Every once in a while I simply have to talk about the Cozy Mystery books I am reading/listening to AND find out what books you all are reading. Call me nosy…
I am listening to one of Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Maud Silvers Cozy Mystery Series and, let me tell you, there is no question that this is a Cozy Mystery! No graphic language, violence, or “adult” situations. The sleuth, Miss Silvers, is an older, retired school teacher/governess who has taken up private investigating in her later years. Her services are found by word of mouth. People who have used her to solve a mystery in their own lives tell people who sound like they need a competent investigator. In turn, those people tell more people, etc. Yes, she is that good!
Patricia Wentworth is an author who I found out about after several Cozy Mystery site readers recommended her to be included on the site. She definitely qualifies as Cozy… and she even knits!
The “real book” (as the other is the audiobook in my car) is the first in the Orchard Mystery Series by Sheila Connolly (aka Sarah Atwell). I just passed the fiftieth page, so, as some of you know about my “decide by page 50 rule” >>> I must be enjoying her One Bad Apple. I have recently been reading comments and/or letters about the Orchard Mystery Series, so decided it was time to try it. So far, so good.
I have to admit that I was interested in pursuing the Orchard Mystery Series because, for some reason I had a craving for a Kate Borden (aka Kate Grilley) mystery. But, unfortunately there are only three Cozy Mysteries in her Peggy Jean Turner Mystery Series, and I have read each of them already. I was in the mood for a New England setting, and also wanted to add a new author to my reading repertoire.
Now that I have told you about the two books I am listening to/reading, would you mind telling us what you are currently enjoying?
Petie says
I was looking for the Patricia Wentworth Miss Maud Silver series but with no luck at Borders here in Houston this week-end or Half Price Books. Guess I’ll have to go ‘online’ to begin the series. It sounds like a good one too. Like I said yesterday I’m reading the Scumble River Mystery series by Denise Swanson & ‘got into it’ immediately after beginning. I, too, loved the Peggy Jean Turner series and wish for others to follow soon. Looking forward to Sofie Kelly’s 2nd Magical Cats Mystery in September.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Petie, one of the problems with reading authors who published their mysteries so many years ago (like Patricia Wentworth) is that they are sometimes really difficult to find. The good thing about reading these very same authors is that (I believe) they are worth the search!
Julia says
I loved the Scumble River series when it first came out, but after the last three or so I’ve sworn off them until a) Skye’s mother May gets some therapy for her escalating problem with verbally abusing her daughter and b) Skye’s ex Simon either goes to therapy for his stalking tendencies or gets arrested for them. Honestly, I don’t need the kind of stress I get reading about these characters and their dysfunctions – I read to relax.
You may have to try used bookstores for the Patricia Wentworths (to get them at a reasonable price, I mean), but if you listen to recorded books at all on an mp3 player, try audible.com – they have a number of Patricia Wenworth’s recoded and they’re quite good versions.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Julia, I get my audio books from audible.com, also. When we first joined, they had very few mystery books that I enjoyed listening to. I kept complaining to my husband that it was like a “boys club” >>> A lot of James Patterson, John Grisham, Reginald Hill ETC. (Even though I enjoyed listening to them, I craved “Cozier authors.”) But, they have started adding authors like Monica Ferris, Carola Dunn, Simon Brett, ETC. And they have added a lot more books by “classic mystery authors” – Agatha Christie,Ngaio Marsh, Ruth Rendell.
Cheryl says
I am restarting over Sandra Browns mystery of last year – Tough Customer- didn’t get it done last year, want to get it read before her new one comes out. Love your site
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Cheryl, I’m glad you are enjoying the site.
Alfred says
Hi Danna I just got done with Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay. It was a really good book – can’t wait for the new one to come out. Now I am reading Sprinkle with Murder also by Jenn McKinlay and probably will read after this one Buttercream Bump Off also by her. I also have Carbs and Cadavers by J.B Stanley that you said I might like so might try that after. Well take care. And Happy Reading all.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Leave it to you, Alfred, to have so many books your are zipping through! I hope you enjoy J. B. Stanley’s Carbs and Cadavers as much as I did…
Michelle says
I am reading Spun By Sorcery by Barbara Bretton. It is the third in the Sugar Maple series. I think it is great.
