The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

April 2012 Mystery Book New Releases

The following Mystery Books will be released in April 2012:

Barbara Allan: Antiques Disposal (This will be the 6th in the Trash ’n’ Treasures Mystery Series)

Nancy Atherton: Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch (This will be the 17th in the Aunt Dimity Mystery Series)

Donald Bain & “Jessica Fletcher): Trouble at High Tide (This will be the 37th in the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series)

David Baldacci: The Innocent (This will be a Stand Alone)

Jessica Beck: Drop Dead Chocolate (This will be the 7th in the Donut Shop Mystery Series)

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay & Lucy Lawrence): 50% Off Murder (This will be the 1st in the NEW Good Buy Girls Mystery Series

Claudia Bishop (aka Mary Stanton): Dread on Arrival (This will be the 17th in the Hemlock Falls Mystery Series)

Rita Mae Brown: The Big Cat Nap: The 20th Anniversary Mrs. Murphy Mystery (This will be the 20th in the Mrs. Murphy Mystery
Series…)

Elizabeth Lynn Casey (aka Laura Bradford): Reap What You Sew (This will be the 6th in the southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series)

Chris Cavender (aka Tim Myers, Elizabeth Bright, Melissa Glazer, & Casey Myers): Rest in Pizza (This will be the 4th in the Pizza Lovers Mystery Series)

Edie Claire: Never Con a Corgi (This will be the 6th in the  Leigh Koslow “Never” Mystery Series)

Carol Higgins Clark: Gypped (This will be the 15th in the Regan Reilly Mystery Series)

Mary Higgins Clark: The Lost Years (This will be a Stand Alone)

Laura Crum: Barnstorming (This will be the 12th in the Gail McCarthy Mystery Series…)

Vicky Doudera: Deadly Offer (This will be the 3rd in the Darby Farr Mystery Series)

“Jessica Fletcher” & Donald Bain:  Trouble at High Tide (This will be the 37th in the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series)

Margaret Grace (aka Camille Minichino & Ada Madison): Mix-up in Miniature (This will be the 6th in the Miniature Mystery Series…)

Carolyn Hart: Death Comes Silently (This will be the 22nd in the Death on Demand Mystery Series)

 Iris Johansen: What Doesn’t Kill You (This will be a Stand Alone)

Linda O. Johnston: Hounds Abound (This will be the 3rd in the Pet Rescue Mystery Series…)

Amanda Lee (aka Gayle Trent): The Long Stitch Good Night (This will be the 4th in the Embroidery Mystery Series)

Anne Perry: Dorchester Terrace (This will be the 27th in the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt Mystery Series)

Rhonda Pollero: Slightly Irregular (This will be the 4th in the F.A.T. Mystery Series )

R. T. Raichev: Murder of Gonzago (This will be the 7th in the Antonia Darcy & Major Payne Investigation Mystery Series)

Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia to the Rescue (This will be the 13th in the Miss Julia Mystery Series…)

Lisa Scottoline: Come Home (This will be a Stand Alone)

Clea Simon: Cats Can’t Shoot (This will be the 2nd in the Pru Marlowe Mystery Series)

Joanna Campbell Slan: Ready, Scrap, Shoot (This will be the 5th in the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series…)

Alexander McCall Smith: The Limpopo Academy of Detection (This will be the 13th in the The No. 1 Ladies’ Detectvie Agency
Series…)

Dorothy St. James: The Scarlet Pepper  (This will be the 2nd in the White House Gardener Mystery Series…)

Leann Sweeney: The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon (This will be the 4th in the Cats in Trouble Mystery Series…)

Joseph Wambaugh: Harbor Nocturne (This will be a Stand Alone)

Suzanne Young: Murder by Mishap (This will be the 3rd in the Edna Davies Mystery Series)

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

Tasha Alexander, Joan Blacher, Christy Fifield, & Janice Hamrick : the Four Newest Additions to the Cozy Mystery Site

I know I have really been bad about adding new authors to the Cozy Mystery site. I am (again!) going to try to get more of them posted. I mean, if you all are recommending mystery authors you think belong on the site, then I really should get them posted!

Here are the four newest additions of mystery authors to the Cozy Mystery site:

Tasha Alexander   Alexander writes an historical mystery series which is set in Victorian London: the Lady Emily Mystery Series. Lady Emily is a young widow of a viscount. (Alexander has her B.S. in English/Medieval Studies, which obviously helps a lot when writing an historical series.)

Joan Blacher    Blacher is a psychotherapist who worked as both a professor and counselor at the university level. She writes the Ardis  Jensen Mystery Series, which features a counselor at a university who used to be a forensic psychologist.

Christy Fifield (aka Christy Evans & Christina F. York)   Fifield writes the Haunted Souvenir Shop Mystery Series which features, as its sleuth, a Florida souvenir shop owner. As Christy Evans she writes the Georgiana Neverall Mystery Series.

