Your favorite cozy author?? > Likes and Comments

I have read a few cozy books but not nearly enough! Who is your favorite cozy author? I want to read some new authors or series and get the cozy fever!! Thank you!!

I'm reading Carola Dunn now. She writes the Daisy Dalrymple series set in England after WW1. I really like them. There are others that I like, but I'll let others come up with some names. :-)

My top 2 favorites are Susan Wittig Albert (love her China Bayles series!) and Earlene Fowler, who writes the Benni Harper series. For newer authors, a couple who come immediately to mind are Jenn McKinlay (Cupcake Bakery series) and Amanda Lee (needlework series).

I've got several, but my faves are Rett MacPherson, Ellery Adams, and Charlotte Macleod.

MacPherson does the Tori O'Shea novels where the protagonist is a historian.

Ellery Adams has two called A KILLER PLOT and A DEADLY CLICHE, both excellent.

Charlotte Macleod wrote Peter Shandy, who is a agricultural professor, as well as Sarah and Max novels. Most are out of print now, but can be found in libraries and used books shops.

I have a few that are my favorites but these are the ones I really enjoy and if I need a pick me up I go to.
Heather Webber
Laura Levine
Rita Lankin
Anne George
Maddy Hunter
Peggy Webb
I have discovered some new ones to read by everyone who posts here. I should be good for books for years to come. LOL!!

Susan wrote: "I have read a few cozy books but not nearly enough! Who is your favorite cozy author? I want to read some new authors or series and get the cozy fever!! Thank you!!"

I like Maggie Sefton (series set in a yarn shop); M.C. Beaton (two series - Agatha Raisin, and Hamish Macbeth); and Ann B. Ross (Miss Julia series.)

There are lots more - If you want to discover new ones, just keep up with this group, and your "To'be-Read" pile will soon be taller than you are.

Being a mystery author myself, I have met a lot of fellow authors, read their books and gotten hooked on them. Now, I follow so many that I find I'm getting more and more behind in their series. If only I wasn't so busy writing, I could read more! ;-) For funny cozies, my favorites are Donna Andrews, Alexander McCall Smith, and Tim Cockey. For more serious cozies with an edge, I like Nancy Pickard, Louise Penny, William Kent Krueger, and Dana Stabenow. For Western-oriented mysteries, I enjoy C. J. Box, Margaret Coel, Craig Johnson, and Sandi Ault. And there are many more...

I have so many Joanne Fluke (I know but I can't help it. She was my first cozy and I'll always like Hannah),Cleo Coyle,Miranda Bliss,Jenn Mckinlay,Heather Webber,Shirley Damsgaard,John J. Lamb,Michele Scott,Wendy Lyn Watson, Krista Davis.

Wow, I'm going to have a lot of reading to do! Thank you so much for all the info!!! :) There goes my TBR list again!!!

To many authors that I read and love to make a list of favorites. I really have not found one that I don't like.

Elanie Viets is my favorite. Read every book!

Nancy Atherton Aunt Dimity'Mystery Series. These are charming.



The Potluck Club Linda Evans Shepherd




The Claire Gulliver Mysteries Gayle Wigglesworth 

I'm not a huge fan of first person POV, but Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow series is one that I really enjoy.

I have so many favorite cozy authors...
almost anyone who writes about cats or dogs
especially Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Carolyn Hart - especially her new series with a Ghost for a sleuth

Laura Levine - haven't laughed this much since Stephanie Plum

Diana Mott Davidson and Joanna Fluke -
and any "food" related mysteries


Have to mention Alison Pace; just won a first reads copy of A Pug's Tale and loved it

Love Earlene Fowler and her Benny series.

Right now, I'm loving Carolyn Hart.

Elizabeth wrote: "Love Earlene Fowler and her Benny series."

New one, , comes out Tuesday!

I have the Benny Harper books, just haven't gotten to them yet!!

Susan, I think you'll really enjoy the Benny Harper books. At least, I did. Good series, and I got to meet Earline Fowler at a book fair. Really nice woman.

Marja wrote: "Susan, I think you'll really enjoy the Benny Harper books. At least, I did. Good series, and I got to meet Earline Fowler at a book fair. Really nice woman."

She really is a nice person. Have talked with her a couple of different times at book signings. Am so looking forward to her new one, SPIDER WEB, next week!

My TBR pile is growing so fast I'm losing track of upcoming books.

Marja,
I know exactly how you feel. And I am trying to make goodreads authors the ones at the top. You should see my "wish list" book list on bomc2! I think I have 56 books lined up to buy. At one a month that's over 4 years if they're still all in print!

Karen

Karen,
LOL Um, if you want to, you might add Bogey Nights by moi (Marja McGraw) to your list. Nothing like being pushy, huh? But if I don't push, who will? :)

BTW, if anyone is in the No. Arizona area, I'll be at the KABAM Book Festival in Kingman on Sat., 5/14. Drop in and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet some of the cozy readers in this group.

I love Ben Rehder's Blanco County mystery series about a Texas game warden. His recurring poacher characters, Red and Billy Don, are *so* redneck and funny.

I also like Nadia Gordon's Napa Valley mysteries with chef Sunny McCoskey.

Too many to name just one! LOL

Sherry wrote: "Susan wrote: "I have read a few cozy books but not nearly enough! Who is your favorite cozy author? I want to read some new authors or series and get the cozy fever!! Thank you!!"

There are lots more - If you want to discover new ones, just keep up with this group, and your "To'be-Read" pile will soon be taller than you are.

umm yeah, that wouldn't be too hard to do since I'm only 5' 1" hahahaha!!!

