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Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – August 2012

It’s again time to post our favorite authors who we read this past month – August 2012. These are authors who we think other Cozy Mystery readers might want to try reading. As usual, I am asking you all to tell us about some of the authors you really enjoyed reading, and WHY you enjoyed these authors.

I’m going to do this a little differently this month, since I just added my author recommendation to the Cozy Mystery site. Rather than tell you why I am nominating Tarquin Hall in this entry, I will refer you to the Tarquin Hall: Vish Pury Mystery Series entry I just posted, telling you why I like Tarquin Hall so very much.

(I actually found out about Tarquin Hall because Sally recommended his books in last month’s recommendations. THANK YOU!!! I am so glad you made me aware of Tarquin Hall.)

Please do not just list a bunch of authors without telling us WHY you like each one. It’s your reasons that we would appreciate knowing, since you might enjoy the very same things we do. (And, I hate to keep adding this, please do not tell us about the authors you tried reading who you did not like.) I will add the recommended authors to this entry as they come in.

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) have you read during July 2012, 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:

Ellery Adams (aka J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery Series

Donna Andrews: Meg Langslow Mystery Series

Connie Archer: Soup Lover’s Mystery Series

Kathleen Bacus: Tressa Jayne Turner Mystery Series

Ella Barrick (aka Laura DiSilverio & Lila Dare): Ballroom Dance Mystery Series

M. C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Agatha Raisin Mystery Series

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): Good Buy Girls Mystery Series

Dorothy Bodoin: Snowhedge, Secret of the Satyr, and The Cameo Clue

Melissa Bourbon (aka Misa Ramirez & Melissa Bourbon Ramirez): Magical Dressmaking Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Evan Evans Mystery Series

Mollie Cox Bryan: Scrapbook of Secrets

Meg Cabot: Heather Wells Mystery Series

Kate Carlisle: Bibliophile Mystery Series

Heron Carvic: Miss Seeton Mystery Series

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

Joelle Charbonneau: Glee Club Mystery Series

Erika Chase: Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery Series

G. K. Chesteron: Father Brown Mystery Series

Margaret Chittenden: Charlie Plato Msytery Series

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

Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell): Orchard Mystery Series

Lesley Cookman: Libby Sarjeant Mystery Series

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

Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block): Mystery with Recipes Mystery Series

Bill Crider: Dan Rhodes Mystery Series

Mary Daheim: Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery Series

Maryjanice Davidson: Undead and Unreturnable

Claire Donally: The Big Kitty

Kaitlyn Dunnett (aka Kathy Lynn Emerson): Liss MacCrimmon Scottish Mystery Series

Janet Evanovich: Stephanie Plum Mystery Series

Amanda Flower: Appleseed Creek Msytery Series

Anne George: Southern Sisters Mystery Series

Rebecca M. Hale: Cats and Curios Mystery Series

Tarquin Hall: Vish Puri Mystery Series

Victoria Hamilton: Vintage Kitchen Mystery Series

Lynette Hall Hampton: Jilted by Death

Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series

Veronica Heley: Ellie Quicke Mystery Series

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

P. D. James: Adam Dalgliesh Mystery Series

J. A. Jance: Joanna Brady Mystery Series

Dardyna Jones: Second Grave on the Right

Rita Lakin: Gladdy Gold Mystery Series

Victoria Laurie: Psychic Eye Mystery Series

Victoria Laurie: Ghost Hunter Msytery Series

Joyce and Jim Lavene: Sheriff Sharyn Howard Mystery Series

Nancy Martin: Blackbird Sisters Msytery Series

Francine Mathews (aka Stephanie Barron): Jack 1939 (This is a Stand Alone)

Members of the Detection Club: The Floating Admiral

Katherine Hall Page: Faith Fairchild Mystery Series

Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Michaels): Jacqueline Kirby Mystery Series

