One of my very favorite cozy mystery book authors is found under the Bs. I would have to say that if pressed to pick one of a handful of my very favorite authors, M. C. Beaton would be on that list.  I started reading her Agatha Raisin books and quickly found that Agatha is one of my very favorite characters. She has a very dry sense of humor and isn't particularly nice. I think that she has a way of saying and doing things that we might think are rude or underhanded, but we might also secretly wish we could get by being that blunt... and should I say.... conniving? I have to admit that I enjoyed the first five or six novels (possibly even seven) of the Agatha series more than the later books of the series, but still enjoy keeping up with Agatha's exploits. The books are "easy reads," which make them ideal for taking on long airplane flights or vacations that include some time for just relaxing.     

Usually, if I like one series by a particular author, I find that if the author has another series (or in some cases two or three other series) I don't enjoy the other series. It is for that reason that I put off reading M. C. Beaton's other series about a Scottish constable named Hamish Macbeth. Was I ever wrong about my "one author/one series" rule! Hamish Macbeth has overshadowed my love for Agatha Raisin!  If you haven't tried either of the series yet, I would suggest that you start reading your choice of either of the series at the beginning. I think that you might find yourself anticipating each of the next books in the series. I have spent many enjoyable hours with both Hamish and Agatha, and hope that you do, too! 

(As a postscript........  I have included my VERY FAVORITE AUTHOR of all times in this list of books beginning with B........... E. F. Benson.  I must admit, he didn't write cozy mysteries, but he did write COZY!)

Kathleen Bacus   A former Iowa State Trooper and investigator for the Iowa Department of Justice, Bacus now writes the Tressa (Calamity) Jayne Turner Mystery Series...

Donald Bain  w/ “Jessica Fletcher” of Murder, She Wrote...  He has ghost-written many books other than the Jessica's. I don't know why some bookstores insist on putting his "Murder, She Wrote" books in the "F" (as in Fletcher) section...

David Baldacci   Not Cozy....  Not only is he a best selling author of books for adults, but now he has a series for children, which looks phenomenal. My children are now grown up, but these Freddy and the French Fries books would have definitely been the types of books they would have "devoured." How can a series with a main character named Freddy T. Funkhouser not be a fun read!

Patrick Balester   Having enjoyed hiking in Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge and having a childhood buddy who later became a law enforcement agent set the path for Balester to write his Greg Parnell Mystery Series, featuring a Fish & Wildlife agent...

Donna Ball   Donna has been writing books for over twenty years, using five different pseudonyms. It is no wonder that she is currently writing a series about an ex-tracker and her Golden Retriever... Donna is a volunteer of her local humane shelter, Therapy Dogs International, and the Canine Companions for Independence, as well as different animal rescue groups. She is also an active member of her local Friends of the Library. Books and Dogs! What a great combination for a dog-lover's mystery series!

Mignon F. Ballard    Her series features a guardian angel... Augusta Goodnight

Sandra Balzo    Balzo writes a mystery series that features an ex-PR executive who owns a coffee shop in Wisconsin...

Jo Bannister  Several British series to pick from...

Maggie Barbieri   Barbieri writes the Murder 101 Mystery Series which has, as its sleuth, an English Professor at a small New York City college...

Robert Barnard  British Police Procedural, an Agatha Award Winner....

Linda Barnes  Two series to pick from: one with an actor/detective and the other with a redhead, 6'1" female Boston private eye...

Nevada Barr  Barr started out as an actress, but found she loved working in national parks, which led to her series about a park ranger... 

Lorna Barrett   aka L. L. Bartlett    A new author is here.... and she writes under two pen names. As Barrett she writes the Booktown Mystery Series which is a  cozy mystery series that involves the owner of the Haven't Got A Clue bookstore, and as Bartlett she writes a series based on a mugging victim who now has a sixth sense for solving crimes.

Christy Barritt   Barritt writes the Squeaky Clean Mystery Series which features the owner of a very unusual business: a crime scene cleaning service. The amateur sleuth almost completed her college degree in forensic science, which comes in very handy while being able to get a first hand view of the evidence!

Stephanie Barron     aka Francine Mathews…. Barron writes a series with Jane Austen as the heroine/sleuth.

L. L. Bartlett aka Lorna Barrett & Lorraine Bartlett If you're looking for a new author to try... look no farther. Bartlett writes a series featuring a mugging victim who possesses sixth sense gifts. As Barrett, she writes a cozy series that even includes a cat named Miss Marple!

D. B. Barton   Barton writes The Singing Sleuth Mystery Series. If you're thinking about going on a cruise... you just might want to take along one of her cozies, which are set on cruise ships!

Patricia Batta   Batta has worked as an elementary school teacher, as well as a (document) librarian. She writes the Marge Christensen Mystery Series...

George Baxt  Celebrity Sleuth Mysteries...

Cynthia Baxter  A series for both dog and cat lovers......

