Cozy Mysteries Message Board

I formed this group largely due to having re-read Jeanne Dams' Dorothy Martin series. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, Dams updated Miss Marple for modern sensibilities. Titles in the series include:
The Body in the Transept, Trouble in the Town Hall, Holy Terror in the Hebrides, Malice in Miniature, The Victim in Victoria Station and Winter of Discontent. I'm also very partial to the very early Margery Allingham mysteries when she was still working out the specifics of how Campion worked.

What a nice group! I really like reading cozies, especially the Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs but also the Bed & Breakfast Series by Mary Daheim. Amateur sleuths are so enjoyable!

Favorite cozy authors who first pop into my mind are: Margery Allingham, Dorothy L. Sayers, Alisa Craig/Charlotte MaLeod, Aaron Elkins.

Well, I like ALL kinds of mysteries, but I'm more used to the "gory type" ones, so I joined to get new ideias and to get to know new authors :)

Fantasma, I read across all the categories just like you. But cozies, as with most of the Golden Age mysteries, tend to be easy reading when the thermostat is rising to 100+ levels.

And we're having a heat wave here too! ;)

I remember who I'd intended to link to in the initial message on this board Josephine Tey. One of the very best mystery writers! My personal favorite of hers is The Singing Sands.

I've just been re-reading some Agatha Christie, such as the Moving Finger and the body in the library. They are the cosiest of cosies!

I've recently started reading a lot of "funny" mysteries, sometimes with a little bit of romance thrown in. The Jaine-Austen-Series by Laura Levine is fantastic. I also like Sarah Strohmeyer's mysteries. And I'd like to start with Chloe Green soon.
I was wondering though whether these mysteries would be considered cozies? The sleuths in these books are amateurs and the crimes not really violent. But the heroines are not elderly women in rural settings. What do you think? Are they cozies or something different?

Nicolettablu: As near as I am aware the key element is that there be no graphic violence and that the sleuth be an amateur. Somewhere around on the web is a great humorous definition of cozies that mystery writer Polly Whitney developed. If I can dig it up again, I'll post it here.

Those names are new to me. I'll have to check on them at the local bookstore.

The URL for the definition of cozies can be found at: http://www.myswomen.com/cozies.html
Very funny but pretty near the truth.

Most of Agatha Christie's novels are an easy pick for the cozy label, but in the U.S. they also qualify as Traditional British. Lillian Jackson Braun writes cozies that prominently feature cats. Does she write cozies or cat mysteries? I also have a hard time distinguishing between cozy and soft-boiled. I find Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series very entertaining and it does have cozy elements, but then there is the occasional profanity, that wacky grandmother, and an air of gentle cynicism. To me, a true cozy is completely escapist, imagining a world of genteel manners in which justice is unerring, deserved, and ever-triumphant, and no one thinks funerals are fun.

For the obsessive-compulsive, that's the trouble with the modern mystery field - too many hyphenated characters and plot lines. When all else fails, I turn those hyphens into lemonade, as in: Cozy-British-Paranormal-Horticultural. I don't know if such a combination exists, but I can almost see the treatment: Lord So-and-So, world renowned orchid hunter, turns amateur detective after accidentally ingesting the roots of the such-and-such plant, unlocking the heretofore latent power of remote viewing. And so on.

In today's world, I would tend to agree that the cozy is largely escapist literature. (I admit that I've never read Janet Evanovich's works so I can't comment on the specifics.) Our current methods of detection are so far beyond what an amateur sleuth might be able to do that much of what happens in a cozy is entirely unrealistic. It was less obviously unrealistic back in the 1920's and '30's because the science wasn't nearly as advanced. It had to be a problem conquered by cleverness rather than forensics. Modern readers, and hence the publishers seeking to extract revenue from those readers, have started to reach just a bit beyond. In many instances, the historical mystery has had to step up to satisfy that particular population that, again, doesn't mind finding the body but objects to blood on the carpet.

