The following mystery books will be released in April 2010:

Susan Wittig Albert: Holly Blues (This will be the 18th in the China Bayles Mystery Series…) (This is a Christmas theme mystery…)

Madelyn Alt: A Witch in Time (This will be the 6th in the Bewitching Mystery Series…)

Donald Bain (& "Jessica Fletcher"): Nashville Noir (This will be the 33rd in the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series…)

Rita Mae Brown: Cat of the Century (This will be the 18th in the Mrs. Murphy Mystery Series…)

Mary Higgins Clark: Shadow of Your Smile (This will be a Stand Alone…)

Jane K. Cleland: Silent Auction (This will be the  5th in the Josie Prescott Antiques Mystery Series…)

Barbara Cleverly: Strange Images of Death (This will be the 8th in the Joe Sandilands Mystery Series…)

Laura Crum: Going, Gone (This will be the 11th in the Gail McCarthy Mystery Series…)

Claire Curzon (aka Marie Buchanan & Rhona Petrie): Off Track (This will be the 24th in the Superintendent Mike Yeadings Mystery Series…)

Christy Evans: Lead-Pipe Cinch (This will be the 2nd in the Georgiana Neverall Mystery Series…)

"Jessica Fletcher" & Donald Bain: Nashville Noir (This will be the 33rd in the Murder, She Wrote Mystery Series…)

Chris Forman: Chalk Dust and Chalk Outlines (This will be the 4th in the Maria Hart Mystery Series…)

Elizabeth George: This Body of Death (This will be the 16th in the Inspector Lynley Mystery Series…)

Sally Goldenbaum: Moon Spinners (This will be the 3rd in the Seaside Knitters Mystery Series…)

Margaret Grace: Monster in Miniature (This will be the 5th in the Miniature Mystery Series…)

Martha Grimes: The Black Cat (This will be the 22nd in the Richard Jury Mystery Series…)

Linda Hall: On Thin Ice (This will be the 2nd in the Whisper Lake Mystery Series…)

Charlaine Harris: Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side (This will be an Anthology with such authors as Dana Cameron, Barbara D'Amato, Parnell Hall, Carolyn Hart, Toni L. P. Kelner, Harley Jane Kozak, Margaret Maron, & Elaine Viets…)

Rosemary Harris: Dead Head (This will be the 3rd in the Dirty Business Mystery Series…)

Carolyn Hart: Laughed ’Til He Died (This will be the 20th in the Death on Demand Mystery Series…)

Iris Johansen: Eight Days to Live (This will be the 9th in the Eve Duncan Thriller/Mystery Series…)

Diana Killian: Murder on the Eightfold Path (This will be the 3rd in the Mantra for Murder Mystery Series…)

Laurie R. King: The God of the Hive (This will be the 10th in the Mary Russell Mystery Series…)

Lucy Lawrence (aka Jenn McKinlay): Cut to the Corpse (This will be the 2nd in the Decoupage Mystery Series…)

Laura Levine: Death of a Trophy Wife (This will be the 9th in the Jaine Austen Mystery Series…)

Ralph McInery: Sham Rock (This will be the 13th in the Notre Dame/ Roger & Philip Knight Mystery Series…)

Gail Oust: 'Til Dice Do Us Part (This will be the 2nd in the Bunco Babes Mystery Series…)

James Patterson & Maxine Paetro: The 9th Judgment (This will be the 9th in the Women’s Murder Club Mystery Series…)

Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Michaels & Barbara Mertz): A River in the Sky (This will be the 19th in the Amelia Peabody Mystery Series…)

R. T. Raichev: The Curious Incident at Claridge’s (This will be the 5th in the Antonia Darcy & Major Payne Country House Mystery Series…)

Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia Renews Her Vows (This will be the 11th in the Miss Julia Mystery Series…)

Michele Scott: A Toast to Murder (This will be the 6th in the Wine Lover's Mystery Series…)

Alexander McCall Smith: The Double Comfort Safari Club (This will be the 11th in the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series…)

Julia Spencer-Fleming: One Was a Soldier (This will be the 7th in the Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries Series…)

Jennifer Stanley (aka J. B. Stanley): Path of the Wicked (This will be the 2nd in the Hope Street Church Mystery Series…)

Denise Swanson: Murder of a Wedding Belle (This will be the 12th in the Scumble River Mystery Series…)

Kathryn R. Wall: Canaan's Gate (This will be the 10th in the Bay Tanner Mystery Series…)

♦ To go back to the Cozy Mystery Book New Releases page click here♦

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Laura asked me to do a Home Repair Theme. Since I don't know a lot of authors from the Cozy Mystery Site who feature this them, I decided to include a few other themes to this entry.