M. C. Beaton   aka Marion Chesney Very Cozy!  I follow both of her series, preferring Hamish Macbeth, yet loving her earlier Agatha Raisin books.

Simon Beaufort   Beaufort is the writing husband and wife team of Beau Riffengburgh and Susanna Gregory. They write the Geoffrey Mappestone Mystery Series which is set during the 1100s in Great Britain.  Susanna Gregory writes the Chronicles of Matthew Bartholomew Mystery Series and the Thomas Chaloner Mystery Series, both of which are set in Great Britain, one during the 1300s and the other during the 1600s.

Carrie Bebris    Bebris has an MA in English Lit, has been an editor, freelance writer, and college instructor. Her Mr. and Mrs. Darcy series features the two main characters from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

K. K. Beck  Her series include one revolving around a flapper and the other involving a lounge singer...

Nancy Bell    Biggie Weatherford Series...  It's nice to have a grandmother-age sleuth! (Also, the Judge Jackson Crain Mystery series...)

C. C. Benison    aka Doug Whiteway   Benison is a Canadian journalist and author who has created a mystery series (Her Majesty Investigates) that features Jane Bee, a Canadian housemaid who solves crimes... with the Queen's help, no less!

Carol Lea Benjamin  Dog Trainer Sleuth (Rachel Alexander Mystery series)

Ron & Janet Benrey   The Benreys write three very cozy mystery series, one set in England, one in Maryland, and the other in Glory, North Carolina.

E. F. Benson   Although these are not mysteries, I would have to say that this series is by far my absolute favorite sequence of books, and I have read many! They are about the everyday "goings on" in quaint  British villages of yesteryear. If you are lucky enough to find these books, by all means try them! They are wonderful books that highlight the hierarchal struggles in small towns, struggles between friends to achieve and maintain the "Alpha-dog" status. They are truly delightful books that will make you smile, grin, chuckle, ponder, and laugh out loud.

Jennie Bentley    Bentley pens the Do It Yourself Mystery Series and gets her inspiration from the professional house renovations that she has done.

Laurien Berenson    Special Ed Teacher Sleuth.....

Carole Berry   One of this site's viewers recommended Carole Berry's Bonnie Indermill Mystery series, and I am adding her to my list (after looking at Amazon's reviews, but before actually having had the time to read one of her novels.) She looks like an author cozy mystery readers might really enjoy!

Linda Berry    Berry writes the Trudy Roundtree Mystery Series which takes place in a small Georgian town where the main character is hired into an all-male police department.

Cordelia Frances Biddle  Biddle is half of the Nero Blanc writing duo, the other half being her husband, Steve Zettler. Biddle writes the Martha Beale Mystery Series. Martha is a mid 1800s sleuth in Philadelphia...

Maeve Binchy  Not cozy mysteries... I read one of her novels and really enjoyed it...

Ruth Birmingham (aka Walter Sorrells & Lynn Abercrombie) Sorrells is an Edgar Award winning author who writes suspense novels for both adults and young adults. He is an expert in the martial arts and is a bladesmith of modern swords.

Claudia Bishop (aka Mary Stanton) Bishop's very popular Hemlock Falls Mystery Series was a great beginning, and was followed by her popular Casebook of Dr. McKenzie Mystery Series. What a treat to find out that in 2008 Stanton/Bishop began the paranormal Beaufort & Company Mystery Series!

Veronica Black   Her Sister Joan series  is set in Cornwall........

Juliet Blackwell  (aka Hailey Lind)  Blackwell writes the Witchcraft Mystery Series and Lind (a sister writing duo) writes the Art Lover's Mystery Series...

Annette Blair   Blair is a best selling author of historical romances, writing both the Accidental Witch and the Triplet Witches series, which are humorous contemporary romance novels. She has recently (2009) started writing the Vintage Magic Mystery Series...

Nicholas Blake    Blake started out as a poet, and only started writing his Nigel Strangeways mystery series so that he could “support” his poetry writing. (He was also a professor of poetry at Oxford.)

Nero Blanc  Wife & husband writing team: Cordelia Frances Biddle & Steve Zettler.....  Nero=black in Italian, Blanc=white in French

Jerry Bledsoe   True Crime...  Terrific books, but definitely don't qualify as cozy!

Miranda Bliss    Bliss writes a cozy culinary mystery series about two women who aren't at all gifted in the culinary skills. Luckily, one of them has a man in her life who is a chef!

Barbara Block    aka Isis Crawford... As Block, she writes the Robin Light series..... which takes place in and out of the pet store her main character owns. As Crawford, she writes a series about a couple who own and operate a catering and bakeshop establishment.

Lawrence Block   aka Paul Kavanagh    Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr series is very popular, as are his other series. Lucky for us that he writes several series, both as Block and Kavanagh!

Michael Bond   Some may recognize him from his Paddington Bear series for children....