I will be reading Sheila Connolly’s Orchard series very shortly. I love the cover art. I will also be buying her short story prequel, which is the only reason I bought an ebook. I am sadly not kidding!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Michelle, I also really like the cover art on Sheila Connolly’s Orchard Mystery Series. I am still enjoying the book, so will probably be adding Connolly to my list of “favorite authors” that I have…
PaulD says
I’m currently reading Zapped by Carol Higgins Clark. Have you ever heard of the Miss Hogg books by Austin Lee? They could be the very definition of a cozy mystery, although they’re probably difficult to find now.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
No, PaulD, I have never heard about Austin Lee’s Miss Hogg mysteries. Thanks for telling us about them…
Misty says
I have recently finished the latest book in the “Dead End Job” series by Elaine Viets. I decided to try this author after all the praise I had read about her on this site and I absolutely loved it. Now I’m sad that I have finished them all and have to wait until next year for the next one! Last weekend I read the newest “Stephanie Plum” book by Janet Evanovich. I really enjoy this author. I find myself laughing out loud at times with the things the Grandma says and trouble she gets into. I’d like to try a new author next so I was browsing the site to see who would jump out at me. I’m thinking of trying the “Blackbird Sisters” and see if they can keep me interested. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is reading to get some ideas to try next. Any suggestions always welcome. Thanks for all you do with this site. I’m so happy I found it. 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Misty, I hate it when my “favorite authors” don’t keep up with me!
As for suggestions >>> I love Anne George’s Southern Sisters Mystery Series, so am always very happy to suggest this series to others. Also,I really enjoyed the earlier books in the Agatha Raisin Mystery Series by M. C. Beaton.
MJ says
Misty,
I just finished Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun by Lois Winston. It is ‘laugh out loud’ funny and a good mystery. It is the first in a series. I don’t know when the second one will come out – probably a year from now. I read the Nancy Martin series – Blackbird Sisters. I’ve read better. I find it just so-so, but everyone’s tastes are different. She has stopped writing this series. If you are looking for a nice long series that is compelling, try Earlene Fowler’s quilt museum series. The first one is Fool’s Puzzle. Each year I can hardly wait for the next one to be published. When I started this series I didn’t like the first few chapters (I thought it was too much like a ‘western’), but after that I was quickly drawn into the story, which always moves quickly. Great characters!!
You might try getting the first book from the library to see if you like it.
Kimberlee says
I am reading “The Ninth Daughter” by Barbara Hamilton (Barbara Hambly), which is the first in the Abigail Adams mystery series. Must say I am quite enjoying this book even if it take a while to get into it. Must say that I use your site all the time to help decide what to read next and check your blog every single day! Thanks so much for the awesome information and how nice all the other blog commentors are. Keep up the excellent work!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Welcome to the site, Kimberlee. I never tire of hearing from people who enjoy it! I agree with you, the “blog commentors” are neat?!?
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
Well, just like the last time when I was the ONLY one who had not done her vacuuming, I find I am alone again in that I’m reading a pulp fiction, rather violent hard boiled crime book. Yes, I am. Pleeeease do not throw me off the site. It is true. I read cozies AND hard crime stories now and then. WORSE, it has magic in it. Not a cozy scene in sight, but it was on that huge sale Amazon is having…and I just sampled and there I was two hours later, still reading. It’s called Hard Spell. I do not advise it for cozy readers.
Is it time to vacuum again? Already??
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Maria, don’t be a downer! We’re OK with you reading hard boiled crime, but we don’t want to even think about vacuuming, when there is reading to be done!
Leslie says
I’m reading Flowerbed of State by Dorothy St. James. It’s about a gardener at the White House who becomes involved in a murder. I was amazed at how quickly I became attached to the main character. Thanks for all of the other suggestions.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Leslie, Dorothy St. James is on my list of authors to get posted to the site. I can’t get over how many people are recommending her mystery!
MJ says
I, too, just finished this book by Dorothy St. James and loved it!! It’s a great mystery and moves quickly. I had a hard time putting it down. Since it is the first in a series, I am sad I will have to wait until next April for the second one – Scarlet Pepper.