Here is a list of the mystery authors from the Cozy Mystery Site who write Mysteries with a Home Repair Theme, an Interior Design Theme, and a Professional Organizer Theme:

Jennie Bentley: Do It Yourself Mystery Series… Avery Baker used to be a textile designer, but now is a home renovator/sleuth….

Juliet Blackwell: Sophie Tanner Historic Home Renovation Mystery Series… Sophie, after not becoming successful in her chosen career (anthropology), returns home to take over management of her dad's construction company…

Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskell Mystery Series…Ellie is an interior decorator who sleuths with the help of a few others (Ben, Primrose, and Hyacinth)…

Paula Carter (aka Paula Paul): Murder by Design Mystery Series… Hillary and Jane do a lot of interior decorating, while solving mysteries… 

Christy Evans: Georgiana Neverall Mystery Series… Georgiana is an executive who moves back home and becomes an apprentice plumber…

Sarah Graves: Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery Series… Jacobia Triptree is a financial advisor who starts the new career of sleuthing, along with home repairs…

Sally Gunning: Peter Bartholomew Mystery Series… Pete and Connie Bartholomew own a business that specializes in odd jobs…

Ellen Elizabeth Hunter: Magnolia Mystery Series… Ashley Wilkes is a preserver of historic houses…

Elise Hyatt: Daring Finds Mystery Series… Dicey Dare is the owner of a furniture refinishing business…

Mary Jane Maffini: Charlotte Adams Mystery Series… Charlotte is a professional organizer of other people's messes, and solver of mysteries…

Peg Marberg: Interior Design Mystery Series… Jean Hastings and her daughter (Jean Jr.) own a company that specializes in interior design…

Valerie Wolzien: Josie Pigeon Mystery Series… Josie is the owner of a construction company…

Also, here is a Cozy Mystery book that feature home repair in it:

Remodeled to Death by Valerie Wolzien

Please remember that I have only included the authors who are currently on the Cozy Mystery Site. Feel free to post a comment if you know of any other mystery authors from the site who write home repair themed mystery books, interior decorator themed mystery books, and/or professional organizer themed mystery books. Thanks!

♦ To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link ♦

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Here are some fun Illinois Facts:

The largest city is Chicago and the capital is Springfield.
State motto is "State Sovereignty, National Union State."
State bird is the Cardinal.
State flower is the Purple Violet Viola.
State nickname is "Prairie State."
State Animal is the white-tailed deer.
In 1885, the first skyscraper in the world was built in Chicago.

Mystery book authors found on the Cozy Mystery Site who feature Illinois locations in their books:

Jill Churchill: Jane Jeffry Mystery Series… Jane is a housewife/sleuth…

Lonnie Cruse: Metropolis Mystery Series… features Sheriff Joe Dalton… AND '57 Chevy Mystery Series… features the owners of Sadie, a '57 Chevy…

Barbara D’Amato: Cat Marsala Mystery Series… Cat is a journalist/sleuth AND Suze Figueroa Mystery Series… Suze is a police officer…

Sharon Fiffer: Jane Wheel Mystery Series… Jane is an antiquer…

Chris Forman: Maria Hart Mystery Series… Maria is an insurance investigator…

Julie Hyzy: Alex St. James Mystery Series… Alex is a reporter/sleuth…

Alex Matthews: Cassidy McCabe Mystery Series… Cassidy is a psychotherapist/sleuth…

Ralph M. McInerny (aka Monica Quill): Father Dowling Mystery Series… Father Dowling is a priest/sleuth…

Sara Paretsky: V. I. Warshawski Mystery Series… V. I. is an ex-attorney, current private investigator…

Mary Monica Pulver (aka Monica Ferris & 1/2 of first 6 Margaret Frazer Sister Frevisse mysteries): Peter Brichter Mystery Series… Peter is a police detective… 

Monica Quill (aka Ralph M. McInerny): Sister Mary Teresa Mystery Series… Sister Mary Teresa is a nun/sleuth…

Denise Swanson: Scumble River Mystery Series… Skye Denison is a school psychologist…

Mary V. Welk: Caroline Rhodes Mystery Series… Caroline is a nurse/sleuth…

Please feel free to comment if you see an author from the Cozy Mystery Site who belongs on this list, or if you have any corrections.

♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦

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Amy asked me if I could include a Genealogy theme, as she has enjoyed Rett MacPherson, and is looking for some other mystery book authors who write Mysteries with a Genealogy Theme:

Rett MacPherson: Torie O'Shea Mystery Series… MacPherson is passionate about genealogy and writes a mystery series that reflects that. The main character of this series is a genealogist…

Fiona Mountain: Natasha Blake Ancestor Detective Mystery Series… This series features a genealogist who is also a sleuth in the Cotswolds (England…

Patricia Houck Sprinkle: Family Tree Genealogy Mystery Series… The main character (Katherine Murray) investigates trinkets and/or objects belonging to families in the past…

Please remember that I have only included the authors who are currently on the Cozy Mystery Site. Feel free to post a comment if you know of any other mystery authors from the site who write genealogy-themed mystery books. Thanks!

 ♦ To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link ♦

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Here I go again! Please don't read this entry if you are looking for mystery book fare. This is yet another one of my rants!

Whatever happened to customer service?!? Is there anyone out there who remembers the time when you could actually "order" something from a department or grocery store? I do!

It used to be that when you went to … say … Walmart, Walgreen's, Michael's, ETC, and they didn't have a product that they normally carry, you could speak to the person in charge of that area and they would special order it for you. They would actually call you when it arrived at the store.

Those days (I'm afraid!) are long gone. When you finally track down the person in charge of a given department, you are invariably told "They send us what they want." and that there is no special ordering of any kind. Sometimes you get a super nice department manager who will, however, take your name and phone number and say that he/she will call you the next time the store has that particular product. The super nice department manager will then pull a piece of scrap paper out of his/her pocket and take down all of the necessary information… so that he/she can call you just as soon as the particular product is sent by "THEM"…

Don't hold your breath!

I don't like to recall the "good, old days"… You know, when we, as children had to walk five miles through snow storms just so that we could get to school (à la Little House on the Prairie!) for our daily 3 Rs, but I just have to say one last thing>>>

I do miss the "good, old days"!

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I just added four new authors to the Cozy Mystery Site. These authors have been recommended to me by site readers. They are new to me, but look very interesting…

J.F. Englert writes the Bull Moose Dog Run Mystery Series which features a Black Labrador Retriever and his often-confused owner… The Black Lab (Randolph) is the narrator of this mystery series…

Rebecca M. Hale (a patent attorney and New York Times bestselling author) writes the Cats and Curios Mystery Series which features the new owner of an antique shop and two pets (cats)…

Spencer Quinn (aka Peter Abrahams) writes the Chet and Bernie Mystery Series, which is told from Chet's point of view. Chet is the loyal dog of Bernie Little… As an aside: I  love finding authors (especially mystery authors!) who are really successful at their profession, who write mysteries for children and/or young adults (the Echo Falls Mystery Series). Abrahams is one of those authors. (As Abrahams, he is not cozy.)

Beth Solheim writes the Sadie Witt Mystery Series which is a paranormal mystery series. Both Sadie and Belly LaGossa (Sadie's dog) are able to see the dead…

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I just got a note from Jane asking for help identifying possible authors who she could try reading, based on the mystery authors who she lists as her favorites:

"… I really enjoy Hannah Swenson (Joanne Fluke), Lucy Stone (Leslie Meier) and Chocoholic mysteries (JoAnna Carl).  Can you recommend a similar author as I have just about finished those series??" 

I think that I would absolutely have to mention the following authors:

Jill Churchill

Mary Daheim

Diane Mott Davidson

Tamar Myers

Thanks to all of you who are helping come up with other mystery book author possibilities for Jane. Here are some more authors who you all have added in your comments:

Lorna Barrett (Booktown mysteries)

Miranda Bliss (Cooking Class mysteries)

Kate Carlisle (Bibliophile mysteries)

Sammi Carter (Candy Shop mysteries)

Laura Childs (Tea Shop mysteries)

Sheila Connolly (Orchard mysteries)

Susan Rogers Cooper (E.J. Pugh mysteries)

Cleo Coyle (Coffeehouse mysteries)

Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand mysteries)

Linda O. Johnston (Pet-Sitter mysteries)

John J. Lamb (Bear Collector's mysteries)

Lucy Lawrence (Decoupage mysteries)

Jenn McKinlay (Cupcake Bakery mysteries)

Jessica Conant-Park (with Susan Conant – Gourmet Girl mysteries)

Louise Penny (Three Pines mysteries)

Maggie Sefton (Knitting mysteries)

Patricia Sprinkle (Thoroughly Southern mysteries)

J.B. Stanley (Supper Club mysteries)

Ayelet Waldman (Mommy Track mysteries)

Livia J. Washburn (Fresh Baked mysteries)

Heather Webber (Lucy Valentine series)

Do any of you have any other suggestions for Jane?

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