Comments on: Would You Mind Sharing Your Latest & Greatest Cozy Mystery Author?

By: Danna - cozy mystery list

Danna - cozy mystery list — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:08:09 +0000

Hi Glenda,

You are amongst many of us who appreciate both of these Cozy Mystery authors... Character development is a strong suit for us, isn't it?

By: Glenda

Glenda — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:41:34 +0000

I LOVE (!!) Mary Daheim. I read one of the early B&B books and got hooked. Now my sister and I trade off buying/reading the latest in both her series, The Alpine series and Judith & Renie (B&B)…although Renie has been getting "strange" lately. Another favorite is Diane Mott Davidson. Both authors draw me into the ambiance of the story; I feel like I really KNOW these people.

By: Danna - cozy mystery list

Danna - cozy mystery list — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:42:55 +0000

I want to thank all of you for the above comments. I am in the process of writing an entry with all of your ideas of Cozy Mystery authors you are currently enjoying. Thanks!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:34:39 +0000

I just finished the Paul Doherty writing as CL Grace series. I loved this series but I don't care for the other series he has written under different names. I loved the character & how the doctor logically solves the crimes. I also like that there are more than 1 mystery per book to solve, like Janet Evanovich's Plum series. Nothing is more boring then 300 + pages of going over the same clues again & again.

Written as C.L. Grace, the Kathryn Swinbrooke series.

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:49:47 +0000

Uh oh, I'm late to the party but I'll add my 2 cents in anyway

I'm currently listening to The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith. This is one of the Ladies Detective Agency books and all are absolutely delightful to listen to. The narrator has a beautiful lilting accent that is perfect for this series. Highly recommended!

I recently read the first book in the Coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle and really enjoyed it. #2 is sitting here waiting to be read.

In the "read as soon as possible" pile by my bedside are new (to me) authors Elizabeth Peters' Crocodile on the Sandbank, Susan Wittig Albert's Thyme of Death, and Laura Child's Death by Darjeeling. And I just snagged 2 Ruth Rendell books for 50 cents each at a book sale! I recognized the name from this site and quickly grabbed them.

I can't resist listing some favorite authors:

Love, love, love the Southern Sisters series by Anne George! I devoured each as quickly as I could get my hands on them.
Not cozy but Elizabeth George's Lynley/Havers series is a favorite.
From this site I've read and enjoyed MC Beaton's Hamish series as well as Atherton's Aunt Dimity books (thanks Danna!)
Kathy Reich's Tempe Brennan series.

PD James

Love Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series…not exactly cozy but worth the read!

And I have to add way back in my 20s…farther back than I like to admit, haha…I devoured all of Agatha Christie's books. Does it get any better than that?! Then I moved on to Rex Stout. I've had a life long love affair with mysteries.

Thanks Danna for maintaining such a great site!

By: -V-

-V- — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:59:54 +0000

Danna: Thanks sweetie! = )

Current Cozy is Alice Kimberly - THE GHOST AND THE FEMME FATALE. I love this series. I also love the alter ego Cleo Coyle Coffeehouse Mystery series. Favorite cozy authors:

Nancy Atherton - Aunt Dimity

Susan Wittig Albert - China Bayles

Laura Child - Teahouse Mystery

Meg Cabot - Heather Wells mysteries

Ann B Ross - Miss Julia

Ellis Peters - Brother Cadfael

Elizabeth Peters - Vicky Bliss

I'll have to take a look at Mt Git'r'Read and see who else is on there....

By: Keri

Keri — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:12:53 +0000

I am currently reading Anne Perry's "Rutland Place" it's the 6th book in her Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series. The series is about a husband who is an inspector and wife who marries beneath her in Victorian London. Since Charlotte's family is high society she gets to go where Thomas doesn't. The series is really good and there are a lot more left in the series to read.

I also like Deanna Raybourn. She's also a Victorian author and she has the Lady Julia Grey series. There's more to her books than Perry's but I like them both just the same.

By: Maria BearMountainBooks

Maria BearMountainBooks — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:28:07 +0000

Duplicity was my least favorite so far, although not necessarily because of the descriptions of animal cruelty (which were there, but I thought were handled as well as possible and were not dwelt upon or hammered on--I completely understand where you are coming from, however.) Sadly, animal cruelty is a reality and the author chose to use that reality as part of the story.

I found that in "Duplicity..." the choices made by the main character, Dixie, made the least sense of any of the novels. It wasn't enough to make me stop reading the series, but it bugs me when I don't believe the actions taken by the main characters (ie, no one would do that in real life--it simply makes no sense!)

For anyone wondering, you probably can skip "Duplicity" without missing much in the series. Clement does a good job "reminding" of past events without info dumps in each of the books so I don't think it will be much of a problem.

I do have the fourth in the series on hold at the library and I'm ever hopeful that it will be the best yet!!!

By: marie

marie — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:28:54 +0000

Blaize Clement really is a fine writer and most of her books are well worth reading. However, I'd avoid "Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund." It features several nasty episodes of animal cruelty. I don't know what Ms. Clement was thinking when she wrote this book.

By: Maria BearMountainBooks

Maria BearMountainBooks — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:52:33 +0000

I just finished the third in the Blaize Clement series and have the fourth on hold at the library. (These are the pet sitter mysteries. I get a kick out of the pet advice too, but I have an adopted feral cat (two really, a kitten and a mom). The third book in the series had mention of a feral stray so that was kind of funny.

I am waiting on "Criminal Tendencies" a book of short stories (that I hope contains cozies). It was put out by Creme de la Crime to be sold to support Breast Cancer Research. Besides that, it has a story by Kaye C. Hill in it and I LOVED her "Dead Woman's Shoes." Since that was a cozy, I'm hoping that the stories in Criminal Tendencies will be mostly cozy/funny stuff!

I read a lot of short stories because I write them and I have yet to find a good book that has cozies in it. Mostly shorts in mystery seem to lean towards horror/serial killer/weird.