The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

June 2013 Mystery Book New Releases

The following Mystery Books will be released in June 2013:

Jeffrey Allen: Father Knows Death (This will be the 3rd in the Stay at Home Dad Mystery Series.)

Mary Kay Andrews (aka Kathy Hogan Trochek): Ladies’ Night (This will be a Stand Alone.)

Janet Bolin: Thread and Buried (This will be the 3rd in the Threadville Mystery Series.)

Stephen Booth: Already Dead (This will be the 14th in the Cooper & Fry Mystery Series.)

Kate Carlisle: A Cookbook Conspiracy (This will be the 8th in the Bibliophile Mystery Series.)

Grace Carroll (aka Carol Culver): Murder After a Fashion (This will be the 3rd in the Accessories Mystery Series.)

Jane K. Cleland: Lethal Treasure (This will be the 8th in the Josie Prescott Mystery Series.)

Peg Cochran (aka Meg London): Steamed to Death (This will be the 2nd in the Gourmet De-Lite Mystery Series.)

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): Monument to the Dead (This will be the 4th in the Museum Mystery Series.)

Susan Rogers Cooper: Dark Waters (This will be the 12th in the Milt Kovak Mystery Series.)

Jeanne M. Dams: Murder at the Castle (This will be the 13th in the Dorothy Martin Mystery Series.)

Krista Davis: The Diva Frosts a Cupcake (This will be the 7th in the Domestic Diva Mystery Series.)

Lindsey Davis: The Ides of April (This will be the 1st in the NEW Flavia Albia Mystery Series.)

Jeffery Deaver: The Kill Room (This will be the 19th in the Lincoln Rhyme Mystery Series.)

Kerry Greenwood: Medea (This is a reprint of the 3rd in Greenwoods Delphic Women Trilogy.)

Beth Groundwater: Fatal Descent (This will be the 3rd in the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventures Mystery Series.)

Janice Hamrick: Death Rides Again (This will be the 3rd in the Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series.) (This is a Thanksgiving theme mystery book.)

Carl Hiaasen: Bad Monkey (This will be a Stand Alone.)

Tami Hoag: The 9th Girl (This will be the 4th in the Sam Kovac Mystery Series.)

Dorothy Howell: Evening Bags and Executions (This is the 7th in the Haley Randolph Mystery Series.)

Allison Kingsley (aka Kate Kingsbury & Rebecca Kent): Trouble Vision (This will be the 3rd in the Raven’s Nest Bookstore Mystery Series.)

Kylie Logan (aka Miranda Bliss & Casey Daniels): Mayhem at the Orient Express (This will be the 1st in the NEW League of Literary Ladies Mystery Series.)

Catriona McPherson: As She Left It (This will be a Stand Alone.)

Joyce Carol Oates: Bellefleur (This will be a Stand Alone.)

James Patterson & Howard Roughan: Second Honeymoon (This will be the 2nd in the Honeymoon Mystery Series.)

Kate Sedley: The Christmas Wassail (This will be the 22nd in the Roger the Chapman Mystery Series.) (This is a Christmas theme mystery book.) (Actually, July 1)

Maggie Sefton: Close Knit Killer (This will be the 11th in the Knitting Mystery Series.)

Clea Simon: Grey Dawn (This will be the 6th in the Dulcie Schwartz Mystery Series.)

Robert K. Tanenbaum: Tragic (This will be the 25th in the Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi Mystery Series.)

Sue Owens Wright: Braced for Murder (This will be the 4th in the Beanie & Cruiser Mystery Series.)

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

Upcoming Television Mystery Movies for May 2013

This is the second month I am posting the upcoming television mystery movies on the Turner Classic Movie channel. As I have mentioned several times, I subscribe to TCM’s monthly television movie guide (Now Playing) and actually highlight the movies I think my husband and I might enjoy watching. The movies I’m going to list are all mysteries, except for two that feature one of my very favorite actresses: Judy Holliday.

I have not seen all of these listed movies, so please don’t hold me accountable if they aren’t any good. I am going to be listing these movies in Central time zone, so you might want to check out your local starting times.