I think Agatha Christie is still my favorite. Maybe because she was my first "grown up" cozy. Maybe just because she's so good.

Earlene Fowler is my most favorite cozy author although I think she's a step up from cozy.

Rosemary wrote: "Earlene Fowler is my most favorite cozy author although I think she's a step up from cozy."

Her murders can be a bit more violent than the usual cozy, but I still consider her "cozy". Probably because of all the family dealings, which is one of my favorite things about the Benni Harper books. I love Dove. She reminds me so much of my "Mamaw".

Melodie wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "Earlene Fowler is my most favorite cozy author although I think she's a step up from cozy."

Her murders can be a bit more violent than the usual cozy, but I still consider her "..."

I got Spider Web in the mail this morning! Guess what I'll be doing this weekend?!

Rosemary wrote: "Melodie wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "Earlene Fowler is my most favorite cozy author although I think she's a step up from cozy."

Her murders can be a bit more violent than the usual cozy, but I still ..."

My copy arrived today, too, but I have a couple of others I have to finish up first....and I also got the new Spenser, so it'll probably get read before SPIDER WEB.

I don't think they'd be considered cozies, but I really like the Savannah Reid series by G.A. McKevitt.

Elaine Viets has some good stories, too. Her Mystery Shopper series is good, and so is the Dead-End Job series.

My favorite contemporary cozy writer at the moment is Kate Carlisle. I'm hoping my kids will give me the latest installment for Mother's Day (hoping as in I'm going to ask them to take me to the bookstore so I can buy it!) :D

Marja wrote: "I don't think they'd be considered cozies, but I really like the Savannah Reid series by G.A. McKevitt.

Elaine Viets has some good stories, too. Her Mystery Shopper series is good, and so is the..."

I like the Savannah Reid books. Great characters, but the last 2 have seemed to have a different "voice" to me. Almost like they were written by someone else. The ending of the newest one saved the whole book for me, so am anxious for the next one. I didn't like Viets' Dead-End-Job series at first, but it grew on me. The jury is still out for me on the Mystery Shopper books. Can't decide if I really like them or not.

Some authors are an acquired taste. I've been trying several new authors, and I've found some pretty good ones. At least they're new to me.

I have so many favorites! But the one who makes me laugh the most is Donna Andrews.

I love Donna Andrews, and Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden series.

two of my complete favirotes are Shirley Damsgaard and Madelyn Alt
but i have a feeling that with all the books that i am reading that number is going to increase lol :)

You know everybody, my to-read shelf is sagging because of you all!

Thank you. :D

Ellie, you were warned, I'm sure! :) We've all had to build more, bigger, stronger shelves, so you may as well do it, too.

Ok-but I'm going to need old growth wood for these!

I think of cozies as traditional mysteries, so some of my favorite authors have a little harder edge: Tony Hillerman, Margaret Coel, C.J. Box, Elizabeth George, Earlene Fowler, Deborah Crombie, Nancy Atherton, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Beth Groundwater, Christine Goff, M.C. Beaton (the Agatha Raisin series), Carolyn Hart, and Leslie Meier. And for some older great reads: Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, and Catherine Aird.

Karin wrote: "I think of cozies as traditional mysteries, so some of my favorite authors have a little harder edge: Tony Hillerman, Margaret Coel, C.J. Box, Elizabeth George, Earlene Fowler, Deborah Crombie, Nan..."

I've always considered cozies to be pretty non-violent. There's a murder, but it's offstage and there's really not any or much blood and gore. I love Julia Spencer-Fleming and have liked the C.J. Box books I've read, but for me, they don't fit the cozy category. Would definitely agree on the others you've listed, with Tony Hillerman being maybe borderline. I haven't read one of his books in years.

Melodie wrote: I've always considered cozies to be pretty non-violent. There's a murder, but it's offstage and there's really not any or much blood and gore.

Melodie, you're right. I think most people make that distinction. And with that in mind, C.J. Box doesn't write cozies! In Hillerman's books, there's rarely onstage blood and gore. There are guns going off, bodies found--but no in-your-face violence.

Karin wrote: "I think of cozies as traditional mysteries, so some of my favorite authors have a little harder edge: Tony Hillerman, Margaret Coel, C.J. Box, Elizabeth George, Earlene Fowler, Deborah Crombie, Nan..."

Karin,
I was so pleased and proud to be included in your list! And, two fellow Colorado author friends whose books I really enjoy were also included: Margaret Coel and Christine Goff.

FYI, my editor calls my Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventure series "softboiled," and I call my Claire Hanover gift basket designer series "edgy cozy". Both terms indicate the series are a small step up in the sex/violence/language scale from mainstream cozies, but they're a far, far cry from gory thrillers.

Whenever I see "Colorado" and "cozy" in the same sentence I can't help but think of Goldie Schultz. I only wonder just how big is this community that she keeps finding so many murderers? Makes me wonder in real life if they would begin to suspect Goldie herself!

Karen B wrote: "Whenever I see "Colorado" and "cozy" in the same sentence I can't help but think of Goldie Schultz. I only wonder just how big is this community that she keeps finding so many murderers? Makes me..."

I always thought of Goldie's town, which I can't recall the name of right now, as a cross between Evergreen which is just in the foothills and is probably as close to Denver as she sets her town, and Aspen or Vail which are both full of rich people!

Aspen Acres sounds familar. Maybe that's a name of the place where she does her catering.

Mine is Rick Riorden. From the Percy Jackson series.

M.C.Beaton, Aimee Thurlo, Agatha Christie, Katie Carlisle, Ellis Peters, Alan Bradley, Beth Groundwater.

Just some.

Right now, though, I'm reading lots of M.C. Beaton.