Cozy Mystery Corner - Page 17

phenomshel · 07-16-2011, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

I wrote a subsequent post that I bailed on it -- all that coffee talk grew obnoxious after a while.

Yes, I saw it, I just didn't quote it, LOL.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

The ex-husband was, indeed, arrogant. I like the author's Haunted Bookshop series (written as Alice Kimberly), although the "romance" angle where the women + ghost are together in her dreams is rather contrived.

Aren't all ex-husbands arrogant? Or at least in some other way flawed? It comes across to me that yes, Matteo is arrogant but part of it was due to being raised a child of privilege and the other part is due to most women treating him like he's God's gift (except Claire). Not trying to change your mind, I just think it's cool that we got such different impressions of the books and characters.

As for the Haunted Bookshop series and the ghost/woman relationship....I don't know that I'd call it "contrived" but it definitely is creepy!

teadonkey · 07-16-2011, 02:22 PM

RE: Coffeehouse Mysteries - I couldn't finish it, either. I like that cozies generally have a 'theme' to them like that, but the coffee mentioning was just overkill.

SeaBookGuy · 07-16-2011, 02:33 PM

Speaking of ex-husbands, I liked Night of the Living Deed - the first in the "Haunted Guesthouse" series. However, I was frustrated with the protagonist's derogatory references to her ex-husband, without actually stating the "problem"! Was he unfaithful, controlling, just plain self-centered? I really needed more than just her assertions to dislike him.

teadonkey · 07-16-2011, 02:39 PM

Does anyone have any opinions on Sheila Connolly's Orchard mysteries or Barbara Annino's Stacey Justice mysteries? I'm thinking about reading them both.

melaniejaxn · 07-16-2011, 02:50 PM

All my friends love the Connolly Orchard books. I thought they were okay but I didn't like the people and place enough to want to go back and visit after the first one. May have to try them again though. Often a series improves as it goes on.

phenomshel · 07-17-2011, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teadonkey

Does anyone have any opinions on Sheila Connolly's Orchard mysteries or Barbara Annino's Stacey Justice mysteries? I'm thinking about reading them both.

Stacy Justice is near the top of my TBR - but not quite there yet. I adore the Orchard books though. I missed the quote button for the post below yours where it was said they didn't like the people in the Orchard books... I'm honestly puzzled there, because Meg Corey is one of my favorite characters in cozies at the moment. I do find it fascinating that we all have such different takes on series, characters, and author intentions.

SensualPoet · 10-02-2011, 06:44 PM

There is a lot of whimsy here: our hero is a kind hearted, somewhat naive proto-librarian who leaves the comforts of London ... and dismal career prospects ... for the decidedly down-scale post as librarian in a small Irish town which has apparently just closed its library and lost all its books. Ian Sansom's appropriately titled The Case of the Missing Books is crammed full of delightful, warm-hearted humour with echos of the The Vicar of Dibley.

Israel Armstrong, a pudgy vegetarian Jewish librarian with an Irish father, is down on his luck in London, working a dead-end job in a discount bookshop. When accepted for the job as librarian at Tumdrum, County Antrim, Ireland, he scoops up his few possessions and last of his cash, arriving a few days before Christmas to take up his post. But there's a problem: the local council has closed the library and, upon examination, all the books appear to have been stolen. Israel is pressed into the role of detective, and given the old book mobile as transport, as he attempts to track down the books, stumbling across other crimes and misdemeanours, hoping for a little love on the side.

A little too predictable, however charming, this light diversion succeeds allowing one to while away a few hours without guilt and with a hearty chuckle now and again. But like that puffy confection your too chi-chi neighbour offers on a summery afternoon, it's not a terribly filling experience. Consume with pleasure: but have another snack in the wings.

bert501 · 10-05-2011, 08:29 PM

Finished this yesterday and thought it was very good. The 1st in a new series set in a shopping mall. EJ is disabled from the Air Force from a combat injury. She was military intelligence but can't do regular police work because of her bum knee so she becomes a Mall Cop.

Really enjoyed the character development-EJ has an interesting/nutty family that helps her (don't they always in a cozy LOL) but I was surprised a couple of times that she didn't pull in some of the relatives like I expected. So a cozy but not the usual zany antics.

There was quite a bit of humor with the various unique folks that work in the mall but there actually wasn't that much romance. She did leave the door open with the lead detective-and there is also a 'mysterious cookie man'...

The murder was very real-life and believable. I did think the ending got a little muddy when she revealed who dun it but I see what she was trying to do and it made sense.

All in all I recommend this book and can't wait for the next one to be released next spring.

SensualPoet · 10-06-2011, 08:09 AM

Die Buying is around $9 at Kobo or Kindle. (I went looking for this ... the author is actually Laura DiSilverio.

)

bert501 · 10-06-2011, 11:43 PM

lol I cain't spell but I reads right good

pendragginp · 10-07-2011, 07:40 AM

lol!

Well thanks to this thread I got the samples of the last two books mentioned. =)

Agree with those who find the coffeehouse books hard to get through. I've tried twice, I probably won't try again. Although it is true that a series can find its feet a book or two in.

