The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Starry Night’s Debbie Macomber on the Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family Show

Here’s a quick note to let those of you who are Debbie Macomber’s fans know that she will be on the Hallmark channel’s Home & Family show tomorrow, Tuesday, October 22. I know this is short notice, but better now than never.

I am currently writing a post about the Home & Family show, so I will keep this brief. It airs from 9:00 to 11:00 AM (Central), obviously on the Hallmark channel.

Debbie Macomber is on the Cozy Mystery site, even though she is not a mystery author. I know a lot of you follow her books. (I believe I added her to the site after watching the first of the two Mrs. Miracle Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. Mrs. Miracle in 2009 followed by Call Me Mrs. Miracle the next year. >>> Can you tell I enjoy her Christmas movies?)

Debbie Macomber will be talking about Starry Night, her 2013 Christmas novel. I don’t know how they plan on interviewing her, but a lot of the time, on this show, they have the guest for the day stay with them the entire two hours. We’ll see what they do tomorrow!

Calling All Future Mystery Author Icons…

Regina sent me a note saying me the following:

“… I did have an idea the other night for a discussion topic… Do you think that any of today’s present crop of writers will become the icons of mystery authors Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Marjorie Allingham and Conan Doyle are? …”

So, here I am, asking you all to give us your opinions about Regina’s topic. What do you think, will any of our current mystery authors become classic mystery icons for future generations?

Oh, and before I post this, I had better say we should limit “today’s present crop of writers” to people who have currently (or within the last year) published a mystery book. So in cases where you might think: “Oh, Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael mysteries will certainly be read in fifty years.” >>> she wouldn’t actually qualify. Where as, someone who has been putting out wonderful mysteries since the 1960s would qualify since (let’s use the example of the excellent author, Ruth Rendell) she published her last mystery this year.

Thank you, Regina, for this great topic AND thanks to ALL of you for your responses.

P.S. Some time in the past I had an entry where I asked you all to actually name all of the current authors who you thought would become classic authors for future generations to seek out, but this time we should probably not name any authors. This way we can be just as negative as we want! (Yes, every once in a while I have that kind of mind frame!)

Mystery Books with a Cards Theme: Poker, Bridge, Gambling, & Card Games Mysteries

Susan* recently asked this question:

“… do you have a page for Card Game / Gambling Mysteries? I looked, but I couldn’t find one, …  I’ve found several Poker / Bridge based mysteries.”

At first I thought that I did have a Mystery Books with Cards Theme already done, but when I looked, it turns out I had the wrong type of Card in mind: Card Making Cozy Mystery theme. Still on my quest, I came up with two other possibilities: Crossword Puzzles and Bunco Mystery Books and Sudoku Mystery Books. (As Groucho Marx used to say: Close, but no cigar.)

Mystery Books with a Cards Theme (Poker, Bridge, Gambling, & Card Games Mysteries):

Jackie Chance: Poker Mystery Series

Jessie Chandler: Bingo Barge Murder (Shay O’Hanlon Caper mysteries, book #1)

Agatha Christie: Cards on the Table

Debra H. Goldstein: Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery Series

Honor Hartman (aka Miranda James, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Bridge Club Mystery Series

Marlys Millhiser: Nobody Dies in a Casino

Gail Oust: Bunco Babes Mystery Series

Please post a comment if you know of any other mystery authors who write Poker Mysteries, Bridge Mysteries, Gambling Mysteries, or any other Card Game Mysteries.

Thanks!

Halloween Mystery Book List Recommendations

I have gotten many nice notes about how much people like our Mystery Book Monthly Recommendations lists. And, since I have been trying to update all of the holiday mystery book lists on the site, I started thinking that maybe it was time for us to make up a list of Halloween mystery book recommendations.

Here is the link to my Halloween Mystery Book List page. Of all of these Halloween mysteries, are there any that you think definitely stand out as being mystery books the rest of us should be aware of? These should be Halloween mysteries that we think others should definitely know about, so they can read and enjoy them the same way we did.

Also, if you wouldn’t mind letting me know about any Halloween mysteries that I don’t have on the list, that would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. If you would like to take a look at all of the different holiday mystery book lists that I have, here is the link: Holiday Mystery Book Lists. You can click on each individual holiday to see all of the mystery books that I am aware of.

*****

I’ll start out with one of my favorite Halloween Mysteries. I actually skipped the first book in the series so that I could read this book during a Halloween season, and I enjoyed it so much that I went back and read the preceding book right after I finished this one. Death of a Trickster is the second in Kate Borden’s Peggy Jean Turner Mystery Series. It takes place in New England, so you get the crisp, autumnal setting. Another reason I enjoyed it (besides liking Borden’s writing style) is that it features Halloween (almost) as a character. (There are many references to Halloween.) I liked all of the characters, the setting, the writing style, and the mystery.

Halloween Mystery Book Recommendations:

Alice K. Boatwright…. Under an English Heaven 

Kate Borden….. Death of a Trickster

Ray Bradbury…. The Halloween Tree

Bailey Cates (aka Cricket McRae)….. Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti

Laura Childs ….. Bedeviled Eggs

Agatha Christie….. The Hallowe’en Party

Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block) ….. A Catered Halloween

Kathi Daley ….. Halloween Hijinks

Krista Davis ….. The Diva Haunts the House

Kaitlyn Dunnett (aka Kathy Lynn Emerson) ….. Vampires, Bones, and Treacle Scones

Shelley Freydont ….. Trick or Deceit

Kylie Logan ….. The Legend of Sleepy Harlow

Donna McLean…. A Sparrow Falls Trick or Treat? (story)

Leslie Meier: Trick or Treat Murder

Leslie Meier: Wicked Witch Murder

Annelise Ryan (aka Allyson K. Abbott & Beth Amos): Scared Stiff

Valerie Wolzien: All Hallow’s Evil

If you know of any Halloween theme mysteries that you think should definitely be on this Halloween mysteries recommendations list, please post a comment.

Thank you!

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