Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

Tell us about some of your favorite cozy series you have discovered and enjoyed!

I am really exploring series' firsts right now and determining which ones I plan to continue, but my two favorite series so far are...

The Tea Shop series is the first book (I have read four or five of these)

The Book Town series is the first book (I have read all of these)

I really like (this is the first book, there are currently 5 books in the series). I also like the series (I've lost track of how many there are in this series).

Stephanie wrote: "I am really exploring series' firsts right now and determining which ones I plan to continue, but my two favorite series so far are...

The Tea Shop series is..."

I seem to be doing the opposite Stephanie. I have 3 series on the go at the moment and am trying to be good at not start the 6 or 7 first books that I have. I think that this group may just 'break' my resolve. (Death by Darjeeling is actually sitting there taunting me at the moment)

Current my favorites series are


Book 1 may not be the best in the series but I have found it good to read this series in order due the development of the relationships between the characters
and


I am only on book 3 at the moment but am really enjoying it.

One of my favorites is the Aunt Dimity series, starting with Aunt Dimity's Death. I also like the Agatha Raisin series, which begins with The Quiche of Death. The author of that series, M.C. Beaton, also writes another of my favorite series, the Hamish MacBeth books.

I just read Aunt Dimity's Death and really liked it. I definitely want to keep reading that series and I see there are a lot. Maybe we will feature that author one month and explore these three series she writes.

So cheesy but... James Patterson's: Women's Murder Club. I know. But they're good! I can't stop reading them!!

Monica wrote: "So cheesy but... James Patterson's: Women's Murder Club. I know. But they're good! I can't stop reading them!!"

I have read all of them, I will admit it!!! I can not help myself.

I don't think she is considered a Cozy writer, but
Catherine Coulter is known for her cheesy Victorian love stories. However, I have read all of her FBI Thriller Series. The first one is called The Cove . I recommend them. They are so good.

I have been busy adding cozies to my read shelf (and created a mystery-cozy shelf). It's up to 379 so far. Hard to pick just a few favorites, especially since I'm not even half way through the alphabet! I'm going to work on it more over the weekend and maybe then I can pick just a few (dozen) :D

Hahaha! :) I decided not to add many right now because there are SO many. I love that CM link though, so fun to look through.

@ Tasha - That's where I'm looking right now. When I do list favorites, there will be a lot of dog-centered ones. There are some really good ones. A couple of the best are Carol Lea Benjamin and Virginia Lanier. I don't consider them cozies, I think they're more serious/grittier, but both are great mystery series.

I'll be paying attention to your updates, especially the dog themed ones. ;) I added both the authors you mentioned above. They look interesting. :)

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! I've been off collecting some of these to give them a try!

I am fairly new to the genre of Cozy Mysteries, but I realized that there were two books I read and enjoyed that are considered cozy...
I really liked and .

I'm always a little unsure of what qualifies. Lots of stories seem borderline.

To me, the Fletch series is a cozy series, as the murder is usually off-narrative and there's no blood. Plus, they're very humorous.

Way too many, so I'll list a few authors of animal ones, with the first book in the series:

Blaize Clement
Donna Ball
Laurien Berenson
Melissa Cleary
Lee Charles Kelley
Gabriella Herkert

Tara wrote: "I am fairly new to the genre of Cozy Mysteries, but I realized that there were two books I read and enjoyed that are considered cozy...
I really liked and [bo..."

I agree, Tara. Both great series. I love the Spellman family dynamics :)

Jaxnsmom, thanks for those recs. I put a few on my tbr. :)

I also love Nina Wright's Whiskey Mattimoe series where her Afghan, Abra, gets into constant trouble. Very funny.

Some non-animal favorites that I haven't seen mentioned by the group:

Carolyn Haines has a wonderful series starring Sarah Booth Delaney. In the first book, , Sarah Booth is a failed Southern belle - over thirty, unwed, and broke. She has to kidnap her best friend's dog for ransom to keep her home. She's also being haunted by Aunt Jitty, an ancestor's nanny.

is the first in Heather Webber's Nina Quinn series and involves landscaping. She also writes the Lucy Valentine series mentioned in message 13.

