The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Historical Mystery Books with Old Churches and Abbeys as Their Settings…

At the end of September 2010, Eveline posted a comment asking for help:

“Can anybody please recommend a period mystery book where the settings are abbeys or old churches – much like in the vein of “The Name of the Rose”?

I am not a religious person, but I love those types of settings.

I have seen that movie three times, and I never seem to get tired of watching it. They haven’t done anything like that again, not that I know of.

I love all the Cadfael mysteries…”

So, we know that Eveline is already aware of all of the Cadfael mystery books… But, do you all know about any other historical/period mysteries with old churches and abbeys as their setting?

Nancy Bilyeau writes the Joanna Stafford Mystery Series : 1) The Crown, 2) The Chalice, & 3) The Tapestry. This series is set in Tudor England.

Kate Charles writes both the Book of Psalms Mystery Series and the Callie Anson Mystery Series. Both of them feature old churches.

G. K. Chesterton writes the Father Brown Mystery Series. They aren’t always set in a church, but they always star Father Brown.

John Meade Falkner, the son of an Anglican priest, has written two books in which old English churches are featured: Moonfleet and The Nebuly Coat.

Margaret Frazer (aka Gail Frazer & Monica Ferris) writes the Sister Frevisse Medieval Mystery Series which takes place in England, during the reign of Henry VI (1422-1461 & 1470-1471) While I am a big fan of the Monica Ferris Needlecraft Mystery Series, I have to admit that I haven’t read her Sister Frevisse mysteries… yet.

G. M. Malliet writes the Max Tudor Mystery Series. Max is the vicar of the Cozy millage of Nether Monkslip

Donna McLean has A Distant Murder, which is the first book in her Sparrow Falls Mystery Series. Although it is a contemporary mystery, it features an old church with its old Scottish burying ground.

C. J. Sansom: Dissolution is a Matthew Sharlake Mystery Series book which takes place during the time of Henry VIII. The book features the tearing down of the Catholic churches.

Please post a comment if you think you might know of just the right author for Eveline…
Additionally, Kate Charles writes wonderful mysteries in a series which exceptional characters.
Also, Wicked Autumn: A Max Tudor Novel by G.M. Malliet

V.C. Clinton-Baddeley, Vicki Doudera, Mary Anna Evans, Al Roker, & Nancy Means Wright… the Four Newsest Mystery Authors to the Cozy Mytery Site…

Here are the five newest author additions to the site. All of these authors have been recommended by site readers who believe they belong on the Cozy Mystery site:

V.C. Clinton-Baddeley writes the Cambridge Crime Mystery Series. Of course, it takes place in Cambridge (England, not Massachusetts) and features Dr. R.V. Davie, a retired university professor.

Vicki Doudera‘s Darby Farr Mystery Series has a sleuth who is a real estate agent. Darby lives on an island off of the coast of Maine. Doudera is also a real estate agent who, incidentally, lives in Maine.

Mary Anna Evans has degrees in both physics and engineering. She writes the Faye Longchamp Mystery Series, which features an archaeologist/sleuth who lived in Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Al Roker is the weatherman of a national morning show who occassionally does the cooking segments. Roker writes the Billy Blessing Mystery Series which features a professional chef who does the cooking segments on a national morning show. These books are supposed to be very funny…

Nancy Means Wright writes two very distinct mystery series. The Ruth Willmarth Mystery Series takes place in Vermont and features a single mother who is also a dairy farmer/sleuth. Her other series is the Mary Wollstonecraft Mystery Series, which features an English governess in 18th Century Ireland. Mary Wollstonecraft was actually a real person. (Wright also pens a children’s mystery series – the Northern Spy Club.)

Midsomer Murders Music Theme… Very EERIE Music… Perfect for October…

Phyllis just posted a comment about the music from Midsomer Murders. Phyllis, “eerie” is the perfect word to describe this music!

I did some Google-ing on the internet and found out that the instrument that can be heard is a Theremin. I sort of thought that it was… The last time my daughter came home we watched a History Detectives show that featured the inventor of the instrument: Léon Theremin. He was a Russian inventor and actually came to the USA as a goodwill ambassador (of sorts) to show off his invention. (It was found out later that some of the gifts to high ranking people in the government had recording/transmitting devices in them… which Theremin had invented, and which were motion-powered… thus enabling them to not need batteries that would only last for a very short time.) Obviously, he wasn’t such a goodwill ambassador!

Anyway, getting back to Midsomer Murders theme music…

I found a short clip on You Tube showing Celia Sheen playing the Midsomer Music theme song on a Theremin. As you can see, she never touches the instrument… it is all done with motions of her hands as they move close to an antenna resembling a lightning rod and a hook resembling a dough attachment of a fancy mixer. (Anyway, that’s what I think those two things look like…)

As I remember from the show, there is a synthesizor (of sorts!) that actaully transmits the sounds that are made. Reminds me of the VERY old horror movies that used to have that sort of music during the times when we were supposed to be scared, and not notice the fishing line holding up the different flying entities!

PS>>> If you have never seen the PBS show History Detectives, do yourself a favor and do so!

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