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Which Cozy Mystery Author Would You Like to See in Kindle & Nook Format?

OK, I have to say, sometimes, when I know I should be working on a Cozy Mystery theme page, or I should be getting four new-to-the-Cozy-Mystery-site authors’ pages put up on the site, I am spending my time doodling around. One thing I find myself doing when I’m doodling is trying to find out if some of my favorite Cozy Mystery authors have made it to the Kindle (and Nook) format.

Well, actually, I don’t have than many Cozy Mystery authors who I keep looking up, since almost all of them are already Kindle-ized (and Nook-ized). But there are two series I keep looking for, and one of them is written by three authors.

I would love to read more mysteries in two particular series that haven’t yet hit the Kindle (Nook) format. Whenever I think that perhaps they won’t be Kindle-ized (& Nook-ized) I remember that E.F. Benson‘s Lucia series (not mysteries, but altogether terrific!)  is in Kindle (& Nook) ( format >>> I think there is hope for my two (or should I say 4?) authors.

The two series I keep looking (and hoping) for are: Patricia Moyes‘ Henry Tibbett Mystery Series and the Miss Seeton Mystery Series, which was started by Heron Carvic, followed by Hampton Charles, and finished up by Hamilton Crane.

Patricia Moyes’ Henry Tibbett mysteries feature Henry Tibbett, a Scotland Yard inspector. Even though technically this series is a police procedural (Henry being an inspector for the Yard), I find them to be very Cozy >>> anyway the ones I have read have a very Cozy spin to them. Although I have all of the mysteries in my bookshelf, I haven’t finished reading the series, now that I am addicted to my Kindle (& Nook) font control!

And, most of you know who Miss Emily D. Seeton is… a retired British teacher. I tell you, the font in the books I had was so tiny that I wouldn’t have enjoyed reading them when I was 22 years old! I don’t know how they managed to get so many words on each page! Those were the books that finally convinced me that I was ready to listen to my husband about getting a Kindle (& Nook). He had been trying to persuade me for quite a while, but I kept refusing. However, now that I have my Kindle (& Nook), I see there are no Miss Seeton Kindle (& Nook) books! Yikes! Oh well, I’ll keep searching…

Yep, those are the ones I keep searching out.

So, this brings me to my question: Are there one or two Cozy Mystery authors who you would like to see available in Kindle (& Nook) format? If so, would you mind telling us a little bit about the series? 

I decided to go ahead and make a list of those authors who we would like to see Kindle-ized (Nook-ized):

Susan Wittig Albert (aka 1/2 of Robin Paige): China Bayles Mystery Series (some are in e-format while others aren’t)

Donna Andrews: Turing Hopper Mystery Series

J. S. Borthwick: Deane & McKenzie Mystery Series

Heron Carvic: Miss Setton Mystery Series

Laura Childs: Tea Shop Mystery Series (some are in e-format while others aren’t)

Carolyn Graham: Chief Inspector Barnaby Midsomer Murders Mystery Series

Honor Hartman (aka Miranda James, Jimmie Ruth Evans, & Dean James): Bridge Club Mystery Series

Jens K. Holm: Detective Kim Mystery Series (Danish series)

Jane Langton: Homer Kelly Mystery Series

Emma Lathen (aka R.B. Dominic): Wall Street Mystery Series

Richard & Frances Lockridge: Mr. & Mrs. North

Camille Minichino (aka Margaret Grace & Ada Madison): Periodic Table Mystery Series

Patricia Moyes: Henry Tibbett Mystery Series

Corinne Holt Sawyer: Benbow & Wingate Mystery Series

Charles Merrill Smith: Reverend C.P. Randollph Mystery

Various Authors: The Three Investigators (children’s series)

Comments

    • Pat, when I find them, I’ll probably post an entry about it. I used to click on the button that asked that they e-format these books, but I can’t find the button any more! Now I just keep looking and hoping.

      Reply

      • Hi, Danna When you go to the books page on Amazon scroll to where the Publishers information is and look on the far right side. It should say… Tell the Publisher!
        I’d like to read this book on Kindle
        You click that.

        Reply

        • Cherlyn, thank you so much AND good grief, what’s wrong with me?!? I see it now. A few years ago, I think it was right under the picture, or somewhere like that. Apparently being an old dog who can’t learn new tricks, I kept looking over there!

          Thanks, again! I’ll be clicking that in a few minutes!

          Reply

  2. Actually, what REALLY bugs me are the authors who put their books ONLY on kindle. Sometimes it happens in the middle of a series. Many of us have Nooks. In light of the recent bad publicity about Amazon refusing to release many books in a timely manner (often times delaying the release for months), authors should make sure their ebooks are in the Nook format, too. Why in the world would an author want to limit his/her readership? If they aren’t willing to expand their horizons their book sales go down. It’s a cycle because when sales are down, they can no longer publish their books.