Janice Hamrick  Hamrick pens the Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series which is set in Austin, Texas. Jocelyn is a high school teacher/sleuth. Hamrick got her Bachelor’s in English, and has worked as a technical writer for a computer software company.

♦Click here if you would like to return to the Cozy Mystery site.♦

Too Many Significant Others Who Happen to Be Private/Police Detectives?

At the end of last month, as MJ was recommending three authors to us, she brought up a really good point about a lot of our sleuths’ love interests. (Keep in mind that MJ liked all three of the authors.)

MJ:
Re: Author #1:
“… has some quirky characters, and the ‘requisite’ (of many cozy writers) police boyfriend love interest…”

Author #2:
“…This author ALSO follows the ‘cozy’ formula of the love interest being a police detective…”

Author #3:

“…It appears *** is utilizing the same love interest formula as the previous two – police dept. boyfriend to-be!

I know several mystery cozies have love interests with OTHER occupations. But many (if not most) love interests are detectives (police or private), which is why I jokingly call them ‘formula’.”

My answer was:

“MJ, I totally agree about the ‘requisite” detective love interest! Either that, or the detective is their niece, nephew, son, daughter, best friend, neighbor, ETC! Sure helps the sleuth gather interesting clue-solving tidbits…”

Susie followed our line of conversation by adding:

“MJ’s point both intrigues and worries me. In the series I’m developing, I don’t have a detective as a love interest in the first book, but I do for the second. But the problem is, as Danna suggests, that the detective (or in my case, constable) comes in handy when you have an amateur sleuth, especially in a time period when women couldn’t serve as police, detectives, etc (my books are set in early modern England). But I suppose he doesn’t need to be a detective, but for a series you need a reason to keep bringing them together. Do you think a lawyer as the love interest is equally formulaic? And if so, do you mind? (I can think of the Anne Perry novels, but not too many others). I would love to know your thoughts on this.”

What do you all think? Do too many sleuths have too many police/private detective significant others?

Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations – February 2012

This will be the second entry in the Cozy Mystery Books Recommendations theme. The authors who we will be recommending are Cozy Mystery authors who we have read this month (February 2012) who we think other Cozy Mystery readers should give a try.

Again, if you are currently reading a Cozy Mystery author, or can think of one (or two, or three!) who you read this month, who you think everyone else should try, please post a comment with his/her name and tell us why.

(Please only post about those Cozy Mystery authors and books you have positive things to say about, not who you think we should stay away from!)

What Cozy Mystery book (or author) are you reading (or have read during February 2012), and why are you enjoying it (or him/her)?

February 29, 2012:

Here are the recommendations you all sent in about the Cozy Mystery books you have read (and enjoyed!) during the month of February 2012:

Avery Aames: Cheese Shop Mystery Series

Ellery Adams (aka , J. B. Stanley, Jennifer Stanley, & 1/2 of Lucy Arlington): Books by the Bay Mystery Series

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

Sarah Atwell (aka Sheila Connolly): Glassblowing Mystery Series

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

Lorraine Bartlett (aka L. L. Bartlett & Lorna Barrett): Victoria Square Mystery Series

M. C. Beaton (aka Marion Chesney): Hamish Macbeth Mystery Series

Carrie Bebris: Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery Series

Fiona Buckley: Ursula Blanchard Mystery Series

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib): Key West Food Critic Mystery Series

Caroline Cousins: Pinckney Plantation Mystery Series

Deborah Crombie: Kincaid & James Mystery Series

Casey Daniels (aka Miranda Bliss & Kylie Logan): Pepper Martin Mystery Series

Krista Davis: Domestic Diva Mystery Series

Carola Dunn: Daisy Dalrymple Mystery Series

Fish Tales: The Guppy Anthology – Ramona DeFelice Long (Editor), Chris Roerden (Introduction)

B. B. Haywood: Candy Holliday Mystery Series

Veronica Heley: Ellie Quicke Mystery Series & Abbot Agency Mystery Series

Joan Hess: Claire Malloy Mystery Series

Maddy Hunter: Passport to Peril Mystery Series

Faye Kellerman: Decker & Lazarus Mystery Series

Sofie Kelly: Magical Cat Mystery Series

Liz Lipperman: Clueless Cook Mystery Series

Judi McCoy: Dog Walker Mystery Series

Leslie Meier: Lucy Stone (Holiday) Mystery Series

Ann Purser: Ivy Beasley Mystery Series

Spencer Quinn (aka Peter Abrahams): Chet and Bernie Mystery Series

Sarah R. Shaber: Professor Simon Shaw Mystery Series

Paige Shelton: Country Cooking School Mystery Series

Dana Stabenow: Kate Shugak Mystery Series

Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe Mystery Series

Victoria Thompson: Gaslight Mystery Series

Kathy Hogan Trocheck (aka Mary Kay Andrews): Julia Callahan Garrity Mystery Series

Livia J. Washburn: Fresh Baked Mystery Series

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

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