Cynthia Riggs: Martha’s Vineyard Mystery Series

Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia Mystery Series

Mary Saums: Thistle and Twigg Mystery Series

Maggie Sefton: Molly Mallone Mystery Series (not Cozy)

J. B. Stanley (aka Jennifer Stanley, Ellery Adams, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Supper Club Mystery Series

Leann Sweeney: Cats in Trouble Mystery Series

Marcia Talley: Hannah Ives Mystery Series

Charles Todd: Ian Rutledge Mystery Series

Kari Lee Townsend: Fortune Teller Mystery Series

Peter Tremayne: Mystery of Ancient Ireland

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

Tarquin Hall: Vish Puri Mystery Series

The Case of the Missing Servant: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator (A Vish Puri mystery Book 1) I just added a new (to me) author on the Cozy Mystery site. I was in a hurry to add him, since I will be recommending him as my July 2012 Cozy Mystery Books Recommendation in just a few minutes.

Tarquin Hall writes the Vish Puri Mystery Series, which is an absolute delight to read. It is set in Delhi, India – not your typical mystery series setting. (Last month, it was recommended as one of June 2012 Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations, so this series will be making the list two months in a row.)

Tarquin Hall, a journalist, has begun a mystery series that I will liken to three of my favorite mystery series. I can definitely see some Hercule Poirot in Vish Puri, as well as some Sherlock Holmes, mixed in with a little No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series. (Yes, I am aware that Vish would not like me to say he is anything like Sherlock Holmes!)

Vish reminds me a lot of Poirot because of his inflated (but accurate!) view of his own abilities, especially vis-à-vis the police. Vish (or “Chubby” – as his close friends and family call him) is the founder of the Most Private Investigators agency, and seems genuinely preoccupied with righting wrongs. Vish  is able to overlook a lot of society’s prejudices, and seems comfortable relating to both rich and poor. Vish, like Poirot, seems to have a canny ability to size up people.

Vish reminds me of Sherlock Holmes because of his inflated (but accurate!) view of his own abilities, especially vis-à-vis the police. (Hmmm, haven’t I said this very same thing before?) Vish enjoys amazing people with his powers of deductions, almost to the point of playing parlor tricks. Vish uses all sorts of disguises for himself, as well as his staff. He involves himself in the actual story, putting himself right into the action, rather than simply observing all of the facts.

Enter, the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. As I have said many times, I am a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. Hall manages to do for India, what McCall Smith does for Botswana. Hall is able to fill all of our senses with India. He acquaints us with the sounds, smells, bright colors, and human conditions of Delhi. Tarquin Hall is a wonderful storyteller. As in McCall Smith’s series, we are able to see Vish in both his professional capacity, as well as his home life. (I hope to see a lot more of his interfering Mummy-ji in the following mystery books!) All of the characters are three dimensional, and have back stories.

If you are looking for a new a mystery series to follow that is humorous, smart, entertaining, different, and downright fun, I recommend you take a look at Tarquin Hall’s Vish Puri Mystery Series. I’m glad I did!

If you’re interested in reading more of these brief revisits of some of the more popular Cozy Mystery Series that I’ve written in the past, you can find them at the Most Recommended Cozy Mystery Series page on my site.

Mystery Books that Take Place in New York:

Here are some fun New York facts:

The capital is Albany.
The largest city is New York City.
State motto is “Ever Upwards” (“Excelsior”).
State nickname is “Empire State”.
State flower is the Rose.
State bird is the Eastern Bluebird.