Stephen Booth   Booth worked as a journalist for years before becoming a full-time author of the Cooper & Fry Mystery Series (not cozy)... AND he is an expert of ... goats! The Cooper & Fry Series has garnered (what seems to me!) almost every award given to mysteries...

Kate Borden   aka Kate Grilley……Writes two series, one set in New England and the other set on a Caribbean Island.

J. S. Borthwick   Sarah Deane series... a graduate student on a campus in beautiful Maine...

D. B. Borton  (aka Della Borton)   Borton is a pseudonym for Lynette Carpenter, a professor of English. Her Cat Caliban mystery series features a 60s something sleuth. As Della, she writes the Movie Lovers' mystery series.

Gail Bowen   Bowen is a professor of English in Canada, so it is no wonder that her Joanne Kilbourn Mystery Series features a professor in Canada. Several of her novels have been made into television movies in Canada!

Rhys Bowen   Two series, one about a mild-mannered village constable, the other a very opinionated immigrant in early 20th century New York. And, now she has a third series set in the 1930s, featuring a flat-broke daughter of a duke..... who is 34th in line for the throne!

Laura Bradford (aka Elizabeth Lynn Casey)   Bradford writes the Jenkins & Burns Mystery Series which feature a journalist/sleuth and a police detective in New Jersey. As Casey, she writes the Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series...

Laura Bradley  Bradley writes a series about a hair stylist who has a head for solving mysteries.

Phyllice Bradner & Morgan St. James    These sister novelists write the Silver Sisters Mystery series which features two "curvy" sister sleuths. With names like Goldie Silver and Godiva Olivia Dubois, how can they not be a zany duo?!?

Christianna Brand   Brand wrote a series of seven mystery novels featuring Inspector Cockrill. She also wrote children’s novels….. one of which was the basis for the Nanny McPhee movie starring Emma Thompson.

Lilian Jackson Braun   The Cat Who ***** series...

Simon Brett   Three English series to pick from...

Barbara Bretton    Although Bretton may be better known for her romance novels, she is now writing the Chloe Hobbs' Paranormal Mystery Series which takes place in Sugar Maple, Vermont. Chloe is half sorceress, half human.

Elizabeth Bright   (aka Tim Myers, Melissa Glazer, & Chris Cavender) As Bright, the author writes a card-making mystery series. As Myers, he has three series: Soapmaking, Candlemaking, and Lighthouse Inns.  As Chris Cavender, he has the Pizza Mystery Series and as Glazer, he writes the Clay & Crime Cozy Mystery Series...

Emily Brightwell   Mrs. Jeffries series: English Victorian housekeeper working for inspector...

Grace Brophy    Brophy worked as a systems engineer as well as teaching university-level literature and writing before penning her Commissario Cenni Investigation Mystery Series...

Lizbie Brown    Brown taught English before deciding to write the Elizabeth Blair Mystery Series, which is set in Bath, England... where Brown resides. As the names of her novels suggest (Broken Star, Turkey Tracks, Double Wedding Ring, among others), this is a quilting-themed mystery series...

Rita Mae Brown   You can pick between a young postmistress who owns a cat & dog (Mrs. Murphy series), or an older Master of the Fox Hunt, both set in Virginia.

Jill Conner Browne   Not Mysteries......  the Sweet Potato Queen books....

Maggie Bruce  aka Marilyn Wallace.....Bruce writes a mystery series that features "gourd crafting."

Kate Bryan   Bryan writes the Maggie Maguire Mystery Series which features Maggie and her cousin Grady as the sleuths. Grady is an unusual sleuth, being Maggie's pickpocket cousin...

Edna Buchanan  Not cozies, but I like these mysteries a lot. Buchanan won a Pulitzer Prize in '86...

Marie Buchanan     aka Clare Curzon, Eileen-Marie Duell Buchanan, Rhona Petrie... That's a lot of pseudonyms/names for a Vedy British author of Vedy many series...

Fiona Buckley   Historical Mysteries set in England... A Lady in Waiting in Queen Elizabeth I's court...

D. W. Buffa   Not Cozy... Courtroom/Legal

Lynn Bulock  Bulock pens the Steeple Hill Cafe mysteries. I have not read them yet, but from what I could find, it is a mystery series with a Christian theme.

Joyce Burditt    Writer & producer on TV series:  Diagnosis: Murder, Perry Mason, Matlock, Father Dowling Mysteries...

James Lee Burke   Not Cozy...  Police Procedural

Jan Burke   Irene Kelly series....

W. J. Burley   aka William John Burley   Burley wrote the highly successful Inspector Wycliffe Mystery Series...

Nancy Bush  (aka Nancy Kelly & Natalie Bishop)  Bush writes the Jane Kelly Mystery Series which not only features Jane, but her Pug, The Binkster (aka Binks and Binkster)...

Ellen Byerrum   Crime of Fashion Series...

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