The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

For All Of You Fellow Cross-Stitchers…

I am not sure if I should post this… The last time I raved about something that I love I received MANY emails from folks who didn’t take the time to read the blog, and simply asked me to send them the free Kraft Food and Family Magazine. I sent each of them a letter giving them the phone number and email address of the real distributors of the magazine… and am hoping that each of them received  my letters and that they are actually getting the magazines now.

Anyway… back to why I am writing this blog. I know that I have mentioned (probably several times) that I am a cross stitcher. I just love to cross stitch while I watch television… something that bothers my husband, so I don’t stitch while we watch something together. I am wandering (again!) from my blog’s point…

Last summer (2007) my daughter and I took a tour through Canada and some of the northeastern states. Whenever we had free time to do our own thing, we would wander around… and invariably find a bookstore of some sort. One time, when I was looking for something other than a cozy mystery (or police procedural, true crime, ETC!) to read, I found myself looking at the magazines. I found myself drawn to a magazine that I had seen in the past: Cross Stitch & Needlework Magazine.

I usually purchase cross stitching books and pamphlets for the projects that I want to do, but I had been drawn to Cross Stitch & Needlepoint magazine before… When I got home, I put it on my Christmas Wish List, and was very happy when I received a subscription. This is a magazine that I actually keep “whole” rather than rip out the pages that most interest me. That’s because almost all of the pages interest me! I get a sprinkling of different artists (as in cross stitchers) projects. I enjoy reading the letters to the editor, the editor’s letters in each issue, the “fabulous finds” page, the projects… even the ads are beautiful to look at!

If you have a non-cozy mystery find that you would like to share… please feel free to drop me a comment…

Jonathan Creek Mystery Series…

Jonathan Creek - Season One If you are looking for a funny (television) mystery series… then you might enjoy the Jonathan Creek Mystery Series. The first three seasons of this series are some of the most entertaining mystery shows that my family has “accidentally” found. This entry is about just the first three seasons of the show. They were a delight to watch.

The show stars Alan Davies as Jonathan Creek , and the wonderful Caroline Quentin as his side kick Maddy Magellan. Actually, I use the term “side kick” rather loosely, since they are equally intrinsic to the show… but since Jonathan Creek is actually the magician/illusionist, I’ll go with that term.

Both of the actors are a delight to watch. The only negative that I can think of imparting is that Caroline Quentin decided to leave the show after its third season. (Don’t quote me on that…. it’s sort of what I remember from years ago when I looked it up…) The First Season (1997) was such a delight to watch… It was like finding a hidden gift. Season Two (1998) provided a continuation of the fun!  On to Season Three>>> More great fun with Jonathan and Maddy… somewhat reminiscent of Nick and Nora Charles (at least to me!) The fourth season brought in the very accomplished actress Julia Sawalha (Saffy from Absolutely Fabulous) as her replacement, but the dye had been cast for my family and we simply weren’t able to make the transition to the new “format” of the show.

The premise of the show is that a very accomplished magician/illusionist (Jonathan Creek) is called upon to help solve a mystery that is virtually impossible to solve… He consents to helping solve the mysteries…sort of against his will. It’s not a career choice that he has made>>> Solving the mysteries has been thrust on him. Maddy, on the other hand, is an investigative journalist, always looking for a breaking-news story. Maddy simply perseveres to get (as in “make”) Jonathan give her that story… She hounds him mercilessly. She simply insists on partnering up with him even though he is fervently against this partnership.

The mysteries are truly stumpers… the types that really would require a magician’s trained mind to solve. And, the audience has fun watching the duo go about solving those mysteries.

♦If you would like to see more TV & Movies suggestions, click here.♦

Witch Theme Mystery Series : Super Supernatural Paranormal Theme Mysteries…

On to the fourth part of the Super Supernatural Mystery Novels with the Witch Theme:

Witch:

Madelyn Alt: Bewitching Mystery Series… Maggie O’Neill happens to be much more than an antique store clerk in Stony Mill, Indiana…

Barbra Annino: Stacy Justice Mystery Series (Opal Fire is book #1)

Heather Blake (aka Heather Webber): Magic Potion Mysteries

Juliet Blackwell (aka Hailey Lind): Witchcraft Mystery Series… Lily Ivory owns a vintage clothing shop where she “witches” she had lots of customers…

Barbara Bretton: Chloe Hobbs’ Paranormal Mystery Series… Chloe is one half sorceress and owns the Sticks & Strings Knitting Shop…

Bailey Cates (aka Cricket McRae): Magical Bakery Mystery Series… Katie Lightfoot is the manager of her uncle’s and aunt’s Honeybee Bakery shop, where Aunt Lucy adds special ingredients to her baked goods…

Shirley Damsgaard: Ophelia & Abby Mystery Series… A librarian and her grandmother are charming sleuths…

Leighann Dobbs & Traci Douglass: Silver Hollow Paranormal Mystery Series – Issy Quinn is a witch and pet store owner in Silver Hollow, a small, paranormal lakeside town.

Delia James: Witch’s Cat Mystery Series… Annabelle Britton, an artist who becomes a witch…

Madison Johns: Lake Forest Witches Mystery Series…

Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J.J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Purple Door Detective Agency Mystery Series… Sunshine Merryweather is a witch/sleuth.

Joyce and Jim Lavene (aka J. J. Cook & Ellie Grant): Retired Witches Mystery Series

Maria E. Schneider: Moon Shadow Series… Adriel’s knowledge of spells helps keep her safe while sleuthing…

Clea Simon writes the Witch Cats of Cambridge Mystery Series – which features Becca, a single, unemployed woman who studies to become a witch – but who also gets a lot of help from Harriet, Laurel, & Clara – her three cats.

Kirsten Weiss: Witches of Doyle Mystery Series

This list doesn’t include the following Paranormal Cozy Mystery themes: Ghost, Psychic or 6th Sense, Vampire or Werewolf, Witch, or Enchanted/Magical  (which I’ve listed on the Theme page.)

Please feel free to post a comment if you know of any other mystery authors (who are currently on the Cozy Mystery site) who you think write mysteries that would fit into this Witch Theme. Thanks!

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

Vampire & Werewolf Theme Mysteries : Super Supernatural Paranormal Theme Mysteries

On to the third part of the Super Supernatural Mystery Novels with the Vampire Theme and Werewolf Theme:

Vampire:

Charlaine Harris: Southern Vampire Mystery Series… Sookie Stackhouse isn’t your run-of-the-mill cocktail waitress! Sookie happens to have a vampire boyfriend AND she’s telepathic!

Dean James (aka Honor Hartman & Jimmie Ruth Evans)… Simon Kirby-Jones is an American author living in Snupperton Mumsley, England who just happens to be a vampire!

Aimée & David Thurlo: Lee Nez Mystery Series… Lee (aka Leo) happens to be a Navajo policeman with a twist… he’s half vampire…

A site reader just asked that I include Mary Janice Davidson to the list of Cozy Mystery authors who write mysteries with a Vampire theme… Undead and Unwed is the first in the series…

Werewolf:

Karen MacInerney: Tales of an Urban Werewolf Mystery Series… Sophie Garou isn’t content with just braying at the moon…

This list doesn’t include the following Paranormal Cozy Mystery themes: Ghost, Witch, Enchanted/Magical, or Psychic or 6th Sense  (which I’ve listed on the Theme page.)

Please feel free to post a comment if you know of any other mystery authors (who are currently on the Cozy Mystery site) who you think write mysteries that would fit into this Vampire and Werewolf  Theme. Thanks!

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

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