Cozy Mysteries discussion

I thought it might be fun to share the book you just finished reading with all of us, what did you think of it, etc? (I know "Updates" from members post in some section of the site, but it's hard to sort through them and find the cozy-mystery reviews sometimes.)

I just finished "The Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins and loved it--five stars. Here's my review:

This is supposedly one of the first mystery novels ever published and is believed to introduce the prototype for the English detective hero character. My husband and I read it together and both enjoyed it; it was wonderfully absorbing and provided us with lots of grand characters and interesting plot twists to enjoy—and the mystery to ponder!

It's certainly very long and often verbose—I usually find a fast-pace to be more appealing in a mystery—but I believe this was more a character-driven story than a plot-driven one (in his preface, Collins says that means to "trace the influence of character on circumstance") and the mystery (though it was deep and fascinating) was second to the characterization since the tale is told in Narrative form from some half-dozen characters. I feel as if I have befriended Betteredge and his dog-eared and beloved "Robinson Crusoe," suffered through an acquaintance with Miss Clack and her hideous pamphlets, sniffed roses beside Sargent Cuff and felt some of the deep love and longing of Ezra Jennings. Marvelous characterization!

I'd also like to point out that this is an excellent mystery for those who prefer a more intellectual and thought-process sort of mystery, rather that one focused on murder.

Good idea Kathryn! I'll have to grab some of my older reviews and post them here :)

The most recent Cozy-Mystery I read was Clouds of Witness by Dorthy Sayers. I gave it 5 stars. Here's my review:

"Clouds of Witness" was a very delightful book! In both the mystery and the characters, I thought Sayers came through brilliantly!

Lord Peter Wimsey (the main character and detective) is truly a humorous, clever, thoughtful, and lovable character! He breezes through life, always seeing the amusement and humor in situations, but doesn't lack the ability to understand people and events for the gravity they may hold.
Wimsey himself was a delightful enough character to hold my interest through the book, but add to this his good friend (and partner in crime-solving) Mr. Parker (adorable friends!) and Mr. Bunter (another more "proper" counterpart to Wimsey) and you have an entire book set to amuse!

Oddly enough, Sayers doesn't use a lot of description. In a way it reminds a bit of Jane Austin (though the feel of the books is not similar!), in her ability to convey the characters in their uniqueness and completeness through dialogue.

The mystery also is most interesting. And while I could have felt "cheated" by the ending, I didn't because of the various sub-mysteries that were occurring throughout the book. It is, in a way, three or four mysteries all revolving around one.

Additionally, the mystery centers around Wimsey’s own family, which adds another element to Wimsey’s character, and the mystery itself.

A note: the book does contain a few slightly graphic descriptions of the murder, but I stress the word slightly. I have read some Agatha Christie, and think that it’s probably on par with those. I am quite the queasy reader, and I had few qualms.
The only thing I regretted – if it could be called a regret – was the prevalent use of French. I can’t blame or criticize Sayers on this front, only myself for not having a better grasp of the language. That said, while a times I was dismayed because I did not understand every detail or clue, for the most part everything was eventually (and in a timely manner) translated or explained.

I really enjoyed this read! And am very much looking forward to picking up another Lord Peter Wimsey mystery!!

I just finished reading a food cozy called Candy Apple Dead by Sammi Carter. It is the first in the series. It was good but not great. I liked the main character and the town and of course the sweets descriptions but the mystery dragged on a little long. However, that being said, I will read the next one in the series because of the setting and the fact that it is the first in the series and sometimes the author needs a little longer to find the voice. Plus, the candy descriptions!!!

Oooh, heading into the holiday season, a mystery featuring CANDY could be dangerous, haha!

I just finished Strong Poison. I'm sad I didn't like it more. I mean, I did like it, but there wasn't very much of Peter Wimsey in it, so I missed reading more about him and his friends, because that's what really endeared me to Clouds of Witness. :)

I agree, Ann.

Try Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers. I especially loved Busman's Honeymoon but you might want to read Gaudy Night to set it up.

Thanks Lori!!! I had already purchased Gaudy Night because it looked like it followed Strong Poison. But, it's pretty long and I was a bit apprehensive. But if there's more goodies out there to be found, then I'll totally read!:D Happily, the books are pretty easy to read through.

As much as I am embarrassed to admit it, the last one I read was the newest Agatha Raisin, A Spoonful of Poison by M.C. Beaton. I really can't get enough of those books.

I just finished An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear. It's in the Maisie Dobbs series, set between the world wars in England. I really enjoyed it. A solid series, with the first being the best - as usual!

