The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

No Remorse & Blue Bloods (formerly slated as Reagan's Law) … Two Tom Selleck Police Procedurals on the Horizon

Great news for all of you Jesse Stone fans. Another Robert  B. Parker movie will be broadcast some time soon. No Remorse will air on May 9, 2010. (Of course, since I don’t work for the network, I am getting this date from the Google-ing I did this afternoon. If anyone else has another date, please let us know.) I have already programmed the movie’s title, Tom Selleck, and Jesse Stone on my Replay machine… so I should know the exact date as soon as it pops up on one of my searches.

I am really looking forward to No Remorse, as I have enjoyed all of the other Jesse Stone movies. And, of course, Tom Selleck in no way makes it difficult to watch! And, I absolutely LOVE Jeff Beal‘s haunting musical score. (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!)  Seeing Kathy Baker & William Devane are added bonuses for me.

So, here’s what I found out while searching around for No Remorse >>>

There’s more good news in store for us! CBS is filming a pilot (currently called Blue Bloods >>> formerly called Reagan’s Law) which will be a police procedural starring Tom Selleck as NYPD’s chief of police, whose son (played by Donnie Wahlberg) is a detective. Len Cariou plays Selleck’s father, who was also a policeman, but who is now working for the mayor. Got the picture? A family of generation-after-generation of police officers! Some of you may remember Len Cairou as the man on the Murder, She Wrote TV show who seemed the most likely to have a romantic relationship with Jessica. (Boy, did I ever side-track on that!)

Anyway, it looks like there are some good things in store for all of us mystery lovers out there. Let’s just hope the networks air these shows… and don’t decide that what we really need is YET ONE MORE REALITY SHOW!!!

* * * * *This is not an April Fool’s gag…* * * * *

Spring Break… Activity Time for Even the Adults!

My daughter came home a couple of weeks ago for her spring break. Boy was I glad she was home! My son lives right here in San Antonio, so this was a wonderful family time for the four of us… plus Sprite, makes five!

Unfortunately, now that she lives in Massachusetts, it takes her a whole day to travel to and from school, which of course shaves off two days of her week long break. That’s the breaks! (As “they” say… although I am so “out of it,” I’m not sure “they” still say that!)

My daughter is the designated family member to get us out of the house, enjoying things that San Antonio has to offer. Of course, since she was home for such a short time, that meant one day out. And, of course, with Sprite being so old, that day is shortened to (at the most!) a five hour window of time that we can be away from the house.

I should clarify that we do go out other times, but what I mean by a “day out,” is doing an activity that we enjoyed doing when both of our children were growing up… You know the type… the zoo, museums, caverns, ETC… the types of things that tourists do when they come here.

Unfortunately, her spring break coincided with the spring break of at least the largest school district here in San Antonio… which meant that there were LOTS of people doing the same thing.

We visited a wildlife ranch… which turned out to be… I would guess by the crowds… the most visited place on the day that we chose to go. WOW!!! LOTS of people. LOTS of cars. And, LOTS of animals who had been so over-fed by all of the people in all of the cars, that we were only able to see the few of them who were napping under the closer trees.

The “moral” of this story is: So what if the actual activity turns out to be a bust? What’s important is the time spent with each other… even though a lot of that time was spent (by at least one member>>> who was more than likely me!) complaining about all of the people, all of the cars, and all of the missing animals who were in the clumps of trees taking their siestas.

How about you all? Have any of you been enjoying Spring Break?

Teachers as the Main Sleuths in Mystery Books…

I decided to make the Teachers as Sleuths theme a while ago, during the beginning of the school year. But, I got side-tracked (again!) This theme includes the mystery authors who are included on the Cozy Mystery Site… (Obviously, this theme entry does not include all of the mystery books which have teachers as the primary sleuths.)