SensualPoet · 10-08-2011, 09:24 PM

Getting an unpublished first novel noticed is challenging but in Phyllis Smallman's case, mystery solved. Margarita Nights, about amateur detective (ok, she serves drinks in a Florida bar for a living) Sherri Travis came to the notice of Louise Penny, and other members of the Crime Writers of Canada. In 2007, it instituted a new prize, the "Unhanged Arthur" to recognise best unpublished first crime novel; Smallman was the inaugural recipient. The CWC's main Arthur Ellis award is granted annually in mid-Spring; it is named after Canada's 18th century executioner known by the pseudonym Arthur Ellis over several generations. She has since gone on to write (and have published) four Sherri Travis mysteries.

Jimmy Travis, only son of a wealthy Florida couple, leads a frenetic, adventurous life, almost always in some trouble or other. Sherri, his high school sweetheart and wife, has tired of his drinking, cheating and scattered career moves. Handsome, devilish, and currently local golf pro will soon be single again -- Sherri has had enough and moved out a year ago. But then, his boat explodes with Jimmy on it and Sherri is the prime murder suspect. When it turns out she has more to gain than getting even, the cops are on her tail and only she can clear her name. As she digs further into Jimmy's recent business deals, the situation gets murkier and more dangerous ... and the local cops are lying in wait gathering the necessary evidence against her. With the help of her friends, and Sunset Bar regulars, things go quickly from bad to worse. Which of those friends is truly a friend?

Comfortably residing within the cozy realm, this adventure had more than enough twists and exotic local colour to keep up the interest in what is, admittedly, a somewhat long read. Sherri is the best drawn of all the characters, with a healthy libido and sufficient paranoia to keep her alive at the more dangerous moments. The closeted gay journalist, local minister, her best friend, another high school chum down on his luck and suffering schizophrenia, land development king-pins and the cops ... all make up Sherri's local landscape and keep the reader engaged and chuckling.

Available for Kindle or Kobo at the pleasingly attractive price of $2.

estelle58 · 10-11-2011, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

How can I get hold of the "Irish Country Doctor" series please ?

Kobo can't, 'cos of "geographic blah blah.." and it sounds right up my (maternal family) street !

The title has echoes of the wonderful "Country Magistrate" - which isn't a mystery, just a glorious surprise !

You can get them on Kobo now

I'm new to cozy mysteries and I started reading Louise Penny last weekend, I'm on book #3 now and I really fell in love with the village of Three Pines and her wonderful caracters

patrickt · 10-11-2011, 12:46 PM

Phenomshell: "Aren't all ex-husbands arrogant? Or at least in some other way flawed?"

Of course. And all deceased husbands are perfect. It's a tough way to attain perfection, though.

HomeInMyShoes · 11-03-2011, 09:54 AM

I'm not sure if this is the right thread, but I'll give it a go. Has anyone read any of Scarlett Thomas' Lily Pascale Mysteries. They are titled Dead Clever, In Your Face, and Seaside. They seem to fit the usual description of a cozy so I figured I'd ask here.

They are early Thomas works. I've really enjoyed her later novels PopCo, The End of Mr. Y and Our Tragic Universe which are geeky and philosophical.

10-02-2011, 06:44 PM	#247
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Ian Sansom - The Case of the Missing Books There is a lot of whimsy here: our hero is a kind hearted, somewhat naive proto-librarian who leaves the comforts of London ... and dismal career prospects ... for the decidedly down-scale post as librarian in a small Irish town which has apparently just closed its library and lost all its books. Ian Sansom's appropriately titled The Case of the Missing Books is crammed full of delightful, warm-hearted humour with echos of the The Vicar of Dibley. Israel Armstrong, a pudgy vegetarian Jewish librarian with an Irish father, is down on his luck in London, working a dead-end job in a discount bookshop. When accepted for the job as librarian at Tumdrum, County Antrim, Ireland, he scoops up his few possessions and last of his cash, arriving a few days before Christmas to take up his post. But there's a problem: the local council has closed the library and, upon examination, all the books appear to have been stolen. Israel is pressed into the role of detective, and given the old book mobile as transport, as he attempts to track down the books, stumbling across other crimes and misdemeanours, hoping for a little love on the side. A little too predictable, however charming, this light diversion succeeds allowing one to while away a few hours without guilt and with a hearty chuckle now and again. But like that puffy confection your too chi-chi neighbour offers on a summery afternoon, it's not a terribly filling experience. Consume with pleasure: but have another snack in the wings.

10-05-2011, 08:29 PM	#248
bert501 Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 263126 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Missouri, USA Device: Kindle	Die Buying (Mall Cop Mystery) by Laura DeSilverio Finished this yesterday and thought it was very good. The 1st in a new series set in a shopping mall. EJ is disabled from the Air Force from a combat injury. She was military intelligence but can't do regular police work because of her bum knee so she becomes a Mall Cop. Really enjoyed the character development-EJ has an interesting/nutty family that helps her (don't they always in a cozy LOL) but I was surprised a couple of times that she didn't pull in some of the relatives like I expected. So a cozy but not the usual zany antics. There was quite a bit of humor with the various unique folks that work in the mall but there actually wasn't that much romance. She did leave the door open with the lead detective-and there is also a 'mysterious cookie man'... The murder was very real-life and believable. I did think the ending got a little muddy when she revealed who dun it but I see what she was trying to do and it made sense. All in all I recommend this book and can't wait for the next one to be released next spring.