Jana Deleon's Mudbug series only has 3 books, which is a shame! Also there are a couple of stand-alones.

Ellen Byerrum's series is even better if you've lived or worked in DC, where Lacey Smithsonian writes her Crimes of Fashion column. The first book is .

JoAnna Carl's chocoholic mystery series starts with . Lee McKinney works for her aunt's chocolate business, so there's always chocolate involved. Sounds good to me :)

Mary Stanton (aka Claudia Bishop) writes the Bree Winston Beaufort series, . Bree defends temporal clients when she gets a chance, but most of her work involves appeals cases for the dead.

is the first in a culinary myster series by Nancy Fairbanks starring Carolyn Blue as a food writer.

I saw Joan Hess in someone's post with her Claire Malloy series, and as much as I love that series, I've come to love her Arly Hanks series even more, beginning with . I think it's the sarcasm and the preposterous characters :)

I picked this up because of the cover and Deborah Sharp's Mace Bauer and family still make me laugh.

There are some in that post that definitely interest me!

Tara wrote: "I am fairly new to the genre of Cozy Mysteries, but I realized that there were two books I read and enjoyed that are considered cozy...
I really liked and [bo..."

Tara wrote: "I am fairly new to the genre of Cozy Mysteries, but I realized that there were two books I read and enjoyed that are considered cozy...
I really liked [bookcover:The Spellman Files|129117] and [bo..."

I love both of those series! Lisa Lutz is coming out with a new book on the 28th I can't wait!

I have several favorite authors, one that I didn't see in earlier posts is Carolyn Hart - she's considered the queen of the modern cozy and has 3 series:

Death on Demand - Annie and Max Darling, a mystery bookstore owner and her husband set on a SC sea island

Dead Man's Island - Henrie O, a retired reporter and modern day Miss Marple and

Ghost at Work - Bailey Ruth, an impetuous angel sent to help folks in trouble.
I've read several in the first two series and have the ghost one in my TBR. She's very good.


Another favorite is Susan Wittig Albert, a featured author for March.

I'm not sure if it's a cozy, but the psychic eye series by Victoria Laurie is one of my favorites right now. I also like her ghost hunter mysteries.

I love several of the series mentioned here already--Carolyn Haines' Southern Belle mysteries are a riot; Lisa Lutz's Spellman series has the craziest family dynamics ever (and I love the author's style). I'm reading the newest Spellman right now, #5 I think.
One series I didn't see mentioned was Donna Andrews Meg Langslow series. The bird titles originally turned me off but the books are hilarious!
I also loved Sarah Strohmeyer Bubbles series.
Melissa Bourbon has recently begun a Magical Dressmaking series that is well written.
A local author, Rhonda Pollero, has a great series about Finley Anderson Tanner (F.A.T.), a paralegal obsessed with fashion set in West Palm Beach, FL. I actually found a few new places to eat from the books!

The first series I ever read was While My Pretty One Knits by Anne Canadeo

I just finished the second book a couple of weeks ago and I enjoyed that one just as much. What is so appealing about this series are the characters and their passion for knitting. After reading these books, I want to start knitting something myself. I would especially like to knit with these characters.

Tammy wrote: "The first series I ever read was While My Pretty One Knits by Anne Canadeo
...What is so appealing about this series are the characters and their passion for knitting..."

You might also like Maggie Sefton's series. The first one is Knit One, Kill Two
And your local craft store probably has beginner knitting classes. Once you get the hang of it, it's very relaxing.

I will look for that book (Knit One, Kill Two) the next time I am out at the bookstore.
My local library has a knitting group that meets every Saturday morning. Everyone just brings their own project and works on it there for a couple of hours. I haven't been there yet, but I am going this Saturday to try it out.

Have fun!

My current cozy series favorite is Anne Purser's Lois Meade series. The first book is Murder on Monday.

My other favorites include the Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross. .

New favorite, I think, is the Finley Anderson Tanner series by Rhonda Pollero. I love Finley.

I read the first three of the Lois Meade series. I enjoyed them but stopped. I always think about going back but haven't yet.

Jill Churchill's Jane Jeffry series was one my favorites. I think I probably picked them up at first because of her titles and play on words with classic/ famous literature titles. I'm hoping to pick them up again soon -- I stopped somewhere around book 8.