Sharon says
Just finished the Molly Murphy series (Rhys Bowen) and unlike some series, I thought it just got better right up to the last book. Have started the Grace and Favor series by Jill Churchill. Seems a pleasant read; also reading the Miss Seeton series on the side – very light and fun; and am reading the extended Nero Wolfe series (Goldsborough). Good, but not AS good as Rex Stout.
Thanks so much for this site. I too love it!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sharon, it’s always good to find an author who has a series that actually gets better. So many times, after the seventh or eighth book in a series, I stop enjoying the mysteries because the author gets ridiculously repetitious and predictable.
Susan says
Maria, don’t feel too bad! I’m reading a ‘hard’ crime, myself. “Mandarin Plaid” by SJ Rozan.
It’s different – a young, female, Chinese PI in New York’s Chinatown – but definitely too gritty and too much bad language for it ever to be called a cozy. It’s been sitting in my TBR pile for ages, and I wanted something to read! Lol!
Cheers,
Susan
P.S. I haven’t done the vacuuming either!
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
Yay, Susan! My partner in crime!!!
Olive says
I have just finished reading two books written by Livia J. Washington. They are: Frankly My Dear I’m Dead and Huckleberry Finished. There is one more in the series it is Wild Night. I enjoyed them all.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
(Olive, Wild Night is the first Lucas Hallam mystery by Livia J. Washburn. Killer on a Hot Tin Roof is the third of Washburn’s Literary Tour Mystery Series…)
Olive says
I am sorry. I knew the title (Wild Night) did not sound right. I did read Killer on a Hot Tin Roof it was also a good read. I love this site thank you.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Olive, thank you for the kind words about the site. I have found that when I really, really enjoy a mystery series by an author, I usually don’t like their other series. There are a few exceptions… I enjoy Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot and I enjoyed M. C. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. (I say enjoyED because I stopped reading both of those series a little while back.)
Carrie says
I’ve just finished reading “Buried for Pleasure” by Edmund Crispen it is the sixth in his Gervase Fen series. I love this series and will be really sorry when I read the last book.
I’m now reading Josephine Tey’s “Miss Pym Disposes” which is one of her stand alone mystery books.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Carrie, I do exactly the same thing>>> When there is an author I really enjoy, I start dreading the time when I “catch up” with the author and have no more of his/her mysteries to read.
Charlene says
I’ve read two in the Orchard Mystery series; really enjoyed them. Right now I’m reading Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stone series and am on The Christmas Cookie Murder with the next two books waiting to be picked up at the library (tonight). Cozies are the best!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Charlene, I am really enjoying Sheila Connolly’s One Bad Apple right now, and have read all of Leslie Meier’s Lucy Stones books. I absolutely LOVE seasonal/holiday mysteries.
Barbara Thompson says
I have been reading the Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries mystery series. I have an omnibus with the first three books of which I have read two. I took a break to read the new J.A. Jance mystery, which is not a cozy, Betrayal of Trust.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Barbara, I take breaks from Cozy Mysteries every now and then, also. Every once in a while I simply crave J. A. Jance, Colin Dexter, Reginald Hill, even true crime by Ann Rule…
Shirley says
Hi Danna;
Some of my favorite cozy mysteries are by
CYNTHIA Riggs…..her books are a delight…..she has the series Victoria Turmbull, the place is Martha’s Vineyard & she is a 92 year old native amateur sleuth as she knows every one on her island…..she also is a deputy police officer & naturalist.
She has written ten cozy mysteries, the first being
Deadly Nightshade…..once you have read the first one
you’re hooked and look for each one that comes out.
These are delightful mysteries I have read over and over & they are keepers.
Smiles……………
Elaine Faber says
A new author, Cindy Sample, has written a funny cozy mystery called Dying for a Date. If you like a plot with lots of humor thrown in, set in Placerville, CA – give her a try. Her second, Dying for a Dance, is coming out later this fall.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Elaine, for telling us about Cindy Sample…
Mae says
Hi Danna, I do so enjoy this site. I am reading Parnell Hall’s The Puzzle Lady Mysteries. I am enjoying them and found all but two at my local library. I also found and read all of the Maud Silver mysteries at the library and liked them very much. Thank you so much for helping me to never run out of good cozies to read.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Welcome to the site, Mae. I’m glad you enjoy it, and I’m glad you have such a good library system!
