Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

We have a nice bookshelf now that allows everyone to search by theme, but I would love to hear from you personally...

Which reading/book store/library/anything else bookish cozies have you really enjoyed?

Post below!

Flower shop Mysteries!! I love those stories

I've enjoyed -
Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series, named for the mystery bookstore owned by the main character

Joan Hess' Claire Malloy series - the main character is a bookstore owner.

I liked the Miranda James book featured last month with the librarian.

In my TBR is Kate Carlisle's series - the main character is a rare book expert. It's gotten glowing reviews from other GR cozy readers.

Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series is also one of my favorites!

I believe I've mentioned this theme on another thread here, but I also love series where the sleuth is a famous author, such as Susan Albert Wittig's Beatrix Potter series, Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen series, etc. I think those could also be considered 'bookish'! And also Carrie Bebris' Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series.

Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's series which starts with is excellent. And there's Lucy Arlington's A Novel Idea series where the protag is a literary agent. It starts with . It's pretty good, too!

Melodie wrote: "Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's series which starts with Books Can Be Deceiving is excellent. And there's Lucy Arlington's A Novel Idea series where the protag is a literary agent. It starts with Buried in a Book."

I love those series, too! I like all of Jenn McKinlay's series. The Lucy Arlington series grabbed from the first few pages. I immediately felt like I knew the main character. She was already a "friend."

I also love Kate Carlisle's Bibliophile Mysteries. The protagonist there is a book restorer.

Another I enjoy is Lorna Barrett's Book Town Mysteries, though I have to admit I didn't like the protagonist (owns a mystery book store) much until this latest (6th!) addition. I'm actually looking forward to the next one.

Then there's Alice Kimberly/Cleo Coyle's Haunted Bookshop Mysteries. (I just read all to date this past spring.) The protagonist owns a bookstore in New England. She's assisted in her mystery-solving by the ghost of a 1940's PI.

Finally, D.R. Meredith's Megan Clark/Reading Group Mysteries was an enjoyable series. The protagonist here is a librarian in Texas. Actually, she's a paleo-archaeologist who can't get a job in her field so she works as a librarian. Megan is also part of a mystery readers book club, Murder by the Yard. She and her fellow readers get involved with real-life murders. Though there were a couple of annoying aspects, I was hooked from book one. One thing I really liked was that each chapter had a quote from an old mystery novel. What a way to get the names/authors of other books to try! I am still annoyed that the series ended with only five books. I just hate it when I like a series and there's no more to read!!

One other book... Book 'Em by Michele Gibney. The protagonist own a bookstore in a tourist town on the Oregon coast. The characters were fun and funny. I immediately identified with the protagonist who started the book talking/yelling at herself the way I sometimes do. I found that very true to life! To be truthful, however, it's a combo romance/mystery, with emphasis on the very steamy romance (the characters' sexual relationship is not left to the imagination). The mystery is good, but was not as engaging as other cozies. I was hoping subsequent books in a series would be better in that regard. I loved the characters and the setting and felt it could be the start of a fun (and sexy) series.

I enjoy Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series -- that being the title of the first book and the name of the bookstore that Annie Darling runs. All the stories take place on an island and are very enjoyable cozies. At the start of each book, a few paintings of cozy mystery scenes are put up in the bookstore and a contest is run to see who can name the books they are from. By the end of the book she announces the winner of the month. It's fun to try to guess them myself! I like the characters in this series and recommend it if you haven't already read them.

LynnB wrote: "I enjoy Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series -- that being the title of the first book and the name of the bookstore that Annie Darling runs. All the stories take place on an island and are very ..."

I was just going to mention this series (one of my very favorites!) in response to Karen's post, as she seems to enjoy bookstore mysteries. Also, it is great for discovering new authors and series, because tons of them are mentioned in every book! Not only books that come in and are sold in the store, but the paintings that you mentioned (I think I've only solved one of those during the whole series!), Annie's coffee mugs that have mystery titles printed on them, and numerous other references. The book that got me hooked on the series, The Christie Caper, also has a trivia quiz about Christie!

Thought of more book-related series...

Susan Kandel writes the Cece Caruso Mysteries. CeCe is an author who writes biographies of mystery writers (Carolyn Keene, Agatha Christie, etc.). Part of the fun is getting information about your favorite authors as CeCe solves murders.