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

Thursday – May 2, 2013

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944)  1:30 AM (Central)
A young man about to be married discovers the two aunts who raised him have been poisoning lonely old men.
Dir: Frank Capra Cast: Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey
BW-118 mins, TV-G, CC

THE CASE OF THE BLACK CAT (1936)  9:15 AM (Central)
Perry Mason looks into a trio of murders heralded by the shriek of a cat.
Dir: William McGann Cast: Ricardo Cortez, June Travis, Jane Bryan
BW-66 mins, TV-PG

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

Saturday – May 4, 2013

THE FALCON TAKES OVER (1942)  9:45 AM (Central)
A society sleuth and a lady reporter try to track down a murderous thug’s lost girlfriend.
Dir: Irving Reis Cast: George Sanders, Lynn Bari, James Gleason
BW-63 mins, TV-G

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

Tuesday – May 7, 2013

CROSSFIRE (1947)  9:00 PM (Central)
A crusading district attorney investigates the murder of a Jewish man.|
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan
BW-86 mins, TV-PG, CC

OUT OF THE PAST (1947)  10:30 PM (Central)
A private eye becomes the dupe of a homicidal moll.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur Cast: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas
BW-97 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Wednesday – May 8, 2013

THE NAKED CITY (1948)  2:15 AM (Central)
A step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.
Dir: Jules Dassin Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart
BW-96 mins, TV-14, CC

SO LONG AT THE FAIR (1950)  5:30 PM (Central)
A woman searches for her missing brother in Paris despite the fact that nobody believes he exists.
Dir: Antony Darnborough Cast: Honor Blackman, Jean Simmons, Dirk Bogarde
BW-86 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Thursday – May 9, 2013

SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1969)  4:00 PM  (Central)
This film comprises three supernatural tales based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Dir: Roger Vadim Cast: Vincent Price, Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda
C-121 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format

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

Friday – May 10, 2013

UNDER CAPRICORN (1949)  10:00 PM  (Central)
Newly arrived in Australia, a man discovers his childhood love is now an alcoholic.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Michael Wilding
C-117 mins, TV-PG, CC

♦♦♦(I wasn’t sure if this is a mystery until I noticed that on page 4 of TCM’s May Now Playing magazine, this is written: “…Under Capricorn (1949) a compelling murder mystery set in 19th-century Australia that was one of the few Alfred Hitchcock films of its period not to capture the public fancy;…”

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

Saturday – May 11, 2013

THE FALCON’S BROTHER (1942)  9:45 AM  (Central)
A gentlemanly detective calls on his brother to help him stop the Nazis from assassinating a key diplomat.
Dir: Stanley Logan Cast: George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph
BW-63 mins, TV-G

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

Wednesday – May 15, 2013

THE THIRD MAN, THE (1949)  8:30 AM (Central)
A man’s investigation of a friend’s death uncovers corruption in post-World War II Vienna.
Dir: Carol Reed Cast: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles
BW-104 mins, TV-14, CC

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

Thursday – May 16, 2013

BORN YESTERDAY (1950)  4:30 AM (Central)
A newspaper reporter takes on the task of educating a crooked businessman’s girlfriend.
Dir: George Cukor Cast: Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, William Holden
BW-102 mins, TV-PG, CC

THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC (1956)  1:15 PM (Central)
A small time investor takes on the management of a major corporation.
Dir: Richard Quine Cast: Judy Holliday, Paul Douglas, Fred Clark
C-100 mins, TV-G

♦♦♦(Neither of these movies are mysteries. They are both movies that star one of my all time favorite actresses: Judy Holliday.)

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

Friday – May 17, 2013

MAD HOLIDAY (1936) 6:15 AM (Central)
A temperamental film star’s vacation turns deadly when he uncovers a murder.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Edmund Lowe, Elissa Landi, ZaSu Pitts
BW-72 mins, TV-G

THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR (1937)  7:30 AM (Central)
A phony psychic tries to solve a murder that took place during her seance.
Dir: George B. Seitz Cast: Dame May Whitty, Madge Evans, Lewis Stone
BW-67 mins, TV-G

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

Saturday – May 18, 2013

THE FALCON STRIKES BACK (1943) 9:45 AM (Central)
A society sleuth is framed for murder by criminals running a war-bond racket.
Dir: Edward Dmytryk Cast: Tom Conway, Harriet Hilliard, Jane Randolph
BW-66 mins, TV-G

MURDER BY DEATH (1976)  10:15 PM (Central)
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

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

Sunday – May 19, 2013

TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1966) 5:15 AM (Central)
Party guests at a remote mansion have been brought together to pay for past crimes.
Dir: George Pollock Cast: Hugh O’Brian, Shirley Eaton, Fabian
C-90 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format
♦♦♦(Based on Agatha Christie‘s mystery.)

