 AM
A newlywed fears she’s going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten
BW-114 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Thursday – October 17, 2013

WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS (1956) 7:00 PM
Reporters compete to catch a serial killer.
Dir: Fritz Lang Cast: Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming,  George Sanders
BW-100 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Friday – October 18, 2013

THE NITWITS (1935) 9:00 AM
Two cigar-stand attendants get mixed up in a murder investigation.
Dir: George Stevens Cast: Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Fred Keating
BW-82 mins, TV-G

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

Saturday – October 19, 3013

THE LEOPARD MAN (1943) 2:30 AM
When a leopard escapes during a publicity stunt, it triggers a series of murders.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast: Dennis O’Keefe, Margo, Jean Brooks
BW-66 mins, TV-PG, CC

THE WINDOW (1949) 3:45 AM
A boy who always lies witnesses a murder but can’t get anyone but the killer to believe him.
Dir: Ted Tetzlaff Cast: Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Paul Stewart
BW-74 mins, TV-G, CC

MIRACLES FOR SALE (1939) 11:00 PM
A magician turns detective to investigate murder and a phony seance.
Dir: Tod Browning Cast: Robert Young, Florence Rice, Frank Craven
BW-71 mins, TV-G

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

Sunday – October 20, 2013

*** Neither of these two movies are mysteries, but they have the Rock Hudson/Doris Day duo, with Tony Randall thrown in for good measure.***

LOVER COME BACK (1961) 7:00 PM
An ad exec in disguise courts his pretty female competitor.
Dir: Delbert Mann Cast: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall
C-107 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format

SEND ME NO FLOWERS (1964) 9:00 PM
When he mistakenly thinks he’s dying, a hypochondriac tries to choose his wife’s next husband.
Dir: Norman Jewison Cast: Rock Hudson, Doris Day, Tony Randall.
C-100 mins, TV-G, Letterbox Format

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

Tuesday – October 22, 2013

CAST A DARK SHADOW (1955) 11:00 AM
A wife-killer marries an innocent barmaid and plots her death.
Dir: Lewis Gilbert Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Lockwood, Kay Walsh
BW-83 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

THE LADY VANISHES (1938) 5:15 PM
A young woman on vacation triggers an international incident when she tries to track an elderly friend who has disappeared.|
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas
BW-96 mins, TV-G, CC

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

Thursday – October 24, 2013

BARRICADE (1950) 5:00 AM
Two fugitives try to prove the head of a mining camp is a murderer.
Dir: Peter Godfrey Cast: Dane Clark, Raymond Massey, Ruth Roman
C-75 mins, TV-PG

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

Friday – October 25, 2013

THE RUNNING MAN (1963) 9:15 AM
A man fakes his death to get back at the insurance company that denied an earlier claim.
Dir: Carol Reed Cast: Laurence Harvey, Lee Remick, Alan Bates
C-104 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (1954) 11:15 AM
A wrongly convicted man takes a young woman hostage while fighting to clear his name.
Dir: Edwards Sampson Cast: John Ireland, Dorothy Malone, Bruce Carlisle
BW-74 mins, TV-G

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962) 9:45 PM
A crazed, aging star torments her sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion.
Dir: Robert Aldrich Cast: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono
BW-134 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

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

Saturday – October 26, 2013

SISTERS (1973) 12:15 AM
A small-time reporter tries to convince the police she saw a murder in the apartment
across from hers.
Dir: Brian De Palma Cast: Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning
C-93 mins, TV-MA, Letterbox Format

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

Sunday – October 27, 2013

THE BAD SEED (1956) 1:00 PM
A woman suspects that her perfect little girl is a ruthless killer.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Gage Clarke, Jesse White, Joan Croyden
C-129 mins, TV-PG, CC

MR. SKEFFINGTON (1945) 7:00 PM
A flighty beauty marries a stockbroker for convenience and almost ruins both their lives.
Dir: Vincent Sherman Cast: Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Walter Abel
BW-146 mins, TV-G, CC  *** This is not a mystery, but it is one very good movie.***

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

Tuesday – October 29, 2013

MIAMI EXPOSE (1956) 1:45 PM
A police detective uses the only witness to a gangland murder to smoke out the mobsters.
Dir: Fred F. Sears Cast: Lee J. Cobb, Patricia Medina, Edward Arnold
BW-75 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Wednesday – October 30, 2013

CHINATOWN (1974) 1:00 AM
A Los Angeles private eye unwittingly sets up an innocent man for murder, then joins his seductive widow to unearth the corruption behind the crime.
Dir: Roman Polanski Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, Perry Lopez
C-130 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format

SHADOW OF DOUBT (1935) 6:00 AM
Murder charges threaten an actress’s marriage plans.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Virginia Bruce, Constance Collier.
BW-74 mins, TV-PG, CC

WHISTLING IN THE DARK (1941) 11:00 AM
A radio detective is kidnapped and forced to plan the perfect murder.
Dir: S. Sylvan Simon Cast: Red Skelton, Conrad Veidt, Ann Rutherford
BW-78 mins, TV-G, CC

UNDERCURRENT (1946) 5:00 PM
A sheltered woman realizes that either her husband or his mysterious brother is a psychopath.
Dir: Vincente Minnelli Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum
BW-116 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Thursday – October 31, 2013

THE CONVERSATION (1974) 12:15 AM
A surveillance expert uncovers a murder plot within a corrupt corporation.
Dir: Francis Ford Coppola Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield
C-114 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format

BLOW-UP (1966) 2:15 AM
A photographer discovers a murder in the background of a candid photo.
Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, David Hemmings
C-111 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format

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

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 TCM 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.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

18 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Subscribe to Blog Post Email Alerts

  • Cozy Mystery Blog Home
  • Cozy Mystery Site
  • Soon to be Released Mysteries
  • Cozies by Themes
  • New Mystery Releases
  • New Mystery Series
  • Cozy Mystery Recommendations
  • Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series
  • Holiday Mystery Book Lists
  • What Is a Cozy?
  • TV and Movies
  • Author Interviews
  • Cozy-Mystery.com on Facebook

Recent Posts

  • Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Jacqueline Winspear: Maisie Dobbs Mystery Series
  • TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES CHANNEL MYSTERY MOVIES – May 2025
  • April 14 to April 27
  • March 31 to April 13

Recent Comments

  • Regina Williams on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Fortney, Sally on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Shirley on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Georgia on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025
  • Rob Jarrad on Cozy Mystery Book Recommendations – April 2025

Cozy Mystery List Home | Affiliate Disclosure | Cozy Mystery Blog Home  | Cozy Mystery Blog Sitemap | Privacy Policy  | Contact Me   | About |

Copyright © 2006-2025, Cozy-Mystery.Com, All rights reserved.
A Guide to Cozy Mystery Books, Movies, and TV


MENU
  • Cozy Mystery Blog Home
  • Cozy Mystery Site
  • Soon to be Released Mysteries
  • Cozies by Themes
  • New Mystery Releases
  • New Mystery Series
  • Cozy Mystery Recommendations
  • Most Popular and Recommended Cozy Mystery Series
  • Holiday Mystery Book Lists
  • What Is a Cozy?
  • TV and Movies
  • Author Interviews
  • Cozy-Mystery.com on Facebook