Marianne Macdonald's Dido Hoare Mysteries feature an antiquarian bookseller in England and her father, Barnabas. Barnabas is a retired professor who applies logic and research to the mysteries Dido finds herself wrapped in. I have enjoyed all eight (to date) in the series.

Noreen Wald wrote the all-too-short Ghostwriter Mystery series (five, nothing new since 2005) about Jake O'Hara and her friends, a support group of ghostwriters. Add in Jake's mother, her mother's psychic best friend, and two men---a detective and a lawyer, no less---fighting for Jake's affection and you get a crime-solving group led by Jake, who seems to stumble into the bodies.

I'm surprised I didn't think about it before, but Jessica Fletcher (Donald Bain) writes the Murder She Wrote series starring...Jessica Fletcher, an author (and retired literature teacher).

Sort of a stretch, but Lawrence Block's Burglar series stars a not-so-ex thief who purchases a bookstore between the second and third installments. His plans to go straight hit snags now and then as he takes (or does!) the odd "job."

Karen wrote: "Thought of more book-related series...

Susan Kandel writes the Cece Caruso Mysteries. CeCe is an author who writes biographies of mystery writers (Carolyn Keene, Agatha Christie, etc.). Part of t..."

I love the lawrence Block's Burglar series.
I also like Jo Dereske's

I really like this kind of thread for recommendations and books for my TBR list.

Karen wrote: "Thought of more book-related series...

Susan Kandel writes the Cece Caruso Mysteries. CeCe is an author who writes biographies of mystery writers (Carolyn Keene, Agatha Christie, etc.). Part of t..."

I read the one on Agatha Christie. I liked it, and the others in the series sounded good, too, but I'm already following more series than I can handle!

Denise wrote "...... but I'm already following more series than I can handle!"

CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!!

Denise wrote "...... but I'm already following more series than I can handle!"

Jennifer wrote: "CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!!"

A M E N, Sister!

Regardless, I keep starting and adding new-to-me series. I'm so weak!!

I created a custom Excel spreadsheet/database to track my authors and series, color-coded for what's available (pink), what I have (black), what I've read (strike-through font), etc. Each author/series has its own column---sorted alphabetically by cover author, with the series listed by release date---so I can track the series from first to current. Talk about too many... I finally had to break it into three pages because my PDA cannot read newer versions of Excel and I'd used ALL available columns (256, the three pages have some growing room!). I update it with information from Cozy Mystery List and Stop You're Killing Me.

Also, someone on the boards introduced me to FictFact. I added in about a third of my series into the site. It updates me via e-mail when new additions are made. I still keep up the Excel sheet because it contains everything, but FictFact is great! I recommend it if you're looking for a way to track your series reading. Once you've done the initial data-entry, it's all maintenance.

Have I read all the series I'm tracking? Majority, yes. Others are TBRs that (I'm sure!) I will get to at some point. :o)

Karen wrote: "Denise wrote "...... but I'm already following more series than I can handle!"

Jennifer wrote: "CAN I GET AN AMEN!!!!!"

A M E N, Sister!

Regardless, I keep starting and adding new-to-me serie..."

Re excel spreadsheet OMG I have one too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE. NEED. HELP!!!!!!

do any of you recommend a 'cosy' that's got a good gripping mystery? I have enjoyed a few of these type of books but am now finding them repetitive and that they are so caught up in shops/baking/knitting/suppers/cats etc etc that the mystery comes across as second rate. I enjoy the lightness to a point but still want a gripping, thoroughly confusing unable to guess, who dunnit!! Any ideas? Oh and to add to my problem - some of these books are not available in the UK.

Penny wrote: "do any of you recommend a 'cosy' that's got a good gripping mystery? I have enjoyed a few of these type of books but am now finding them repetitive and that they are so caught up in shops/baking/k..."

Have you tried the Mattie Winston books by Annelise Ryan? Or maybe Beth Groundwater's Rocky Mtn Outdoor Adventure books? Sue Ann Jaffarian's Odelia Gray series? Cricket McRae's Home Crafting books?

