Cozy Mystery Corner

[lyric39]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Oh y'all, don't even get me started! My nickname among some other friends is "Queen of Cozy Evilness" Evilness because I keep enabling their TBR piles!

I love Jennie Bentley's DIY series too.
Julie Hyzy's White House Chef series is wonderful, as is her new Manor House series.
Sheila Connolly's Orchard series is another favorite here.
Cleo Coyle's coffeehouse mysteries (she is also Alice Kimberly)
A relatively new series I've enjoyed is the Ski Diva mysteries by Wendy Clinch.
Mary Stanton's (aka Claudia Bishop) Beaufort & Co. series is also great.
Christy Evans' Georgiana Neverall is similar to Jennie Bentley's series I find, with a plumber instead of DIY.
Another newer one, Lila Dare, writes a series about a Southern Beauty Shop which I enjoy.
Elizabeth Lynn Casey's Southern Sewing series is a hoot!

And some classics:

Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity series are wonderful.
I know some people are sick of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series, because of the love triangle thing, but I still really enjoy them.
Monica Ferris's Needlework series, set in Minnesota is a long time favorite of mine.
And then there's all three Laura Childs series, ( but good luck finding them in ebook! )

Somewhere, buried in the Reading Recommendations thread, is my old(er) calibre catalog of cozies. I should probably do another one and post it; as I've added I don't even know how many authors since then.

Hey thanks for your response I'm dying to try the Aunt Dimmity series can you name some book titles for me please

lyric39

[lyric39]

Originally Posted by Darqref

Have you updated your cozy excel file recently?

My biggest problem with your list is that I'm looking for stuff for my mom ... who uses audio books. Way freaking too many of the books on your list have never been made into audio books, and fewer are in our local library. Wah!

I'm a great fan of audio books too I have most of the Agatha Christie AB'S and I really love a lot of the BBC publications especially the Agatha Raisin series she is a quirky would be detective, man crazy but hopeless in the relationship department, set in the Cotswalds... I couldnt stop laughing, very cleverly written I must say, also available in standard book and ebook.
Perhaps your mum would also enjoy the audio series "Potting On" featuring Penelopy Kieth. Set in a garden nursery....hillarious!

lyric39

[lyric39]

Originally Posted by Donnageddon

How is "cozy mystery" defined. Is it just mysteries solved by ladies whilst drinking tea?

Well in my oppinion in a "Cozy read" There's often a village, a lot of interesting characters and of course a murder or too without the gore or graphic details and yes and quite often tea and even scones ha ha
lyric39

[lyric39]

Originally Posted by teadonkey

As far as one that I couldn't finish, I had troube with the books about Aurora Teagarden. I couldn't even finish the first one, I'm sad to say. I am such a big time tea person, I wanted to like it so much. But I couldn't connect with the character!

I've never heard of Sister Agatha! I might have to look into that, it sounds interesting. Also, so does Haunted Bookshop.

Y'know I've been wanting to read Sheila Connoly's Orchard series, but I was never sure what to think! I'll look into it. Also, my library has the first coffeehouse mystery by Cleo Coyle - It's on my to-check-out list! And the Southern Sewing series is on my to-buy list!

As to what a cozy is - my theory is that a cozy mystery is anything that's a mystery but ISN'T a thriller, as well. For example, Agatha Christie mysteries are about murders, and the Hercule Poirot ones have a real detective, BUT they aren't necessarily thrillers? A lot of modern cozies have some kind of theme like a craft or hobby, but I wouldn't consider that in the definition.

I have the orchard series all ready to go, finishing up my Hamish macbeth series first trying to find the 26th book Death of a vallentine does anyone know where I could find it please

lyric39

[lyric39]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I loved the Cleo Coyle series, I think I've read them all now. I also recently read "Fundraising the Dead" by Sheila Connoly, which is the first in her museum mysteries. Kate Carlisle has a great series about a bookbinder, a nice combo of murder mystery and a little bit of chick lit.

Can you tell me a little bit about the storyline re the Cleo Coyle series

lyric39

[lyric39]

Any suggestions re Brittish cozies?

[neilmarr]

Yup, Lyric: There's the *Belinda Lawrence Mysteries* series by Brian Kavanagh -- set in the UK and with all the ingredients that seem popular in this thread. The fourth, *A Canterbury Crime* has just been released in paperback and all ebook formats by BeWrite Books.