    Reply

  3. How about an author with a series that’s only about halfway kindle-ized? I’ve been wanting to re-read Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mysteries from the beginning before diving into the newest books, but only a handful of the early books are available in kindle format…

    Reply

  4. Off Topic: Another Lucia fan! I love that series! Also many of Benson’s stand alones.

    On topic: I still can’t bring myself to buy a Kindle. I do have the app on my phone and tablet… but I LOVE books! 🙂 That said the Free Sample thing has certainly saved me money… OK not saved, but at least kept me from spending it on books it turned out I didn’t like.

    Also have enjoyed the few H. Tibbett I’ve read. But could never get into Miss Seeton, Do you have a particular one you recommend?

    Reply

    • Wakar, I absolutely love Lucia! I have said, they aren’t Cozy Mysteries, but they certainly are Cozy!

      My daughter reads her Kindle books on her phone, also. She loves only having to have one gadget, and since she always has her phone with her, no matter where she is, she is able to read if she wants to do so.

      I guess that if I had to suggest a Miss Seeton, it would have to be the first (Picture Miss Seeton). I’m one of those people who enjoys a series written by the original author, so I’m probably not a good one to ask…

      Reply

      • Re Lucia: I found her a bit irritating in the first book, but then another character in the second book I think, referred to her as the greatest social climber since Cinderella. For me that put it in the perfect perspective. After that I just sat back and enjoyed the show. 🙂

        Thanks for tip re Miss S.

        Reply

        • I’m glad you posted this because I felt the same–she was a bit irritating. And your comment “greatest social climber since Cinderella” made me think of the hilarious Mrs. Bucket (Bouquet :-)) from the TV show Keeping Up Appearances. I’ll give Lucia another try.

          Reply

          • Marie, I never thought of Lucia as a social climber. I always thought of her as already at the top of the ladder, and simply wanting people to know it. Whereas Hyacinth isn’t at the top of the ladder, but she certainly tries to get there. (I love Keeping Up Appearances, also!)

            Reply

      • I love the Miss Seeton books I’ve read too, but I stopped with the initial Heron Carvic books. I had seen talk that the character and tone changed drastically with the following books/authors so it made me a bit way. Did you find this, Danna?

        Reply

  5. I’d like to see Richard and Frances Lockridge’s Mr. and Mrs. North series. They are humorous cozies about a book publisher and his screwball wife, written from the thirties through 1963. Also Richard’s Captain Heimrich series about a senior State Police officer.

    Reply

    • I love mysteries set more or less in the first half of the 20th century when there weren’t mobiles and the internet so I just had to look up these books to put on my wishlist.
      There seems to have been a kindle edition – only I have no idea why it’s not there now. This is one of them: The Dishonest Murderer-Frances Lockridge ebook.

      Reply

    • PlumGaga, when I read your comment just now, I decided I would go ahead and make a list of these authors. It looks like a lot of them are authors from yester-year, which is probably why we aren’t seeing them converted … yet! (I sure hope we do some time in the future!)

      Reply

  6. Quite childish perhaps, but I’d really love to see the first books of the The Three Investigators series in ebook format. Needn’t be kindle since I’ve become addicted to my Kobo aura – as far as I know Kobo readers are the only ones that can actually handle series so I don’t have to keep looking up which book is next in the series. Anyway, there are about five ebooks of this series around but they were not written by Robert Arthur so must be later ones.
    Then there’s a Danish series, “Detective Kim from Copenhagen” by Jens K. Holm (pseudonym of Bengt Janus) which spanned 25 books I think, with the last written in the early 1970s. This was for teenagers when I was young.
    Although Donna Andrews’ books are available on kindle but I can’t find the Turing Hopper Mysteries. I don’t know anything about them really, beyond the fact that they were once praised an here and made it on my wishlist then.
    And there’s the first of the Bridge Club Series by Honor Hartman: On the Slam. For some reason the second book in the series is there to buy but not the first. Again I know nothing about them. The series went on my wishlist when I was interested in learning bridge and came across it my chance.

    Reply

  7. Great discussion topic. I agree with your suggestions.

    Some others I’d love to have on kindle:

    Emma Lathen –
    J. S. Borthwick
    Corinne Holt Sawyer
    Jane Langton

    I’d also love to see others who are long out of print. I remember reading a series by Charles Smith about a murder solving minister – so long since I read it I can’t remember the denomination. I’ve never found his books anywhere and I’d love to reread them.

    Reply

    • Sue, I checked my library’s inventory and they have these books. Perhaps your library will, too. If they don’t have them, ask if you can borrow them through interlibrary loan (ILL). I also checked a couple of used book sites and found you can get some for about $5+. BUT, they certainly aren’t available in ebook format.

