Book Club

[pprmntstx]

@SWEETThank you!  I'll check out that website.

[forsythia1]

I also read Laura Childs and Jana DeLeon.

Another favorite of mine is Betty Hechtman.  She writes the Crochet mysteries and the Yarn Retreat mysteries.  I highly recommend them both.

[SXMGirl]

@pprmntstx, You might like Lee Strauss'  Lady Ginger Gold mysteries.  Similar to Miss Fisher mysteries.  

[dawg lover]

I read lots of cozy mystery series, but one of my favorites is the Dog Show mysteries by Laurien Berenson.  The first one in the series is "A PEDIGREE TO DIE FOR."  Some cozies can be a bit silly, but these are intelligently written, with humor thrown in as well.  It's interesting to learn about the dog show world too.

I should also add that I love the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency cozy mysteries by Alexander McCall Smith.  Actually, he writes several different series and all of them are great.  Laura Levine writes very funny mystery novels, starting with "THIS PEN FOR HIRE."  And, Elaine Viets' Dead End Jobs series, starting with "SHOP TILL YOU DROP" is very enjoyable as well.  I could go on and on!

[Naneen]

Oooooo, I love cozy mysteries!  Two of my absolute favorites are: 

Myrtle Clover Mysteries by Elizabeth Spann Craig.  Stories about a Southern octogenarian and her sleuthing, with quite an entertaining cast of characters.  Try to read them in sequence, so as to see the character relationship evolution.

Author: Dianna Xarissa.  Two series of hers are The Aunt Bessie Mysteries, set in The Isle of Man, Great Britain.  Very good writing and the plots are very well thought out.  Again Read in sequence if possible.  Another series by this author is the Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Mysteries.  Again, very good writing and plots, and if possible read in sequence so as to follow the characters.

Also in case you're interested in the Golden Age of Mysteries, there are quite a lot of cozy type mystery authors (mostly based in Britain) who wrote during the 30s, 40s and 50s. They're every bit as good as the Agatha Christie novels.  Some of them are as follows:  (Again, best read in sequence):

Patricia Wentworth, the Miss Silver Mysteries

John Rhode, the Dr. Priestley Mysteries.

Lynn Florkiewicz, the Lord James Harrington Mysteries

Christopher Bush, the Ludovic Travers Mysteries

By the way, the Dianna Xarissa books are free if you have Kindle Unlimited.  And most of the other ones only cost $2- $6 for the Kindle version. Many are out-of-print as regular books, and some are collectables.

Anyway, they're all great fun to read and very much of the COZY genre, which I love!

[Tinkrbl44]

Okay, I give up .... just what makes a mystery "cozy" ???

[Naneen]

No sexual  stuff, no profanity, no violence other than the initial murder mystery part and then its very mild usually.  Mostly a how-done-it type mystery along the lines of Murder She Wrote, or something like that.  Very nice for those of us who are not interested in the obligatory sex, violence and profanity that seem to permeate so much these days, and who are more interested in the characters and the solving of the mystery. 

[AuntG]

Cozy-mystery.com is on my computer most days. When someone on these boards suggested it, I made a list of all the series I wanted to read. Please check it out. They divide the books into categories like states they are based in (I like Michigan) and occupation (I'm partial to Amish stories and those set in libraries).

[Naneen]

I'm definitely going to check out the Cozy-mystery.com website.  Thanks for sharing.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Naneen wrote:

No sexual  stuff, no profanity, no violence other than the initial murder mystery part and then its very mild usually.  Mostly a how-done-it type mystery along the lines of Murder She Wrote, or something like that.  Very nice for those of us who are not interested in the obligatory sex, violence and profanity that seem to permeate so much these days, and who are more interested in the characters and the solving of the mystery. 

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So they are basically G-rated mysteries ....  thanks.