The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Knitting / Crocheting Cozy Mysteries & Needlecraft / Needlework Cozy Mysteries…

This entry includes the mystery books whose authors include some type of needlework as a theme:

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

Janet Bolin: Threadville Mystery Series… Willow owns a “high-tech” embroidery shop…

Anne Canadeo: Black Sheep Knitting Mystery Series… Maggie Messina owns the Black Sheep Knitting Shop in Massachusetts. (Canadeo co-authors the Cape Light Series with Thomas Kinkade.)

Elizabeth Lynn Casey (aka Laura Bradford): Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series… Tori Sinclair is a librarian/sleuth who is also a member of the Sewing Circle in South Carolina…

Peggy Ehrhart: Knit & Nibble Mystery Series – Pamela Patterson is the associate editor of a craft magazine and founder of a knitting club in Arborville, New Jersey. These Cozies include both a knitting pattern as well as a recipe.

Monica Ferris writes the Needlecraft Mystery Series. Betsy Devonshire inherits the Crewel World needlework/yarn shop. Not only does she have to learn about needlework from the ground up, she also has to solve mysteries. I love that Ferris’s books are usually stocked in needlepoint shops where needle-pointers can be introduced to cozy mysteries!

Sally Goldenbaum has the Seaside Knitters Mystery Series, in which Izzy Chambers owns the Seaside Knitting Studio in Massachusetts… where she not only sells beautiful yarn… but also sleuths.

Sadie Hartwell writes the Tangled Web Mystery Series about Josie Blair, a yarn shop owner.

Betty Hechtman writes the Crochet Mystery Series, and is herself hooked on Crocheting. And, for those crocheters out there… She even includes a crochet pattern in each of her mysteries! Hechtman also writes the Yarn Retreat Mystery Series, which features a dessert chef who inherits a yarn retreat business.

Kate Jacobs is a New York Times bestselling author who writes a non-mystery series called the Friday Night Knitting Club, which features a yarn shop owner and her knitting circle.

Mary Kruger is another author who sets her cozy mystery series amongst the world of deeply hued yarns…. Ari Evans owns the Ariadne’s Web knitting shop in this cozy series.

Amanda Lee (aka Ruth Glick & Rebecca York) writes the Embroidery Mystery Series which takes place in Oregon, and features the owner of the embroidery shop. As Glick she writes cookbooks, specializing in cuisine for Diabetics. As York she writes the paranormal Moon Series.

Molly MacRae writes the Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery Series. The sleuth inherits her grandmother’s wool shop, and an unexpected ghost.

Jaime Marsman: Crabapple Yarns Mystery Series

Carol Ann Martin writes the Weaving Mystery Series. Della Wright teaches weaving in a shop she owns.

Cate Price write the Deadly Notions Mystery Series. Daisy Buchanan is a retired teacher who currently manages the Great Notion Sewing and Antiques Shop in a quaint town in Pennsylvania.

Does the House of Lambspun sound like a yarn shop to you? It should! It is the name of the shop where Maggie Sefton‘s cozy mystery sleuth (Kelly Flynn) learns how to knit.

Lea Wait writes the Mainely Needlepoint Mystery Series.

Oh, and Miss Marple knits!

The Annie’s Attic Mystery Series is a series of mysteries that feature a woman crocheter who has inherited her grandmother’s old home, and who ends up finding all sorts of puzzling items in the attic, which then lead her to solve different mysteries with the help of her friends.

I recently added Debbie Macomber to the site, even though she doesn’t write mysteries. She writes the Blossom Street Knitting Series…

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

The Last Detective Television Show…

THE LAST DETECTIVE: COMPLETE COLLECTION Is the Last Detective just that… the Last Detective?

If you are looking for a mystery series to watch that has heart— then try The Last Detective. We found this series quite by chance, and we are absolutely delighted that we did. It is based on the novels written by Leslie Thomas.

The series stars Peter Davison (from All Creatures Great and Small and the Campion series) as the “Last Detective.” I am not going to ruin it by telling you why he is called this, but there actually is a reason for the title of the series.

Davison’s portrayal of “Dangerous” Davies is brilliant. He actually looks the part of a middle-aged policeman in a dead-end job. (He’s quite unlike the beautiful, buff 28 year old actor they would cast over here in the U.S.A.!) Dangerous is someone we would actually trust if we were in a predicament which required us to interact with the police.

[On a huge aside— why is British television so much more believable than the fare we get over here?]

Dangerous has a… how would I describe him… crazy, kooky, out-there… side kick named Mod (after Tchaikovsky’s brother) who is delightfully played by Sean Hughes. Their (almost) philosophical conversations are… again, for the lack of another word…. believable.

In Season One (2003) we are introduced to the major players in the series. Dangerous, Mod, Dangerous’s boss, coworkers, and ex(?) wife… who has custody of their St. Bernard, which Dangerous is “allowed” to take on lengthy walks with Mod. Even Dangerous’s landlady is deliciously three-dimensional, although she does not have a lot of screen time.

The Last Detective’s Season Two (2004) continues with four more wonderful episodes. I am always very happy to find a series that is able to continuously deliver a great product. I just cannot say enough about Peter Davison’s excellent portrayal of Dangerous. Not only is Dangerous believable, but so are the plots.

As for Season Three, although we already own it, we are taking our time to watch the four episodes. We really don’t want to get to the point of not having anymore Dangerous Davies shows to watch!