If you want to read about it, click on my link below and go to the bookstore section. If you want to read about the entire series, the titles, the author, and read free extracts, click on the *Our Authors* button there and scroll down to Brian Kavanagh.

Anyone visiting or contributing in the Cozy Mysteriers Corner here who's interested can drop me an email and I'll send the first of the series *Capable of Murder* by return attachment in the format of your choice (PDF, ePub or Mobi) with our compliments.

Cheers. Neil -- ntmarrATbewrite.net (use the @ sign, of course)

[sakura-panda]

So my "light and fluffy" mystery books are actually "cozy" mysteries. That sounds like a much better way to describe them!

I have a huge backlog that I've been trying to catch up on, but I'm going to come back to this thread (and apparently a few others, based on the "similar threads" list) later when I'm looking for new books. I used to belong to the "Mystery Guild" and learned about new books that way and I've been wondering what similar resource I could use now that I'm collecting them as ebooks.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Darqref

Have you updated your cozy excel file recently?

My biggest problem with your list is that I'm looking for stuff for my mom ... who uses audio books. Way freaking too many of the books on your list have never been made into audio books, and fewer are in our local library. Wah!

The first two of Mary Stanton's "Beaufort" series are out in audio, and I understand the next two are due out later this year. I think they're probably better heard than read.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by lyric39

Can you tell me a little bit about the storyline re the Cleo Coyle series

lyric39

It's a single mom who runs a coffee shop in Greenwich Village in NYC, who gets herself in lots of trouble

[Donnageddon]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Yes, those are definitely cozies, and it's been brought to my attention that "Donna" is not a suitable nickname for you . My apologies.

Easy enough mistake, no need to apologize.

Donn

[ccowie]

I've not been a huge mystery reader and when I've indulged it's been more with the likes of Dashiel Hammett or Raymond Chandler - not really cozy.

This summer I read Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I really loved this book for a few reasons. My mom read lots of Agatha Christie type mystery when she was young and has told me of how she fantasized about coming upon a murder and putting all her detective skills to use shaming the bumbling police. Bradley's protagonist is a 12 year-old girl who has such an opportunity. I'm giving the book to my mom who turns 70 next week.

There is also a sequel, The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, (great titles) which I haven't read yet.

[teadonkey]

Hmm I'll have to keep looking! I loved that first book so much. Hamish was so very adorable. Maybe I can find it on PBS ~

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by lyric39

Hey thanks for your response I'm dying to try the Aunt Dimmity series can you name some book titles for me please

lyric39

1. Aunt Dimity's Death (1992) (not available in ebook)
2. Aunt Dimity and the Duke (1994)
3. Aunt Dimity's Good Deed (1996)
4. Aunt Dimity Digs In (1998)
5. Aunt Dimity's Christmas (1999)
6. Aunt Dimity Beats the Devil (2000)
7. Aunt Dimity Detective (2001)
8. Aunt Dimity Takes a Holiday (2003)
9. Aunt Dimity Snowbound (2004)
10. Aunt Dimity and the Next of Kin (2005)
11. Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea (2006)
12. Aunt Dimity Goes West (2007)
13. Aunt Dimity, Vampire Hunter (2008)
14. Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon (2009)
15. Aunt Dimity Down Under (2010)
16. Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree (2011)

Originally Posted by lyric39

Can you tell me a little bit about the storyline re the Cleo Coyle series

lyric39

Love these: About a coffeeshop manager in NYC. She lives above the shop, and has to share an apartment part of the time with her ex husband, because his mother owns the building (and the coffee shop). The mother in law and the main character get along great, though. She ends up stumbling over dead bodies and having to clear herself, her staff, her ex, her friends, etc. from being charged with the murders. It's a good thing they're set in NYC, though or she'd run out of people and connections to murder.

[icedtea]

Originally Posted by teadonkey

Anyone know of any good cozies that have a little romance in them? I'm not talking, FULL romance book type romance. I just mean, kind of a side story is the romance between the main character and a beau. Can't think of another way to explain it!

Not sure if these fit what you're looking for, and a disclaimer that these are the only books I've read that I think fit into cozies:
I'm liking Heather Webber's trilogy so far, 1. Truly, Madly 2. Deeply, Desparately; and Juliet Blackwell's books, 1. Secondhand Spirits and 2. A Cast-off Coven. Both have a light paranormal angle in addition to the romance.