Penny wrote: "do any of you recommend a 'cosy' that's got a good gripping mystery? I have enjoyed a few of these type of books but am now finding them repetitive and that they are so caught up in shops/baking/k..."

Another thread was just talking about Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series, which is one of my favorites. And you can't go wrong with the more traditional ones by the 'grandes dames', Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, and Dorothy L. Sayers. I think Marjorie Allingham is the fourth grande dame, but I'm not familiar with her books.

Penny wrote: "do any of you recommend a 'cosy' that's got a good gripping mystery? I have enjoyed a few of these type of books but am now finding them repetitive and that they are so caught up in shops/baking/k..."
I have recently started a series by Anne Perry featuring Inspector Monk,
. This is an historical, British mystery series and so it is without the blood and gore, but the story is solid and quite enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it. Also, Elizabeth Peters', Amelia Peabody series are wonderful. I am pacing myself on the last few books as I don't want them to end! Also, and are quite good.

I am a fan of Sarah Graves her home repair mysteries are good.
They are set in the northeast and revolve around her working on her old house while getting embroiled in murders.

I too have an excel spreadsheet of books read.

Melody wrote: "I am a fan of Sarah Graves her home repair mysteries are good.
They are set in the northeast and revolve around her working on her old house while getting embroiled in murders.

I too have an excel..."


Me too. One tab per author. Two columns- one of their books in order, and another of the ones I own, with the ones I've read highlighted.

Almost forgot Louise Penny's Armand Gamache Three Pines books. Very popular with many people I know and they are VERY well written!

I absolutely love the Domestic Diva series! Quick fun and light. A great cozy series.

I enjoy the Domestic Diva series, I also have a Excel Spreadsheet.

I agree with Karen, FictFact is a great site to keep track of all of the series that you are reading.

I recently came across a book/resource for series. I met the compiler at the New England Library Association annual meeting and was very impressed (but I didn't buy a copy--too expensive for an individual). The resource is esequels.com (which many of you may already know about), and it tracks series and is regularly updated. It's mostly meant for libraries, but there was a hard copy (published a couple of years ago as I recall). I was very impressed.

I recently finished reading Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry, which won the Best First Novel Agatha Award for 2011. It was a great read and really deserved the award!

My top two series are Lora Robert's Liza Sullivan mysteries and Jessica Speart's Rachel Porter mysteries . Both I read probably 10 or 15 years ago.

Iamabibliophile wrote: "My top two series are Lora Robert's Liza Sullivan mysteries and Jessica Speart's Rachel Porter mysteries . Both I read..."

Don't run across many people who've read the Jessica Speart books! I really liked that series. Has been a good 7 or 8 years since the last one.

I love Charlaine Harris', Aurora Teagarden Mysteries! They are quirky, suspenseful, and fun to read!!! I have also enjoyed the Jo Dereske novels, the Booktown mysteries, and I have high hopes for the new Ashton Corner series!

How could I forget..... I also adore Death on Demand!!!

Melodie wrote: "Iamabibliophile wrote: "My top two series are Lora Robert's Liza Sullivan mysteries and Jessica Speart's Rachel Porter mysteries [bookcover:Gator Ai..."

Exactly! Most people try to compare them to Nevada Barr and I think that influences their opinion. I loved them and they are what really got me into cozies today.

Heather wrote: "How could I forget..... I also adore Death on Demand!!!"

Heather, have you read the new one, Dead, White, and Blue?

I have not yet, but I am looking forward to it? Have you? Without spoilers, is it great?

I enjoyed it a lot, as usual, athough I thought the ending was a bit contrived (not the solution, but how it was revealed). And a surprise on who won the identify-the-paintings contest! I can never get those - I haven't read every mystery there is, unlike Annie and the rest. I think I did solve one, once, though. This time, I had read one of them, but a long time ago, and didn't recognize the scene.

My favorite book related cozies are Miranda James Cat in the Stacks series, Sofie Kelly's Magical Cat Series, and Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover Series.

Melodie wrote: "Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's series which starts with is excellent. And there's Lucy Arlington's A Novel Idea series where the protag is a literary ag..."


I love Jenn McKinlay's Library Lovers series. I can't wait to read Read It and Weep this month!

i really enjoy...



this is a very light and interesting series!

This thread has given me so many new authors to try! Thanks everyone!