Judy says
First, thank you for this great informative site. I have gleaned so much “cozy” information from here. Fantastic!
I finished reading the first three in the Emilie Richards series and am up to “A Lie for A Lie”.
Just finished all six of Jane K. Cleland’s antique consignment shop mysteries which I found to be very educational and fun to read also.
I have started on Laura Child’s tea shop series which I had put off reading because I thought I would not enjoy them. Her style is very predictable but her characters are fun and I am learning quite a bit about tea also. I am up to number six – half way and still reading, so that is a good sign. 🙂
Still need to finish the Susan Wittig Albert “China Bayles” series and would like to start the gardening series by Kate Collins since I grew up in Indiana.
All of the above were recommendations I gathered as a result of reading this site.
The “Bookman” series by John Dunn or Dunning? is excellent and you will learn a lot about the used book trade also. I have read these through twice in the last few years.
I have read Earlene Fowler’s series of books (the ones with quilt titles) through three times over the last number of years. My husband has even read them once through. They are very well written. Not “quilty” at all – just good mysteries.
On the “hard crime” subject the best I have read recently is Brian Freeman and another set is the authors P. J. Tracy (mother/daughter team). You must read them in order. Since I am from MN I know where all of them take place and it makes it much more interesting.
So, many books – not enough time! 🙂 Vacuum, did someone say vacuum?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Judy, that’s a lot of reading!
I have found authors through the very same recommendations you have. Isn’t it great? I have added quite a few recommended authors to my “favorite authors” list, but have to admit that I have tried some recommended authors who simply aren’t for me.
Vacuuming VS Reading…. Hmmm…
readerdiane says
I’m not sure that she can be considered “cozy” but I have enjoyed Thea Kozak mysteries by Kate Flora for a a New England setting.
I have enjoyed the Apple Orchard mysteries since I grew up near there. I will be reading the new one soon.
I just finished “Mai Tai One On” very humorous & cute.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, readerdiane, for telling us about Kate Flora, even though your don’t think she is Cozy. A lot of us take breaks from our Cozy mysteries every once in a while…
I decided to read Sheila Connolly’s Orchard Mystery Series because so many people had said so many nice things about it. (Also, the theme of the mysteries appealed to me.) Since I posted this entry, it looks like a whole lot of people really enjoy this series. I feel like I’m in good company AND in for a great Cozy ride!
Laura says
Right now, I’m reading “The War Against Miss Winter” by Kathryn Miller Haines and “Can’t Never Tell” (a southern fried mystery) by Cathy Pickens. The orchard mystery series is in my TBR pile. By the way, Danna, thanks for recommending the “Memphis Beat” television show. My husband and I have been really enjoying it this summer.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Laura, I hope you and your husband are able to catch the reruns from last season. I simply love Memphis Beat!
Andie says
I just finished re-reading Tea With the Black Dragon which is a delightful mystery with a smidgen of fantasy thrown in. Written by R.A. McAvoy and published in 1983.
I can’t begin to count how many times I have read it but each time it holds my interest from beginning to end.
Today I am reading Shot Through Velvet: A Crime of Fashion mystery by Ellen Byerrum.
I’ve read her previous books, Designer Knockoff, Armed and Glamorous, Killer Hair, Raiders of the Lost Corset, etc.
All quirky, fun and able to hold my interest throughout.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Andie, in 2009, two made-for-television movies based on Ellen Byerrum’s mysteries were made: Killer Hair and Hostile Makeover…
Sama says
I am presently reading MURDER PAST DUE by Miranda James, a new-to-me author. It is the first in the ‘A Cat in the Stacks Mystery’ series. I loved it from page one. It is a series about Charlie Harris, a librarian, with his rescued Maine Coon Cat named Diesel. I love Diesel! The setting is Mississippi. I look forward to reading the second in the series CLASSIFIED AS MURDER.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sama, Murder Past Due is in my TBR book shelf. I’m glad to see how much you are enjoying Miranda James…
karen says
I’m currently re-reading Sharyn McCrumb’s Elizabeth MacPherson books… for the third or fourth time! Sometimes it’s nice to visit with old friends
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, you must really enjoy Sharyn McCrumb’s Elizabeth MacPherson mysteries! I am like this with E. F. Benson’s Mapp & Lucia novels. (Or should I say Lucia & Mapp?)