The good news is that Season Four has already aired in Great Britain and the discs have just been released!  (As for a Season Five… When I initially filed this review I had found something that said they were working on the fifth season. Of course, now I can’t find that information… so it could have just been a bit of speculation that I saw… Let’s keep hoping that they are working on the fifth season!)

This series focuses on character and plot. If you’re looking for a series that you can add to a list that would include Inspector Morse, Foyle’s War and Brother Cadfael—then this is a series you should definitely check out.

Although in the past, I have been dismayed as to why British television only makes a small number of episodes per season, I now understand why they prefer that system over ours. Our television shows put out an hour episode each week for the entire season (except of course, when they tirelessly repeat the shows), and the characters are interchangeable, two-dimensional. Why not put out four or six two-part shows that are truly worth watching!?!

Knock on wood >>>> If I am ever in a position in which I have to be questioned by the police>>>>> I hope I get a policeman just like Dangerous. I hope that Dangerous Davies is truly not The Last Detective.

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

*****I wrote this review way back in 2007, but we still think it’s a terrific series. If you are a member of Netflix, they have the DVDs. Also, your library might just carry the DVDs. It truly is an exceptional British television mystery series. June 2014

Veterinary Theme Mysteries & Veterinarian Theme Mysteries

I want to go ahead and finish up the cozy mystery series with animal themes I started a while back with the Cat Cozy Mysteries, Dog Cozy Mysteries, Bird and Bird Watching Cozy Mysteries, and Pet Store and Pet Sitting Cozy Mysteries. This blog will feature the (cozy) mystery authors on the site who happen to have veterinarian sleuths.

Lydia Adamson writes three series. The Lucy Wayles series involves a librarian, the Alice Nestleton series features an actress and sometimes cat-sitter, and the third series revolves around Dr. Dierdre Quinn Nightingale, veterinarian. This veterinarian mystery sets place in New York.

The Reigning Cats and Dogs Cozy Mystery Series is written by Cynthia Baxter, and features (former) Dr. Jessica Popper, veterinarian. This series also takes place in New York.

Claudia Bishop is better known for her Hemlock Falls Cozy Mystery Series, but she recently began writing a series that involves a veterinarian  in the cozy mystery series entitled The Casebooks of Dr. McKenzie.

Edie Claire writes the Leigh Koslow Mystery Series. While Leigh is not a veterinarian, her father is. Every once in a while Leigh works as a tech at her dad’s office. Also, the second book features a zoo vet and setting.

Laura Crum writes the Gail McCarthy Mystery Series which features an equine veterinarian…

Abigail Deuel: Mandy Bell DVM Mystery Series

Linda O. Johnston writes the Pet Rescue Mystery Series which features an animal advocate who runs a pet rescue agency…

Georgette Livingston‘s veterinarian series features Dr. Jennifer Gray. This series is set in Nebraska, and involves many capers!

Allana Martin writes the Death of a ***** Mystery Series which features a sleuth and her veterinarian husband.

Betty Webb pens the Gunn Zoo Mystery Series, which features a zookeeper…

The last author in this category is Karen Ann Wilson. Technically, her sleuth isn’t a veterinarian… Samantha Holt is a veterinary technician who resides in Florida. Even though she isn’t a full-fledged veterinarian, she can still sleuth with the best of them!

(Obviously there are other veterinarian-theme mysteries by other authors… I have only included the authors who I have on the site. If you know of any other cozy mystery authors who write veterinarian-themed novels… please write me a comment so that I can include them.)

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

Decorating My Computer Desk for the Holidays…

Now that I have my holiday books pretty much in order, I am going to tell you about something I have been doing for the last few years…

Since I have my own computer desk space… which no one else has to share with me… I decorate my computer area for the different holidays. It isn’t anything elaborate like putting up a Christmas tree, coloring Easter eggs, or placing dry ice in a cauldron… It’s something a lot easier than all of that.

Now that both of our children are adults, I don’t get out all of our different holiday decorations anymore. I would, if I thought that they might enjoy them… let alone notice them! Actually, when my daughter is home, she notices (and seems to enjoy) the things I put out around the house. But now that she is at college pretty much all of the time, I decorate a lot less. (As for my son, I don’t think that he notices what or when I put things out around the house!) When they are both home I do actually “holidize” our house, but, the rest of the time, I simply decorate my computer desk and put up a few magnets on the refrigerator. (I have cross stitched many seasonal magnets using Mill Hill beads…)

Anyway… my computer desk has the above-the-desk-top tier of compartmentalized shelves. The shelf areas are where I put my reusable 3-D holiday stickers. They aren’t like the flimsy stickers that are made to go on a piece of paper, they are made out of some type of poster board which is thick and more stable, with some lamination-type of substance and they have small sticky pads on the back. I use several packages of the stickers so that my desk area is truly a holiday area for me…

Right now I have my Jolee’s Boutique Halloween  stickers up. I will leave them up until the first of November… at which time I will put up my Thanksgiving stickers… (not this particular Jolee’s Boutique set, but I couldn’t highlight the sets that I have…) At the beginning of December I get out all of my Christmas stickers, which are from a lot of different sources. I especially like my Holly Wreath, Poinsettias, and Christmas Lights.  

Maybe all of these 3-D stickers on my computer desk are simply a return to the bulletin boards that I used to enjoy putting up when I taught school. (And then as a volunteer in my children’s’ classes.) Or maybe they are just a way to add more clutter to my already cluttered desk! Either way….. I enjoy looking up from my key board and seeing something other than the innumerable reminder lists that I write to myself!

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