But I do think that someone like Nancy Atherton provides an enjoyable read. Although I have to agree that she probably does fall into your category of Cozy-British-Paranormal-Horticultural given the plot of Aunt Dimity and the Duke. I hadnt realized it until just now!

Thanks for the link. That really is a funny definition!
I also found a nice link for cozy mysteries. Maybe some of you are interested in it: http://cozy-mystery.com/

Will check that out, nicolettablu!

(Message 14) Thanks, nicolettablu, I've bookmarked the page.

nicolettablu, you're a very bad girl indeed!!! Because of you I ordered yesterday The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun and a friend ordered 3 books from different cozy mystery writers!!!
;op

The friend would be me! :o)
And that site should be forbidden as I ordered Grime and Punishment by Jill Churchill, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke and Murder on a Girls' Night Out by Anne George because of it. And I added a ton of others to my Wish List. Heeeelp!

Two days ago I bought Murder on a Girls' Night Out - what a coincidence!! :) I hope the Southern Sisters Mysteries are gonna be a great new series for me.

I have never read anything by Jill Churchill but she is on my wish list. I'm not so sure yet which one of her series is nicer. Virgulina, please let me know what you think about Jane Jeffry.

Well, I haven't added anything to my WL because I didn't have the time to check the site properly and read about ALL the books :)
But one of this days......

nicoletatablu, I'll be sure to let you know how I enjoy Jill Churchill. This group is turning out to be a disgrace for my Wish List! ;o)

"a disgrace for my Wish List" - that's what I'm thinking about this whole site. I'm spending hours and hours browsing through other people's libraries and getting ideas on what to buy next. Not that there would actually be any need to buy something as my TBR pile counts 170 books already. ;)

I've enjoyed as entertainment the "Grace and Favor" series by Jill Churchill, set in the depression more than the other series with the housewife. Who's Sorry Now? A Grace & Favor Mystery is the most recent in that series. Other titles in that series are It had to be you: A Grace & Favor Mystery and Anything Goes: A Grace & Favor Mystery, Someone to watch over me: A Grace & Favor Mystery, and In the Still of the Night: A Grace & Favor Mystery. I don't know that I have those in proper order but that's the full set. It doesn't seem as if the touchstones are working. Definitely on the frothy side, but the premise is enjoyable.

TheBlindHog, what a great idea for a new series! lol. What about cooking-police procedural-catfancier-southern USA? A cat-owning retired detective in Alabama opens a new cafe and the customers get poisoned one-by-one... yes, the categories get more and more specific, in fact isn't cat mystery a whole new genre? My local detective fiction bookshop seems to think so. I must confess to having always assumed that 'cosies' were British. Just a colonial prejudice, I guess. I think gentle humour is also characteristic.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. My budget is through the roof since I started LT-ing.

One of my favorite cozy mystery series is the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton. Has anyone else read that one?

I have just stared reading Nancy Pickard who based her stories on a character created by Virginia Rich. The book was The Secret Ingredient Murders and it was a Eugenia Potter mystery. I enjoyed reading it and now want to read some of Virginia Rich's books. I find cozies a good way to relax, especially after reading a more intense book. It seems that cozies are getting harder to find so I am glad to find this group.

Alisa Craig/Charlotte MacLeod was one of my favorite cozy authors. There was always some humor and wonderful personal relationships in her books. I was very saddened to learn of her death. www.cinemind.com/macleod is an excellent memorial site that will give you even more insight into the author's personal life and humor.

I am new to this list but I had to share this website:

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/

Here you can not only search for your favorite authors, but see recommendations by the author of writers they like and find what new titles are coming out by those authors. It lists books in series in chrono order, which I find extremely helpful, and names the series/main character. I have made SO many lists from this site that I shall be reading all summer!

Diane

book58lover, Thanks for the link. I'm looking forward to doing some exploring at the site.