JOHNNY O’CLOCK (1947)  11:00 AM (Central)
Gambling hall owners get mixed up with a cop on the take, leading to murder and mystery.
Dir: Robert Rossen Cast: Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Lee J. Cobb
BW-96 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Sunday – May 26, 2013

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (1940)  3:30 AM (Central)
An American reporter covering the war in Europe gets mixed up in the assassination of a Dutch diplomat.
Dir: Alfred Hitchcock Cast: Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall
BW-120 mins, TV-PG, CC

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

Friday – May 31, 2013

A NEW LEAF (1971)  3:30 AM (Central)
A playboy squanders his wealth and must seek out a new source to maintain his idle rich lifestyle, namely marrying a rich woman and … murdering her.
Dir: Elaine May Cast: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston .
C-102 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

♦♦♦(While this isn’t technically a mystery, I enjoyed this movie and think some of you might, too. On page 4 of TCM’s May Now Playing it says: “Elaine May wrote, directed and stars in A New Leaf (1971), a black comedy in which she plays a wealthy wallflower pursued by an impoverished playboy (Walter Matthau) with murder on his mind.“)

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

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!)

Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – April 2013

I’m home from our California trip just in time to ask you all about your favorite Cozy Mystery reads of April 2013. I hate to keep repeating myself, because I know those of you who follow this particular entry know the drill, but for those of you who are new to this very helpful entry: these should be authors (books) about whom (which) you really want other Cozy Mystery readers to know. They should be the authors (books) you enjoyed so much during April that you want to let the rest of us know about them. Please include WHY you enjoyed these authors.

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during April 2013, and why did you enjoy it (or him/her)?

Here are the current authors who some of you have read this past month, and wanted to tell the rest of us about:

Susan Wittig Albert: China Bayles Mystery Series

Esri Albritten: The Portrait of Doreene Gray

Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series

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

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity Mystery Series

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

Jessica Beck: Donut Shop Mystery Series

Jessica Beck: Ghost Cat Cozy Mystery Series

C. L. Beville: Bubba and the Dead Woman

Annette Blair: Vintage Magic Mystery Series

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber): Witchcraft Mystery Series

Simon Brett: Mrs. Pargeter Mystery Series

Emily Brightwell: Mrs. Jeffries Mystery Series

Duffy Brown: Consignment Shop Mystery Series

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

Laura Childs: Cackleberry Club Mystery Series

Peg Cochran (aka Meg London): Gourmet De-Lite Mystery Series

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

J. J. Cook (aka Joyce and Jim Lavene): Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade Mystery Series

Cleo Coyle (aka Alice Kimberly): Coffee House Mystery Series

Philip R. Craig: Martha’s Vineyard Mystery Series

Jeanne M. Dams: Hilda Johansson Mystery Series

Lila Dare (aka Joanna Campbell Slan): Southern Beauty Shop Mystery Series (book #4)

Anna Dean: A Woman of Consequence

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

Amanda Flower: Applecreek Creek Mystery Series

Joanne Fluke: Hanna Swensen Cookie Jar Mystery Series

Erle Stanley Gardner: Perry Mason Mystery Series

Robert Goldsborough: Archie Meets Nero Wolfe: A Prequel to Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe Mysteries

Sue Grafton: Kinsey and Me

C. S. Harris: What Darkness Brings

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

Dolores Johnson: Mandy Dyer Mystery Series

Sofie Kelly: Magical Cat Mystery Series

Victoria Laurie: Ghost Hunter Mystery Series

Mary Lou Kirwin: Librarian Mystery Series

Liz Lipperman: Clueless Cook Mystery Series

Charlotte MacLeod (aka Alisa Craig): Professor Peter Shandy Mystery Series

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

Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Marcia Muller: Carpenter & Quincannon, Professional Detective Services Mystery Series 

Deborah Sharp: Mace Bauer Mystery Series

Denise Swanson: Devereaux’s Dime Store Mystery Series

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series

Kari Lee Townsend: Fortune Teller Mystery Series

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

Back Home Again

We got home on Thursday afternoon, and it seems like I have been busy since then! We had a great time in California, and think all of those who are lucky enough to live out there are just that: lucky to live out there. It is absolutely beautiful!

I spent Thursday afternoon and all day Friday catching up on household chores like washing clothes. I’m certainly glad we have a washing machine and dryer, but it sure would have been faster to go to a laundromat and do all of the loads at one time.

Today we drove up to see our daughter in Austin, and had an extremely nice day. Our son usually doesn’t go up there with us, but today he did. So, the four of us were able to spend some time together.

I’m going to keep this pretty short today. Just wanted to say I’m back home, and California is terrific. [There’s a reason Frankie and Dee Dee (Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello) had so much fun in the sun!]

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