Julia says
Oh, I miss these books! The Ballad series is very well written, but I absolutedly love the Elizabeth MacPherson books. HIghland Laddie Gone is one of my all-time favorite books, and I adore Sick of Shadows and Paying the Piper as well (anything with Cousin Geoffrey in it, I guess – I like the way he intereacts with Elizabeth).
Anne says
I am reading the second in the new series by Susan Wittig Albert. The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree was the first and I enjoyed it so very much. The second is The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies. They take place in the 30’s and make me glad I’m not living in the “good old days” of the depression. Very interesting and entertaining. Thanks for the site, Danna. I have enjoyed seeing what everyone is reading.
Vacuum? No, not again!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Anne, I am enjoying seeing what everyone is reading, also. As for vacuuming… not when I could be playing at my computer!
Kathy says
I just finished Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay (the first book in her Library Lover’s Mystery series) and Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly (the first in her Museum Mystery series). Both authors write really well, and the characters and plot lines in both books were so interesting I couldn’t put them down!
I originally started reading three series: Murder, She Wrote (Donald Bain/Jessica Fletcher); Jane Jeffry mysteries (Jill Churchill); and the Miss Zukas series (Jo Dereske). While I can still enjoy the MSW books, the other two series are now done. Or at least I assume the Jane Jeffry series is done since I can’t find any new books with that character. I just bought Farewell, Miss Zukas, the last book in the Miss Zukas series, but haven’t read it yet.
Luckily, I stumbled upon this site a while ago. I really enjoy cozy mysteries, and love this site where I can see what author I want to try next. I also really appreciate the titles in the various series being listed in order, so I can start a series at the beginning instead of somewhere in the middle.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kathy, I am going to be starting Jo Dereske’s Miss Zukas Mystery Series pretty soon. I read the first book (Miss Zukas and the Library Murders) years ago, and then for some reason, I “lost count of it”.
I am so glad you are enjoying the site, and have been able to find some new authors to enjoy.
Angela says
Well it seems I am following in Anne’s footsteps. I have just started (or more accurately will be tonight when the kids go to bed) the first in the Darling Dahlias series. I loved the China Bayles and Robin Paige series so I am looking forward to trying Albert’s latest. I am also patiently waiting on my next Agatha Christie audio books to come in at the library, “Sad Cypress” and “Appointment with Death” are both en-route. I just finished the first in Barbara Cleverly’s Laetita Talbot series “The Tomb of Zeus” it was a good read.
My TBR pile isn’t a pile it’s a whole bookshelf so it always feels good to move some inventory out and summertime is the perfect time to do just that. Happy reading! :):
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Angela, I enjoy the Agatha Christie audio books so much that I listen to them even though I have already read the mysteries and seen the shows on television. They are simply a treat to listen to!
(In that same vein>>> Ngaio Marsh and Patricia Wentworth have some great audio books made from their mysteries.)
Angela says
I am actually new to audio books. I only started listening to them this summer when I found out I could download them and put them on my itouch/iphone. Of course I prefer old fashioned reading but have finally realized that listening counts too. My very first audio book was Ngaio Marsh’s “Artist’s in Crime”. It sold me on the audiobook experience! I’ll have to look for Wentworth as she is also waiting in my TBR pile along with countless other new to me authors thanks, in large part, to your site! 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Angela, I LOVE those Ngaio Marsh audio books!