If you like cosies with a British setting you might like Lesley Cookman's books - I really enjoyed Murder in Steeple Martin - it is set in Kent and there is some interesting Victorian background too.

I love the Grace and Favor series also--not so much the Jane Jeffries, however. I wish she would more more of the Grace and Favor.

Thank you for this suggestion. I didn't know that there was a modern Ms. Marple. I love the PBS serie--wish there were some new ones.

Thank you for sharing this. How true it is, and we still love them.

oh i am so happy i found this group, a majority of the books i read or want to read or cozy mysteries. You can see a list and reviews of books that I have read at my book blog http://kymmayfield.blogspot.com

stop by and let me see

I posted a review this morning of Carolyn Hart's new cozy, Ghost at Work, on sale Oct 21st. This is a brand new blog by a technologically challenged granny so beware, it is very basic. Any tips, hints, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

http://kayespenguinposts.blogspot.com/
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Momgee, thank you so much! Ironically, just TODAY I was perusing a "recently released books" list and this title one caught my eye; a new series by Carolyn Hart with a ghost as a the detective. It sounded fun and worth the read, but I couldn't find any real reviews. I'm heading off right now to check out your review!

Sounds like Carolyn Hart's new series is going to be fun. I will definitely be on the lookout for it. Thanks for the info, momgee!

You're welcome alcottacre, I really enjoyed the book. Today Ellen Hart is coming out with her latest in the Jane lawless series, Sweet Poison. That is reviewed on my blog too. I am now reading a new series by Gayle Trent titled Murder Takes the Cake. Honestly, I wasn't even on page 5 and I had laughed out loud at least three times or more. What a sense of humor Gayle has. As soon as I am through I will be posting a review. If you like Diane M Davidson or Joanna Fluke, you will love this new series. http://kayespenguinposts.blogspot.com/

I enjoy both Diane Mott Davidson and Joanna Fluke, so it sounds like Gayle Trent's book are ones for me to look for. Thanks for the recommendtion!

Hello, new here, loving the conversation so far!

I have just discovered the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear: very British, very early 20th century, can't read without a cuppa tea in your hand!

Dorothy Martin is a love! I savored all of that series by Jeanne Dams. I wrote to Jeanne Dams this past summer and sadly, she doesn't think she will be adding to the Dorothy Martin series--she doesn't think she could find a publisher interested in another one. What a shame! But she kindly sent me a long list of cozy mysteries which I've referred to frequently for further reading. One author I've discovered from this list is Kate Charles. She writes mysteries that involve parishes in the Church of England. I highly recommend her books, although some are out of print. Some of them are, A Drink of Deadly Wine, Appointed to Die, A Dead Man out of Mind, Evil Intent, The Snares of Death, Secret Sins, and Cruel Habituations. I'm hooked on her books!

#41 dmkafel: Thanks for mentioning a couple of authors of whom I had never heard. I will have to look for both the Kate Charles and Jeanne Dams books.

#40 gmathis: I am also a big fan of the Maisie Dobbs series. Glad to find another!

I have to say Cozy Mysteries are something I've just discovered. A character in a book I was reading made reference to Cozy Mysteries ( Bookmarked for Death) and now I can't get enough of them.

#44 soohoolm ... Oh, are you in for some serious fun!

I just finished one called Dead and Breakfast by Robert Nordan that I believe is out of print, but fits the bill nicely---our sleuth is a sensible-shoe-wearing bus-touring grandmotherly type. Very comfy!

I have never taken the opportunity to read an awful lot of mysteries. But we got into a discussion over on the Virago site and I believe that Laytonwoman3rd recked the Maisie Dobbs series. I finally found the 1st one and plan to read it this week end after finishing my Mark Helprin book of shorts. (really good, btw)
I am hoping to enjoy it as there are 10 or 11 more, I believe. I understand cosies are light and without a lot of blood n guts. Sometimes a girl or guy needs that.
I guess I gave this thread quite a bump.

