♦Wow! There sure are a lot of detectives of "a certain age" out there in the world of mystery books! When I started going through all of my authors and trying to categorize them, I divided them into more obvious themes… I had sleuths who cooked and cleaned, amateur detectives who gardened and golfed, accounting sleuths, amateur detectives who skated and golfed, sleuths who owned book stores or worked at libraries, ETC. However, I think that the "senior" sleuth was the most ambiguous of all of the categories. When I was in my twenties, I probably would have said that 60s would be considered senior. Now, however, I don't think of 60s as anywhere near "retirement time." (Note that I don't say just "retirement"…. since I am truly looking forward to the day when my husband can retire and we can really start living… it up, I mean! Travelling during the time when other people are locked into the school schedules, taking off when we feel like it, going where we want to go, ETC… and that's a BIG "ETC" of all the things that are available once you retire from work… but by no means from life! (Enough philosophizing for the day!)
Here is the last of the three sections with authors who write books which feature "Senior" Sleuths:
Monica Quill: Sister Mary Teresa Mystery Series
Virginia Rich: Eugenia Potter Series
T. Dawn Richard: May List Mystery Series
Cynthia Riggs: Martha's Vineyard Mystery Series
Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia Series
Jean Ruryk: Cat Wilde Mystery Series
Mary Saums: Thistle and Twigg Mystery Series
Corinne Holt Sawyer: Benbow & Wingate Series
Margaret Searles: Mrs. Millet & Mrs. Hark Mystery Series
Deborah Sharp: Mace Bauer Mystery Series (& Mama)
John Sherwood: Celia Grant Series
Beth Solheim: Sadie Witt Mystery Series
Patricia Houck Sprinkle: Thoroughly Southern Mystery Series
Kathy Hogan Trocheck: Truman Kicklighter Series
Patricia Wentworth: Miss Maud Silver Mystery Series
Eric Wright: Mel Pickett Series
If you would like me to add another author or series to this list…. Please send me a comment by clicking under the faint gray line.
♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link♦
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Please add one of my favorites…Mrs. Polifax!
Dorothy Gilman is on the G through P page of the senior sleuth lists. You're right in thinking that the list wouldn't be complete without Mrs. Polifax!
Pretty much long out of print, there's a short series by Graham Landrum with a heroine who is in her 80's. Of interest partly because it is set in upper East Tennessee, Bristol (which would account for the series called Borderville) or Johnson City.
The Famous DAR Mystery is the first and maybe the best, it's been a long time since I've read them.
The Rotary Club Mystery is the second, and there are at least two more.
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for writing and mentioning Graham Landrum.
I actually have Graham Landrums' Club Mystery Series on the Senior Sleuths G – P page.
I need help !!!!! I checked over your list and could not find what I was searching for. In our local library there was a series of mystery books about de-cluttering. There is a series on organization and one on interior design. They are all mysteries. Does anyone recall anything like this? AND, I LOVE this site !!!!!!! Thank you.
Sally,
I'm glad to hear you enjoy the site…
As for ideas about your authors:
Professional Organizer: Mary Jane Maffini writes the Charlotte Adams Mystery Series.
Interior Decorator: Peg Marberg writes the Interior Design Mystery Series.
I hope that these are the authors you are trying to locate…