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Cozy Leading Ladies

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COZY, CLASSIC TALES OF MURDER AND ROMANCE

A yummy anthology containing FIVE top-rated cozy mysteries, each featuring smart and savvy ladies—who aren’t afraid to kick some butt. PLUS a romantic puzzler bonus, which isn’t at all what you might expect…

From murder at a conference in fashionable Provence to an underground feminist bordello in San Francisco (with a pit stop on the Gulf Cost where a killer’s on the loose while a hurricane closes in), Cozy Leading Ladies is sure to satisfy mystery readers who love their independent female sleuths. (Friendly piece of it’s probably best to read the collection with a box of chocolates or your favorite brand of potato chips really nearby).

Vol. 1: DEATH TURNS A TRICK, the FIRST book in the Rebecca Schwartz mystery series by Edgar Award Winner Julie Smith

A ROLLICKING TALE OF MURDER, ROMANCE, AND A BORDELLO…

Rebecca Schwartz, nice Jewish lawyer with a few too many fantasies, is happily playing the piano in a whorehouse when she suddenly finds herself assigned to make sure a near-naked state senator escapes a police raid. That dirty job done, a lovely evening turns even more delightful when she’s picked up by the cops and spends the next two hours at the Hall of Justice. Could this day get any worse? Of course! Guess who arrives home to find a dead hooker on her living room floor?

Vol. 2: THE AURA, the FIRST Kate Benedict Paranormal Mystery by Carrie Bedford

Life spins out of control for London architect Kate Benedict when she sees a dancing aura above certain people’s heads that seems to signal death. Suddenly she’s psychic. But that can't be! Psychic’s not acceptable in her circle, where the supernatural is strictly for the superstitious. And yet…people are dying. People close to her.

Vol. 3: THE 13th FELLOW, A Mystery In Provence by Tracy Whiting

POETRY, MURDER, BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ... AND PROVENCE!

American Professor Havilah Gaie has always seen herself as “an academic version of Pam Grier’s smart, quick on their feet, loyal with a keen sense of purpose.” Now she’s got a chance to suit up for action because suddenly she’s a witness in a murder.

Vol. 4: HURRICANE Florida Panhandle Mystery #1 by Michaela Thompson

“Miss Marple meets Eudora Welty (with a trace of Erskine Caldwell)” –Kirkus

The 1950s fairly leap off the page in this classic cozy mystery set in northern Florida in the Eisenhower era, complete with Johnny Ray on the jukebox and a Womanless Wedding—this one interrupted by an explosion at a moonshine still. Lily Trulock, owner of Trulock’s Grocery & Marine Supply, leads a pretty quiet life until a stranger comes to town. Before she can say, “down the hatch,” Lily’s at the center of a vicious murder and a no-holds-barred bootlegging war—and a nasty storm’s on the way.

Vol. 5: PICK-UP LINE A New Orleans Love Story by Patty Friedmann

ROMANCE IS THE BEST PAIN-KILLER…

Cupid’s working overtime in the unlikely venue of N.O. Drugs, where plus-sized beauty Ciana Jambon works with dread-locked pharmacy student Lennon Israel, and she’s got the crush of the century.

1529 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2017

1004 people are currently reading
444 people want to read

About the author

Julie Smith

259 books403 followers
Author of 20 mystery novels and a YA paranormal adventure called BAD GIRL SCHOOL (formerly CURSEBUSTERS!). Nine of the mysteries are about a female New Orleans cop Skip Langdon, five about a San Francisco lawyer named Rebecca Schwartz,two about a struggling mystery writer named Paul Mcdonald (whose fate no one should suffer) and four teaming up Talba Wallis, a private eye with many names, a poetic license, and a smoking computer, with veteran P.I. Eddie Valentino.

In Bad GIRL SCHOOL, a psychic pink-haired teen-age burglar named Reeno gets recruited by a psychotic telepathic cat to pull a job that involves time travel to an ancient Mayan city. Hint:It HAS to be done before 2012!


Winner of the 1991 Edgar Allen Poe Award for best novel, that being NEW ORLEANS MOURNING.

Former reporter for the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE and the San Francisco CHRONICLE.

Recently licensed private investigator, and thereon hangs a tale.