Rainpebble (46) I think you'll really like Maisie. They are good, clean reads, but a little more serious than most cozies.

Cozies tend to include amateur sleuths with day jobs that have nothing to do with detection (Maisie is actually a criminal psychologies). Pick a hobby and you'll find a cozy that corresponds. Haven't read them, but I noticed a series with a beekeeping detective at Barnes & Noble ... Mind Your Own Beeswax and Buzz Off.

Any readers know about this series? Fun? Worth a read?

I loved, loved, loved Maisie Dobbs, especially the inner story. Quite beautiful.

Keep going. They get better!

Haven't read any Maisie Dobbs but one I saw at an op shop did look appealing.
I read Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series
Sharon Fiffer's 'Stuff' series - central character is an antique and vintage picker
Shamini Flint's Inspector Singh - Singaporean author, series set in Asia with social justice themes
M C Beaton - Agatha Raisin, just started this series and the first book was hilarious

As a native of Birmingham, Alabama, I was delighted to stumble upon the Southern Sisters Mysteries series by Anne George. If you are not from the South, it may be hard to believe, but the characters are very true to life! I do declare - I believe I have known them. In ...Girls Night Out, I remember when that particular county went "wet" (scandalous). I absolutely fell in love with them, and highly recommend them to folks who enjoy "cozies."

#51 .. making a note. Those sound like fun!

>51 Betty30554: And the orange rolls are very real and very delicious.

How do I join your group? I enjoy Cozy Mysteries.

Booklover
this is waaay overdue, but i just joined.
Thank you the site looks interesting.

Not a lot of traffic lately, huh? Just finished the first two in a trio by Nancy Mehl: In the Dead of Winter and Bye Bye Bertie. Squeaky clean, lots of homey small-town characters, nicely done.

I am working my way through Edmund Crispin's "Gervase Fen" books. At the moment I am about half way through Love Lies Bleeding but it has been a busy few days and I keep forgetting who everyone is. I think that a re-read at some stage might be a good idea.

I have already lined up for a re-read of Glimpses of the Moon which is full of words which I've never come across before so that it is either an exercise in erudition or he is having a huge joke at our expense. Next time I'll read it with a dictionary alongside.

I have just scrolled through this thread and am surprised that no-one has mentioned Elizabeth Peters. They are very funny, very tongue in cheek, especially her Amelia Peabody series (which should really be read in order, although I didn't) and her Jacqueline Kirby series.

>58 pinkozcat: Pinkozcat, did you like the Jacqueline Kirby series? The book jacket just didn't grab me like the Peabody series, so I haven't tried them yet. Have to agree that Amelia Peabody is a stitch!

Sharyn McCrumb has a series featuring Elizabeth MacPherson ... Highland Laddie Gone is the first one that comes to mind that are light, goofy, and completely different from her Appalachian Ballad series. (Which aren't exactly cozy, but oh, my, are they ever absorbing!)

#59 Betty, I loved the Jacqueline Kirby series although the last one was a bit of a disappointment. I have almost worn out Die for Love and may need to buy another copy as it is one of the books I read and re-read. I don't like the Vicky Bliss series as much as the other two, though.

Naked once More was the first Jacqueline Kirby I read...loved all the quirkiness.

#62 That was the last of the series and I didn't think that it was as good as some of the others. Maybe I should read it again; I may not have been in the mood for it when I read it.

Hi Bookbox #30...I recently discovered this series. I'm loving it.

The Steeple Murders, by Leslie Cookson

Road Kill by CM Spencer - I won this book from the Member Giveaway list in November.