Authors who are found on the Cozy Mystery Site and who feature New York locations in their books:

Lydia Adamson: Alice Nestleton Mystery Series AND Deirdre Quinn Nightingale Mystery Series AND Lucy Wayles Mystery Series

L. L. Bartlett (aka Lorna Barrett & Lorraine Bartlett): Jeff Resnick Mystery Series

George Baxt: Celebrity Sleuths Mystery Series

Cynthia Baxter: Reigning Cats & Dogs Mystery Series AND Murder Packs a Suitcase Mystery Series

Carol Lea Benjamin: Rachel Alexander Mystery Series

Carole Berry: Bonnie Indermil Mystery Series

Claudia Bishop (aka Mary Stanton): Hemlock Falls Mystery Series AND the Casebook of Dr. McKenzie Mystery Series

Barbara Block (aka Isis Crawford): Robin Light Mystery Series

Lawrence Block: Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery Series AND Matthew Scudder Mystery Series AND John Keller Mystery Series

Lisa Bork: Broken Vows Mystery Series

Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy Mystery Series

Ali Brandon (aka Diane A.S. Stuckart): Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series

Susan Breen: Maggie Dove Mystery Series

Kathleen Bridge: Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery Series

Maggie Bruce (aka Marilyn Wallace): Gourd Craft Mystery Series

Catherine Bruns: Cookies & Chance Mystery Series

Carole Buggé: Claire Rawlings Mystery Series

Meg Cabot: Heather Wells Mystery Series

Joyce Christmas: Lady Margaret Priam Mystery Series

Jill Churchill: Grace and Favor Mystery Series

Harlan Coben: Myron Bolitar Mystery Series

Meredith Cole: Lydia McKenzie Mystery Series

Amanda Cooper (aka Victoria Hamilton & Donna Lea Simpson): Teapot Collector Mystery Series

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

Isis Crawford (aka Barbara Block): Mystery with Recipes Mystery Series

Amanda Cross: Kate Fansler Mystery Series

Elizabeth Daly: Henry Gamadge Mystery Series

Jeffery Deaver: Lincoln Rhyme Mystery Series AND Rune Mystery Series

Jane Dentinger: Jocelyn O’Roarke Mystery Series

Lesley A. Diehl: Microbrewers Mystery Series

Joanne Dobson & Beverle Graves Myers: Helluva War Mystery Series

Elizabeth J. Duncan: Shakespeare in the Catskills Mystery Series

J.C. Eaton: Wine Trail Mystery Series

Grace F. Edwards: Mali Anderson Mystery Series

Selma Eichler: Desiree Shapiro Mystery Series

J. F. Englert: Bull Moose Dog Run Mystery Series

Chrystle Fiedler: Natural Remedies Mystery Series

Rae Foley: Mr. Potter Mystery Series

Shelley Freydont: Celebration Bay Mystery Series

Kinky Friedman: Kinky Friedman Mystery Series

Gallagher Gray (aka Katy Munger): Hubbert & Lil Mystery Series

Lena Gregory: Bay Island Psychic Mystery Series

Martha Grimes: Emma Graham Mystery Series

Kathryn Miller Haines: Rosie Winter Mystery Series

Victoria Hamilton: Merry Muffin Mysteries

Susannah Hardy (aka Sadie Hartwell): Greek to Me Mystery Series

Lee Harris: Christine Bennett Mystery Series AND Manhattan Mystery Series

April Henry & Lis Wiehl: Triple Threat Club Mystery Series

Mary Ellen Hughes: Pickled and Preserved Mystery Series

Kate Jacobs: Friday Night Knitting Club Series (not a mystery)

Diana Killian: Mantra for Murder Mystery Series

Cecile Lamalle: Culinary Mystery Series

Emma Lathen (aka R. B. Dominic): Wall Street Mystery Series

Lucy Lawrence (aka Jenn McKinlay & Josie Belle): Decoupage Mystery Serie

Richard & Frances Lockridge: Mr. & Mrs. North Mystery Series AND Captain Heimrich Mystery Series AND Paul Lane Mystery Series

Mary Jane Maffini: Charlotte Adams Mystery Series

Margaret Maron: Sigrid Harald Mystery Series

Rosemary Martin (aka Rosemary Stevens): Murder a-Go-Go Mystery Series

Amanda Matetsky: Paige Turner Mystery Series AND Annie March Mystery Series

Jennifer McAndrews: Stained-Glass Mystery Series

Judi McCoy: Dog Walker Mystery Series

Jenn McKinlay (aka Lucy Lawrence & Josie Belle): Library Lover’s Mystery Series

Amy Patricia Meade: Rosie the Riveter Mystery Series

Annette Meyers (aka 1/2 Maan Meyers): Smith & Wetzon Mystery Series AND Olivia Brown Mystery Series