Kay says
My brother loaned me “The Amazing Adventures of Lester Leith” by Erle Stanley Gardner. I had no idea Gardner had created so many characters besides Perry Mason. These stories were written in the late 1930s. I don’t think they were meant to be cozies, but that’s how they read now. Fun.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kay, it is amazing to see how many mysteries Erle Stanley Gardner wrote, isn’t it? Recently, I have been moving more and more to the Cozy Mysteries that were written years ago… the more “traditionally Cozy” books…
Regina says
I am currently reading “Meeting Murder” by Katy McDermott. She is a self-published author. I met her at one of my writer’s group meetings. So far, I am very engrossed in this book. I am even reading it at work. *shame* Its quite interesting. A meeting planner turns detective as a VIP is murdered at a Pharmacuetical event. Quite a read, I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Please do let us know if you really enjoy Katy McDermott. I know that a lot of current authors are going the self-publishing route…
Arlene says
I’m reading Grey Mask by Patricia Wentworth and it’s quite good. It was originally written in 1929 and holds up very well. Looking forward to finding more of her books.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Good choice in books, Arlene! I was so happy that I finally got around to reading her. She is on my list of “favorite authors”…
Julia says
The Brading Collection is my favorite, followed by The Chinese Shawl. Something about those two just makes them very visual in my mind – I can see the glazed passage connecting the library to the annexe in The Brading Collection, and the ruins of the abbey in The Chinese Shawl.
I don’t know how available they are these days (I got them during the last reprinting back in the early 90’s I think) but she also has a number of non-Miss Silver books from the 30’s. Those are also excellent books, if somewhat more suspense than cozy.
Kathy says
Just finished A Comedy of Heirs by Rett MacPherson and am now reading Photo Snap Shot by Joanna Campbell Slan. Love your site and the amount of research you afford us to learn about cosy mystery authors.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you, Kathy, for the kind words about the site. It has definitely grown since I started it!
Sandy says
You all have mentioned so many of my favorites, Cynthia Riggs, Janet Evanovich, Valerie Wolzien, Livia J Washburn etc etc etc. (Oh, and just read all of Sally Goldenbaum’s Seaside Knitters they are fantastic!!!) I also absolutely love Donna Andrews’ Meg Langslow series and have the latest coming in the mail any day now and cannot wait.
As for a harder and definitely not cozy read one of my favorites is Randy Wayne White. I used to read James Patterson (and still have most of the Lindsay Boxer series) but his commercials for the last few Alex Cross books have really turned me off of him.
Thanks, Danna for the wonderful site and please keep up the great work.
Reading is my favorite thing to do. My idea of heaven would be being able to sleep half the day after having read most of the night.
Shawn says
Reading is one of my favorite things too. Have found so many good authors that I don’t have enough time to get to them all. Hard to put a book down and go to bed at night. Just finished the latest in the Kate Collins flower shop mysteries.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sandy, you are amongst many who feel the same as you do about reading. I do love your “sleep half the day after having read most of the night.” quote!
Shawn says
I just finished the latest Kate Collins book in her flower shop mysteries. I have now started the next one in the series of the Stoneham Bookshops by Lorna Barrett. (Not sure that is spelled right.)
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Shawn, I recently went through all of my notes about authors who have been highly recommended, and came up with several “new to me” authors who I wanted to try. Sheila Connolly was one, as was Lorna Barrett. I, too, am going to try Barrett’s Booktown Mystery Series. (I thought it was interesting when I read the acknowledgements in Sheila Connolly’s One Bad Apple, that she names Lorraine Bartlett (aka Lorna Barrett & L. L. Bartlett) as a source of inspiration/help.)
Shawn says
I think there are three or four in the Booktown series. The characters are fun and they are easy fun reads. She also started a Victorian Series under one of the names. So far there is only one out. I think another one comes out this year.
I will have to look up Sheila Connolly.
Ryan says
My most recent reads were Sofie Kelly’s first book which I loved and M.C. Beaton’s second Agatha Raisin-even better than the first. After a busy day and stress in my life I look forward to my cozy mystery. Thank you so much for you website. I have been printing out my favorite authors as I go along and making a binder so that I have an easy time when I go to the library. I also just moved to Kansas City which has most every cozy author!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Ryan, I absolutely loved the early Agatha Raisin mysteries.