I seldom give five stars for a book but in this case I don't have another possibility. It's an absolutely brilliant story. I would put it into the category of cosy mysteries. It's a mixture between Miss Marpel and Murder she wrote only in a modern version and set out in Canada.
I got quickly familiar with all characters. CM Spencer described them, the actions and the surrounding so vivid that I've felt being into the plot on my own, being a part of them as a ghostly observer. I suffered with Anna Nolan when she was trying to track down her ex-husband's murder in her unorthodox ways. Sometimes I felt to give her support or held her back on the other hand I had to roll my eyes and and could laugh out loud.
It's marvellously written and I wasn't able to stop the reading. It kept me guessing up until the very end if Anna will get him or not and this made me all tingly.

I can strongly recommend this book.

(5 stars)

I've reviewed the newest Flavia de Luce cozy mystery, Speaking from Among the Bones, over in my thread...post #26.

It's the fifth one, and the series continues to charm.

I have started re-reading the Michael Innes books. They are definitely cozy and very amusing ... and he wrote a whole heap of books so I am going to be kept happy and amused for some time to come.

Edited to try to get the touchstones to work

I've reviewed Death of a Cozy Writer, first in a series about Inspector St. Just the Cornish policeman, in my thread...post #34.

This series by author G.M. Malliet is one I will follow, unlike her later Max Tudor series which got off on the wring foot with me.

I've just started the first Maisie Dobbs book. Enjoying it so far.

I have just downloaded the next two books by G. M. Malliet made available as e-books - sequels to Death of a Cosy Writer.

They are Death at the Alma Mater and Death and the Chick Lit.

I'd been a Christie fan since college, but I got into many other authors since then. Of the cozies, my favorite is Charlotte MacLeod, and I too was saddened by news of her death. I love Jill Churchill's Jane Jeffry series, tough I never got into the Grace & Favor series. And then there's Lillian Jackson Braun, and Diane Mott Davidson... And of course several other authors whose works don't qualify as cozies.

I read a light, fun one yesterday - The Nightingale Before Christmas. It made me want to decorate for Christmas. I definitely have to be in the right mood for this series, but when I am I really enjoy them. I think the series has been getting a bit better, but when I looked to see if LTers agreed with me, I found that they don't. I did find one I haven't read, though - Lord of the Wings (ah, I checked - it isn't out yet). Small town, over the top characters and situations, but the ongoing characters are written consistently and I do not find it difficult to suspend disbelief about the people and situations that crop up to bring murder to this small town.

Hi, I like reading cozy mysteries too and I love the Hallmark Movie and Mystery Channel. I also write my own cozy mysteries. My first one being Minister's Shoes. I was inspired by the old mystery series for Father Brown. The best part of a mystery is figuring out who you think the guilty one is and seeing if you got into the author's mindset for what he or she came up with. I always remember my high school English teacher, Mrs. Andersen. She used to have us try to finish a story and see if we came up with a similar ending like the writer of the story did.

Celine

Hi,

I read one of Heather Graham's mystery stories which is more or less a paranormal, maybe Gothic type mystery and it took place in Louisiana. It was a great read.

Celine

I'm new to LibraryThing... Very fun! I like mysteries and thrillers, and also enjoy amateur sleuths... Or even characters that get caught up in a mystery without any criminal background. I prefer humor in my mysteries also!

Well said!

I recently enjoyed untimely Death. Nice cozy involving Shakespearian company that changes every summer. Nice setting, too.

Has anyone ever read Anne Morice? I found her in my public library the other day, and can't remember ever hearing of her before. The series on the shelf features Tessa Crichton, and naturally the first title wasn't there. I brought home a later entry and will give it a try.

Thanks for the link, http://www.cozy-mystery.com, it looks like it might have some interesting books. :-) Sorry can't remember who up above mentioned it and didn't realize it didn't post below your comment.

Thank you Ameise1 I'm going to the Library tomorrow and see if they have this book there. Wow, love this talk/group. Loads of good suggestions. I'll be back for sure. Have a great weekend everyone. :-)

I just finished reading the last 4 books of Nancy Atherton. I love her books but 4 in a row is a bit much.

I loved her books I've kept a few of them to so I could read them again