Resident of New Orleans, Louisiana

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Community Reviews

5 stars
69 (42%)
4 stars
40 (24%)
3 stars
33 (20%)
2 stars
12 (7%)
1 star
8 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Ted Tayler.
Author 79 books299 followers
December 16, 2019
"A mixed bag"

Call me old-fashioned. Either a book/series stands or falls on its own. How many times can you re-package the same story and hope to fool the public they're getting something fresh? I reviewed the first of these stories only a month ago when 'Death Turns A Trick' was released in a 3 Book Box Set. It was average then and it's average now. Originally released in 1982 it hasn't stood the test of time. Why the other writers felt the need to have this as the lead story I don't know. Apologies for only skimming through them but this marketing gimmick leaves me cold.
Profile Image for Cindy B. .
3,899 reviews219 followers
December 16, 2019
Read first 2 previously (rated). Reading last novel and extra story now.

Shelved second novel — too much )sex, language, or something else.
First novel nearly found Its way into the “shelved” category ... (too ... like the first).

ROMANCE is not sex —- graphics don’t qualify it for anything but shelved. Sexually graphic is called porn.
29 reviews
July 6, 2018
DEATH TURNS A TRICK, AURA, THE 13TH FELLOW, and DIAMONDS IN THE SKY were enjoyable.

HURRICANE SEASON and PICK-UP LINE could not hold my interest enough to read.
1,769 reviews23 followers
November 18, 2018
Elegant Leading Ladies

Such an array of storeys and caracters so diverse in nature, yet each imbued of culture, grace and inner strength, true ladies in the finest sence of word.Tails written for young ladies who have yet to be and more mature woman who've had those past memories to smile away the last rays of thier day. So wether young or young at heart join those whom have read Cozy Leading Ladies Kat
40 reviews
September 24, 2018
Great collection with a variety of authors, I'm off to read more of them

I have been a Julie Smith fan for 2 decades but had not read the other authors. Glad I did, as I have 3 new ones to chase. 4 stars for content and variety, but this would be a 5 novel, 5 star gift for a friend.
Profile Image for Alice-Lynne Olson.
13 reviews1 follower
Read
September 2, 2023
Engrossing!

I laughed, shrugged, bit my lip and cried. A love story unlike any I've read for a long time. I so wanted a happy ending and got it! Caddy and Alec are actually quite perfect for each other. I hope Hatch stays around long enough to bounce that Star Baby on his arthritic knees!
8 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2018
Quirky good read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is filled with quirky characters and an enjoyable plot. Just enough sci-fi to make it intriguing. I actually didn't want to be through with the story.
Profile Image for Ruth Caves.
477 reviews3 followers
June 13, 2019
Hodgepodge

A wide variety of stories, all of them good. I really don't know how or why someone would group them together, other than they all feature interesting women.
A little bit of something for everyone; murder, madam, mystery, and magic.
137 reviews5 followers
January 20, 2024
Perfect Joy

I picked this up because I’m very familiar with Julie Smith and I wanted to see what company she was keeping. I’m glad I did. Each story was quite different from the others, but each one well worth the read.
Profile Image for tom mellas.
1 review
April 4, 2018
Very good

Enjoyable. Good setting well written. I enjoyed the who!e set. I will have to check the other books from this author
Profile Image for Jen.
14 reviews
August 16, 2018
Diamond of a book

I loved how glitteringly sweet this whole book was. I never knew quite what would happen next, and was delighted with each turn the story took.
91 reviews
August 6, 2019
Finally put this away, did not hold my interest enough to even finish the story about the hurricane coming.
12 reviews1 follower
October 13, 2019
Interesting Read

The whole series was very interesting. All the books we’re different but nice cozy reading material. I enjoyed them all.
149 reviews2 followers
May 31, 2020
Great job!

All the authors did a great job on the stories I really enjoyed reading them.Thanks for sharing your stories with me keep them coming.
Profile Image for Cheryl Price.
100 reviews
September 13, 2020
OK at First, but ....

I completely lost interest in these books about half way through. The writing wasn't bad it just didn't hold my interest.
Profile Image for Michele.
74 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2021
Great collection

This was a great collection of leading ladies. I had read one of the stories but the rest were new to me. I enjoyed them all.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
1,435 reviews22 followers
September 12, 2019
Just not my cup of tea

I like to find a series and read the whole series when possible. Some of these books were pretty good, others started out so slow that it was hard to get through them.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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