Your Kansas City library system sounds like exactly the type I would enjoy!
linda says
Agatha Raisin is one of my all time favorite characters. But the first few books were a lot better. I think when Agatha got into the detective business, she started to not be so good. Maybe she needs to give that up.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
I agree with you, Linda. I got very tired of the James problem, also. I remember in one of the books, as I approached the end of the book I was so happy not to have encountered James. But, then he popped up… in something like the last chapter. I was disappointed by that!
Denise says
Read Sofie Kelly’s first Magical Cats Mystery – loved it! Just finished Fifty-Seven Traveling by Lonnie Cruse and read The Quick and the Thread by Amanda Lee ( started and finished it this AM as I sat from 8- 10:30 waiting for an oil change and new tires to be put on my car at the dealership. Bless their hearts, I have no idea what took so long). Right now I am trying to decide what to read next How to Wash a Cat, Sketch Me Deadly, or Flowerbed of State. I have several books in my TBR and those are the books I grabbed this afternoon. I have read or have in my TBR many of the authors listed here. Glad I am in such great company. I did read one non mystery called Lost in Shangri-la that is a true story of a military plane crash where only 3 of the 29 on board survive in New Guniea during WWII. Very interesting story of how they survive and their rescue- it even has photos. I read this one as Lost Horizion is one of my favorite movies.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Denise, Dorothy St. James has been recommended for me to add to the site by many site readers. It sounds like her Flowerbed of State is a really good Cozy Mystery.
Marla says
I am reading 2 new books by cosy authors – “Unraveled” by Maggie Sefton, and “The English Tea Murder” by Leslie Meier, two of my favorite cosies! But, since I’m from the Western NY area, I also have begun reading L. L. Bartlett’s Jeff Resnick mysteries, which are set in my area. And, if you’re in need of New England mysteries, there’s Karen MacInerney’s Maine mysteries.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Marla, when I first started putting the Mystery Books by State entries on the Cozy Mystery site, I started with the states with which I had connections… where my children were born, where my husband and I have lived, etc… I can see why you would enjoy mysteries set in your area of the world…
SALLY says
I travelled through the US, Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Now that I stay home, I enjoy reading stories, especially mysteries set in those places. The authors’ descriptions are great but when you have actually been to the places, it makes it better.
Sally
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Sally, I bet it does make these mysteries even more exciting when you can relate to the actual places being highlighted…
Kathryn says
I kicked off my 2011 FL Summer Survival Fest with Philip Craig’s Martha’s Vineyard Series. Unfortunately, I started towards the end of the series and read forward from there. When I got to Vineyard Chill, 2008 I was shocked to find out that the author had died. Don’t you just hate when that happens! I was so loving the stories that I just assumed that they would go on forever after I caught up.
I found the author’s website and even emailed to the family to say how much I loved the stories. Philip’s wife, Shirley Craig wrote back to thank me and encouraged me to go back to the beginning.
Danna, I used your list of Philip Craig’s 23 books to reserve the books I missed from my beloved Sarasota Library and it was a big help keeping them straight because most of the titles sound alike with “Vineyard” in the title. I think these books are perfect summer reading and highly recommend them.
I’d be lost without all your hard work, Danna. Many, many thanks.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thank you so much, Kathryn. I am glad you got some use out of the site. How nice that you wrote to tell Craig’s family how much enjoyment his books gave you. And equally nice that his wife responded.
Julia says
I’m reading the first in James Anderson’s Burford Family Mysteries, “The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy”. I admit the title leaves me the teensiest bit queasy, but I adored the first one in the series I read (actually Book 2) “The Affair of the Mutilated Mink” – it’s like a book version of “Gosford Park” in a way, though “Gosford Park” did have some moody sections and this is just plain fun. The series is really a spoof on the Golden Age country house party mysteries, complete with all the stock characters and plot twists…but since I’m a longtime fan of precisely that genre it’s just my cup of tea 🙂
The only drawback? There’s only 3 books in the series. One more and I’ll need to move on.
Sigh.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Julia, James Anderson’s Burford Family Mysteries sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for telling us about them.
Dayna says
I am reading “The Secret Notebooks of Agatha Christie”. Just started it, but am enjoying it.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Dayna, I had never heard of this book. I just looked it up to see what it is about. John Curran’s “Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making“.