Cindy, I'm so excited to hear that you are enjoying the Maisie Dobbs series. I keep seeing these and am interested (she sounds like a great heroine!) but have avoided them because they seem a bit heavy/depressing with the focus on the War. What did you think? Does it lightly touch on those aspects, or is it pretty deep/dark? Would it be a cozy mystery???

And, Liz, I have not yet read an Agatha Raisin book but I have the QUICHE OF DEATH and am eager to try it!

I just finished reading the Man With A Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes, the first of her Richard Jury mysteries. I really liked it, there were some terms I didn't understand because I'm American (and not English) but I enjoyed it. The characters were great, it was quite funny in some parts too. I will definitely be reading some more of her Richard Jury books.

Kathryn - I'm not entirely sure I would call the Maisie Dobbs books cozy. They are not dark, exactly, but the first book talks about Maisie's experiences as a nurse during WWI. So it is a little emotional and heavy. But she is a very likeable character. The last book, Pardonable Lies, is probably the darkest book. But there is little or no bad language, no sex scenes. Only the first book deals directly with the war, but all of them deal with the ramifications of England coping with the results of the war.

And I just finished Carola Dunn's latest in the Daisy Dalrymple series, Black Ship. It was fun, but not really extraordinary.

Thanks, Cindy! I appreciate the insight into Maisie Dobbs.

I as at a book review today and the speaker mentioned a new cozy series called The Home Crafting Series. The first book is out, Lye in Wait by Cricket McRae. Although at the beginning of the book a fellow is found dead from swallowing lye, the reviewer promises that the remainder of the book is a cozy mystery. Sounds like a good read.

I'm just starting the latest Agatha Raisin today. I **love** this series.

I just started Maisie Dobbs (first in the series). Thanks to whomever recommended it. Like it so far. I love anything in the post-WWI era (especially Agatha Christie).

Here is an eBay seller with lots of cozies (tell her Kathie Hagen sent you):

http://tinyurl.com/6aa2s5

I have recently discovered the "Aunt Dimity's" mysteries by Nancy Atherton and the "Pennsylvania-Dutch" mysteries by Tamar Myers. I am enjoying both immensely.

I just finished the second Alice Kimberly Haunted BOokshop mystery. I am really enjoying these. The language and humor are great!

I really like the Aunt Dimity mysteries by Nancy Atherton, too. I

Oh, the "Aunt Dimity" mysteries are great! I finished the latest "Agatha Raisin" mystery too quickly. I feel bereft. :-(

Have any of you read Jasper Fforde's NURSERY CRIME novels? I stumbled across the second one, The Fourth Bear at the library. Looks like it could be a lot of fun. If you have read both, do you think it's important to start with the first book (THE BIG OVER EASY) or can they be read in any order? Thanks!

My main problem with the Aunt Dimity series is the way the main character flirts with other men when she is married. That really bothers me!

And I have read both of the Jasper Fforde books, and I think it would be best to start with the first one, but I'm not sure it's essential.

I just finished reading Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton and I really enjoyed it! It was a quick read for me!

Cammie
I read Martha Grimes first 5 books then I stopped. I can't tell you why, I just got tired of her.
Sheri,'
Is the Maggie Sefton book wine or horses. I only read wine. Have so much to read that I can't get into horses.
Diane

I'm a big fan of Maggie Sefton's knitting mysteries and and can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Fleece Navidad. I'm also a fan of the lady herself. She's gracious and giving with her fans and fellow mystery authors and loves to talk. I'm forever grateful to her for the blurb she gave me for my first mystery (and my publisher liked it so much they put it on the front cover).

I lost interest in the Martha Grimes books too. I wouldn't call them cozies. They were pretty violent, as I recall. But it's been a while.

Just finished Designer Knockoff by Ellen Byerrum. I'm enjoying her Crimes of Fashion mysteries.

I like Ellen's books too and I also need to catch up on this series. I need to do the same with Laura Levine's Series too!
Pam007

I had finished two of the Aunt Dimity's cozies and am reading a third one now. I agree with you Cindy on the fact the main character flirts with other men with her being married, alittle distracting. Though I do enjoy the series, its a quick relaxing read. I do have a ? about Black Coffee by Agatha Christie, is it my imagination or is that another book in her collection but with a new title?

I read Black Coffee a long time ago. As I remember, it's a novel version based on a play she wrote.

I just finished Seven Suspects by G K Chesterton. Father Brown isn't in this one. It's a collection of short stories, but it was a little dated. Still fun though.