      Charles Merrill Smith
      Reverend C.P. Randollph Mystery

      1. Reverend Randollph and the Wages of Sin – 1974
      2. Reverend Randollph and the Avenging Angel – 1977
      3. Reverend Randollph and the Fall From Grace, Inc. – 1978
      4. Reverend Randollph and the Holy Terror – 1980
      5. Reverend Randollph and the Unholy Bible – 1983
      6. Reverend Randollph and the Splendid Samaritan. – 1986

      Reply

  8. I really love Miss Seeton — but have to ask — who REALLY wrote them? Three different authors — all with the same initials? Seriously?????

    I love Lucia — didn’t realize the series was continued by other writers — and of course I’m searching the library website & they don’t seem to exist there either… oh well…

    Reply

    • Stash Empress, Heron Carvic created Miss Seeton, Roy Peter Martin (as Hampton Charles) was the second, followed by Sarah J. Mason (as Hamilton Crane).

      (By the way, Tom Holt, the writer of Lucia in Wartime and Lucia Triumphant, is the son of Hazel Holt – creator of the Mrs. Malory mysteries.)

      Reply

      • Good grief! I’d no idea there were more Lucia books. I read them long before the Internet and had never looked at that page on the site. They definitely go on the list.

        Reply

        • Ah — another “pre-internet” reader — glad to meet another member of the club 😉
          (There’s no smiley face with reading glasses, is there?)
          😉

          Reply

  9. I wish Donna Andrews would put her Turing Hopper series on Kindle. My local library has only the first two books in the series, and I would like to read the other two. (There are only four total in the series.) They’re only available in paperback form, as far as I can tell, and the print is too small for me now that I’m used to my Kindle.

    The series obviously isn’t as popular as her Meg Langslow series, but it’s unusual, quirky and fun. (For anyone who hasn’t read it, the main character / sleuth is an “artificial intelligence” — basically a computer program who came to life via some kind of technical fluke. Which sounds rather bland, except for the antics of the humans who both protect her and act as her … um … hands and feet, I guess, since she can often act as the eyes and ears.

    Reply

    • Oh I LOVE the Turing Hopper series & wish she’d continued with that one!!!! Its funny but when the series was started — it was quirky & “way out there” — today, with the advances in technology — not so much! (They’d just download her onto an iPhone & be on their way LOL!)

      Reply

      • Yes, but think of all the imaginative ways Turing could use the new technology. And I found Turing very endearing at times in the books I read — especially when she was trying to show her affection for her human companions but couldn’t quite figure them out. Like when one character (I don’t recall the name) mentioned enjoying gardening in her spare time, so Turing started sending her unusual and exotic plants by mail order, not understanding that the friend and the friend’s tiny garden were being overwhelmed by incoming plants.

        Reply

  10. Thanks for the info…I live in SATX as well. Amazon says they are putting older books on ebook format ASAP, but sheer volume is daunting. Biggest holdup is authors who want to sell hardbacks for a few weeks first. Need to tell authors. If enough of us tell them…….I love books but ole man arthritis makes it hard to handle them these days.

    Reply

  12. For all of you with nooks or kindles, try downloading the app for the device you don’t own. I have a nook and have the kindle app on the desktop carousel and it works very well. When I bought my nook the salesperson suggested the kindle app. It works the same way, you set up an account with Amazon and buy kindle books just the same as you set and buy nook books.

    Hope this helps some of you.

    And thanks for the great website, Danna.

    Ciao,

    Reply

  13. I agree about series that aren’t completely “kindle-ized.” Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles series is frequently recommended on the site, so last month I decided to start the series. Unfortunately, the first book of the series with a kindle edition was book 4. It wasn’t the end of the world to start the series there, but it would have been nice to start at the beginning.

    Another series that I love that isn’t completely in ebook format is Camille Minichino’s Periodic Table mysteries. The first two books are in ebook format (and cheap too!) but the next two books are not. The last books in the series are in ebook format, so it’s odd. For Christmas I asked my mother to order used copies of books #3 and #4 since they also aren’t in print anymore. She was able to find them, but both copies are old library books and one appears to have been bitten by a dog! The trouble we go to for our cozies! 🙂

    Reply

    • Margaret Anne, I’m sorry, but “She was able to find them, but both copies are old library books and one appears to have been bitten by a dog! The trouble we go to for our cozies! :)” made me laugh! (I know that’s not nice, but…)

      Reply

      • Danna, you can definitely laugh because it’s funny! I’m just embarrassed to read the book in public because it looks like I don’t know how to take care of library books!

        Reply

  14. I would like to see both of Jill Churchill’s series…Jane Jeffries and Grace & Favor ….in shook format for kindle and nook.

    Reply

  15. I would love to see Barbara Block’s exotic animal petstore mysteries in kindle format. These are not exactly cozy…buy they are good mysteries with interesting characters. They are based in Syracuse. I have not seen anything from this author since “Salt City Blues” and that was several years ago. Her books are well worth reading.

    Reply

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