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Cozy Mysteries

VTChEwbecca

VTChEwbecca

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Any other cozy mystery fans out there? (You know, the ones without blood and guts).

I got into cozies with Carolyn G. Hart's Death on Demand books (an impulse purchase). Her books led me to read Dame Agatha's books (great mysteries, poor writing) & Dorothy L. Sayers (whom I love). I've tried a few other cozy mystery authors here and there, but I seem to never know which authors to try and which to avoid. Any suggestions from other fans?
 
Some people like The Cat Who... series. I've only read one that was a gift from a friend. I thought it was OK for an afternoon of light reading. I cared more about the cats than the mystery, but that's just me.
 
Somewhere in the archives I have a book called "Murder Ink," which was a fairly comprehensive catalogue of all styles of detective stories, mysteries and thrillers from James Bond to Hercule Poirot and Modesty Blaise to Miss Marple. If I could find it, I'd be able to tell you the author and publisher and so forth, but I can't find anything these days, so I'll refer you to Amazon or B&N, where I'm sure you'll find it and probably updated since I bought my copy years ago. You're bound to find some new favorites among the listings.

Irene Wilde
 
I love Georges Simenon's Maigret series and Eric Ambler's books from the 30s and 40s (A Coffin for Dimitri, etc.). Ambler is said to be the godfather of the modern spy novel and a great influence on LeCarre.
 
Zooie, I picked up a "Cat Who.." book, but have yet to get to it. Most cozies are definitely light reading, but good if you just want a bit of a rest before bed. I'll have to give it a try.

Irene, thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to look up Murder Ink...sounds like a great resource.

Novella, I'm definitely going to look into Simenon & Ambler. Thanks!

Anyone else? :)
 
I've run across a few cozies in my latest reading "obsession" (i.e. biblio-mysteries) including the Carolyn Hart series. You might like the series written by Julie Kaewert or Lawrence Block's "Burglar" series. Kaewert's series features the head of a publishing house and is, I think, pretty typically British in tone. Block's "Burglar" series features a cat-burglar/bookseller with a pretty wry sense of humor.
 
How about Tony Hillerman - he writes about crimes committed on an indian reservation and has two native american officers.

The other one I would recommend is Nevada Barr. She works for the National Park Service, and all her books take place in various parks. Its really neat when you have been to one and know where she is talking about.
 
I've heard good things about both of those authors, Bird, but I never got around to checking them out. Thanks for reminding me!
 
Bird54 said:
How about Tony Hillerman - he writes about crimes committed on an indian reservation and has two native american officers.
Click to expand...

I give this series very high marks. Hillerman doesn't slack on the research and is backed by the native american community.

The Bookman series by John Dunning is quite good as well. It's about an ex-cop turned bibliophile. And the author is an ex-bookstore owner (and book scout) , so he knows what he's talking about when he name drops and discusses the process of looking for gems among the rubble.

This is really a mystery series put out for book lovers that've loved the hours they've spent in those worn down, second hand book shops.


RaVeN
 
Yep! LOVE the Hillerman books! You might also try the "Mrs. Pollifax" series by Dorothy Gilman. Little old retired lady decides one day to become a secret agent (her life-long fantasy), so she walks into the offices of the Central Intelligence Agency and presents herself for hire! LOL! The first one is The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, and is terrific!

You might also seek out Isaac Asimov's "The Black Widowers" mysteries and "The Union Club" mysteries. They're collections of short stories that are solving odd puzzles, but hardly ever involving a murder. They're out of print, I believe, but you can still find them occasionally on Amazon or AbeBooks.com

I know of a few more, but the authors are escaping me, so I'll have to check my library!
 
I was looking through my shelves and a few other authors stood out that you might want to look into. Charlotte Macleod & Elizabeth Peters.


RaVeN
 
My favorite authors are Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier.

‘Hannah Swensen’ mysteries by Fluke
Blueberry Muffin Murder - Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder -
Fudge Cupcake Murder - Lemon Meringue Pie Murder -
Strawberry Shortcake Murder - Sugar Cookie Murder

‘Lucy Stone Murder’ series by Meier
Birthday Party Murder - Christmas Cookie Murder -
Mistletoe Murder - Turkey Day Murder - Valentine Murder -
Star Spangled Murder

J.K.
 
I love cozy mysteries! Are there some threads on Book and Reader dedicated to just cozies? I am so glad to see this thread!
I read other mystery genres, but prefer the cozies...
 
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