It looks really interesting, but I wonder why Agatha Christie’s daughter didn’t want all of this to be “known” by the world… (I know that her daughter was instrumental in making sure that the film adaptations of Christie’s work stayed true to her mystery books. Unfortunately, after Christie’s daughter’s death, that has not been the case…)
Judith says
I am also reading Sheila Connolly – Let’s Play Dead, the second book in her Museum Mysteries. It has been a few years since I sat down and read all of my Patricia Wentworth books – both the Miss Silver and her stand-alones. I discovered Miss Silver back in the 90s and I reread them from time to time. It may be time to read them again – if only my TBR pile weren’t so high!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Judith, I don’t know how I went so many years without hearing about Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Silvers series!
(Of course, I have so many authors who have been recommended by site readers, and the list is so long, that I did probably “hear” about her a few years earlier than it took me to post her page on the site and actually read her. I am so glad I did!
Jenn McKinlay says
How delightful! Alfred, thank you so much for taking on both of my series! You made my day by mentioning them! And thanks for reading BOOKS, Kathy! As for me, I am reading Agatha Raisin (absolutely love M.C. Beaton) and am working my way through Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files.
Sandy says
Danna,
I’m currently reading Sarah Graves’ Crawlspace and I have a question that maybe you or one of your readers can answer: why did Jacobias’ long lost father and (dead) ex-husband have the same last name? I know it’s silly to wonder and possibly it was explained in an earlier book and I just forgot (I’ve read them all over the years) but it just bugs me. Thanks by the way for cleaning up my spelling and grammar before you post these comments.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
(Yikes! Sandy, you caught me! I think that it’s the “previous teacher” in me…)
linda says
Danna, I just caught this previous posting and thought I would write about what I am reading. I have been reading quite a bit. January and November are my 2 least favorite months but since I have retired and I can be home to read I find these months not so bad. The weather has been really nice here in Ohio . People are really talking about the lack of snow. But I say, hey we have Feburary and March to go through yet!
My brother gave me “Helen of Troy” by Helen George and I am reading 10 pages each night before I shut the lights out. I am also trying to read the 6th book in the Earth’s Children series. “The Land of Painted Caves” by Jean M. Auel. I love the story in the books in this series but sometimes some of the content just gets to be too boring! I read about 10 pages then I read 2 chapters of whatever other book I am reading. I do skip over quite a lot of the story and then only read the dialogue. I can’t believe even cave people didn’t know where babies came from!
I am reading maybe 2 books every 3 days. Some or not so cozy but I have found that I tend to enjoy the “Cozies” the best.
Keep up the good work all of you Cozy writers. If I haven’t gotten to your books as of yet, give me time, I will!
Thanks from me also Danna for you trying to clear up some of my grammar mistakes and my typing mistakes.
linda says
Sorry, once again I didn’t reread what I had written yesterday. The book “Helen of Troy” that I am reading is by Margaret George not by Helen George. There seem to be a lot of “Georges” writing. I must have had a “senior moment”!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda, I couldn’t have so many books going at the same time. I keep two books going, one audio in my car (and for housework time) and one by my bed. And, even with just the two, I sometimes find myself having to refresh myself as to whom did what to whom…
linda says
I am reading “King’s Ransom” by Ed McBain. This book is listed as a “new” Ed McBain but it was written in the 1950’s. How can a book be described as ‘new’ when it was published so long ago and when the author is dead!
Selena B says
So happy that this website exists! I enjoy listening to my books on my Ipod while I walk (so the time goes by faster). I subscribe to audible.com and have listened to a lot of the books recommended on here. Unfortunately, sometimes, a poor narrator can destroy a wonderful book. I loved listening to Agatha Raisin (read by Davina Porter) and the Hamish MacBeth and Duncan Kincaid mysteries. My all-time favorite so far, has been Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series. Do any of you have any cozy audible recommendations?
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Welcome to the site, Selena! I know that Carola Dunn and Simon Brett are available on audible.com, as well as all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries. Also, you might want to take a look at Ellis Peters – if you enjoy historical mystery series. And, try getting Dorothy Gilman’s Mrs. Polifax.