Maan Meyers (aka Martin & Annette Meyers): Dutchman Historical Mystery Series

Miriam Grace Monfredo: Seneca Falls Mystery Series

Marie Moore: Sydney March Mystery Series

J. J. Murphy: Algonquin Round Table Mystery Series

Beverle Graves Myers & Joanne Dobson: Helluva War Mystery Series

Kris Neri: Tracy Eaton Mystery Series

Leslie O’Kane (aka Leslie Caine): Molly Masters Mystery Series

Linda Palmer (aka Melinda Wells): Daytime Mystery Series

Stuart Palmer: Hildegarde Withers Mystery Series

Barbara Paul: Marina Larch Mystery Series AND Opera Mystery Series

Thomas Perry: Jane Whitefield Mystery Series

Sandra Scoppettone: Faye Quick Mystery Series AND Lauren Laurano Mystery Series

Roz Siegel: Emily’s Place Mystery Series

Julia Spencer-Fleming: Adirondack Mystery Series

Wendy Corsi Staub: Lily Dale Mystery Series

Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe Mystery Series AND Tecumseh Fox Mystery Series

Jennifer Sturman: Rachel Benjamin Mystery Series

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series

Radha Vatsal: Kitty Weeks Mystery Series – Kitty is a journalist in New York during the 1910s.

Noreen Wald (aka Nora Charles): Jake O’Hara Mystery Series

Christine Wenger: Comfort Food Mystery Series

Anne White: Lake George Mystery Series

Lis Wiehl & April Henry: Triple Threat Club Mystery Series

Lis Wiehl & Pete Nelson: East Salem Trilogy

Barbara Jaye Wilson: Brenda Midnight Mystery Series

And, Katherine Hall Page’s Faith Fairchild went to New York in The Body in the Big Apple.

Please feel free to comment if you see an author from the Cozy Mystery Site who belongs on this list, or if you have any corrections.

♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦

Main Sleuth on Vacation…

Just yesterday, Mary Joy wrote a comment with this question:

Mary Joy:

“Does anyone find they do not enjoy the books in series that go “off site” for that particular story? In all the series I read, I never enjoy the ones that take place on vacation or in a foreign country, etc. Instead of being more interesting for me, I usually end up skimming lots of pages. I think I enjoy the familiar surroundings and reading about their everyday routines. I sound dull, don’t I? Is it just me – do others out there enjoy the change of venue?”

Mary Joy, I will say, “No, No” to the two questions you posed (you don’t sound dull and it isn’t just you), and “Yes, Yes, Yes” in agreement with her sentiment. (Obviously, this doesn’t apply to series that feature touring/traveling of some sort.)

I do NOT like it when my main sleuth leaves her town to go on holiday. Yes, I know that everyone deserves a little vacation now and then, but I’d rather my main sleuths take their vacations while “on hiatus” (between books). I want my main sleuths back in their familiar town/village (which has become “my” familiar town/village) – with their familiar friends and the eccentric busybodies.

I would much prefer hearing about their vacation in the past tense, perhaps when my main sleuth is having her/his morning cup of coffee (or cuppa) while telling her/his friends about all the fun things (i.e. murders, no doubt!) she/he encountered while on vacation. (And, by this, I don’t mean an “I-remember-when” retro mystery book that takes place in another location.)

So, I guess I should pose a new question: Is it just us (Mary Joy and me) – do others out there enjoy the change of venue?”

PS>>> I just remembered I wrote an entry about this very same thing about a year ago. (I searched for it, and found it: Cozy Mystery Sleuths Who Leave Their Cozy Towns, Villages, “Worlds”…)

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