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Sister Carol Anne O’Marie / Sister Mary Helen Mystery Series…

February 15, 2011

I have recently been on another Cozy Mystery quest. Because I get all of these recommendations from Cozy Mystery site readers, I devote a lot of my reading time to trying out some of the authors. I just finished “going through” three new (to me!) authors. 

The bad news is that I didn’t make it to my “50 page rule” for two of the three authors. I can see how these two authors could be considered top-selling authors. I really can! I just can’t see me wanting to spend even 50 pages with their heroine/sleuths. One of the series is a highly respected culinary series, and the other series is a top-selling supposedly funny series that features a young, supposedly funny sleuth. However, the third of the three authors has captured my attention, and this is not a series I thought I would enjoy. But>>> I seem to be doing just that!

Sister Carol Anne O’Marie was brought to my attention quite a while ago. (I wish I could remember when I posted her page on the site.) I get so many recommendations that I simply can’t read all of the authors, but for some reason I decided to take a chance on this most unlikely (for me!) mystery series. I am glad I read the editorial reviews instead of just relying on the customer comments when I clicked on Novena for Murder! I am enjoying this first book in the Sister Mary Helen Mystery Series.

Any book by an unknown (to me!) author that I read past page 50 is promising. So, I will continue to read this first book in the series and see how I feel about it after I hit page 100. If an author can’t capture my Cozy Mystery attention by then, then I simply annotate my rather obvious grading system: “***** YUCK” and either move on to a new author or go back to one off of my “Favorite Authors” list…

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16 Comments - Click Here to Read the Comments or to Add Another

Comments

  1. Ann says

    February 15, 2011 at 8:19 am

    Thanks for the recommendation.
    Ann

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      February 15, 2011 at 9:38 am

      So far, so good…

      Reply
  2. Laura says

    February 15, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    Danna: Sister Carol Anne was a teacher at my children’s parochial school. She moved on to help run a homeless women’s shelter in Oakland, CA. The money she made from the sale of her books went towards helping to fund the shelter. Sister Carol Anne passed away in 2009, so the Sister Mary Helen series is complete. I have read all the books, but honestly, some were good and others not so much.

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      February 16, 2011 at 3:00 pm

      Thank you, Laura, for the information on Sister Carol Anne. She truly sounds like a neat woman!

      Reply
  3. Mary says

    February 16, 2011 at 11:31 am

    I have read Sr. Carol’s books for many years. The problem for me isn’t in reading the books, it’s finding the books. I check all the UBSs (used book stores) in our local area and can’t seem to find any yet! Besides her Sr. Mary Helen, Sr. Carol also has another sleuth named Sr. Agatha. I enjoyed both equally well. I consider myself a “simple reader,” that is to say, I usually read books that are fun and the biggest message in them is that the bad guy always gets his “just desserts,” no pun intended.
    Thanks for the reminder about an author who is easily overlooked.
    Mary, former TSTubs owner

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      February 16, 2011 at 3:51 pm

      Mary, I hope your library carries her books…

      Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    February 16, 2011 at 2:02 pm

    I like your “50 page rule!” Life’s just too short and there’s too much reading to do to devote too much time to books that don’t grab you…

    Even if the books are by highly-acclaimed authors, the fact is, people have different tastes, and it’s good not to just go with the crowd when it comes to valuable reading time.

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      February 16, 2011 at 3:53 pm

      Aha, Stephanie, my sentiments exactly! There are quite a few best-selling authors who I simply do not appreciate… And, recently, as I am find myself spending more and more time at my computer, I have become even more picky!

      Reply
  5. Vickie B says

    February 16, 2011 at 3:33 pm

    Would that you would email me the two series that didn’t strike a chord with you. I know you don’t like to post negative thoughts here, but I would like to see if I concur or if they are series I need to steer clear of. You are a ‘trusted agent’ as we say in my workplace, I always get great ideas and intros to new series and authors from you.

    Reply
  6. Laura says

    February 16, 2011 at 9:21 pm

    Stephanie: I agree with you. I never read the authors that end up on the best seller lists. Just not my cup of tea. That is one area where the internet has been so wonderful for me. I have been able to discover titles and authors that I end up loving. In the “old” days, one would have a trusted librarian to suggest the kind of books one wanted, but now . . . what can I say?

    Reply
    • Danna - cozy mystery list says

      February 21, 2011 at 11:10 am

      Laura, I mist those “old” days when the librarian would make suggestions… Now you have to rely on the library computers.

      Reply
  7. Sandra says

    February 21, 2011 at 10:19 pm

    I LOVED HER BOOKS!!!!

    Reply
  8. Sandra says

    February 21, 2011 at 10:37 pm

    Also, along the same lines are the series of:
    Aimée & David Thurlo
    SISTER AGATHA MYSTERY Series:
    Main Character: Sister Agatha, Previously a Reporter, New Mexico
    Bad Faith ’02
    Thief in Retreat ’04
    Prey for a Miracle ’06
    False Witness ’07
    The Prodigal Nun ’08
    Bad Samaritan ’10

    These are really great books, I just checked out at my library The Prodigal Nun and am waiting in line for the Bad Samaritan. Try these books if you want some really great reading.

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      February 21, 2011 at 10:40 pm

      Oh, just checked out my library site (they were closed today of course since it is Presidents Day) but Bad Samaritan by the Thurlo’s is waiting there on the hold shelf for me…I will be there tomorrow to pick it up!!!

      Reply
      • Danna - cozy mystery list says

        February 22, 2011 at 7:47 am

        Have fun solving mysteries with Sister Agatha, Sandra!

        Reply
  9. Sue says

    February 23, 2011 at 7:58 pm

    I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Sister Carol Ann O”Marie’s mysteries. I hope you will, too. I just wish there were more of them.

    Reply

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