I just finished a Home Crafting Mystery, Lye in Wait. It's an easy and fun read. The characters are likeable with a possible future love relationship. The plot of the story is to discover who and how a handy man was forced to drink lye, which, of course, caused his death. There are a couple of incidents that are far fetched but overall it's a nice book.

I really enjoy the Nursery Crimes series. The Fourth Bear is kinda complicated though. I dont think it is necessary read in order, but the first was the best IMHO

PAST MALICE by Dana Cameron (mystery)
Archeologist Emma Fielding has her hands full at her latest dig. Not only does someone associated with historic Chandler House hope to chase her away after she finds the body of a security guard, but her husband isn’t too keen on her investigating either. Will she risk her marriage to keep snooping, or will she ignore the secrets the townspeople are so anxious to hide?
Emma isn’t a person to quit on a job, and soon danger is flying along with the dirt. A solid mystery with an insider’s look at what it means to be an archeologist in the field.

THE HADES PROJECT by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore (thriller)
Cotten Stone once again fights the forces of evil in this clever thriller featuring the biblical Spear of Destiny and a global power melt down. If you’ve ever feared a worldwide computer worm that could cause havoc everywhere, read this book. It’ll make you praise your antivirus program and hope something like this never happens for real.

Love the title of that book, Lynn!
And Happy Holidays! :D

In the past few days I finished reading The Body In The Gallery by Katherine Hall Page, Who Left The Body In The Rain by Patrica Sprinkle, and just started The Book Of Old Houses by Sarah Graves.
Pam007

My most recent was "The Dead Wives Society" by Sharon Duncan but I was a little disappointed in it. The cozy I read before that is one of my favorite authors: "Scots on the Rocks" by Mary Daheim. Review:

What happens when you give your husband a criteria for your long-awaited vacation and let him pick the location? Well, that is what happens when Judith and her irascible cousin Renie dream of a vacation by a beach where they can get some much needed rest, and their husbands can go fishing. It is February in the Pacific Northwest and they have warmth and sun in their minds. Where do they end up, but on an island with a beach, good fishing, and in a castle in Northern Scotland!

The girls are literally dumped at the island & left on their own as their husbands go off for a day of fishing that turns into a week or more. Fortunately for them, the water between the island and the mainland is very shallow and twice a day at low tide the sand can be driven or walked on. That turns out to be a blessing because Judith’s husband has kept the destination a secret from her and she has arrived with only lightweight clothing. Of course, wherever Judith McGonigle Flynn goes trouble follows and soon this B&B owner finds herself wrapped up in murder and mayhem. In this book, a large cast of well-fleshed characters are involved in greed, conspiracy, jealousy, misplaced anger and more. Family bloodlines contribute to the mix.

This is number 23 in Mary Daheim’s Hillside Manor Bed & Breakfast series . The characters remain true and age appropriately. Her series is light and fun, even with Judith’s statement to Renie “You get worse as you get older. You age, but you don’t act it.” The opposite personalities play well off each other and the series has a large following. I recommend any of her books for a light entertaining read. Daheim also has a second series based in the town of Alpine in the Pacific Northwest featuring Emma Lord - Editor/Publisher of the The Alpine Advocate.

I just finished Crime Brulee by Nancy Fairbanks today. It's the first book in her Culinary Mystery series. The main character, a food critic, has interesting excerpts throughout the mystery from the book she's supposedly writing about food in New Orleans. There are also some recipes.

I liked the book and I'd read more in the series. Not the most suspenseful mystery ever, but still a fun, light read.

The Body in the Attic by Katherine Hall Page. Her writing really sucks you in.

Yeppers and I really like particular book in the series. Although it did raise some eyebrows because Katherine gave Page an unexpected twist in this book.

I just returned Maisie Dobbs to the library. I could not stick it! I tried but it just did not engage me at all. I got about 25% through it.

I just finished "Drop Dead Diva." It was a fun, quick book.

I want to hear more about this one. I love the title.
Pamela

I just finished Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer. Sort of a ghost story/mystery, but more along the lines of Scooby Doo than a real ghost story.
Great for curling up in bed with.

Where's a post saying what you're currently reading?
I'm reading Dead Ex It's a cute series not as funny as Evanovich but along those lines. This is the third in the series. The author is a actress so of course this is set in Hollywood.

Cindi wrote: "Where's a post saying what you're currently reading?

I don't know that there is one. Perhaps it would be a good thread to start up:)