Teachers as the Primary Sleuths from mystery books found on the Cozy Mystery site:

Judith Arnold: Lainie Lovett Still Kicking Mystery Series – Grade School Teacher

Donald Bain (& “Jessica Fletcher”): Murder She Wrote Mystery Series – Retired English teacher

Tace Baker (aka Edith Maxwell): Speaking of Mystery Mystery Series – Linguistics Professor

Mignon F. Ballard: Miss Dimple Mystery Series – 1st Grade Teacher

Jo Bannister: Brodie Farrell Mystery Series – Math Teacher

Maggie Barbieri: Murder 101 Mystery Series – English Professor

Laurien Berenson: Melanie Travis Mystery Series – Special Education Teacher

Joan Blacher: Ardis Jensen Mystery Series – Ex University Counselor

Alice Boatwright: Ellie Kent Mystery Series – English Professor

J.S. Borthwick: Deane & McKenzie Mystery Series – English Professor

Gail Bowen: Joanne Kilbourn Mystery Series – Poly-Sci Professor

Julia Buckley: Teddy Thurber Mystery Series – English Teacher

Heron Carvic: Miss Seeton Mystery Series – Retired Art Teacher

Sarah Caudwell: Hilary Tamar Mystery Series – Law Professor

Hampton Charles: Miss Seeton Mystery Series – Retired Art Teacher

Erika Chase: Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery Series – Reading Specialist

Anna Clarke: Paula Glenning  & James Goff Mystery Series – Professors

Melissa Cleary: Dog Lover’s Mystery Series – Film Studies Professor

V. C. Clinton-Baddeley: Cambridge Crime Mystery Series – Retired Professor

Elizabeth Spann Craig (aka Riley Adams): Myrtle Clover Mystery Series – Retired Octogenarian

Hamilton Crane (aka Sarah J. Mason): Miss Seeton Mystery Series – Retired Art Teacher

Bill Crider: Sally Good Mystery Series – English Professor AND Carl Burns Mystery Series – English Professor

Edmund Crispin: Gervase Fen Mystery Series – English Professor

Amanda Cross: Kate Fansler Mystery Series – English Professor

Kathi Daley: TJ Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Series – High School

Jeanne M. Dams: Dorothy Martin Mystery Series – Retired Teacher

Lesley A. Diehl: Laura Murphy Mystery Series – Psychology Professor

Joanne Dobson: Karen Pelletier Mystery Series – English Professor

Jan Dunlap: Bob White Birder Murder Mystery Series – High School Counselor

Anthony Eglin: English Garden Mystery Series – Retired Botany Professor

Aaron Elkins: Gideon Oliver Mystery Series – Anthropology Professor

Honora Finkelstein & Susan Smily: Ariel Quigley Mystery Series – English Teacher

“Jessica Fletcher” & Donald Bain: Murder She Wrote Mystery Series – Retired English Teacher

Linda French: Professor Teodora Morelli Mystery Series – History Professor

P. L. Gaus: Ohio Amish Mystery Series – History Professor

Anne George: Southern Sisters Mystery Series – Retired English Teacher

Alexia Gordon: Gethsemane Brown Mystery Series – Music Teacher in Ireland

Paula Gosling: Stryker & Trevorne Mystery Series – English Professor

Margaret Grace: Miniature Mystery Series – Retired English Teacher

Elissa D. Grodin: Edwina Goodman Mystery Series – Physics Instructor

Janice Hamrick: Jocelyn Shore Mystery Series – High School

Maria Hudgins: Dotsy Lamb Travel Mystery Series – Retired History Professor

Mary Ellen Hughes: Maggie Olenski Mystery Series – Math Teacher

Jane Isenberg: Bel Barrett Mystery Series – English Professor

Abigail Keam: Josiah Reynolds, Beekeeper Mystery Series – Ex-History Professor

Diana Killian: Poetic Death Mystery Series – Teacher

Cynthia Kuhn: Lila Maclean Academic Mystery Series – English Professor

Jim Lacey: Ryan/Lehrer Mystery Series – History Professor

Jane Langton: Homer Kelly Mystery Series – History Professor

Marilyn Levinson (aka Allison Brook): Golden Age of Mystery Book Club Mystery Series – Professor

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

Ada Madison (aka Camille Minichino & Margaret Grace): Sophie Knowles Mystery Series – Math Professor