Also, Death on Demand series is FANTASTIC as others have stated previously.

Among my favorites are classics by the 'grandes dames' of mystery: by Agatha Christie, the Tommy and Tuppence, Miss Marple, and Hercule Poirot series, Ngaio Marsh's Roderick Alleyn series, and Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey series.

Current favorites among active series are Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, Martha Grimes' Richard Jury series (although I prefer the earlier books to the more recent ones), Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series, Susan Wittig Albert's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series, and Carrie Bebris' Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series. I recently started M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin series, and love it. Another that is no longer active is Lilian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who... series.

There are other series that I follow or have followed in the past, but those are my favorites.

Elizabeth Peters is my favorite, but I've also enjoyed the Lord Peter Wimsey series as well as Charlotte MacLeod's books. In fact, I got hooked on Ms. McLeod's books after Ms. Peters dedicated one of the Amelia Peabody books to her. I haven't read a lot of newer cozies, so I'm hoping for reading recommendations.

Crosby's wine country series is pretty good... and led to my discovering a new wine I like!!! (Viognier) I think the first one was Merlot Murders...

Iam new to this genre of cozy but not mystery so for cozy I have enjoyed nice to know that there as so many more

Evon, I'm not sure I would think of Death By Sarcasm as a cozy, but it sure sounds interesting. Adding it to my TBR.

Laura Child's Tea and Scrapbook series,Susan Wittig Albert-China Bayles Series,Cleo Coyle-Coffeeshop series,Ellen Crosby-Wine Country series, MC Beaton-Agatha Raisin,Joanne Fluke.
I read many series and enjoy so many of them. I use cozies as a way to balance out reading the more serious and loooooong selections of my book club.
I enjoy reading posts about favorite series as it always gives more ideas more series to follow.
Thanks,
Linda S.

Linda wrote: "I use cozies as a way to balance out reading the more serious and loooooong selections of my book club."

I know what you mean, Linda. I just finished Middlemarch by George Eliot, which took me almost an entire month (it was good, though), and now I'm really ready for a cozy!

I love The Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun and the Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle.

I just started reading cozies, so I can't say I have a favorite yet. I'm really enjoying the 'Chocoholic' series. I'm currently reading .

I'll be adding the Coffeehouse & Tea Shop series. I love coffee & tea. And chocolate for that matter. lol!

Tammy wrote: "I just started reading cozies, so I can't say I have a favorite yet. I'm really enjoying the 'Chocoholic' series. I'm currently reading .

I'll be adding the..."

I'm just getting ready to start the first in this series, . Looking forward to reading it.

I'd never tried any because I thought they were more or less taken from the scripts. I'll have to give them a try. Do they come across as having Mr. Monk's personality?

Just finished The Big Kitty by Claire Donally. Loved it, likeable heroine, good supporting characters including cat, fast paced action, believeable plot. My favorite series are by Nancy Atherton, Donna Andrews, E.J. Cooperman, Krista Davis, Joanne Fluke, Joan Hess, Hazel Holt, Sofie Kelly, virginia Lowell, Catriona McPherson and others.

They are awesome. I read the Mr. Monk books very quickly. They are super funny, and Mr. Monk is exactly like he was in the series. There is a new one coming out this month.

The cozies I enjoy reading are: M.C. Beaton - Hammish series, Joanne Fluke, there is some nun series out there that I enjoy and I would consider Agatha Christie a cozy as well.

The first cozy series I ever read was Diana Mott Davidson's "Goldie Bear" caterer series.

jaxnsmom wrote: "Evon, I'm not sure I would think of Death By Sarcasm as a cozy, but it sure sounds interesting. Adding it to my TBR."

I added it as well

Has anyone read any Museum Mysteries by Sheila Connolly? I have not and was wondering about them

No, although I have the first one on my tbr. I'd also be interested in hearing thoughts on it.

Some of my favorites are

Laura Childs - Scrapbooking
Elizabeth Bright - cardmaking
Lorna Barrett - booktown
Maggie Sefton - knitting
Maggie Bruce - gourdmaking
Terri Thayer - stamping sisters
John Lamb - teddy bear