The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Marian Babson…. I just felt like a quick cozy mystery…

I just started a Marian Babson book from over thirty years ago…. Murder Sails at Midnight, from 1975. I went to my trusty book shelf which now holds over 300 books for me to read at some point in the future (I really should count those books some time soon!) and decided that it was time for me to read this particular book. I have read several of Babson’s books before, but since they didn’t belong to a series, I just hopped around picking books as they suited my moods.

Murder Sails at Midnight is not disappointing me. I have finished about half of the book and cannot wait to find out … not whodunit, but who whodunit to! For those of you who haven’t yet read the book, we are "introduced" to the murderer at the very beginning of the book. Babson then introduces us to four people, one of whom will be the recipient of the murderer’s handiwork… This is a book with a neat twist… Babson lets us in on the "secret" of the murder, and fills us in on some of the facts we will need to know in order to (hopefully) solve the crime.

And, since the reader knows who the whodunit is, and that he will be ending one of the four people’s lives, we are able to go along with Babson and try to pick up the hints… sifting through the red herrings that she tosses out to us. I have to admit, I have no idea which of the four people is the most likely to get the undeserved ax.  I am having to fight off the urge to take a peak at the end of the book… that’s how much I want to know!

Jennifer Chiaverini, Claire M. Johnson, Nina Wright, & Evan Marshall: Four New Authors to Mystery Site

I just copied the following blog directly from my What’s New on the Cozy Mystery Site page… So, if you are a regular reader of that page, you will probably not be interested in reading this blog which covers the four new authors I just finished adding to the site. (Since you have already read about them on the What’s New page, NOT because you aren’t interested in the authors!!!)

I am trying to get back into adding some of the authors who site readers have recommended. I  had been working on putting pictures of the covers of authors’ books on their individual pages, but found that it was simply taking too much time to make much progress on that project. (I just finished the "C" authors!)

Today I am adding an author who does not write mysteries, but who several site readers recommended as someone who might fit in well with the cozy theme of the site: Jennifer Chiaverini writes the Elm Creek Quilts Series. (I have added Chiaverini to the Quilting Theme page.)

Nina Wright writes the Whiskey Mattimoe Mystery Series. Whiskey is a realtor in a resort area in Michigan, and Abra is her trusty Afghan Hound sleuthing partner. (A new addition to the Dog Theme page.)

The third recommended author I added to the site today is Claire M. Johnson. Johnson writes the Mary Ryan, Pastry Chef Mystery Series… which I have added to the Culinary Mystery Theme page.

The last (but by no means least!) author is Evan Marshall. Marshall writes the Jane Stuart & Winky Mystery Series and is also beginning a new series called the Hidden Manhattan Mystery Series. I have added Marshall to the Cat Theme page, also.

Campion… Margery Allingham’s & Peter Davison’s…

I have to “come clean” on this series>>> My husband and I tried watching it a few years ago and did not like it… at all. We watched only the first episode and then gave up. We have since seen the error of our ways! The turning point for us was seeing Peter Davison in The Last Detective. When we saw Davison’s wonderful portrayal of Dangerous Davies, we decided to give Campion another try. And, we were pleasantly surprised at how much we liked it.

Peter Davison stars as Margery Allingham‘s amateur detective Albert Campion. The setting is 1930s England – and Campion is one very elite gentleman (of noble descent, although “not quite”) with all the time in the world to solve crimes. He has the help of his “manservant” (played by Brian Glover) who is almost  a one hundred and eighty degree contrast to Campion.

Our first impression of Campion was correct… Davison actually played Campion in a playful, almost campy manner. Once we were “in on the campiness” we truly began to enjoy the shows.

The Campion series was made by the BBC during the late 1980s / early 1990s. The scenery (as expected from the BBC) is absolutely beautiful. The narrow cobblestone streets,  unpaved country roads, flowers in the window boxes, vintage cars, just about everything is such a treat to see.