Liesa Malik: Daisy Arthur Mystery Series – Retired Special Education Teacher

Sarah J. Mason (as Hamilton Crane): Miss Seeton Mystery Series – Retired Art Teacher

Sujata Massey: Rei Shimura Mystery Series – English Teacher

Ralph M. McInerny (aka Monica Quill): Notre Dame Mystery Series – Philosophy Professor

Tyora Moody: Eugeena Patterson Mystery Series – Retired Social Studies

Mary Grace Murphy: Noshes Up North Mystery Series – Retired Teacher

Tim Myers (aka Chris Cavender, Casey Mayes, Elizabeth Bright, & Melissa Glazer) Slow Cooker Mystery Series – Instructor of Slow Cooking Techniques

Clare O’Donohue: World of Spies Mystery Series – Hollis and Finn Larsson are college professors who assist Interpol in Ireland.

Bernadette Pajer: Professor Bradshaw Mystery Series – Electrical Engineering Professor

Stuart Palmer: Hildegarde Withers Mystery Series – Retired Teacher

Leigh Perry (aka Toni L.P. Kelner): Family Skeleton Mystery Series – English Professor

Cate Price: Deadly Notions Mystery Series – Retired Teacher

Gillian Roberts: Amanda Pepper Mystery Series – English Teacher

Patricia Rockwell: Pamela Barnes, Acoustic Mystery Series –  Psychology Professor

Sarah R. Shaber: Professor Simon Shaw Mystery Series – History Professor

Catherine Shaw: Vanessa Duncan Cambridge Mystery Series – Teacher

Susan Smily & Honora Finkelstein: Ariel Quigley Mystery Series – English Teacher

Robert Spiller: Bonnie Pinkwater Mystery Series – High School Math Teacher

Sarah Stewart Taylor: Sweeney St. George Mystery Series – History Professor

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series – School Social Worker

Margaret Truman: Smith & Reed Mystery Series – Law Professor

Ann Waldron: Princeton Murders Mystery Series – Writing Professor

Jill Paton Walsh: Imogen Quy Mystery Series – College Nurse

Livia J. Washburn: Fresh-Baked Mystery Series – Retired Teacher

Tracy Weber: Downward Dog Mystery Series – Yoga Instructor

Margaret Yorke: Dr. Patrick Grant Mystery Series – Professor

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

The Teaberry Strangler – Laura Childs' New York Times Bestseller…

I just got an e-mail from Laura Childs with this very good news for all Cozy Mystery lovers. I sure hope that this is yet another sign that the Cozy Mystery Genre is getting the respect and recognition it deserves!

“PRESS RELEASE:                                        March 22, 2010

Author Laura Childs hits
New York Times Bestseller List with
cozy mystery, The Teaberry Strangler!

With hard-boiled thrillers continually dominating the New York Times Bestseller List, how did Laura Childs manage to squeak on?

“I prayed, I promoted, I burned incense and chanted,” said Childs.  “I gave up chocolate for Lent and did everything but offer up my first born.”

And why exactly is she so ecstatic?

“Because, according to my editor at Berkley Prime Crime, cozies generally do not make it to the New York Times Bestseller List,” says Childs.  “That list tends to be reserved for the ‘big dogs,’ like Dan Brown, Stephen King, James Patterson, and Danielle Steel.”

Actually, all those authors are on the list right now.  Right there along with Laura Childs.  And Childs, a former “ad guy” and CEO of Mission Critical Marketing, must be doing something right, because this is her third cozy mystery in the past year to make it.

“I just try to write ‘em fast and good,” says Childs.  “I try to create believable characters and fun dialogue, keep up a breakneck pace, and give my readers that proverbial dead body in the first chapter.”

How’s she going to celebrate her good fortune?

“Well, I’m way behind on my next book, Scones & Bones, so I have to scribble out at least another 75 pages.  But then I’m going to have my husband take me out to a very elegant dinner.”

The Teaberry Strangler, Berkley Prime Crime, $24.95, March 3, 2010 release,
ISBN 978-0-425-23245-3

Laura Childs is the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbooking Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries.”

Now, I ask you, isn’t that great!

MENU