10-08-2011, 09:24 PM	#252
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Phyllis Smallman - Margarita Nights Getting an unpublished first novel noticed is challenging but in Phyllis Smallman's case, mystery solved. Margarita Nights, about amateur detective (ok, she serves drinks in a Florida bar for a living) Sherri Travis came to the notice of Louise Penny, and other members of the Crime Writers of Canada. In 2007, it instituted a new prize, the "Unhanged Arthur" to recognise best unpublished first crime novel; Smallman was the inaugural recipient. The CWC's main Arthur Ellis award is granted annually in mid-Spring; it is named after Canada's 18th century executioner known by the pseudonym Arthur Ellis over several generations. She has since gone on to write (and have published) four Sherri Travis mysteries. Jimmy Travis, only son of a wealthy Florida couple, leads a frenetic, adventurous life, almost always in some trouble or other. Sherri, his high school sweetheart and wife, has tired of his drinking, cheating and scattered career moves. Handsome, devilish, and currently local golf pro will soon be single again -- Sherri has had enough and moved out a year ago. But then, his boat explodes with Jimmy on it and Sherri is the prime murder suspect. When it turns out she has more to gain than getting even, the cops are on her tail and only she can clear her name. As she digs further into Jimmy's recent business deals, the situation gets murkier and more dangerous ... and the local cops are lying in wait gathering the necessary evidence against her. With the help of her friends, and Sunset Bar regulars, things go quickly from bad to worse. Which of those friends is truly a friend? Comfortably residing within the cozy realm, this adventure had more than enough twists and exotic local colour to keep up the interest in what is, admittedly, a somewhat long read. Sherri is the best drawn of all the characters, with a healthy libido and sufficient paranoia to keep her alive at the more dangerous moments. The closeted gay journalist, local minister, her best friend, another high school chum down on his luck and suffering schizophrenia, land development king-pins and the cops ... all make up Sherri's local landscape and keep the reader engaged and chuckling. Available for Kindle or Kobo at the pleasingly attractive price of $2.

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07-16-2011, 02:22 PM	#242
teadonkey Zealot Posts: 132 Karma: 2179008 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 3 WiFi	RE: Coffeehouse Mysteries - I couldn't finish it, either. I like that cozies generally have a 'theme' to them like that, but the coffee mentioning was just overkill.

07-16-2011, 02:33 PM	#243
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	Speaking of ex-husbands, I liked Night of the Living Deed - the first in the "Haunted Guesthouse" series. However, I was frustrated with the protagonist's derogatory references to her ex-husband, without actually stating the "problem"! Was he unfaithful, controlling, just plain self-centered? I really needed more than just her assertions to dislike him.

07-16-2011, 02:39 PM	#244
teadonkey Zealot Posts: 132 Karma: 2179008 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Kindle 3 WiFi	Does anyone have any opinions on Sheila Connolly's Orchard mysteries or Barbara Annino's Stacey Justice mysteries? I'm thinking about reading them both.

07-16-2011, 02:50 PM	#245
melaniejaxn Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 10308 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sierra foothills of California Device: Kindle	All my friends love the Connolly Orchard books. I thought they were okay but I didn't like the people and place enough to want to go back and visit after the first one. May have to try them again though. Often a series improves as it goes on.

10-06-2011, 08:09 AM	#249
SensualPoet Wizard Posts: 2,302 Karma: 2607151 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kindle Paperwhite, Asus ZenPad 3, Kobo Glo	Die Buying is around $9 at Kobo or Kindle. (I went looking for this ... the author is actually Laura DiSilverio. )

10-06-2011, 11:43 PM	#250
bert501 Connoisseur Posts: 68 Karma: 263126 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Missouri, USA Device: Kindle	lol I cain't spell but I reads right good

10-07-2011, 07:40 AM	#251
pendragginp Guru Posts: 985 Karma: 4567263 Join Date: May 2009 Location: The End Of The Earth Device: Several	lol! Well thanks to this thread I got the samples of the last two books mentioned. =) Agree with those who find the coffeehouse books hard to get through. I've tried twice, I probably won't try again. Although it is true that a series can find its feet a book or two in.

10-11-2011, 12:46 PM	#254
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	Phenomshell: "Aren't all ex-husbands arrogant? Or at least in some other way flawed?" Of course. And all deceased husbands are perfect. It's a tough way to attain perfection, though.

11-03-2011, 09:54 AM	#255
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	I'm not sure if this is the right thread, but I'll give it a go. Has anyone read any of Scarlett Thomas' Lily Pascale Mysteries. They are titled Dead Clever, In Your Face, and Seaside. They seem to fit the usual description of a cozy so I figured I'd ask here. They are early Thomas works. I've really enjoyed her later novels PopCo, The End of Mr. Y and Our Tragic Universe which are geeky and philosophical.

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