The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Stephanie Bond, Christy Tillery French, Lindsay Maracotta, & Diana Orgain : the Four Newest Mystery Book Author Additions to the Site…

Here are the four newest mystery book authors to the site. Remember that they come recommended by Cozy Mystery Site readers:

Stephanie Bond writes the Body Movers Mystery Series which takes place in Atlanta, Georgia. The mystery series features a previously rich woman who is forced to go into the work force. Bond also writes the Voodoo Mystery Series which features the owner of a health food store in Louisiana.

Christy Tillery French writes the Natasha Chamberlain Mystery series which features a female bodyguard from Knoxville Tennessee.

Lindsay Maracotta pens the Lucy Freers Mystery Series. Lucy is the wife of a Hollywood producer and she also is a filmmaker, while not sleuthing!

Diana Orgain writes the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series which takes place in California. The sleuth is a new mom who takes on a new occupation as a private investigator.

PBS and Milk Bones Present "Through a Dog’s Eyes"

I am pretty sure that I have never written an entry about not being able to sit through movies or shows that feature dogs… I think this comes from watching “Old Yeller” or “The Yearling” as a young child. The pet-sob-story movies have been off limits to me for years (and by that I mean LOTS of years) since my early childhood. People have told me about “Marley”… both the book and the movie. Nope! Not for me! I’m not willing to watch or read anything that is going to be happy… and then show how the cycle of life is inevitable.

But, “Through a Dog’s Eyes” is totally different. It is uplifting, it is inspiring, it is… terrific. This PBS one-hour show follows Jennifer Arnold’s dog assistance group as they pass their beloved trained dogs to the people whose lives these very smart, well-trained, beautiful dogs will change for years and years to come. It is a wonderful “investment” of an hour of your time. (Milk Bones is the proud sponsor of “Through a Dog’s Eyes” and they should be proud!!!)

This one hour show will be inspiring, I can almost guarantee that! These dogs truly change the lives of the people they are entrusted to. Unfortunately, I am not sure how many more times your local PBS channels are going to air the show. So >>> Go check and see! (My PBS channel will be showing it one more time, on Tuesday at 2:30 AM.)

I don’t think the reason I enjoyed this show so much is my love of dogs, or the fact that my master’s degree is in Special Education. I think it’s just that this show is a wonderful sign of what people and animals can do when they choose to be kind, loving, patient, and caring.

Still Need Mystery Readers' Help in Solving Mysteries of the Mystery Series…

We need help in identifying three mystery book authors>>>

1.  Tracy has asked for help identifying this mystery book author:

“I’m trying to remember the series that takes place in late Victorian England say the 1900s. It’s a husband and wife team. He is a policeman and the wife helps out along with a young, shy housekeeper? They have a couple of children and that’s all I can remember. I thought I’d kept one of the books, but didn’t and now I’m searching for the series so I can enjoy some more of their escapades.”

2.  And, while I’m asking for help >>> My husband suggested that I post this again, since in the past, Cozy Mystery site readers have been able to come up with the identities of a number of mystery book authors and their mystery book series. Sandy is still looking for:

” The main characters where divorced but back together and I believe the woman was an accountant or investment broker. The husband inherited a trunk of treasure/gold? from a wayward uncle.”

3.  And here’s one more unidentified author (from Danna – me):

“The first book in the mystery series had an older woman going to some sort of spa (I think in Great Britain) where no one locked the doors to their rooms. The woman (sleuth) was able to go into other people’s rooms because of the no-lock situation, since all of the spa residents were ‘upper crust’ people, which of course meant that there was no need to lock the rooms, thanks to their codes of honor. This is not much information, but it is all I can remember about the series, other than I enjoyed the first book. Unfortunately I read it right before I realized that I needed to start writing down the names of all of the authors I enjoy reading.”

So, Cozy Mystery Site Readers, it’s up to you all to help us solve these mysteries!  Thank you (in advance!)

Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax Mystery Books

I have a terrible pattern of downloading books from audible.com and then saving the ones that I REALLY want to listen to. It’s a habit quite like my habit of putting off reading my favorite authors. I always want to know that “they” are there waiting for me in my To Be Read book shelf. (Right now I have a lot of TBR mystery books! Monica Ferris, Katherine Hall Page, Patricia Moyes, Ruth Rendell, Camille Minichino/Margaret Grace, Susan Wittig Albert, and a WHOLE LOT MORE!!!)

However, today I decided to bump up one of my very favorite authors. I was just in the mood to start listening to a mystery book that I absolutely knew was going to be able to “deliver.” So my book of choice to start listening to was: Dorothy Gilman‘s Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled.

For those of you who are not familiar with Mrs. Pollifax, she is a woman of “a certain age” who has joined the CIA at a time in life when other people might enjoy sipping lemonade in a hammock under the shady limbs of a dogwood tree. (OK, I know that isn’t a great example, since most of us would rather be doing that… especially if we could be reading while lulling the time away, enjoying a cool breeze… But, you know what I mean…)

Not so for Mrs. Pollifax! As a member of her local Save Our Environment Club, a woman working toward becoming a black belt karate athlete, and a prize winning geranium grower, Emily Pollifax is not content to just enjoy a leisurely life. And, she is really good at her spy job. She fools the “bad guys” every time… with her innocent looks, and her outrageously “old lady” hats. (I don’t think her hats are described with that term, but that’s how I would describe them.)

Dorothy Gilman has given me hours of reading enjoyment… whether I listen to her books or read them. Mrs. Pollifax is a character who comes to us fully-developed, very three-dimensional, and an added benefit of her work as a spy is that she travels the globe, going to exotic locations which we (the readers) are able to enjoy.

PS… For those of you lucky enough to be heading to New York for the Edgar Awards at the end of this month (April 27-29) >>> Dorothy Gilman is going to be the Grand Master!

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