Campion, Season 1, included four episodes. The first episode takes place in a beautiful estate. Campion, belonging to the English aristocracy, fits right in. He is also able to glean information from the “lower classes” since his manservant  Lugg plays an important role in the crime-solving. Lugg, who has a background in criminal behavior, is able to contact his cronies with connections on the other side of the law, thus enabling Campion to use some rather shady ways to solve the crimes.The second season of Campion also included four episodes.

My husband and I both came away from the shows thinking that Davison toned down the almost “song and dance” portrayal of Campion after the first episode. So, if you give this delightfully fun mystery series a try, remember to keep that in mind. We really did look forward to watching the shows and  were truly sorry that they only made the eight episodes.

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

April 2008 Mystery Book New Releases:

The following mystery books will be released in April 2008:

Susan Wittig Albert: Nightshade (This will be the 16th in the China Bayles Herbal Mystery Series…)

Donald Bain:  Murder on Parade   (This will be the 29th in the Jessica Fletcher: Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series…)

David Baldacci:  The Whole Truth (This will be a Stand Alone mystery…)

Jo Bannister:  Fathers and Sins  (This will be a Stand Alone mystery…)

Nevada Barr:  Winter Study   (This will be the 14th in the Anna Pigeon Mystery Series…)

Lorna Barrett:  Murder is Binding  (This will be the 1st in the NEW Haven’t Got a Clue Mystery Series…)

Dorothy Cannell:  Goodbye, Ms. Chips (This will be the 13th in the Ellie Haskell Mystery Series…)

Carol Higgins Clark:  Zapped  (This will be the 11th in the Regan Reilly Mystery Series…)

Mary Higgins Clark:  Where Are You Now?  (This will be a Stand Alone mystery…)

Jane K. Cleland:  Antiques to Die For   (This will be the 3rd in the Antiques Roadshow Mystery Series…)

Harlan Coben:  Hold Tight   (This will be a Stand Alone mystery…)

Michael Connelly:  The Blue Religion   (Anthology with Mystery Writers of America…)

Cleo Coyle:  French Pressed  (This will be the 6th in the Coffeehouse Mystery Series…)

Kathy Lynn Emerson: Lethal Legend  (This will be the 3rd in the Diana Spaulding Mystery Series…)

Jane Haddam:  Cheating at Solitaire   (This will be the 23rd in the Gregor Demarkian Mystery Series…)

Parnell Hall:  The Sudoku Puzzle Murders (This will be the 9th in the Puzzle Lady Mystery Series…)

Robin Hathaway:  Sleight of Hand  (This will be the 3rd in the Jo Banks Mystery Series…)

Sue Henry: Degrees of Separation  (This will be the 12th in the Alaska/Jessie Arnold Mystery Series…)

Joan Hess: Mummy Dearest   (This will be the 17th in the Claire Malloy Mystery Series…)

Jonathan Kellerman: Compulsion (This will be the 22nd in the Alex Delaware Mystery Series…)

Peter King:  Hangman’s Corner  (This will be the 1st in the NEW Ned Parker Mystery Series…)

Mary Jane Maffini: The Cluttered Corpse (This will be the 2nd in the Charlotte Adams Mystery Series…)

G. A. McKevett:  Poisoned Tarts (This will be the 13th in the Savannah Reid Mystery Series…)

Katherine Hall Page:  The Body in the Gallery  (This will be the 17th in the Faith Fairchild Mystery Series…)

James Patterson:  Sundays at Tiffany’s  (Written w/ Gabrielle Charbonnet… This will be a Stand Alone Mystery…)

Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia Paints the Town  (This will be the 9th in the Miss Julia Series…)

Alexander McCall Smith:  Miracle at Speedy Motors   (This will be the 9th in the Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency Series…)

Denise Swanson:  Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry  (This will be the 10th in the Scumble River Mystery Series…)

Robert K. Tanenbaum:  Escape  (This will be the 20th in the Butch Karp Mystery Series…)

Katherine R. Wall:  Mercy Oak  (This will be the 8th in the Bay Tanner Mystery Series…)

*****To go back to the Cozy Mystery New Releases page click here*****

MENU